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AUGUST 19
Esther 4-7
In thinking about the purpose of the book of Esther, there is not only
the obvious message of God sovereignly saving His people, but there is the
hidden message. The hidden message is represented in the fact that the words,
"God" and "pray," and other indications of God's presence
are not mentioned. Can God be present when He is not seen? Can a book telling
of God's working exclude the mention of Him? Those who are seeking God will
find Him. The book of Esther is a spiritual eye test.
Matthew 13:13-15 This
is why I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing
they do not hear, nor do they understand. 14Indeed, in their case the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled that says:
`You will indeed hear but never understand, and you will indeed see but never
perceive. 15 For this
people's heart has grown dull, and with their ears they can barely hear, and
their eyes they have closed, lest they should see with their eyes and hear with
their ears and understand with their heart and turn, and I would heal them.’
Esther 4
Vs. 1-3 The response of the Jews was immediate. Mordecai risked his
life by coming as a mourner to the king's gate. Notice that there was fasting
and weeping and sackcloth and ashes, but nowhere in Esther does it say
that anyone prayed. Obviously they prayed.
Vs. 4-9 Apparently Esther and others didn't know what had happened.
Mordecai refused to be comforted and suggested what Esther should do. It is
interesting that Mordecai came with documentation to prove his claim.
Vs. 10-11 We imagine that a king and queen would be close. Xerxes had
an enormous harem of attractive and exciting women. Now that he had a queen
that any kingdom would be proud of, he could go back to business as usual. Of
course, he would see Esther more often than the other wives because of official
events. The fact that he hadn't seen Esther for a month signifies a very
official and superficial relationship. If I didn't see my wife for a month, I'd
be a wreck.
Esther's sense of security was shaken by Xerxes' character and
behavior, and now there was an emergency. She was afraid, and it probably
wasn't a common occurrence for a woman to approach the throne. I wonder if she
thought he had found out she was a Jew?
Vs. 12-14 If you needed key verses for Esther, these might do. If you
agree, why do you think these are good verses? What do you see in these verses
that speak to you in your life and circumstances?
As disciples we are taught to live in the harvest, following and
abiding in Christ. We never know where the Lord is leading us, or for what He
might be preparing us. It is our perspective of living with Him daily and
following Him that gives us the courage and presence of mind to understand how
to respond to the situations He brings before us. Esther was shocked, but we'll
see that she understood and recovered her calm.
Vs. 15-17 This shows that Esther and the other Jews were spiritually
minded. By fasting they were appealing to God for help.
Esther 5
Vs. 1-3 I have to admit that when I read this, I really think the entire
description shows the king was immensely caught up in his own ego and was a man
of low character.
Vs. 4-8 Esther might have known that the king couldn't resist being
honored. That Esther didn't give her request at the first feast might have been
to show that she was sincere. This might have been a Persian custom we don't
have insight into. It certainly was a "God thing" that things
happened this way.
Vs. 9-14 In the whole scheme of God's working, this just looks like
something we've seen a million times before. Pride comes before a fall,
although in this case, possibly, before a shish-kabob. We've heard about the fall of the wicked in both Psalms and Proverbs.
Now we get to see it.
V. 14 You'll see
there is a note that "gallows" could also be "stake." It
could be either. Once you begin reading Daniel, you'll see that this threat
must have been a popular punishment in both the Babylonian and Persian Empires.
Also I make a decree that if
anyone alters this edict, a beam
shall be pulled out of his house, and he shall be impaled on it, and his house
shall be made a dunghill (Ezra 6:11).
Just like Nebuchadnezzar heated up the oven seven times hotter than
normal to make an example of anyone who defied him, Haman must have had a tree
brought out of the forest to use as a gallows or impaling beam to make the
point that no one dare oppose him. Just as a note: In Germany for their May
fest, the industrious Germans bring a 70+ foot tree out of the forest, trimming
off all the branches but the very top. I've seen a group of men raise it and
put it in place without a crane, although they did have one standing by. Not
that everyone can do what the Germans do, but the Germans could have had the
tree cut and in place in a day if necessary.
Esther 6
Vs. 1-3 What I've learned from this verse is that if I can't sleep, the
Lord must want me up to pray. What can you say? What a funny
"coincidence" that this should happen on this very night.
One thing to note here is while we all love it when God does stuff like
this, He is equally at work and present when He doesn't let stuff like this
happen. Maturity in following in the harvest accepts God's presence both when
the sun shines and when the storms rage.
Vs. 4-9 Now it's morning and what funny timing. God's judgment on the
prideful and arrogant is not only just, but it shows that He has a sense of
humor.
Vs. 10-11 Notice that the king knew that Mordecai was a Jew. Did the
king not realize that the people he would be letting Haman exterminate were
Jews? Re-read chapter 3. It looks like the king could have been oblivious to
who the people were since he never proofread the final edict. Haman wrote it
and sealed it for the king.
God has an ironic sense of judgment. Imagine what this must have felt
like for Haman. Imagine the shock for Mordecai. Imagine the shock of all of
those lower governmental workers who were expecting Haman to lower the boom on
Mordecai.
Vs. 12-13 How comforting to have your wife and friends, who just
suggested you punish Mordecai by hanging, tell you that he is about to be your
downfall.
V. 14 And before Haman could collect his thoughts, he himself was
collected.
Esther 7:1-10
Vs. 1-2 It must have been after all the food was served and the wine
was being drunk, that the servants cleared out and there was time for
conversation.
Vs. 3-4 It is interesting that Esther framed her request like this. Her
urgent need came from the fact that total destruction was planned. I wonder if
Haman was getting a bad feeling as Esther was explaining this.
Vs. 5-6 Dumb, da da dumb…in more ways than one. What a time for the
king and Haman to discover that Esther was a Jew.
Vs. 7-8 The king went out to cool off and to think through all that
Haman had suggested and planned. Esther was not in danger. There were some
servants and guards present. One of them just happened to have a "head
bag" in his pocket.
V. 9 Again, this is ironic justice. What we don't know is if Haman was
hung like a "hanging," or hung like "on a spit." It is
interesting in The Psalms to see David ask the Lord to punish his foes with the
kind of destruction they were trying to bring on David. Here, we see it.
1 Corinthians 12:1-26
There is great teaching in chapters 12 and 13. Keep in mind that Paul
is teaching this to correct a problem in the church, and he will begin to apply
all of this teaching in chapter 14. These chapters are leading up to, and
laying a foundation for, correcting the Corinthians' misuse of the gifts in
their public services.
Vs. 1-3 So what do you have here? How can you curse Jesus without knowing
it, thinking you were led by the Spirit? This is my take on what Paul seems to
be saying.
When the Corinthians were unbelieving, regardless of the sincerity or
piety of their emotions, regardless of their Jewishness, they were led by those
emotions to worship idols (Rom. 2:22). They lived in a very pagan place and
even on their best days, their "god feelings" still led them to mix
with the ungodly culture. Emotion does not equal accurate worship. Apparently
then, some of these believers under the influence of emotion were speaking in
tongues; and others who knew the language were hearing them curse Jesus. In the
same way, it is only by the Spirit that a person can speak in tongues and
praise God. Emotion does not equal worship, even in the church. Apparently the
gift of tongues was going to seed in this church, and Paul will correct this
overemphasis on tongues. This will become very, very clear in chapter 14.
Vs. 4-6 What point do you think Paul is making in this section? Notice
the progression in these verses and what is attributed to each member of the
Trinity. Think about these because they are different. Gifts are under the
authority of the Spirit. Service is under the authority of the Lord. And
working, as in making things happen, is under the authority of the Father. For
an interesting look at this, read John 5. The Son served as He saw the Father
working. There is diversity, but it is all unified in the Trinity and under the
Father.
Vs. 7-11 The gifts are all unified under the same Spirit and they are
given, not as we desire, but as He wills.
Vs. 12-13 The for in v. 12 is
the application of what Paul has just said. You can imagine that as divided as
the Corinthians were around their "heroes" like Paul, and Apollos,
and Peter, the gifts must have given them fits. Especially since they didn't
have any choice which gifts God gave to them.
Vs. 14-20 Notice in this first example of division over gifts, pride is
not the primary issue, but self pity. What do you do if you’re a successful
CEO, but you didn't get a gift of teaching or spiritual administration and you
thought you should have? What do you do if you're good looking and think you
should be a hand, but you're a toe? What if you have great opinions, but God
didn't choose you to be a prophet? Since Paul addresses this first, it might
have been the primary problem.
V. 18 So it wasn't evolution after all. God put all the organs where He
chose. Actually I think it's pretty cool that we don't sit on our brains.
Vs. 21-26 Now we have the example of pride. Without the heart, the
mouth stops and the hand falls. Actually, the heart is pretty useless without
veins. And mess up a couple of those DNA couplings and you've got major vein
problems. Who is to say what gifts are unnecessary? It's interesting that in
God's blessing to Nehemiah, everyone was "working properly."
Vs. 24-26 This is true of the body and of the church. We noticed in
Nehemiah how important it was to have a leader, but it was just as important
for everyone to work together and do their part. Both were miracles and both
were provided by the Lord.
Up to now we all agree with this analogy that the Spirit and Paul have
given us. But here's the question. Why are the gifts given and what is the body
supposed to do? People do stuff and that makes the working of the body parts
important. If the body just sits there, watching TV, who cares? What is
important for us is that the body of Christ is meant to be working in the
harvest. Without His purpose and passion working in us as disciples in the
harvest, this teaching on gifts is all theoretical and academic, and it totally
eludes us.
Psalm 36
So, vs. 1-4 seem to stand together, and vs. 5-10 stand together, with
vs. 11 and 12 being a plea for deliverance and justice. How would you title
1-4, and how do you think they relate or move into 5-10? What is the difference
between these two men, if you want to see it like that?
Vs. 1-4 Notice that the wicked are encouraged in their evil because God
appears invisible and silent. Their mindset is irrational, but by God not
acting immediately and being unseen, the wicked show their hearts and validate
the judgment that will come against them.
Vs. 5-6 Notice how David equated God's love, faithfulness and
righteousness with the visible creation. God is never truly invisible and David
also knew the character of the Lord.
Vs. 7-9 Again David mentions God's steadfast
love. God's loyal love is what gave David refuge, fed him in the wilderness and revived his soul in all those
long years of doubt and running.
Vs. 10-12 So David appealed to God to continue showing His steadfast
love to those who knew God. Although there are other requests here, the
simple prayer and confidence we have is simply the steadfast love of the Lord.
In a way it sort of reminds me of the flow of Psalm 119: I'm surrounded
by troubles and enemies and rats, but I set my mind to meditate upon Your word
and find my joy in You.
Proverbs 21:21-22
When I saw these two proverbs together, it made me think that wisdom
and righteousness are true strength. So what about the city of the mighty and the
stronghold? How do the wise in Christ do this?
Notice in v. 21 that righteousness
is internal character and that kindness
is external, an action. Oh, and did I mention that the word translated kindness here is the same word
translated in Psalm 36 as steadfast love.
But I
say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45so that you may be sons of your Father
who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and
sends rain on the just and on the unjust (Matt. 5:44-45).
Beloved,
never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written,
"Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord." 20To the contrary, "if your enemy is
hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so
doing you will heap burning coals on his head." 21Do not be overcome by evil, but
overcome evil with good (Rom. 12:19-21).
I guess you would call that, "The Art of War," in
the harvest.
Please Read
the Following Disclaimer
I'm writing the Reading Notes to and
for those who are following a One Year Bible and are interested in growing
deeper as a disciple, following Jesus in the harvest. My hope is to see the
growth of a discipleship culture in the church, that is, groups of 3-4
disciples, meeting weekly, encouraging each other to follow Christ and work to
reach out and make disciples, who make disciples. The Bible itself is the most
universal and important discipleship manual we have and it is the key to our
growth and service in Christ. Nothing keeps us more focused on why we are here,
or what we are to be doing, or whom we are to be following. My comments are
only meant to provide some explanation of the events or to show the flow of
God's plan of redemption. My comments are in no way exhaustive, but are
designed to keep us, as disciples, focused on Christ and our role in His
harvest. My hope is that the people in these groups will grow in Christ and be
willing, after a year, to find 3 others to meet with and encourage in their
growth as disciples, making disciples in the harvest.
If you would like a more descriptive
commentary that is still readable and concise, I'd recommend the Bible Knowledge Commentary (BKC).
I read the BKC in doing background for the Reading Notes and refer to it quite
often. I also make reference to maps or charts in the BKC, though I will only
note where those resources can be found. Often you can do a search for these
and find them in Google books. Buying both volumes of the Bible Knowledge
Commentary would be a good idea.
I am not endorsing any particular
One Year Bible translation; in fact, I read something you probably don't, Die
Revidierte Lutherbibel, 1984. Unless noted, all Scripture quotes are from the
ESV Bible.
Anyone reading along with us is
welcome to do so and is encouraged to take their own notes and make their own
observations. If the comments made do not agree with your particular tradition
or understanding, that's OK. Nothing I've written is meant to criticize any
point of view, but only to express the truth of what God has written to us, as
I understand it. Often there is a breadth of opinion on certain events, both
historical and prophetic. Many of my views come from my church background,
theological training and my personal study.
I'm
doing this with discipleship in mind, meaning, I'm writing out thoughts that
will keep discipleship and our growth as disciples applied to what we are
reading. Remember, the real focus of the Reading Notes is to be a
supplement, a disciple’s commentary, giving motivation and insight so that we
will keep following our Lord in the harvest, reaching the lost and making
disciples, who make disciples. Being in
the Word every day, sitting at Jesus’ feet, learning directly from Him, is the
essential essence of being and making disciples.
May the Lord bless you as you follow Him in the
harvest, reaching the lost and making disciples, who make disciples. Dan
If you would like documents
containing an entire month of the Reading Notes, go to https://sites.google.com/site/dlkachikis/reading-notes.
If you would like a full
presentation of discipleship read Simply
Disciples*Making Disciples.
Or if you are struggling with
insomnia and would like a long boring dissertation on disciple making, these
can both be found on https://sites.google.com/site/dlkachikis/reading-notes.
Reading Notes ©, Dan Kachikis
2011, 2012, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2018
The One Year Bible © by
Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton Illinois 60189
The Holy Bible, English
Standard Version® (ESV®) Copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of
Good News Publishers.
All charts/graphics/outlines
from the Bible Knowledge Commentary are used with the permission of David C.
Cook.
© 1983, 2001 John F Walvoord and Roy B Zuck.
The Bible Knowledge Commentary is published by David C Cook.
All rights reserved. Publisher permission
required to reproduce.
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