Bible Reading Plan

Author: Jon Green

  • Esther 7

    Esther 7

    Read Esther 7

    Haman Impaled

    7 So the king and Haman went to Queen Esther’s banquet, 2 and as they were drinking wine on the second day, the king again asked, “Queen Esther, what is your petition? It will be given you. What is your request? Even up to half the kingdom, it will be granted.”

    3 Then Queen Esther answered, “If I have found favor with you, Your Majesty, and if it pleases you, grant me my life—this is my petition. And spare my people—this is my request. 4 For I and my people have been sold to be destroyed, killed and annihilated. If we had merely been sold as male and female slaves, I would have kept quiet, because no such distress would justify disturbing the king.”

    5 King Xerxes asked Queen Esther, “Who is he? Where is he—the man who has dared to do such a thing?”

    6 Esther said, “An adversary and enemy! This vile Haman!”

    Then Haman was terrified before the king and queen. 7 The king got up in a rage, left his wine and went out into the palace garden. But Haman, realizing that the king had already decided his fate, stayed behind to beg Queen Esther for his life.

    8 Just as the king returned from the palace garden to the banquet hall, Haman was falling on the couch where Esther was reclining.

    The king exclaimed, “Will he even molest the queen while she is with me in the house?”

    As soon as the word left the king’s mouth, they covered Haman’s face. 9 Then Harbona, one of the eunuchs attending the king, said, “A pole reaching to a height of fifty cubits stands by Haman’s house. He had it set up for Mordecai, who spoke up to help the king.”

    The king said, “Impale him on it!” 10 So they impaled Haman on the pole he had set up for Mordecai. Then the king’s fury subsided.

    Go Deeper

    Up until this point, Esther has been the Bible equivalent of a soap opera or high-suspense movie drama. To understand the importance of this piece of the story, we need to review what has happened so far. Our main character, Esther, hid her Jewish identity to become the wife of the King of Persia. Mordecai, Esther’s cousin, saved the King from an assassination plot, which the King forgot about until chapter 6. Haman convinced the King to write a decree for all the Jews to be executed. In chapter 6, Haman went to the King to attempt to have Mordecai hanged, but the King instead had Haman honor Mordecai by bringing him around the city on a horse. 

    If you go back and quickly skim over chapter 5, try to notice the similarities and differences between the two chapters. These parts of the stories are very similar (and this is intentional). In chapter 5, Esther had a banquet where she asked the King and Haman to return the next day. That night, Haman had a wooden beam put up with the intent of having Mordecai executed on it. In today’s reading, Esther threw another banquet and exposed Haman’s plot. In a dramatic twist, the King had Haman killed on the wooden beam that had been put up for Mordecai’s execution.

    So while this story full of murder and plot twists is interesting, what does it have to do with God and with us? This was a scary time for God’s people in this story. They were in exile from their homeland, living in the capital of Persia, and facing almost certain execution. It seemed like the odds were stacked against God and His people. But this provided an opportunity for God’s power to be displayed all the more.

    At this point in the story, the problem of the Jews being murdered had not been solved, but God had already begun turning the tables. When things seem at their darkest and most hopeless, God takes the victories of our enemies and turns them into His victories. We can trust what Romans 8:28 says, “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.” The rest of this book, and the rest of our lives, will show this to be true. 

    Questions

    1. What has been your favorite part of the book of Esther so far?
    2. Which character from this story so far do you relate to the most and why? Characters: Ether, Mordedai, Haman, and the King.
    3. What can we learn about God from today’s reading?

    By the Way

    Haman being impaled by the same pole he had built to execute Mordecai is an example of Psalm 9:15-16 coming to fruition:

       15 The nations have  fallen into the pit they have dug;

        their feet are caught in the net they have hidden.

        16 The Lord is known by his acts of justice;

        the wicked are ensnared by the work of their hands.

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  • Rest Day + Family Guide (Esther 1-6)

    Rest Day + Family Guide (Esther 1-6)

    Rest Day

    Each Sunday is a Rest Day. There is no new Bible reading to do. Today, the goal is simple: rest in the presence of God. Maybe you need to use today to get caught up on the reading plan if you’re behind, maybe you want to journal what you’re learning so you don’t forget what God is teaching you, or maybe you want to spend time in concentrated prayer–do that. Above all, just spend time in God’s presence.

    Each Rest Day, we will have an additional element to help you dig deeper. Sometimes it will be extra resources to further your study, a video to watch, or a podcast to listen to. Sometimes we’ll have a verse to commit to memorize to help you hide God’s Word in your heart. 

    If you have kids, our Family Guide will help you discuss what you’re reading and learning with them! It’s a great opportunity for your family to read God’s Word together and review what we read the previous week!

    Keep Digging

    Check out this helpful resource from The Bible Project complete with summaries, resources, and videos on the book of Esther! 

    Family Guide

    Check out this week’s Esther 1-6 Family Guide!

  • Esther 6

    Esther 6

    Read Esther 6

    Mordecai Honored

    That night the king could not sleep; so he ordered the book of the chronicles, the record of his reign, to be brought in and read to him. 2 It was found recorded there that Mordecai had exposed Bigthana and Teresh, two of the king’s officers who guarded the doorway, who had conspired to assassinate King Xerxes.

    3 “What honor and recognition has Mordecai received for this?” the king asked.

    “Nothing has been done for him,” his attendants answered.

    4 The king said, “Who is in the court?” Now Haman had just entered the outer court of the palace to speak to the king about impaling Mordecai on the pole he had set up for him.

    5 His attendants answered, “Haman is standing in the court.”

    “Bring him in,” the king ordered.

    6 When Haman entered, the king asked him, “What should be done for the man the king delights to honor?”

    Now Haman thought to himself, “Who is there that the king would rather honor than me?” 7 So he answered the king, “For the man the king delights to honor, 8 have them bring a royal robe the king has worn and a horse the king has ridden, one with a royal crest placed on its head. 9 Then let the robe and horse be entrusted to one of the king’s most noble princes. Let them robe the man the king delights to honor, and lead him on the horse through the city streets, proclaiming before him, ‘This is what is done for the man the king delights to honor!’”

    10 “Go at once,” the king commanded Haman. “Get the robe and the horse and do just as you have suggested for Mordecai the Jew, who sits at the king’s gate. Do not neglect anything you have recommended.”

    11 So Haman got the robe and the horse. He robed Mordecai, and led him on horseback through the city streets, proclaiming before him, “This is what is done for the man the king delights to honor!”

    12 Afterward Mordecai returned to the king’s gate. But Haman rushed home, with his head covered in grief, 13 and told Zeresh his wife and all his friends everything that had happened to him.

    His advisers and his wife Zeresh said to him, “Since Mordecai, before whom your downfall has started, is of Jewish origin, you cannot stand against him—you will surely come to ruin!” 14 While they were still talking with him, the king’s eunuchs arrived and hurried Haman away to the banquet Esther had prepared.

    Go Deeper

    Today’s chapter gives us glimpses of God working behind the scenes to bring deliverance to the Jews. Despite the grand scheme Haman hatched to kill Mordecai and his people, God used the king’s sleepless night to accomplish His purposes. Apparently, daily events were recorded in a book. The king ordered the book read aloud, and “They found the written report of how Mordecai had informed on Bigthana and Teresh, two eunuchs who guarded the king’s entrance, when they planned to assassinate King Ahasuerus” (v. 2). The official records marked this event happening five years previously, but Mordecai had never been rewarded, and worse yet, he and his people were about to be wiped out.

    The plan of Haman begins to unravel from here on a grand scale. Just when Haman is about to ask the king to hang Mordecai on the gallows he prepared, the king rewards Mordecai’s loyalty. “So Haman took the garment and the horse. He clothed Mordecai and paraded him through the city square, crying out before him–this is what is done for the man the king wants to honor” (v. 11). Mordecai, who had been driven by overwhelming grief to put on sackcloth and ashes and bitterly wail in the middle of the city, is now given honor and special recognition.

    And God is not finished yet! Mordecai’s period of mourning is about to be over. Isaiah 61:3 proclaims, “To provide for those who mourn in Zion, to give them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, festive oil instead of mourning, and splendid clothes instead of despair. And they shall be called righteous trees planted by the Lord, to glorify Him.” Hallelujah! Let this be a beacon of hope for us. Through every hard and sanctifying moment, our God is at work. In the waiting, the suffering, the surreal experiences we walk through, we are seen, known and loved by our Savior who gave His life for us.

    Questions

    1. Haman’s life was riddled with pride and selfish ambition. Where have these destructive forces crept into your life? Confess this to your Life Group. 
    2. Mordecai modeled faithfulness despite his circumstances. Who do you know that is living out their faith intentionally, despite the odds? Make a point to tell them this week and encourage them on their journey.
    3. Write down/journal 3 things that remind you of God’s sovereignty in your life. Turn them into a prayer of thanksgiving to Him.

    Dig Deeper

    Check out this article that explores what the Bible says about false accusations.

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  • Esther 5

    Esther 5

    Read Esther 5

    Esther’s Request to the King

    On the third day Esther put on her royal robes and stood in the inner court of the palace, in front of the king’s hall. The king was sitting on his royal throne in the hall, facing the entrance. 2 When he saw Queen Esther standing in the court, he was pleased with her and held out to her the gold scepter that was in his hand. So Esther approached and touched the tip of the scepter.

    3 Then the king asked, “What is it, Queen Esther? What is your request? Even up to half the kingdom, it will be given you.”

    4 “If it pleases the king,” replied Esther, “let the king, together with Haman, come today to a banquet I have prepared for him.”

    5 “Bring Haman at once,” the king said, “so that we may do what Esther asks.”

    So the king and Haman went to the banquet Esther had prepared. 6 As they were drinking wine, the king again asked Esther, “Now what is your petition? It will be given you. And what is your request? Even up to half the kingdom, it will be granted.”

    7 Esther replied, “My petition and my request is this: 8 If the king regards me with favor and if it pleases the king to grant my petition and fulfill my request, let the king and Haman come tomorrow to the banquet I will prepare for them. Then I will answer the king’s question.”

    Haman’s Rage Against Mordecai

    9 Haman went out that day happy and in high spirits. But when he saw Mordecai at the king’s gate and observed that he neither rose nor showed fear in his presence, he was filled with rage against Mordecai. 10 Nevertheless, Haman restrained himself and went home.

    Calling together his friends and Zeresh, his wife, 11 Haman boasted to them about his vast wealth, his many sons, and all the ways the king had honored him and how he had elevated him above the other nobles and officials. 12 “And that’s not all,” Haman added. “I’m the only person Queen Esther invited to accompany the king to the banquet she gave. And she has invited me along with the king tomorrow. 13 But all this gives me no satisfaction as long as I see that Jew Mordecai sitting at the king’s gate.”

    14 His wife Zeresh and all his friends said to him, “Have a pole set up, reaching to a height of fifty cubits, and ask the king in the morning to have Mordecai impaled on it. Then go with the king to the banquet and enjoy yourself.” This suggestion delighted Haman, and he had the pole set up.

    Go Deeper

    Have you ever seen the cartoon of the man leaning on a shovel praying for God to make a hole in the ground? Or how about the drowning man who is offered a buoy, but declines, explaining that he is waiting on God to save him? Thankfully Esther knew that trusting in God sometimes means you also have to take action. Esther was understandably afraid for her life as she moved out in faith. So how did she do it? She made a prayerful plan, she was prepared, she was peaceful, and she was patient.  

    Esther took time to think and plan before giving very specific instructions to Mordecai. She knew that prayer and fasting among her people and his people would put them in complete dependence on God for what happened next. 

    When the time came, Esther prepared for battle. Her uniform and battleground didn’t look like one of a typical warrior, but rather consisted of royal robes and logistical placement in the inner courts where the king would see her and invite her into his presence. Her entrance and battle cry weren’t ones of rage and fury. Instead, she waited to be called upon and approached in peace, waiting for the king’s scepter to be extended to her in the demonstrative sparing of her life. She even touched the end of the scepter in a show of respect. Keep in mind, she knew that her life was at risk; she told Mordecai in verse 4 “And if I perish, I perish.” 

    Commentaries are split on whether Esther was too fearful to ask for what she wanted right away or whether she was waiting for the exact right moment, but either way she was patient in asking the king for protection of the Jews. She prepared not one, but two banquets for the king and Haman, and even when pressed by the king to tell him what she wanted from him—she waited. She trusted and she waited on God’s timing. 

     We will see in the upcoming chapters how her plan, her preparedness, her peaceful approach, and her patience served her and God’s people well. How often do we approach difficult situations this way? We too often end up at one end of the spectrum or the other—we get ahead of ourselves and take action too quickly, only to realize we also got ahead of God. Or we are left leaning on the shovel waiting on God to do something, without recognizing that He already brought rain, made the soil wet, and put the shovel in our hands in order to dig the necessary hole. We can serve God faithfully if we remember to approach these situations as Esther did—with a prayerful plan and a purpose.

    Questions

    1. Which way do you tend to struggle—do you get ahead of God or do you fail to take action?
    2. In what situations might you need to take action and how can you prayerfully prepare? 
    3. If you identify some action you need to take, be sure to include your community as Esther did with Mordecai to make sure you are confident that you are acting in God’s timing and prompting.

    Did You Know?

    The NIV commentary gives a possible explanation why God’s name does not directly appear in the book of Esther. The people of the Middle East had many gods and those names were mentioned in official documents. However, the Jews were unique in that they served only one God, so a story about the Jews was naturally a story about God. For that reason, we see only indirect references and examples of divine incidents throughout the book of Esther.

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  • Esther 4

    Esther 4

    Read Esther 4

    Mordecai Persuades Esther to Help

    When Mordecai learned of all that had been done, he tore his clothes, put on sackcloth and ashes, and went out into the city, wailing loudly and bitterly. 2 But he went only as far as the king’s gate, because no one clothed in sackcloth was allowed to enter it. 3 In every province to which the edict and order of the king came, there was great mourning among the Jews, with fasting, weeping and wailing. Many lay in sackcloth and ashes.

    4 When Esther’s eunuchs and female attendants came and told her about Mordecai, she was in great distress. She sent clothes for him to put on instead of his sackcloth, but he would not accept them. 5 Then Esther summoned Hathak, one of the king’s eunuchs assigned to attend her, and ordered him to find out what was troubling Mordecai and why.

    6 So Hathak went out to Mordecai in the open square of the city in front of the king’s gate. 7 Mordecai told him everything that had happened to him, including the exact amount of money Haman had promised to pay into the royal treasury for the destruction of the Jews. 8 He also gave him a copy of the text of the edict for their annihilation, which had been published in Susa, to show to Esther and explain it to her, and he told him to instruct her to go into the king’s presence to beg for mercy and plead with him for her people.

    9 Hathak went back and reported to Esther what Mordecai had said. 10 Then she instructed him to say to Mordecai, 11 “All the king’s officials and the people of the royal provinces know that for any man or woman who approaches the king in the inner court without being summoned the king has but one law: that they be put to death unless the king extends the gold scepter to them and spares their lives. But thirty days have passed since I was called to go to the king.”

    12 When Esther’s words were reported to Mordecai, 13 he sent back this answer: “Do not think that because you are in the king’s house you alone of all the Jews will escape. 14 For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father’s family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?”

    15 Then Esther sent this reply to Mordecai: 16 “Go, gather together all the Jews who are in Susa, and fast for me. Do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. I and my attendants will fast as you do. When this is done, I will go to the king, even though it is against the law. And if I perish, I perish.”

    17 So Mordecai went away and carried out all of Esther’s instructions.

    Go Deeper

    Throughout the book of Esther, there are reminders of God’s providential care for His people (without a mention of His name). It is suggested that this is a literary technique to draw the reader to look for God in each event. At this point in the story, Mordecai is mourning publicly the dangerous plight of the Jews due to Haman’s edict to slaughter all of them. Esther’s awareness of this dreadful plan through her servants results in Mordecai’s direction for her to plead with the king on behalf of her people. Esther explains that this is a really big ask of her, placing her in a life-threatening position. Mordecai counters with a remarkable statement, pointing her and us to God’s sovereign care of His people. He recognizes that the Jews’ deliverance will arise, even if Esther is silent, from somewhere, but her position as queen could be for such a time as this. Esther’s response calls for all Jews to join her in a three day fast. She then boldly commits to approach the king, imploring him to save her and her people. In v. 16, Esther reveals a brave resolve and trust in God’s providential care. 

    During this fluid account, one can observe reminders of God’s providence, accomplishing His purposes in the lives of Esther and Mordecai. God faithfully brings about His plan through the lives of imperfect people. Esther’s story is a powerful reminder, and a great encouragement, that God can and does use even those who do not acknowledge His power to accomplish His plan.

    In a world that ignores or blatantly rebels against God, a reminder of God’s providence offers Christ followers comfort, peace, hope and courage. The challenge is to remember who God is, recall His great faithfulness, and act in trust as we face situations that God has placed us in for such a time as this. Like Esther, Jesus placed Himself in a life-threatening situation willingly and boldly. Unlike Esther, He humbled Himself by dying on the cross, and, as Timothy Keller suggests, His words are not “if I perish, but when I perish.” Jesus’ surrender to God’s plan accomplished God’s purpose – to redeem and restore His people.  

    Let’s fix our eyes on Jesus, confidently trusting in His ability to accomplish every purpose He designs. 

    Questions

    1. How would viewing your current life situation through the lens of “it is for a time such as this” influence your actions?
    2. When have you experienced God’s providential care? (Stop and give thanks to Him) Who may be encouraged to hear that? 
    3. Where do you need to replace fear with courage and trust, taking bold steps to identify with Christ and share the gospel?

    Dig Deeper

    We learn a lot about Esther’s faith in Esther 4:16 when she says, “If I perish, I perish.” Want to read more about the significance behind that statement? Check out this article from GotQuestions.org.

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  • Esther 3

    Esther 3

    Read Esther 3

    Haman’s Plot to Destroy the Jews

    After these events, King Xerxes honored Haman son of Hammedatha, the Agagite, elevating him and giving him a seat of honor higher than that of all the other nobles. 2 All the royal officials at the king’s gate knelt down and paid honor to Haman, for the king had commanded this concerning him. But Mordecai would not kneel down or pay him honor.

    3 Then the royal officials at the king’s gate asked Mordecai, “Why do you disobey the king’s command?” 4 Day after day they spoke to him but he refused to comply. Therefore they told Haman about it to see whether Mordecai’s behavior would be tolerated, for he had told them he was a Jew.

    5 When Haman saw that Mordecai would not kneel down or pay him honor, he was enraged. 6 Yet having learned who Mordecai’s people were, he scorned the idea of killing only Mordecai. Instead Haman looked for a way to destroy all Mordecai’s people, the Jews, throughout the whole kingdom of Xerxes.

    7 In the twelfth year of King Xerxes, in the first month, the month of Nisan, the pur (that is, the lot) was cast in the presence of Haman to select a day and month. And the lot fell on the twelfth month, the month of Adar.

    8 Then Haman said to King Xerxes, “There is a certain people dispersed among the peoples in all the provinces of your kingdom who keep themselves separate. Their customs are different from those of all other people, and they do not obey the king’s laws; it is not in the king’s best interest to tolerate them. 9 If it pleases the king, let a decree be issued to destroy them, and I will give ten thousand talents of silver to the king’s administrators for the royal treasury.”

    10 So the king took his signet ring from his finger and gave it to Haman son of Hammedatha, the Agagite, the enemy of the Jews. 11 “Keep the money,” the king said to Haman, “and do with the people as you please.”

    12 Then on the thirteenth day of the first month the royal secretaries were summoned. They wrote out in the script of each province and in the language of each people all Haman’s orders to the king’s satraps, the governors of the various provinces and the nobles of the various peoples. These were written in the name of King Xerxes himself and sealed with his own ring. 13 Dispatches were sent by couriers to all the king’s provinces with the order to destroy, kill and annihilate all the Jews—young and old, women and children—on a single day, the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, the month of Adar, and to plunder their goods. 14 A copy of the text of the edict was to be issued as law in every province and made known to the people of every nationality so they would be ready for that day.

    15 The couriers went out, spurred on by the king’s command, and the edict was issued in the citadel of Susa. The king and Haman sat down to drink, but the city of Susa was bewildered.

    Go Deeper

    Today’s reading opens with the events that unfold after Mordecai uncovers the plot against King Xerxes’ (or King Ahasuerus’, depending on your translation of Scripture) life. Xerxes replaces the men behind the plot on his life with a man named Haman. When Haman asks that the whole of the royal court bow and pay him honor, Mordecai refuses to do so, and in response, Haman conspires to have Xerxes kill all of the Jews in the kingdom.

    We learn something interesting about the backdrop of Esther’s story here. Verse 1 tells us that Haman is an Agagite. So, Haman descends from the Amalekites, God’s enemies who Saul was supposed to (but didn’t completely) destroy in 1 Samuel 15. Mordecai is a member of the tribe of Benjamin—the same tribe from which King Saul descends (Esther 2:5; 1 Samuel 9:1-2). This leads us to a couple of conclusions. 

    First, this story is not a contained narrative separate from the broader story of the Scriptures. It contains a picture of the conflict between Israel (represented by Mordecai and Esther, two Benjaminite nobles) and those outside of the family of God (represented by Haman the Agagite, a native of the land of Canaan). Biblical scholars refer to this narrative device as a type, a smaller story or conflict that illustrates a larger conflict or tension in the broader scriptural narrative. 

    Secondly, the text shows how God’s commands always have purpose—had Saul been faithful to destroy all of Amalek in 1 Samuel 15, Haman might not have had the noble standing he ascended to, or perhaps may not have even been born at all, and Israel would have been protected from a madman trying to enact genocide on her people. As confusing as a command to wipe out a city might seem, we see here that God is deeply intentional to protect His people in all His commands.

    This chapter also serves as a reminder about the nature of living as exiles. When we live as foreigners in a foreign land, there will be people and cultural pressure asking us to bow down and worship anything but God—be it a person, a political philosophy, or a cultural value. But Mordecai teaches us that when we are asked to bow before anything but God, don’t. This resolve to stand in the face of oppression, to refuse to bow before idols, is a weighty, challenging calling. It could have cost Mordecai his life, but he didn’t budge. Let’s remember we are still called to wholehearted worship to God alone today, even when the world disapproves.

    Questions

    1. What does this chapter teach you about the character of God?
    2. Is there a time God asked you to do something that didn’t make sense, but you later realized His instruction protected you from a particular hurt?
    3. What idols are asking you to bow down to them? Are you standing firm, or have you worshiped an ideology, a behavior or preference, or a person before God?

    Did You Know?

    Depending on the translation of Scripture you read, your Bible may call the King of Persia either Xerxes or Ahasuerus. Ahasuerus is the Hebrew name originally used in the text, but Bible scholars deduced over time that it seems to be a folk name for King Xerxes.

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  • Esther 2

    Esther 2

    Read Esther 2

    Esther Made Queen

    Later when King Xerxes’ fury had subsided, he remembered Vashti and what she had done and what he had decreed about her. 2 Then the king’s personal attendants proposed, “Let a search be made for beautiful young virgins for the king. 3 Let the king appoint commissioners in every province of his realm to bring all these beautiful young women into the harem at the citadel of Susa. Let them be placed under the care of Hegai, the king’s eunuch, who is in charge of the women; and let beauty treatments be given to them. 4 Then let the young woman who pleases the king be queen instead of Vashti.” This advice appealed to the king, and he followed it.

    5 Now there was in the citadel of Susa a Jew of the tribe of Benjamin, named Mordecai son of Jair, the son of Shimei, the son of Kish, 6 who had been carried into exile from Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, among those taken captive with Jehoiachin king of Judah. 7 Mordecai had a cousin named Hadassah, whom he had brought up because she had neither father nor mother. This young woman, who was also known as Esther, had a lovely figure and was beautiful. Mordecai had taken her as his own daughter when her father and mother died.

    8 When the king’s order and edict had been proclaimed, many young women were brought to the citadel of Susa and put under the care of Hegai. Esther also was taken to the king’s palace and entrusted to Hegai, who had charge of the harem. 9 She pleased him and won his favor. Immediately he provided her with her beauty treatments and special food. He assigned to her seven female attendants selected from the king’s palace and moved her and her attendants into the best place in the harem.

    10 Esther had not revealed her nationality and family background, because Mordecai had forbidden her to do so. 11 Every day he walked back and forth near the courtyard of the harem to find out how Esther was and what was happening to her.

    12 Before a young woman’s turn came to go in to King Xerxes, she had to complete twelve months of beauty treatments prescribed for the women, six months with oil of myrrh and six with perfumes and cosmetics. 13 And this is how she would go to the king: Anything she wanted was given her to take with her from the harem to the king’s palace. 14 In the evening she would go there and in the morning return to another part of the harem to the care of Shaashgaz, the king’s eunuch who was in charge of the concubines. She would not return to the king unless he was pleased with her and summoned her by name.

    15 When the turn came for Esther (the young woman Mordecai had adopted, the daughter of his uncle Abihail) to go to the king, she asked for nothing other than what Hegai, the king’s eunuch who was in charge of the harem, suggested. And Esther won the favor of everyone who saw her. 16 She was taken to King Xerxes in the royal residence in the tenth month, the month of Tebeth, in the seventh year of his reign.

    17 Now the king was attracted to Esther more than to any of the other women, and she won his favor and approval more than any of the other virgins. So he set a royal crown on her head and made her queen instead of Vashti. 18 And the king gave a great banquet, Esther’s banquet, for all his nobles and officials. He proclaimed a holiday throughout the provinces and distributed gifts with royal liberality.

    Mordecai Uncovers a Conspiracy

    19 When the virgins were assembled a second time, Mordecai was sitting at the king’s gate. 20 But Esther had kept secret her family background and nationality just as Mordecai had told her to do, for she continued to follow Mordecai’s instructions as she had done when he was bringing her up.

    21 During the time Mordecai was sitting at the king’s gate, Bigthana and Teresh, two of the king’s officers who guarded the doorway, became angry and conspired to assassinate King Xerxes. 22 But Mordecai found out about the plot and told Queen Esther, who in turn reported it to the king, giving credit to Mordecai. 23 And when the report was investigated and found to be true, the two officials were impaled on poles. All this was recorded in the book of the annals in the presence of the king.

    Go Deeper

    If Esther 2 were a movie, parental guidance would definitely be advised. King Xerxes is now lonely and missing his queen, so his advisors suggest he choose a queen by having hundreds of virgins from all the provinces of his kingdom parade in front of him. It is implied that he sleeps with each of them (v. 13-14), and then the king gets to choose who he would like to crown as his new wife and queen. If this sounds like an ungodly and even pagan practice, it’s because it was. 

    Before we become appalled by the fact that stories like this are in the Bible, we need to remember that King Xerxes, also known as King Ahasuerus (depending on your translation of Scripture), was not a godly man. Historically, he is often referred to as a pagan king. His behavior in chapter one, in which he threw lavish parties, got drunk, and participated in lewd behavior, seems to confirm this descriptor. Evil abounded in Xerxes’ kingdom.

    Despite the darkness, though, God is at work. Even though there is no mention of the name of God in Esther 2, we see God’s providence bring light to even the darkest of situations. Esther is one of the hundreds of young women groomed to be part of King Xerxes’ beauty pageant to choose his queen. Unlike most of the other women, though, Esther is not a native to the land and is a Jewish exile. In addition, she is an orphan. Based on her pedigree and background, Esther would be near the very bottom of the list of women likely to be chosen as queen.

    However, from the very beginning, Esther impresses Hegai, the person in charge of the harem. Verse 2:9 says, “She pleased him and won his favor. Immediately he provided her with her beauty treatments and special food.” The most unlikely of women makes an impression on the palace administration and is given food, seven maidservants, an apartment, and beauty treatments galore! When the King finally meets Esther in verse 17, we learn “the king loved Esther more than all the women, and she won grace and favor in his sight” (ESV). Amidst a pagan culture ruled by a pagan king who enforces pagan practices, God is not deterred. 

    We must wait to read the rest of the story to know exactly what God is up to, but for the time being, we can rest in the fact that not only is God protecting Esther, but He is silently working to bring about His will and save His people. It also gives us the assurance that no matter how bad, how evil, or how dark a situation seems, God’s plans cannot be defeated.

    Questions

    1. Esther found herself in a palace by the sovereign will of God. Where has God placed you?
    2. Has your obedience to God ever landed you in an uncomfortable situation? How can we respond in faith when we can’t see how God is moving in our lives?
    3. Romans 8:28 says, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” Spend some time in reflection of God’s providential hand in your own life.

    By the Way

    As you read the story of Esther, notice the parallels between her story and the story of Joseph (in Genesis) and Exodus. Keep a running list of the similarities you see between all of these different narratives!

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  • Esther 1 + Introduction

    Esther 1 + Introduction

    Esther Introduction

    Esther reads more like a medieval play than a narrative in the Bible. The entire book of Esther is a fascinating story with dramatic twists and turns filled with mystery and marvel. A book whose main character, God, is not mentioned one time. This makes Esther a unique book of the Bible and one that may cause us to ask, “If the Bible is a book about God and we know all Scripture is profitable and beneficial to teach us or reveal something about Him, how do we learn from a book that is absent of His name?”

    We would be wise to dig into the pages of Esther and ask God to give us eyes to see His providence and plan. Although His name is absent from this book, He is still very active in every part of it. His silence doesn’t mean He isn’t working. If that was the only lesson we learn from this book, it would be enough—even when we feel like God is silent, He is never inactive. Nothing happens by chance. 

    Throughout the book of Esther we will encounter a few different major characters: Esther, Mordecai (her uncle), King Xerxes, and Haman (the book’s antagonist). Part of what makes the historical books in the Old Testament fun to read is that we can visualize what’s going on as each chapter unfolds. Pay close attention to the arc that this story follows and take note of all the different ways you see God moving through His people. Over the next ten chapters, engage with the story of Esther and ask yourself how God is moving in the details of your own life today. 

    Read Esther 1

    Queen Vashti Deposed

    This is what happened during the time of Xerxes, the Xerxes who ruled over 127 provinces stretching from India to Cush: 2 At that time King Xerxes reigned from his royal throne in the citadel of Susa, 3 and in the third year of his reign he gave a banquet for all his nobles and officials. The military leaders of Persia and Media, the princes, and the nobles of the provinces were present.

    4 For a full 180 days he displayed the vast wealth of his kingdom and the splendor and glory of his majesty. 5 When these days were over, the king gave a banquet, lasting seven days, in the enclosed garden of the king’s palace, for all the people from the least to the greatest who were in the citadel of Susa. 6 The garden had hangings of white and blue linen, fastened with cords of white linen and purple material to silver rings on marble pillars. There were couches of gold and silver on a mosaic pavement of porphyry, marble, mother-of-pearl and other costly stones. 7 Wine was served in goblets of gold, each one different from the other, and the royal wine was abundant, in keeping with the king’s liberality. 8 By the king’s command each guest was allowed to drink with no restrictions, for the king instructed all the wine stewards to serve each man what he wished.

    9 Queen Vashti also gave a banquet for the women in the royal palace of King Xerxes.

    10 On the seventh day, when King Xerxes was in high spirits from wine, he commanded the seven eunuchs who served him—Mehuman, Biztha, Harbona, Bigtha, Abagtha, Zethar and Karkas— 11 to bring before him Queen Vashti, wearing her royal crown, in order to display her beauty to the people and nobles, for she was lovely to look at. 12 But when the attendants delivered the king’s command, Queen Vashti refused to come. Then the king became furious and burned with anger.

    13 Since it was customary for the king to consult experts in matters of law and justice, he spoke with the wise men who understood the times 14 and were closest to the king—Karshena, Shethar, Admatha, Tarshish, Meres, Marsena and Memukan, the seven nobles of Persia and Media who had special access to the king and were highest in the kingdom.

    15 “According to law, what must be done to Queen Vashti?” he asked. “She has not obeyed the command of King Xerxes that the eunuchs have taken to her.”

    16 Then Memukan replied in the presence of the king and the nobles, “Queen Vashti has done wrong, not only against the king but also against all the nobles and the peoples of all the provinces of King Xerxes. 17 For the queen’s conduct will become known to all the women, and so they will despise their husbands and say, ‘King Xerxes commanded Queen Vashti to be brought before him, but she would not come.’ 18 This very day the Persian and Median women of the nobility who have heard about the queen’s conduct will respond to all the king’s nobles in the same way. There will be no end of disrespect and discord.

    19 “Therefore, if it pleases the king, let him issue a royal decree and let it be written in the laws of Persia and Media, which cannot be repealed, that Vashti is never again to enter the presence of King Xerxes. Also let the king give her royal position to someone else who is better than she. 20 Then when the king’s edict is proclaimed throughout all his vast realm, all the women will respect their husbands, from the least to the greatest.”

    21 The king and his nobles were pleased with this advice, so the king did as Memukan proposed. 22 He sent dispatches to all parts of the kingdom, to each province in its own script and to each people in their own language, proclaiming that every man should be ruler over his own household, using his native tongue.

    Go Deeper

    Esther 1 begins with the party of all parties. We cannot grasp the grandeur of it. For 180 days, the Persian King, Xerxes, flaunted his power, possessions, privilege and political strength. Read verse 4 again: “For a full 180 days, he displayed the vast wealth of his kingdom and the splendor and glory of his majesty.” 

    We learn Xerxes is proud and misuses his power. He throws a party for people to praise his wealth and power. After the party nears an end, Xerxes saves the best for last—or so he thinks. Under the influence of much wine, Xerxes summons for his wife, Queen Vashti. Vashti is asked to be put on display for all to see. It was as if Xerxes was planning to say, “Look at my power, look at my glory, and look at my wife!”

    We don’t know much about Queen Vashti. Only that her beauty was unmatched and when her husband summoned her to show her off, she said, “No.” We don’t know why she declined. Perhaps she considered his request an affront to her dignity. Maybe she couldn’t stand her husband. Maybe she valued modesty and his request would compromise her value. We don’t know.

    The great tragedy that seems to plague us as humanity is the misuse and abuse of power. Oftentimes we read or hear of people in positions of authority mishandling and misusing their power like Xerxes did. God’s design for us never included stripping away our dignity. He never condones objectification of anyone. He never uses His power to manipulate or control. In fact, we get a picture in Philippians of the mentality and posture of the One True King whose glory and splendor and majesty are unending and unmatched:

    In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.Philippians 2:5-7

    Make no mistake. We have a King who values and gives dignity to people. He has not and will not abuse His power. His fingerprints are all over the events in Esther. His fingerprints are all over our lives, too. He alone is God. He alone is Lord. He alone is King. 

    And, no matter how the story appears at the moment, He is working for our good.

    Questions

    1. Are you easily intoxicated by power, privilege, and prestige? How does pride play out in your life?
    2. Have you abused or misused authority? If yes, what’s your plan to repent, seek forgiveness, and reconcile?
    3. Have you experienced seasons of God’s silence in your life? What do you do to stay the course in the midst of His silence? 

    Watch This

    Check out this overview of the book of Esther from The Bible Project. 

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  • Rest Day + Family Guide (Nehemiah 8-Nehemiah 13)

    Rest Day + Family Guide (Nehemiah 8-Nehemiah 13)

    Rest Day

    Each Sunday is a Rest Day. There is no new Bible reading to do. Today, the goal is simple: rest in the presence of God. Maybe you need to use today to get caught up on the reading plan if you’re behind, maybe you want to journal what you’re learning so you don’t forget what God is teaching you, or maybe you want to spend time in concentrated prayer–do that. Above all, just spend time in God’s presence.

    Each Rest Day, we will have an additional element to help you dig deeper. Sometimes it will be extra resources to further your study, a video to watch, or a podcast to listen to. Sometimes we’ll have a verse to commit to memorize to help you hide God’s Word in your heart. 

    If you have kids, our Family Guide will help you discuss what you’re reading and learning with them! It’s a great opportunity for your family to read God’s Word together and review what we read the previous week!

    Keep Digging

    Check out this helpful resource from The Bible Project for the book of Ezra & Nehemiah! 

    Family Guide

    Check out this week’s Nehemiah 8-13 Family Guide!

  • Nehemiah 13

    Nehemiah 13

    Read Nehemiah 13

    Nehemiah’s Final Reforms

    On that day the Book of Moses was read aloud in the hearing of the people and there it was found written that no Ammonite or Moabite should ever be admitted into the assembly of God, 2 because they had not met the Israelites with food and water but had hired Balaam to call a curse down on them. (Our God, however, turned the curse into a blessing.) 3 When the people heard this law, they excluded from Israel all who were of foreign descent.

    4 Before this, Eliashib the priest had been put in charge of the storerooms of the house of our God. He was closely associated with Tobiah, 5 and he had provided him with a large room formerly used to store the grain offerings and incense and temple articles, and also the tithes of grain, new wine and olive oil prescribed for the Levites, musicians and gatekeepers, as well as the contributions for the priests.

    6 But while all this was going on, I was not in Jerusalem, for in the thirty-second year of Artaxerxes king of Babylon I had returned to the king. Some time later I asked his permission 7 and came back to Jerusalem. Here I learned about the evil thing Eliashib had done in providing Tobiah a room in the courts of the house of God. 8 I was greatly displeased and threw all Tobiah’s household goods out of the room. 9 I gave orders to purify the rooms, and then I put back into them the equipment of the house of God, with the grain offerings and the incense.

    10 I also learned that the portions assigned to the Levites had not been given to them, and that all the Levites and musicians responsible for the service had gone back to their own fields. 11 So I rebuked the officials and asked them, “Why is the house of God neglected?” Then I called them together and stationed them at their posts.

    12 All Judah brought the tithes of grain, new wine and olive oil into the storerooms. 13 I put Shelemiah the priest, Zadok the scribe, and a Levite named Pedaiah in charge of the storerooms and made Hanan son of Zakkur, the son of Mattaniah, their assistant, because they were considered trustworthy. They were made responsible for distributing the supplies to their fellow Levites.

    14 Remember me for this, my God, and do not blot out what I have so faithfully done for the house of my God and its services.

    15 In those days I saw people in Judah treading winepresses on the Sabbath and bringing in grain and loading it on donkeys, together with wine, grapes, figs and all other kinds of loads. And they were bringing all this into Jerusalem on the Sabbath. Therefore I warned them against selling food on that day. 16 People from Tyre who lived in Jerusalem were bringing in fish and all kinds of merchandise and selling them in Jerusalem on the Sabbath to the people of Judah. 17 I rebuked the nobles of Judah and said to them, “What is this wicked thing you are doing—desecrating the Sabbath day? 18 Didn’t your ancestors do the same things, so that our God brought all this calamity on us and on this city? Now you are stirring up more wrath against Israel by desecrating the Sabbath.”

    19 When evening shadows fell on the gates of Jerusalem before the Sabbath, I ordered the doors to be shut and not opened until the Sabbath was over. I stationed some of my own men at the gates so that no load could be brought in on the Sabbath day. 20 Once or twice the merchants and sellers of all kinds of goods spent the night outside Jerusalem. 21 But I warned them and said, “Why do you spend the night by the wall? If you do this again, I will arrest you.” From that time on they no longer came on the Sabbath. 22 Then I commanded the Levites to purify themselves and go and guard the gates in order to keep the Sabbath day holy.

    Remember me for this also, my God, and show mercy to me according to your great love.

    23 Moreover, in those days I saw men of Judah who had married women from Ashdod, Ammon and Moab. 24 Half of their children spoke the language of Ashdod or the language of one of the other peoples, and did not know how to speak the language of Judah. 25 I rebuked them and called curses down on them. I beat some of the men and pulled out their hair. I made them take an oath in God’s name and said: “You are not to give your daughters in marriage to their sons, nor are you to take their daughters in marriage for your sons or for yourselves. 26 Was it not because of marriages like these that Solomon king of Israel sinned? Among the many nations there was no king like him. He was loved by his God, and God made him king over all Israel, but even he was led into sin by foreign women. 27 Must we hear now that you too are doing all this terrible wickedness and are being unfaithful to our God by marrying foreign women?”

    28 One of the sons of Joiada son of Eliashib the high priest was son-in-law to Sanballat the Horonite. And I drove him away from me.

    29 Remember them, my God, because they defiled the priestly office and the covenant of the priesthood and of the Levites.

    30 So I purified the priests and the Levites of everything foreign, and assigned them duties, each to his own task. 31 I also made provision for contributions of wood at designated times, and for the firstfruits.

    Remember me with favor, my God.

    Go Deeper

    The walls of Jerusalem had just been rebuilt, the people had committed themselves to God (Nehemiah 10:28-29), and Nehemiah had left Jerusalem. It was the perfect happy ending to a long story of restoration. But it didn’t last long. Nehemiah returned to Jerusalem to find that the people had already lost sight of the commitment they had made to God.

    The Israelites were instructed not to allow Moabites or Ammonites to enter the assembly of God (v. 1). Still, they allowed Tobiah, an Ammonite, to make his home in a temple room reserved for offerings (v. 5) and had intermarried with the Ammonites (v. 23). The people had stopped giving offerings to the house of God, so the Levites left their service in the temple and returned to their old work (v. 10). They stopped honoring the Sabbath day and used it as another day to work, trade, and sell goods. Despite the clear commands given to them, the Israelites were quick to forget their commitment to God.

    It’s easy to look at the Israelites and recognize their mistakes and how far they fell from faithfulness to God. They had so clearly lost sight of all that God had done to restore them. Yet, we often look just like the Israelites in our own lives. We lose sight of what God has done in us and begin to turn our eyes away from Him. We make small compromises that turn into larger compromises that turn into lives that look nothing like God’s best for us. When we lose sight of God’s goodness and faithfulness, we walk right back towards the sin from which Christ so graciously freed us. God has given us this opportunity for new life and a restored sense of purpose, but we are easily distracted and follow our own desires instead of His will.

    Thankfully, the story doesn’t end there. Nehemiah returned to Jerusalem and helped the Israelites remember the covenant they had made. The story isn’t over for us, either. God is still faithful, even when we turn away from Him. Just like God used Nehemiah, He often uses our community to point us back to Himself and remind us of His faithfulness. Jesus paid the price to secure our salvation, knowing our inability to fully follow Him by our own strength. May we respond in praise and turn back to Him again today.

    Questions

    1. Who has God placed in your life to point you back to Him and help you walk in obedience?
    2. In what areas of your life have you been making small compromises? Confess those in prayer and to your community.
    3. From what has God given you freedom? Thank Him for His faithfulness to you.

    Keep Digging

    Read this article to learn more about the Ammonites and why it was so important for the Israelites not to intermarry with them. 

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