Who do I turn to for wisdom and counsel?
Week 1 DAY 6
Week 1 Esther 1:13-22
Today
We will:
- Continue LOOKING at Esther Chapter 1.
- LEARN ‘how‘ to incorporate GODcha’s tools along the way.
- LISTEN to God speak to us as we focus on GODcha’s LEARN/LIVE question –
Open GODcha to the Book of Esther
You Can Open GODcha and GODchats together
NOTE:
If you don’t have GODcha Get It>
Or, use your hardbound Bibles and follow along.
You can print off this week’s posts and put in a notebook!
Do you remember. . .
Why Was Esther Written? 
Remember: everything written in Esther points back to the purpose.
To tell how the Jews in exile were delivered from annihilation.
Understand: Esther is a historical account of how imperfect people were used by God’s divine power to save the Jewish people from being annihilated.
Let’s Begin With Prayer
And Continue With an Attitude of Prayer
Perhaps. . .
Oh Lord, we come with humility and meekness to receive Your Holy Word. We know You are a good God and desire our best, our good. May You feed us now, allowing Your Spirit to be our teacher, showing us what is true. May He open our eyes of understanding, convict us where we need to be convicted and encourage us where we need to be encouraged. May we submit to You today – ready to learn and live.
If you get STUCK at any point in your discovery, stop, and pray!
GOD, your Creator, loves you and desires to reveal much to you.
Today: Counsel To Banish the Queen
LEARN to LOOK 
Begin LOOKING By READING
READ Taking Small Bites.
READ Esther 1:13-22, and ponder what happened when things didn’t go the way the king planned.
As you do, ask the who, what, where, when, why and how questions.
What Did You LEARN 
If you need help
Check Out GODcha’s #8 LEARN Question(s)
#8. Who did this earthly king turn to?
What was their advice? Was it wise?
What happened? (v13-20)
Today: Counsel To Banish the Queen
LOOK Closer
For Key Words
What might be key?
If you’re not sure scroll through GODcha’s suggestions.
Now GODcha doesn’t suggest this, but since the king turns to wise men, perhaps we should consider wise? And then, what is an edict?
Check the Word Meaning
Tap on ‘wise‘ and ‘edict‘ in your Bible.
Do you see the definitions pop open?
WISE, ḥākām; (i.e. intelligent, skillful or artful):—cunning (man). This word is used to describe one who is skilled or experienced.
EDICT, dābār; A masculine noun meaning word, speech, matter. This frequent word has a wide range of meanings associated with it. It signified spoken words or speech; a command or royal decree (Esth. 1:12, 19).
DON’T STOP THERE!
NOTE: Take what you have learned back to the text, to see what it means in its CONTEXT.
TIP: I would encourage you to note this in your hardbound Bibles.
Scope Out Some Cross References
(aka CR)
1. What do you understand about a royal edict?
Dan 6:8
2. What did you learn about the wise men who understood the times and knew the law?
a. Who could these wise men be like?
Dan 1:19-20; 5:15
b. Were they really very wise?
If anyone lacks wisdom what are they to do?
Describe God’s wisdom.
Jam 1:5; 3:13-18
Did You Stop to Check Out ‘wisdom‘?
If not, it would be good to know that wisdom means the ability to apply knowledge.
What Did You LEARN
Sum It Up!
We LEARN:
The king turned to men instead of God.
The king turned to 7 men who:
1) were wise (intelligent, skilled and experienced);
2) understood the times; and
3) were princes who served in his presence.
We Discovered:
For believers, if we lack wisdom, all we have to do is ask God, and He will give His wisdom generously and without reproach.
God’s wisdom from above is controlled by gentleness and is 1st pure, then peaceable, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy and good fruits, unwavering and without hypocrisy.
Man’s wisdom is not from above but earthly, natural, and demonic. And is easy to recognize as it finds its roots in bitter jealousy, selfish ambition, and arrogance, and lies against the truth.
We LEARN:
The 7 wise men were concerned that Queen Vashti’s disobedience would start a woman’s liberation.
They counseled the king to issue a written royal edict (a decree, a law) and if written in the laws of Persia and Media then it could not be revoked.
Their reasoning was then that all women throughout the empire would honor their husbands.
STOP!
LISTEN to God Speak
And LIVE it out!
Check out GODcha’s #8 LIVE Question(s).
#8. Who do I turn to for advice and wisdom?
Do I turn to God for His wisdom?
What must I do to tap into God’s wisdom?
Or do I turn to man?
Why do I operate according to the world’s wisdom, (Jam 3:13-17)?
Respond to God. . . LIVE it out!
Now We Don’t Just LISTEN,
But, We Speak to God!
Oh chat with God, your Creator who loves you! He is waiting, desiring this intimate communication with you.
Today: Counsel To Banish the Queen
Next, LOOK At
What the King Decided
READ Esther 1:13-22 again.
Check out GODcha’s #9 LEARN Question(s).
#9. What did the king decide?
What was his edict (law)?
What happened to Queen Vashti? (v21-22)
Do Some Cross Referencing(aka CR)
1. Here is the king making a decision to give Vashti’s position to another.
What do you learn about God in this decision?
Isa 55:8-11
We see and must remember the king has a plan, but God is at work with His plan, for His thoughts and ways are not ours. His are far higher than ours. Thus, He is adjusting events and changing minds to set His perfect plan into place.
Are You LISTENING?
Perhaps. . .
Do I tend to fall into the trap thinking God is asleep, or not aware, or wringing His hands in heaven when it comes to my life and family, my church, my nation, and/or my leaders?
What have I experienced to learn my ways and thoughts are certainly not God’s?
What will I do to remember Isa 55:8-11?
2. As we see ultimately all women would honor their husbands as a result of the king’s edict, what do you learn about women honoring their husbands?
1Pe 3:1-6
Pro 12:4; 31:10-12
Col 3:18
Eph 5:21-22, 24, 33
What Did You LEARN
Let the Holy Spirit
Take you beyond just reading and passing right by what God is telling you.
EYE IT! SEE IT!
SUM it Up!
The King and The Wise men
We See and LEARN:
From the world’s perspective, it would appear this man who rules over 3 million square miles can’t rule his wife.
As a result, there is a national crisis. Because the queen did not obey her husband there was a fear that all women would follow the queen’s ways.
Thus, the king wrote an edict (a decree, a law) that could not be repealed and sent to ensure that all women would honor their husbands, and every man would be master of his house.
Can a man really demand respect from his wife? The means to gain respect were foolish.
We Discovered:
God is very clear about women honoring their husbands, as there is a need for every man to sense honor and respect from his wife.
An excellent wife:
-
- Is the crown of her husband, but she who shames him is like rottenness in his bones.
- Her husband trusts.
- Does her husband good and not evil all the days of her life.
- Is subject to her husband, as is fitting in the Lord.
- Ultimately respects her husband.
Men and women are equal before God, with different functions and responsibilities.
Marriage is like Christ and the church. As the church is subject to Christ, so also wives ought to be to their husbands in everything, because the husband is head of the wife, as Christ is head of the church. This is God’s design. And as the husband is honorable and respectable by loving his wife as himself, then it is very easy for the wife to respect her husband.
The Queen
We See and LEARN:
The queen was no longer allowed to come into the king’s presence and her position was to be given to another.
We Discovered:
Ultimately, God is adjusting events and changing minds to set His perfect plan into place.
THINK With Me
According to God’s Wisdom:
Was the king right or wrong?
What would have been the wise thing to do?
The king should have swallowed his pride and apologized. He should have said he was sorry and repented for not honoring and loving his wife as himself.
Are You LISTENING?
Take what you learn. . .
And turn it into a personal question(s).
Perhaps. . .
1. If a wife, what kind of a wife am I? Am I an excellent wife? Does my husband trust me? When it comes down to it, do I respect and honor my husband?
Or if not an excellent wife, why is that? What must I do to obey God’s Word?
2. If a husband, what is my conduct toward my wife? Am I honorable and respectable?
3. When I am wrong, am I willing to repent? Or am I stubborn? What do I need to repent of?
Now GODcha’s #9 LIVE Question(s)
in the Deeper Discovery
has us consider something else.
#9. When and why have I been banished so to speak?
How has God’s Sovereign, unseen hand overruled the worst situation for my good?
Respond to God. . . LIVE it out!
God is always speaking clearly and distinctly to us, cutting through any frivolous chatter.
And in doing so, His words pierce our hearts with conviction, comfort, encouragement and hope, always working to perfect us and make us more like Christ.
Today: Counsel To Banish the Queen
As we finish this Chapter today,
Consider GODcha’s #10 LEARN Question(s)
#10. Compare this earthly king to another King, who is sitting on His throne in heaven, giving us a much better kingdom, never to leave us nor forsake us.
LISTEN to God Speak
And LIVE it out!
Consider GODcha’s #10 LIVE Question(s)
#10. Do I know the one true God who is King over all the earth, (Psa 47:6-7)?
When did I surrender my life to King Jesus, who is over every king, and Lord, who is over every Lord, (Rev 19:16)?
Chat with God!
Okay, One Last Thing to Do 
To Wrap Up Chapter 1, GODcha directs us to 
Summarize the Chapter.
Why you might ask?
Well, this will help you grasp and process what you have LEARNED,
and
Cement this Chapter down deep into your heart, and you will remember it!
Come on try it, you will be so glad you did!
1. Go to your Bibles and READ all of Esther Chapter 1 to refresh your minds.
2. Focus on a Paragraph at a time.
Remember: Paragraphs are designated by bold face numbers or letters in your hardbound Bibles.
3. LOOK for the main topics of each Paragraph.
What was talked about the most?
Hint: 
Key Words will help with this.
The main topics will help give you an outline, and you will see the flow of the chapter!
Jot the main topic of each Paragraph in the margins of your Bible next to the bolded verses, as well as in your Notes.
When you go through this process, thinking and reasoning God’s Truths, then God is able to seal Truth into your memory!
Try it on your own before you go any further. I will help you after you give it a shot! You can do this! I know you can!
Let’s Summarize The Paragraphs
1:1-4 – King Ahasuerus – 6 Mth Banquet
1:5-9 – The King’s – 7 Day Banquet
1:10-12 – Queen Vashti Disobeyed the King’s Command
1:13-22 – The Royal Edict
Now to Summarize The Chapter
1. I was taught to try to keep my Summary to 4-6 Words or less if possible.
Why?
Because it will be easier to remember.
2. DO NOT Paraphrase!
Use the Words God uses.
Why?
a. Paraphrasing can change the meaning, and
b. We want to know and bury God’s Word, that has the power, into our heads and hearts.
How Would You Summarize Chapter 1?
What about:
King Ahasuerus/Banquets/Queen Disobeys
Perfect!
We took it slow purposely to show you how much you can discover if you are willing. I thank God you have been willing!
Are you amazed at how READING and re-reading helped bury God’s Word into your heads and hearts?
Are you amazed at what you have LEARNED and the intimate encounters you have had with your Lord?
Do you see more and more the importance of knowing God’s Word?
Do you realize, you have been disciplined to show yourselves approved unto God, (2Ti 2:15)?
I pray you will urge others to join in this discovery and do the same!
Chapter 1 is a Wrap!
Oh, I pray you have engaged with God in a very special way as you LISTENED to Him speak to you personally.
Meditate on everything God is teaching you. “For the one who meditates on God’s Word is blessed,” (Psalm 1:1-2).
What have you learned about yourself?
Is there some action God is requiring of you?
Do you need to confess and repent?
Put this Review and Summary
in Your Notes
Video Tutorial> Notes Tutorial >
If you will take the time to put this Review in your Notes you can return to it anytime and anywhere. You will be so glad you did.
If short on time, copy and paste into your Notes.
Let’s Bow Before the Father
FATHER GOD, BLESSED LORD JESUS, and HOLY SPIRIT – GOD in three persons, we praise You! We thank you that we can humbly draw near to You, and let You speak Truth to our hearts and minds. May we take what You are saying to us seriously! We are so grateful that You are always there to be our Counselor. Forgive us for the many times we have turned to man instead of You for advise. Oh God, I am asking that You will help each one of us learn to turn to You first. That we would ask for Your wisdom, hear what You say, and appropriate Your wisdom in our life circumstances.
And Father God, as we see the king write this law, we bow before You knowing that You are the KING above every king, president, dictator, ruler. You alone are Sovereign! We so praise You and thank you that Your unseen hand is overruling our worst situations for our good. You have a perfect plan that You will set into place. And because You are the King who rules over all, no matter man’s laws that continue to change, You give laws that never change and are to be obeyed. May we be able to understand something can be legal but – immoral. Something can be permissible in our nation’s eyes but – an abomination to You. Adultery is not a crime – it’s a sin. The murder of the unborn is not a crime – it is a sin. The redefining of marriage is not a crime – it is a sin. It doesn’t matter what laws are instituted in our land, we answer to a Higher Law. So whether a wife, or a husband, may we hear what You are saying and be obedient to Your Law and respect and honor one another. Thank you. We ask these things in Jesus’ name. Amen!
You are off to a great start!
Please know that God established a pattern for mankind, and that pattern is that we work six days and then we have one day when we set it aside to rest, and replenish our body, and focus on worshiping God. Rest and worship God!
See you in a couple of days to begin LOOKING @ Esther Chapter 2.
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