Lessons from Esther: Esther’s feast

Then the king made a great feast unto all his princes and his servants, even Esther's feast; and he made a release to the provinces, and gave gifts, according to the state of the king. 19 And when the virgins were gathered together the second time, then Mordecai sat in the king's gate. 20 Esther had not yet shewed her kindred nor her people; as Mordecai had charged her: for Esther did the commandment of Mordecai, like as when she was brought up with him. Esther 2:18-20

Time for another party! It appears that Ahasuerus (Xerxes) loved to give parties (feasts). There was a reason to celebrate. The king had picked a new queen. The feast was appropriately called “Esther’s feast.” He was so excited about his choice that the party extended to the provinces.

The king gave “a release” to the people. Depending on what commentary you read the release was either from paying taxes, or from work, such as a special holiday. Esther was given “gifts”, we are not told what type of gift but according to history of the Persian kings, it could be anything from lovely clothes to an entire city.

Meanwhile, Mordecai sat at the king’s gate. This was not your ordinary sitting but it was a position he held. J. Vernon McGee says, “This means that he is a judge, for the courthouse of the ancient world was the gate of the city.” We are not told how Mordecai came to receive this position but it shows that God is in control.  God had placed him in this new position. Mordecai is now sitting at the gate where he is able to hear and see what is going on in the kingdom.

Through her selection, the celebrations as well as the appointment of her cousin, Esther was harboring a secret. She kept the secret hidden in her heart because Mordecai, her adopted father, had asked her to. Her secret was even hidden from her Persian husband. No one but Esther and Mordecai knew that she was Jewish, and a captive from Jerusalem.

Behind the scene God was guiding each word said, each step taken by Esther and Mordecai. God will guide our words and our steps if we let Him. At the start of each day, we need to ask God for guidance and direction to lead us in the way we should go.

Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. 6 In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. Proverbs 3:5-6

Lead me in thy truth, and teach me: for thou art the God of my salvation; on thee do I wait all the day. Psalm 25:5

Teach me thy way, O LORD, and lead me in a plain path, because of mine enemies. Psalm 27:11

And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen. Matthew 6:13

Have a blessed day,
Donna

Women of the Bible – Sarah (part 2)

Is any thing too hard for the LORD? At the time appointed I will return unto thee, according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son. Genesis 18:14 

As the years pass Sarai still doesn’t have children. Meanwhile she had her own ideas. She suggests to Abram to take her maid Hagar and have children with her. This was a common practice during this time, the results, hopefully, was to give the man a male heir. Hagar does conceive but it causes problems. The main problem was it is not God’s plan.

In Genesis 17 God changes their names from Sarai and Abram to Sarah and Abraham (Gen 17:13, 15-16). Sarah means princess while Abraham means ”father of many nations”. Changing their names was God’s way of sealing His promise with them.

We can learn much from Sarah’s life. One of the things that “jumped” out at me, was the way she handled the “heir” situation. Sarah knew what God had promised but she had a hard time believing it. Instead of waiting on God and His time table, she ran ahead of God and made her own plan (the wrong way). She spoke to Abraham and said, “God is “restraining” me from having children so go and try with my servant, Hagar. (Gen 16:1-4) Almost immediately, Sarah realized her wrong and lashed out at Abraham. (Gen 16:5)

Do we ever lash out at someone for our mistakes? Is that the right way to handle the situation? Are our emotions controlling us or are we controlling our emotions? I can only answer for myself and sad to say many times I let my emotions control me.

The right way is to wait on God and search His word. Waiting for anything is extremely hard for us, but waiting on the Lord, sometimes, is almost impossible for impatient humans to do! A few verses that come to mind:

Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD. Psalm 27:14 

Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for him: … Psalm 37:7

Search His word for answers to your problems. As we are waiting on the Lord for a clear answer to a problem we need to be looking in His word for the answer. He will give us comfort as we wait for His lead in the next step.

 I wait for the LORD, my soul doth wait, and in his word do I hope. Psalm 130:5 

To know how to wait is the great secret of success. ~ Joseph De Maistre

As the story unfolds we find that Sarah’s faith is increased. Hebrews 11:11 says, Through faith also Sara herself received strength to conceive seed, and was delivered of a child when she was past age, because she judged him faithful who had promised. Sarah is just one of two women mentioned in the “hall of faith” chapter in the book of Hebrews.

At the age of 90, Sarah had a son, Isaac, meaning laughter. Abraham was 100 years old. It was certainly a miracle that she had a child at this age but another phenomenon was her ability to nurse him. 

Sarah died when she was 127 years old. She is the only woman in the Bible whose age at death is recorded.

Faith is to believe, on the word of God, what we do not see, and its reward is to see and enjoy what we believe. ~ Augustine

As we travel through life we need to wait on Him in all situations and have faith that nothing is too hard for the Lord.

Have a blessed day,
Donna

Verses of comfort

The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the LORD is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? Psalm 27:1

Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD. Psalm 27:14

Cast thy burden upon the LORD, and he shall sustain thee: he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved. Psalm 55:22

Blessed be the Lord, who daily loadeth us with benefits, even the God of our salvation. Selah. Psalm 68:19

But it is good for me to draw near to God: I have put my trust in the Lord GOD, that I may declare all thy works. Psalm 73:28

Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits: Psalm 103:2

Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort; 4 Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God. II Corinthians 1:3-4

Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things. Philippians 4:8

Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. 6 So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me. Hebrews 13:5 -6

Have a comforting day,
Donna

Update

The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the LORD is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? Psalm 27:1

We take so much for granted. We go about life without a care in the world. Then something upsets our course. It may be an accident, an illness, an injury or an operation. Whatever it is, causes a cramp in our style. This is what my husband has been through for the last few months. He has always been active and healthy. In late December he injured his back and has been pretty much out of commission.

He didn’t stop most of his activities, he just did them in extreme pain. He has never been a complainer but when you live with someone for a long time you recognize by the way they do things when they are in pain.

After exhausting all options he opted for surgery. The surgery was outpatient and he was told he would be driving after two days. He has not driven since late December.

As I reported in my last post, he could not lift his left leg. The operation was more intense than first thought. There was trauma to the nerves which affected his leg. He was transferred to a good rehab facility.

Mark has worked very hard to get mobility. He came home today. Praise God! Last week he could not move his left leg. After 3 hours of rehab a day he is walking with a walker, going up and down stairs and getting dressed by himself. A week and a half ago he could not do basic ADLs. The "activities of daily living," or ADLs, are the basic tasks of everyday life, items that most of us take for granted including, bathing, dressing, walking, climbing stairs, driving and transferring.

His left leg is still numb from the knee down but the exercises and movement are making it stronger. He has some feeling when touched, more like pins and needles, which is a good thing.

I thank God every day for what He has given us. Throughout the last few weeks I have prayed Proverbs 3:5-6. Lord, help us to trust you with all our hearts and not to lean on our own ways. Help us to recognize you in everything as you direct our path.

As Mark continues to grow stronger each day, we need to remember that God is in control. The last few months have been a little draining at times but then I remember this is only “a bump in the road” of life. I’m glad I learned the principles of Isaiah 26:4, Trust ye in the LORD for ever: for in the LORD JEHOVAH is everlasting strength:

He has been our strength and comfort throughout this time. Thank you for your prayers.

Have a blessed day,
Donna

Waiting

I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living. 14 Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD. Psalm 27:13-14

Look around to see the goodness of the LORD (Jehovah, self Existent) . Have faith in God unless you faint (fade away – wither away). God is always there to give peace, guidance and courage to do right.

We are impatient people. We want everything now, whether it is an answer to prayer or something material. We need it right now. In this instant society, waiting is a thing in the past. We usually feel like we cannot live without a certain item.

The Bible tells us to wait (the act of delaying or lingering) for spiritual blessings or answers from the Lord. Waiting is difficult, God says if we wait on Him and have good courage (or a good attitude) He will strengthen our heart.

Waiting on the Lord, is a great way to grow spiritually. When we learn to wait we will be more patient with others, as well as with the Lord.

Have a blessed day,
Donna