Hello Everyone,
Did you bask in the glory of God's favor this week? I did! I spent the week focusing on how God favors me. Despite all of my short comings and my inability to consistently live holy, He still favors me. God is so faithful. His faithfulness is His favor.
Again, I am so excited about the growth of our international readers. It is truly a blessing for God to use this blog to encourage people to grow in Him all over the world (Galatians 3:28). To God be the glory!
Last week we talked about God's favor. This week we will discuss God's rewards and redemptions. God blesses us through His love, faithfulness and grace (2 Corinthians 12:9).
Resources
Chapter 8: Esther Saves the Jews
1 On that day King Ahasuerus gave Queen Esther the house of Haman, the enemy of the Jews. And Mordecai came before the king, for Esther had told how he was related to her. 2 So the king took off his signet ring, which he had taken from Haman, and gave it to Mordecai; and Esther appointed Mordecai over the house of Haman. 3 Now Esther spoke again to the king, fell down at his feet, and implored him with tears to counteract the evil of Haman the Agagite, and the scheme which he had devised against the Jews. 4 And the king held out the golden scepter toward Esther. So Esther arose and stood before the king, 5 and said, "If it pleases the king, and if I have found favor in his sight and the thing seems right to the king and I am pleasing in his eyes, let it be written to revoke the letters devised by Haman, the son of Hammedatha the Agagite, which he wrote to annihilate the Jews who are in all the king's provinces. 6 For how can I endure to see the evil that will come to my people? Or how can I endure to see the destruction of my countrymen?" 7 Then King Ahasuerus said to Queen Esther and Mordecai the Jew, "Indeed, I have given Esther the house of Haman, and they have hanged him on the gallows because her tried to lay his hand on the Jews. 8 You yourselves write a decree concerning the Jews, as you please, in the king's name, and seal it with the king's name and sealed with the king's signet ring no one can revoke." 9 So the king's scribes were called at that time, in the third month, which is the month of Sivan, on the twenty-third day; and it was written, according to all that Mordecai commanded, to the Jews, the satraps, the governors, and the princes of the provinces from India to Ethiopia, one hundred and twenty-seven provinces in all, to every province in its own script, to every people in their own language. 10 And he wrote in the name of King Ahasuerus, sealed it with the king's signet ring, and sent letters by couriers on horseback, riding on royal horses bred from swift steeds. 11 By these letters the king permitted the Jews who were in every city to gather together and protect their lives-to destroy, kill, and annihilate all the forces of any people or province that would assault them, both little children and women, and to plunder their possessions, 12 on one day in all the provinces of King Ahasuerus, on the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, which is the month of Adar. 13 A copy of the document was to be issued as a decree in every province and published for all people, so that the Jews would be ready on that day to avenge themselves on their enemies. 14 The couriers who rode on royal horses went out, hastened and pressed on by the king's command. And the decree was issued in Shushan the citadel. 15 So Mordecai went out from the presence of the king in royal apparel of blue and white, with a great crown of gold and a garment of fine linen and purple; and the city of Shushan rejoiced and was glad. 16 The Jews had light and gladness, joy and honor. And in every province and city, wherever the king's command and decree came, the Jews had joy and gladness, a feast and a holiday. Then many of the people of the land became Jews, because fear of the Jews fell upon them.
Reward - a recompense for worthy acts; a return service; reinforcement
Redemption - the act of deliverance or saving from harm
Lesson 7
It is so hard for me to understand when people question the existence or the abilities of God. There is a song by the artist, India Arie, called "God is Real". The lyrics express the evidence that God is real and how the artist cannot understand why people do not believe that God is real. As I read this chapter of Esther, I am reminded of those lyrics. How do we still question if God is real?
At this point Esther's journey has come full circle and the evidence of God is so prevalent in every aspect of the journey. From the beginning when God caused Queen Vashti to be removed from her thrown to make room for Queen Esther (Proverbs 18:16). Even Haman's treachery was all a part of God's plan. We cannot confess that God is control of everything and then only give credence to the good in our lives. God allows all things to happen for His glory, not for our pleasure (Colossians 1:16). Therefore, whether it is the death of a loved one or the birth of a baby, it is all for the glory of God.
God's glory is everlasting and we see it here in the redemption and reward for the Jews through Esther and Mordecai. The Lord our God redeemed the Jews by showing favor on Esther that she may submit to the authority that God placed over her, King Ahasuerus, and save them. God honored Esther's obedience, endurance, and submissiveness. God even handled Esther's enemy, Haman (Luke 20:40-43). What Haman would have done mischief with, Esther will do good with (Nelson 1997). Even the evil is a pertinent part of magnifying God's glory (Genesis 50:20).
The evidence of God is in every time that He redeems or rewards us. He has kept us through so many things. I personally cannot recall a time where the Lord did not redeem or reward me. We cannot fathom the true rewards of the Lord in our finite minds. He rewards us every day that we are allowed to have true relationship with Him. God can receive or deny whomever He pleases. It is God's prerogative (Nelson 1997).
God's redemption and rewards is so much more grand than anything we could have planned for ourselves. God is our father and He has our best interest at heart.
I hope you enjoyed this week's lesson. The power of God is so awesome that it is achingly painful to curtail these lessons for online reading. There is always so much I would like to discuss. I hope that you all have been blessed by the study of Esther and the importance of its subtleness.
Application
This week we will make a list of all the times God has redeemed and rewarded us. Sometimes we take Him for granted. This exercise will allow us to grow a greater appreciation for the goodness of our Lord and Savior. God is so awesome and He is worthy of all His accolades.
I pray that you all will have a blessed week!
Be blessed,
T. Carter
References
All scriptures are extracted from The Bible - New King James Version. YouVersion (2013).
M-W.com (2013). Merriam-Webster Dictionary Web Version. Retrieved from: App Store
Nelson, Thomas (1997). Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on the Whole Bible. Thomas Nelson Publishing. Nashville, Tennessee
No comments:
Post a Comment