We’re given a glimpse of life lived under God in the context of poverty, of eking out an existence. And in Ruth we are given a glimpse of the domestic life of a village, if you like. The other one, of course, as you know, is Ruth. But just so you know: if you were bumping into the book of Daniel or Ezra or Nehemiah, then you will discover that they all relate to this particular period in time and, in certain aspects, to the exact geography that is contained here.Įsther is one of only two books in the Bible that is named after a woman. I don’t want to spend any time at all on the history and geography of it. And Persia ruled over Palestine for some two hundred years. The Persian Empire in ancient days was the greatest empire, probably, before the arrival of the Roman Empire. The story is set against the background of an attempt led by one man, an evil villain by the name of Haman, to try and exterminate the Jewish population, the entire Jewish population, from the Persian Empire. It’s a kind of Cinderella story-not quite rags to riches, but certainly a radical transformation in the life of this young Jewish girl, pretty as she was. Well, here, as we come to Esther, we might begin by saying, “Once upon a time there was a beautiful Jewish girl who became the queen of Persia.” That’s actually the story. You thought that the day was long past when you could snuggle somebody up and begin, “Once upon a time…” And there is something quite wonderful, isn’t there, about that little introductory phrase, opening up before us vistas, discoveries, the unfolding drama that is contained in whatever literature it is to which we turn. One of the delightful things about becoming a grandparent, as many of you know, is that you’re able to go back and read some of the old stories all over again. And so, beyond the voice of a mere man, may we hear from you, the living God, for it is to you alone we listen and in the name of your Son we pray. Our God and Father, we pray for your help, as we do routinely, because we actually believe ourselves to be tremendously in need of it both to be able to speak and to listen, certainly to understand, to obey your Word, to live in the light of its truth. Queen Vashti also gave a feast for the women in the palace that belonged to King Ahasuerus.” And drinking was according to this edict: ‘There is no compulsion.’ For the king had given orders to all the staff of his palace to do as each man desired. Drinks were served in golden vessels, vessels of different kinds, and the royal wine was lavished according to the bounty of the king. There were white cotton curtains and violet hangings fastened with cords of fine linen and purple to silver rods and marble pillars, and also couches of gold and silver on a mosaic pavement of porphyry, marble, mother-of-pearl, and precious stones. And when these days were completed, the king gave for all the people present in Susa the citadel, both great and small, a feast lasting for seven days in the court of the garden of the king’s palace. The army of Persia and Media and the nobles and governors of the provinces were before him, while he showed the riches of his royal glory and the splendor and pomp of his greatness for many days, 180 days. “Now in the days of Ahasuerus, the Ahasuerus who reigned from India to Ethiopia over 127 provinces, in those days when King Ahasuerus sat on his royal throne in Susa, the citadel, in the third year of his reign he gave a feast for all his officials and servants. And it gives me time to practice this afternoon. I had great difficulty reading some of the names after verse 9, so it’s an easy way for me to fix that: just don’t read them. , Esther chapter 1, and I’m just going to read the first nine verses. And if it’s helpful to you and you want to use one of the church Bibles, you’ll find Esther on page 410. I invite you to turn with me to the Old Testament, to the book of Esther.
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