The second woman we will be looking at is Esther
Esther
4:12 - 17
When Vashti was deposed as Queen, Esther became
Queen. King Xerxes was Darius son and he ruled over 127 provinces.
It was 4 years after Esther became Queen that King
Xerxes honoured Haman in Esther 3:1 – 2.
King Xerxes elevated him and gave him a
seat of honour higher than all the other nobles. All the royal officials at the
Kings gate knelt down and paid honour to
Haman, for the King had commanded this of him.
There was a man who didn’t kneel down and honour him
– Mordecai. Why? Obedience to bowing down to Haman was not Mordecai’s issue.
The Jews were willing to bow down to Kings and other people. According to the
history, It was the long standing enmity between the Jews and the Amalikites
that can explain Mordecai’s refusal and Haman’s intent to destroy all the Jews
throughout the whole Kingdom.
Listen to what Haman says to King Xerxes in Esther 3 v 8 – 9 “There is a certain people dispersed and scattered among the provinces
of your kingdom whose customs are different from all other people and who do
not obey the King’s laws; it is not in the Kings best interest to tolerate
them. If it pleases the King, let a decree be issued to destroy them, and I
will put 10,000 talents of silver into the royal treasury for the men who carry
out the business. The King replied: “Keep your money……and do with the people as
you please.”
When you have the backing of your leaders to do
something, you will do it with energy. Haman wrote to the governors and nobles in
the various provinces with the order to destroy,
kill and annihilate. This was to happen in one day and not only that, they
should plunder the goods.
Reactions:
The Couriers were spurred on seeing as it came from
the King himself.
Mordecai tore his clothes and cried loudly and
bitterly.
How would we react if we were given instructions to
destroy people. Would you be spurred on or would you tear your clothes and cry
loudly?
Mordecai sent word to Esther of the plot to kill the
Jews and suggested she speak to the King.
This was no easy task because anyone who entered the
Kings inner court without being summoned was by law, put to death unless the
King held out the scepter. So Esther’s response to Mordecai’s message was
NATURAL.
What she didn’t realize was that she needed a
SUPERNATURAL response. She needed to be a fearless woman, A FREE woman who
carries out her responsibility fearlessly - One whose faith is in God.
“NEVER
LET WHAT YOUR EYES SEE DETERMINE WHAT YOUR HEART BELIEVES”
Mordecai reminded her that if she kept silent, relief and deliverance for the Jews would
come from somewhere else.
Esther had her
‘God moment!” – Gather together all the Jews and fast for me for 3 days. After
that, I WILL go to the King even if it is against the law. And if I perish, I
perish!”Esther realized that God cannot be manipulated by fasting. Despite
that realization she exercised her individual responsibility and God empowered her
to do the supernatural.
We need SUPERNATURAL RESPONSES in our situations
because Natural ones at times, won’t work.
Read on for pt 3 on Women set FREE
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