I first started studying Esther in my Roots Class. Jewish Roots of the Christian Faith as it's "new" name states. We went through Esther very fast, to get to the heart of the Jewish holiday Purim, and where it came from. We read a little bit of the Bible. Did a little bit of Tom Bradford's Torahclass.com. Did a little bit of the video series by Rabbi Messer. Also we watched the movie which I really liked, it's on NetFlix right now if anyone is interested.
All this "little bits" left me feeling I did not do Esther justice. But figured I'd get around to doing it justice "some time". Well, I kept having this nudge in the back of my brain that I needed to do Esther justice. On one of my trips to Lifeway, I came across Beth Moore's study on Esther. I looked through it and it did not "appear" to need videos. Beth's can run quite a bit of money. (Worth it yes, but out of my price capabilities). So I pick this book up thinking that I can do it on my own with my book and my Bible. I figure I'll finish reading Esther in the Bible. And I will finish Tom Bradford's 10 part series on Torahclass.com.
A week ago last Monday, I sit down with all my "components". And open Beth up to read... First thing, is a viewer guide. Can NOT tell you how mad I was at Beth right then. I am just not able to do $250 for the videos. I drop my head. Shut Esther. And go back to my Leviticus study, or something else I can't recall.
Then...
On Tuesday, I go to my study with LuAnn. She and I are doing Bill Bright's Handbook for Christian Maturity. Slowly... And as we start out with our prayer I feel a nudge to go to the library. I spend a lot of time in the church library. So I can't figure out why I need to go there now. In the course of talking before we get started, LuAnn says she'd like to do Beth Moore's Breathe. I suggest (see how silly I am) "Well, Lu, why don't you go to the library and SEE if they have it in there). She leaves and while she's gone I finally wake up... Well, DOH... I should go see if Esther is in there. And what do you know. Breathe wasn't, but Esther WAS.... I finished my time with LuAnn that Tuesday and RUSHED home to start Esther. Knowing full and completely well, that God was pushing me to finish Esther.
I diligently worked through the 9 sessions of Beth Moore. If you will look back to what I said about her Sacred Secrets I probably was not very favorable for Mrs. Moore. However, she is now my "go to" woman when it comes to bible study. She dug down into the nitty gritty of Esther. She broke open this box for me, and looked at every single verse, in depth and pulled so much great stuff out of it for me. She pulled out all the stops and connected it appropriately to current world situations in a way that just "WOW"'d me to the core.
Thank you Father in Heaven for giving this woman the abilities that you have, the enlightenment to take your word and explain it to us today!
I followed Beth with Tom Bradford's Torahclass.com studies. Beth spent some time on the Jewish aspects, but Tom provides a perspective and in depthness on the Jewish side that no one else can touch.
Something I encountered when studying Esther. Many scholars consider Esther a Fairy Tale. Many scholars feel that Esther is a work of fiction, spun for everyone to explain why Purim must be celebrated. The scholars in question feel that the lack of God in the story is the reason that it's a Fairy Tale and do not understand why Esther is included in the Bible.
I also found the "added" portions. Get this, the Greeks translated the Hebrew Bible into the Greek language. This book is called the Septuagint. The Greeks did not like the fact that God was not mentioned in the Book of Esther, so they doubled the story and added God into it. I read some of these "additions" listed here: Additions Some of these additions are just ridiculous. Changing the entire structure and sometimes the context of the story.
The movie I listed at the beginning, was a very good movie. However, it was not scripturally based. It started out right, it started out good. But it totally changed the ending. In the movie the Law of Haman was overturned. In the Book of Esther, the law could not be overturned, something else had to be done. And the resulting conflict resulted in 75K deaths. Nothing like what the movie portrayed.
Things I learned from Esther:
1. God's Providence: Yes he does work in the background (sometimes not so subtly), putting people, events, and stuff into play where and when he wants to, to ensure His plan.
2. God's Sovereignty: Nothing happens without His direction and/or permission.
3. Such A Time As This: He puts us into play, and calls us to do things that He asks. And I love this line from Esther: "For if you remain completely silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father's house will perish. Yet who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this?" (Esther 4:14-15)
You just have to love this. God's Providence put you in this place, He's calling on you to act, today. He has a plan for you. Will you pass it by. As surely as Mordecai told Esther, someone else will do the job He is asking you to do, if you don't. And you will surely lose the blessings that He has in store for you.
4. When all seems lost, God will provide you a way!
5. When God wants you to do something, as in "Study Esther" He will provide you everything you need, and He will not stop pestering you, until you do it.
6. Esther is NOT a Fairy Tale. God may not be "in" Esther, but His hand is ALL OVER her. I think Beth Moore said this first, so I may be stealing it from her. If not she said something similar to it.
7. I know I have read 11 books out of the Bible so far, but Esther is my favorite at the moment!
Enjoy & Shalom!
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