One Year Bible, August 18

ESTHER 1:1 - 3:15                                                                                                           
DIVINE PROVIDENCE:  The book of Esther pictures the conditions of God's people during their exile in Persia; the time period was between the 6th and 7th chapters of Ezra, between the restoration of the Temple in Jerusalem, and the return of the second group under Ezra. While the Name of God is not mentioned in the whole book, His activity is clearly seen.  The hand of God is seen guiding, guarding and over-ruling the affairs of man, as He keeps watch and preserves His elect.  Our God reigns!

WOMAN IS THE GLORY OF THE MAN:  When Vashti refused to glorify King Ahasuerus, she was deposed and stripped of her authority as Queen, and Esther was raised up to be Bride and Queen.  She was prepared by Uncle Mordecai and Hegai (eunuch of the Harem). The two men represent the cleansing and beautifying work of the Holy Spirit in us.

THE BAD GUY:  "Haman" means "proud, magnificent, trouble."  He represents the antichristian world-spirit that persecutes God's people.   He is also the picture, then, of the FLESH, beast nature, and the carnal mind.  Haman was a swaggering bully!

THE DEVIL'S (HAMAN'S) PLOT:   Haman got the king to decree that all Jews were to be killed and their belongings taken. This is because Haman hated Esther and Uncle Mordecai, and the King obviously didn't realize that they were both Jews!   This is the decree that has gone out on all of us, the "Law of Sin and Death".

RESPONSE:   There are lots of "coincidences" in this story. Too many. God brought the events together just right, with His people in the right places at the right time.  He continually "trumps" Haman.  When our daughter was about 3 years old, we attended a Purim (Celebrating Esther) service at a local synagogue.   The children were all given noisemakers.  When Esther was read, we listened for the mention of Haman - and when his name was spoken, everyone rattled their noisemakers.   It was a modern version of "Boo! Hiss!"

1 CORINTHIANS 11:17-34                                                                                                    TURNING A CARNAL, NATURAL-THINKING MAN INTO A SPIRITUAL ONE:   This obviously requires spiritual maturity, in not alienating outsiders or other believers either.   Jesus gave specific instructions regarding the Lord's Supper and any abuse of this act of worship is disgraceful.   Even common decency and decor demands better manners than these immature Christians had.

EAT AND DRINK "UNWORTHILY":  The elements of communion (The Lord's Supper) represent the blood and body of Jesus Christ.   When we make a farce out of it, we have brought judgment on ourselves.  What farce?  The communion is not just between us and Jesus, but it is to be SHARED among ourselves as "drinking from the same cup" and "being from one loaf".  The Lord's Supper is a SHARED EXPERIENCE.   The elements we eat and drink represent the Lord's Body - which we all are!  When we are cliquish or rude to anyone, we are "unworthy" to eat the Lord's Supper.  If we will judge ourselves and accept chastening from the Lord, we won't be condemned with the world.   Even "the world" is friendlier and behaves better than some people in the Church!

RESPONSE:   Because of germs, a lot of churches use individual cups and breadcrumbs for communion service. We don't see the picture as well - that we are considered "one loaf" (1Cor 10:17) and that we drink from the same cup - meaning our Christian experience is a shared one because we are ONE BODY. That's what made the Corinthian experience so terrible! So, the next time we take communion, we had better look around. Do we need to repent to anyone?

PSALM 35:17-28                                                                                                                  
Neither David, nor Jesus, "escaped those who hated Him without cause".  Our vindication is in the resurrection from the dead.  We are resurrected spiritually when we are born again of the Spirit. We will bodily resurrected in the future.

PROVERBS 21:19-20                                                                                                           
Well, the rooftop is already occupied, so this hubby can live in the desert.   "Quarrelsome AND angry"..... hmmmmm, I wonder what he did?

If you spend all you have on your human lust, you won't have anything to buy true treasures. When our children were young, they wanted the EXPENSIVE tennis shoes for school. We couldn't afford them, but even if we could have, we wouldn't have gotten them. We explained that as Christians, we don't spend our money that way. We are replenishers, not just consumers. We invest, we share, we give offerings.

RESPONSE:   Early in our marriage, my husband and I used to disagree about EVERYTHING! It seems like I just kept stirring the pot. One time, he had had all he could stand, and he locked himself in our bedroom. I pounded on the door and yelled, "You come out here and fight like a man!" Even our teen-aged kids laughed at that one. I wasted so many years being angry. Praise God, my hubby continued walking with the Lord in peace, praying for me, trying to help when he could.   I came from a quarreling, strife-filled home, and had no idea how to get along with anyone.  I thought all that yelling and arguing was normal!   My husband came along and set the example for me to follow.   He would make me so mad when I was ready to fight, and he would just sit there!   He wouldn't let me disturb his peace!