I finished my study of Esther last week. It was very good. I highly recommend Beth Moore's Bible Studies. She speaks to the heart of women. You will grow and learn, that's for sure.
In chapter nine of Esther we find out that they Jews are defending themselves against those in the Persian Empire that want to destroy them. God gave them victory over their enemies.
Great quotes to me in week nine are:
"When Satan has much to gain, he also has much to lose. His every scheme against a child of God is a gamble." Beth Moore, pg. 202
"No matter what life - or Satan himself - hands us, the favor God has on His children causes that "lot" to tumble out on the table in such a way that, instead of destruction, the child will discover that her portion turned into destiny one trusting step at a time." Beth Moore, pg. 208
"Getting the credit is the wrong reason to do the right thing." Beth Moore, pg. 213
That last one goes right to your heart. It did mine anyway. This last week spoke to me about motives. What are my motives for doing the things I do? I pray that I act with the right motives. I know in the past I have not always done that. I don't want to do something for an earthly treasure that will one day rot away. Jesus tells us in Matthew 6:19-21:
"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."
Chapter 7 of Esther ends with Haman being hung on the gallows he had built for Mordecai. Things seem to be looking up for the Jews. But the reality is that the law has not changed. Persian law could not be changed. And even though Esther begged Xerxes to change it, he would not. He gave Mordecai the signet ring and told them they could write another law. So Esther and Mordecai give the Jews the right to defend themselves when the Persians attack them.
God wants our all to be about Him. He is a jealous God and desires to share us with no one. There are times in our lives when we ask for it all to just go away, the pain to leave, the memory to be gone, the situation to be fixed....now. If we never face these moments we will not be able to see God's hand at work. He wants to work through us so that we know He did it. Not someone else. God was not going to allow Xerxes to fix things for the Jewish people. He wanted His people to know that He fixed things for them by empowering them.
Another thing that spoke volumes to me from this week's study was being prepared to act. Mordecai and Esther had fasted and prayed before she took action against Haman. When Xerxes said write the new decree, they had to act now. There was no time to wait and see what may be. Their actions had to be swift. What would have happened had they not already been fasting and praying? The outcome could have been very different for them. We, as children of God, must be ready. We do not know when our trials will come. We just know they are coming. If we are serving God and doing our best to live holy before Him, we know trials and tests are coming. Satan wants to see us fall flat on our faces in failure. The trials are coming. Be ready. Be reading God's Word. Continue growing. Learn from others. Sometimes we watch those we care about go through trials only to find out years later that we too are facing the same trial. Be prepared to act!
And remember God can take anything negative in our lives and turn it into something positive. The Jews in Persia received the decree of their destruction eleven months before it was to take place. They had to live with that over their heads for a long time. But in the end God turned that around for their good. Only He can turn our doubt into faith, our brokeness into wholeness, our bitterness into praise, our sadness into joy.
I have gotten behind on updating. Facebook seems to have taken over. Anyone else have that problem?
Week 5
Satan uses the fears we have to cripple us. He knows that he cannot fully destroy us because we are God's. So he does what he can to make us uneffective. Don't let him use your fear against you.
God does not call us to be perfect or to execute the things we do perfectly. He only calls us to be willing. He uses broken vessels to do great things. Give what you have to the Lord. He will make it great, not you.
My favorite quote from week 5: "Discontent with selfishness and weary of ego, we finally become willing to lose ourselves to something greater. In doing so, we find Christ as we've never know Him and, there, pooled in the reflection of His eyes, startle to discover that a part of ourselves resembles Him." Beth Moore
Week 6
God is always at work for His people. He has never walked away. Even when it seems there is no hope, He is in control.
Haman finds himself in a low place in chapter 6. He is going to Xerxes to ask for Mordecai's immediate death. When he arrives Xerxes asks him what he would do to honor someone. Haman, of course, thinks Xerxes plans to honor him. So he tells of the elaborate way to honor someone (Esther 6:6-9). The irony of the matter is that Xerxes then tells Haman to do every last detail for Mordecai the Jew. Haman hates Mordecai and now has to parade him through the streets giving him honor. Isn't God good! He will even have our enemies show us honor.
Live life for God. If we do something good and receive honor, fine. If we do not receive honor, fine. Let's not exalt ourselves to a place we do not belong and cannot stand. We are only setting ourselves up for a fall when we do. When I fall, I want to be falling before God's throne. He is the only one whe deserves honor and praise.
Week 7
Esther reveals to Xerxes and Haman that she is a Jew. But she is very careful with her words. She accuses Haman without also accusing Xerxes. Xerxes is just as guilty as Haman. He okayed the annihalation of thousands of Jews without blinking an eye. Esther knows that she cannot make him feel guilty though.
Be careful to not seek greatness. "Every one of us who embraces the glory of God as our purpose will end up doing great things precisely because we do God-things". Beth Moore
God is really doing some amazing things around here. I can see His hand at work in so many areas of our lives right now. It is pretty amazing!
As for my Esther study this past week, well, God is continuing to teach me. And challenge me. That is one of the great things about Him. He does not leave us where we are. He always desires to move us forward towards Him. I know that I am a work in progress. I'm just thankful He is willing to work on me!
In week 4 of the study Beth Moore makes this statement: "He'd use their enemies to turn His people back to Him." The Jews in the Persian Empire made the choice to stay instead of return to Jerusalem when Cyrus allowed them to go. They had become so accustomed to Persian life that most had lost their 'Jewishness'. Sound familiar to our world? God used the enemies of the Jewish people to wake them up. When Haman's decree went out that all Jews in the Persian Empire would die, they remembered their God and became repentant before Him. So, yes, God will use our enemies to wake us up if need be. Sometimes things happen in our lives to remind us of who we are supposed to be serving. (Disclaimer: I'm not saying that all bad things that come our way are because we have sinned and are away from God. We all know that is not true. We live in a fallen world where bad things happen.) There are times, though, when what we are facing is because of our own actions. God always offers us forgiveness, but, that does not mean that the consequences of our sin will disappear.
Another great nugget from this week was the reminder that I am royalty! I hope this blesses your spirit as much as it did mine.
"You are in the most literal sense possible the daughter of the universe's King. You have royal blood in a way that even Esther did not. The crimson bloodline of Christ flows through your veins." Beth Moore, Esther: It's Tough Being a Woman
How good is that!!! Remember who you are! You are God's if you have accepted Him. He always chooses us. We also have to choose Him.
Have you done that? Have you made Jesus your Lord? If not, please give Him a chance. Check out this website for more help. Or email me!
Several things stuck out to me during this week of Bible study. The first thing was a parallel theme from the book of Daniel. Beth Moore makes the connection between Mordecai and Joseph. Mordecai would not bow before Haman even though this was a command from King Xerxes. He had made up his mind beforehand that he would bow, even to save his own neck. In Genesis 39 we read about Joseph's encounters with Potipher's wife. She tried her best to seduce Joseph, but he would not give in. He, too, made up his mind before he was even put in that position. The same thing is seen in the book of Daniel. We have to make our mind up before we are put in compromising situations. Know where your line is and do not cross it!
Prejudice is the driving force behind chapter 3 of Esther. Haman hated the Jews. When he found out Mordecai was a Jew, his plan for destroying all Jews in the Persian Empire was set into motion. We have to be so careful to not allow prejudice to set in our hearts. I can remember hearing slanderous statements about certain groups of people as a child. I thank God that He did not allow those things to take root in me. We are all ONE RACE! Every person on this planet is related. One group of people is no better than another.
Lastly, this week I was reminded of the fact that God is in control of my life. Times when it may seem like things are out of control, when everything seems to be falling apart, when there seems to be no end in sight...God is on the throne. He sees all, knows all, and controls all. He is watching and waiting for His timeline to be executed. God's time is not like ours. He is never late. He is always right on time!
I love the book of Esther! This study is only reinforcing that fact. Most days I do more than one lesson because it is so good.
Esther won the favor of those she met. So that had to include the other women. And in some circles that is huge! We women can be our own worst enemies at times. In Esther we see that we can be liked by others and still love God. Sometimes Christians get so caught up in being 'Christians' that they have no earthly value. I hope I am not misunderstood here. It is important for us to live holy lives and do what we know is Biblically right. I guess the thing we have to be careful with is self-righteousness. I hope I never forget where God brought me from. Who I am today is only by His grace. It has nothing to do with me.
On the flip side of that, though, is the fact that we cannot be so earthly minded that our Christianity is hidden. Peter tells us that we are 'aliens and strangers in the world' (I Peter 2:11). If someone can look at our life and not have the slightest idea that we are a Christian, something is wrong. We need to be different. Strangers do not blend in to their surroundings. They stick out.
So this week I am praying that God will help me with balance. I want to be different from this world. I also want to be effective in this world.
Last year I completed my first Beth Moore Bible study. It was awesome. I did the Daniel study with some women at my church. I have always liked the book of Daniel but through her study I really fell in love with it. There is so much to be learned in those 12 chapters of the Bible.
After Christmas I purchased the Esther Bible study to do on my own at home. I started last week and it is so good. I am going to post what little treasures I gleam from the study. Mainly for my future benefit, but I hope it blesses you in the process.
In the first chapter of the book of Esther we learn about the 180 day feast King Xerxes hosts. It is basically a drunken free for all. At the end of the 180 days there is another 7 day feast. Queen Vashti is having her own feast for the women. Xerxes decides to show off his beautiful Queen Vashti and sends for her. Vashti refuses to come. Big mistake. She is banished as Queen and most historians believe she was executed. One reason she is banished is because the other men are afraid that all women in the Persian empire will begin to take rank above their own husbands. They wanted to make an example of Vashti for all women to see.
Two statments Beth makes during the week really spoke to me. The first one is:
"God is never more present than when He seems strangely absent".
That really blessed me. There have been many times in my life when I have felt like He wasn't near. He is always near! I may have walked a few steps backwards, but He has not moved. In the Daniel study I learned that sometimes God will allow you to be in a fire in order to set you free.
The second one is the first statment about women:
"It's tough being a woman in another woman's shadow, but sometimes, there in the hiddeness, God builds a woman she'd never otherwise become."
Wow! How often do we women compare ourselves to one another. For me, I have done this my whole life. I have always felt a little less than those around me. It's a battle God is winning, but I still step back in the battle for myself at times. That's when I begin to suffer defeat. The battle is not mine....it is His. I will win if I let Him fight for me. So when we feel as though we are in 'her' shadow, let's vow to remember that God is building us into a woman that we would not be able to become if we were not in 'her' shadow.
Welcome to our blog! I hope you enjoy your visit. We are a homeschooling family of 5. Our approach is eclectic, but leaning more and more towards Charlotte Mason. Our girls are 9, 7, and 4. Never a dull moment as we desire to teach our girls in the ways of the Lord.
