Who am I burdened for?
 How do I intercede for them?

Week 1 DAYS 3 and 4

Today AND Tomorrow 

We will:

  1. LOOK at Esther 8:3-7.
  2. LEARN ‘how‘ to incorporate GODcha’s tools along the way.
  3. LISTEN to God speak to us as we focus on GODcha’s LEARN/LIVE question.

Open GODcha to the Book of Esther

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Or, use your hardbound Bibles and follow along.

You can print off this week’s posts and put in a notebook!

Let’s Begin With Prayer

And Continue With an Attitude of Prayer

Perhaps. . .

Oh Lord, we thank you for Your Holy Word, that is a sure Word of absolute Truth, preserved throughout the ages for us to grow in our knowledge of You and to be changed to be more like Christ. May we see You and how You work. Create in us fresh wonder about You as we become more and more aware of Your Sovereign hand that works behind the scenes. May we also look at those in this drama and then be willing to examine ourselves. Give us the understanding we need to be changed and live in the light of what You show us. Thank you.

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.

We Need To Consider CONTEXT

CONTEXT is the setting that Rules Interpretation.

Context Tutorial >

Esther Chapter 8:1-2 

We left off seeing this incredible reversal. The king gave Mordecai the house of Haman and the signet ring, promoting Mordecai to Haman’s position as the king’s right hand man.

Let’s see what happens.

LOOK

At Verses 3-7 

READ Esther 8:3-7.

As you read, ask the who, what, where, when, why, and how questions.

This is a skill that just takes practice.

Help Reading Esther 8:3-7>

Remember to:

Reflect on the events that demonstrate God’s hidden hand.

 

What is Key?

What grabbed your attention?

Esther of course is Key.

What she does and how she does it is key.

THINK and REASON

Can you catch the scene?

The situation is still horrific, and hopeless if the king doesn’t do something.

What happens?

– Esther approaches the king again, uninvited, weeping and begging!

– She is extremely burdened!

– Not for herself, but for her people!

– And the king extends his golden scepter.

LISTEN To the Spirit

Who and what am I weeping and begging the Lord for?

What am I burdened about?

Am I concerned for people? The lost, and God’s people too?

Or is it all about me? 

THINK and REASON

In the end, we will spend eternity with God and His people!

Respond, LIVE It Out!

Remember, this is the most important part of our journey. It’s an open-ended conversation that continues throughout the day!

 

What Else is Key?

We have seen:

– The ‘evil scheme’, the plot devised against the Jews back in Chapter 3

– ‘Found favor

– ‘Extended the golden scepter

These are key and repeated throughout this book. If you have forgotten what you learned about these key points, go back and review.

 

Let’s Zoom In.

 READ Esther 8:3-7 Again.

Help Reading Esther 8:3-7>

 

Let’s go verse by verse, dig a bit deeper, and see what we can discover. As we do, you will want to check out:

Word Meanings

Cross References (aka CR) on These Key Points.

Note: Remember to check the context of these passages.

 

READ Verse 3 What does Esther do that again could get her killed?

Help Reading Esther 8:3-7>

Let’s Camp Here For a Bit.

 What do you learn for yourself when it comes to speaking to God, The King? 

Jam 4:2

Heb 4:16

 

Check out implored’.

Can you picture Esther, interceding on behalf of her people, kneeling at the king’s throne pleading for them? 
Let’s see what we can learn about our privilege and responsibility to kneel before God’s throne on behalf of others.
1. What is God looking for?

Eze 22:30

2. Who interceded for others? Why?

Exo 32:11-14; Exo 34:9

Ezr 9:5-15

Joh 17; Heb 7:25

3. Who are we to be burdened and pray for?

1Ti 2:1-6

Eph 6:18-20

Rom 9:3-5, 31-32; 10:1

Mat 5:44

NOTE: You might search out ‘intercede’/ ‘pray’ using GODcha’s Word Search to understand how to intercede and pray for others.

LISTEN To the Spirit

Do I pray for my leaders, those in authority? If so, do I pray for all of them to be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth?

Do I pray with perseverance for all the saints? If so, do I pray for all to have boldness to proclaim the gospel?

Do I pray for Israel and the Jews? If so, do I pray for their salvation?

Do I pray for my enemies, those who hurt and persecute me?

“Perhaps we receive few answers to prayer because we do not intercede enough for others.” Benson

Respond, LIVE It Out!

God is waiting to chat!

 

READ

Verse 4 – We looked at this back in Est 4:11, and Est 5:2. What is significant about the king extending the golden scepter to Esther?

Help Reading Esther 8:3-7>

 

Verse 5 Do you see how respectful Esther is?

Help Reading Esther 8:3-7>

If it pleases the king. . . if I have found favor. . .if the matter seems proper. . .if I am pleasing in his sight. . . 

We have looked at this before. What is the Spirit reminding you?

LISTEN To the Spirit

If a child toward parent;

a wife toward her husband;

an employee toward an employer;

a citizen toward government leaders;

church member toward elders:

How do I engage with those in authority over me?

Am I respectful?

Respond, LIVE It Out!

“Only a few minutes of sitting before God who speaks can transform a life, metamorphose a mind, and reset purpose and direction for eternity.” Charles Stanley

 

READ Verse 5 again – Esther says, “If it pleases the king. . . if I have obtained favor before him. . .”

Help Reading Esther 8:3-7>

Favor is Key and repeated throughout this book.

Do you remember what favor is, and how we get it?

 

Let’s review and see what God wants us to understand and remember.

What does ‘favormean?

FAVOR, ḥēn; graciousness. Grace, acceptance, meaning unmerited favor or regard in God’s sight. Beyond this, it conveys a sense of acceptance or preference; some special standing or privilege with God, and/or people. 

 

You might do a Word Search on ‘favor’ if time.

THINK and REASON

1. Who is the source of favor (this acceptance, and special standing)? Who is given favor?

Psa 84:11

Gen 39:21

 

2. Who will not be granted favor? Why?

Jer 16:11-13

 

3. Let’s See How We Get Favor

a. What is the LORD looking for?

Isa 66:2

 Are you LISTENING?

What must I do to walk uprightly?

Am I humble, contrite in spirit? Do I tremble at God’s Word?

 

b. What are we to do?

Psa 119:58; Gal 1:10; Heb 11:6

Dan 9:13

 Are you LISTENING?

Am I willing to humble myself and seek the Lord?

How do I seek Him?

Am I willing to acknowledge my sin and turn from it to Him?  

 

c. Who found favor? Why? What is favor connected to?

Gen 6:8-9

 

d. What must we do then to find favor?

Eph 2:8-9

Rom 4:5

Rom 5:21

Psa 5:12

 Are you LISTENING?

Have I found favor with the Lord?

Have I believed in Jesus, been saved by His grace, and received God’s righteousness?

 

e. What is the result when we find favor with the Lord?

Heb 4:16

 Are you LISTENING?

What do I need help with right now in my life?

Have I drawn near to the throne room of grace to receive mercy and find grace for help?

Chat With God!

You should be getting the hang of this. Let that conversation begin, this is how communion takes place with your Creator!

 

READ Verse 5 again – What does Esther beg the king to do?

Help Reading Esther 8:3-7>

We have looked at this before, could this edict be revoked?

Est 1:19

Dan 6:8-10, 12, 15

Est 8:8, 11, 12

 

READ Verse 6 – What could Esther not endure?

Help Reading Esther 8:3-7>

Do you know what calamity means?

NOTE: Sometimes there are tech issues with the Dictionary as is the case with this word in this verse. I did a Word Search on ‘calamity‘ and found it in a different OT Scripture verse to get the correct definition.

GODcha apologizes for the glitches that arise when using the Zodiates Dictionaries, which is out of our control.

CALAMITY: ēyd oppression; by implication misfortune, ruin:—calamity, destruction. A masculine noun meaning disaster. The word refers to a time of trouble when a person is in special need of help (Pr 27:10).

 Who brings calamity?

Isa 45:7

Amos 3:6

THINK and REASON

Why this calamity?

Was this a wake-up call for God’s people?

What happened to Mordecai and Esther as a result of this oncoming calamity?

 

READ Verse 7How does the king respond to Esther?

Help Reading Esther 8:3-7>

Do you sense that the king doesn’t understand the situation?

From his viewpoint, he had given her everything she wanted!

 

What Did You LEARN 

If you need help

Check Out GODcha’s #2 LEARN Question(s)

#2. But it isn’t over, what about Haman’s edict that couldn’t be changed, Est 1:19?

a. What happened when Esther courageously approached the king a 2nd time uninvited?

b. What was her request and burden?

c. How does the king respond to Esther? (v3-7)

Bring It Together!

We LEARN:

Then Esther spoke again to the king, v3.

She approached the king again uninvited! 

We Discover:

We who believe do not need an invite to approach God our King.

We can draw near with confidence to the throne of grace any time, with no fear, so that we may receive mercy and find grace for help in time of need, Heb 4:16.

When we approach God the King, we need not be afraid to ask. If we don’t ask, we don’t have, Jam 4:2.

 

We LEARN:

Esther fell at the king’s feet, interceding for her people, weeping and imploring [crying out for mercy, for favor] him to avert the evil scheme of Haman, the Agagite, and his plot which he had devised against the Jews, v3. 

We Discover:

God was looking for someone to stand in the gap and intercede, Eze 22:30.

Moses humbly interceded for God’s rebellious people begging God not to harm them, asking, if he had found favor in the Lord’s sight that the Lord would pardon their iniquity and sin, and take them as His possession, Exo 32:11-14; Exo 34:9.

Ezra interceded for his nation confessing their sins, reminding the LORD that He had shown them a brief moment of grace, Ezr 9:5-15.

Jesus interceded for Himself, His disciples, and all believers, and lives now to intercede for us, Joh 17; Heb 7:25.

We Discover:

We are to intercede for:

– The king, those in authority to be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth, 1Ti 2:1-6.

– The saints with perseverance, to be bold and proclaim the gospel, Eph 6:18-20.

– Israel, Rom 10:1.

– Our enemies, those who persecute us, Mat 5:44.

We Discover:

The evil plot that Haman devised was to utterly destroy all the Jews, Est 3:1; Est 3:8-15; Est 7:4.

 

We LEARN:

The king extended the golden scepter to Esther, v4.

We Discover:

For the king to once again extend the golden scepter to Queen Esther was critical, because no one in Persia, including the queen, went before the king without a personal invitation. Anybody who ventured to go into the presence of the king without being invited could be killed on the spot. Esther would not only be breaking royal protocol, but she would be risking her life.

Esther had been pardoned so to speak (forgiven, the remission of legal consequences for coming without being summoned).

We who believe, have been pardoned, forgiven, redeemed of the legal consequences for our sin under God, the King’s law, Eph 1:7.  We have peace with God the King and can enter into His presence any time, Rom 5:10; Heb 4:16.

We LEARN:

And Esther was very respectful asking if it pleases the king…if I have found favor . . .if the matter seems proper. . .if I am pleasing in his sight. . . v5.

We Discover:

Favor means grace, acceptance, a special standing with God, and people.

The Lord is the source of favor.  

– The Lord God does not withhold and gives grace (favor) and glory, to those who walk uprightly, Psa 84:11.  

– The Lord was with Joseph and extended kindness to him, and gave him favor in the sight of the chief jailer, Gen 39:21.

– BUT the LORD did not grant His people favor because they

1) had forsaken Him and

2) not kept His law;

3) done evil,

4) each one was walking according to the stubbornness of his own evil heart, and

5) did not listen to Him,  Jer 16:11-13

We Discover:

– The LORD is looking for those who are humble, contrite in spirit, and tremble at His word, Isa 66:2

– We need to humble ourselves and seek the Lord’s favor, desiring to please Him, Psa 119:58; Gal 1:10; Heb 11:6.

Seeking favor involves turning from iniquity and giving attention to God’s Truth, Dan 9:13

– The fundamental application of favor is seen with Noah who found favor in the eyes of the LORD; He was a righteous man, blameless, and walked with God, Gen 6:8

– Those who believe in the Lord Jesus are saved by grace through faith, receiving God’s gift of righteousness, Act 16:31; Eph 2:8-9; Rom 4:5; Rom 5:21.

– The Lord will bless the righteous and surround them with favor as a shield, Psa 5:12

– Therefore we can draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need, Heb 4:16.

We LEARN:

Esther asks the king to revoke the letters devised by Haman to destroy the Jews, v5.

We Discover:

It was impossible to revoke those written letters, the edict, Est 1:19, Dan 6:8-10, 12, 15.

But we will soon see that a counter decree was possible, Est 8:8, 11, 12.

We Discover:

This destruction was all about killing and annihilating all the Jews, including young and old, women and children in all the king’s provinces in one day, Est 8:5.

We LEARN:

Esther being granted favor tells the king she cannot endure seeing this calamity fall upon her people, v6.

We Discover:

Calamity means disaster. The word refers to a time of trouble when a person is in special need of help.

We Discover:

The Lord is the one who causes well being and creates calamity, Isa 45:7.

– The context of Isa 45:7 is about God rewarding Israel for obedience and punishing Israel for disobedience.

If a calamity occurs in a city, it is the Lord who has done it, Amos 3:6.

God works all things, ALL things, from the smallest to the greatest, happy and sad, good and evil, comfort and pain, calamity, after the counsel of His will, Eph 1:11.

THINK and REASON

In the context of Esther, what brought about Haman’s evil edict that yes would be a calamity for all the Jews?  What would God’s purpose be in causing this calamity?

We LEARN:

The king answered Esther by reminding her of all he had done. He had given her the house of Haman and hanged him on the gallows because he had stretched out his hands against the Jews

We SeeEsther was concerned for her people, her kindred!

We Also See: It seems as if the king didn’t comprehend how horrific the situation was. From his viewpoint, he had given her everything she wanted. But for Esther and her people, it wasn’t over!

 

LISTEN to God Speak

And LIVE it out!

Check out the #2 LIVE Questions.

#2. It isn’t over for me either!

a. If I have obtained the favor of the Lord, how often do I approach God’s throne weeping and imploring Him to avert the evil schemes that are being devised against me and others?

How do I intercede:

– For those who are lost, facing destruction because they have rejected Jesus?

– For those who have been saved from God’s destruction?

b. Have I ever been in a seemingly hopeless situation that others close to me can’t even comprehend? How did or is God working in my life to bring me hope and deliverance?

 

Respond to God. . .

LIVE it Out!

Now You Talk To Him>

Don’t skip this time that can be so precious. God loves us and wants us to talk to Him, and promises to hear. Jesus said, “come”…! We have such an awesome privilege because Jesus died for us. If we have bowed the knee and surrendered our lives to Jesus, we have access to God and can converse with God, the Creator of the universe, our loving Father!

 

We Are Done For the Day!

 Reflect on all God has said to you about having the confidence to draw near to His throne. And that we don’t have because we don’t ask.

God wants you to  “consider what He is saying and let Him give you understanding in everything,” (2Ti 2:7).

 Meditate on all God is teaching you about being concerned for His people!

Chat with God about it!

Have that constant, conscience, communion with God all day today!

Remember:

NOTE Your Discovery!

You’ll be glad you did!

Video Tutorial>  Notes Tutorial >

Take the time to journal your discovery.

And if you can, jot some notes in your hardbound Bibles. You will be so glad you did.

Also, enter the personal things God has touched you with.

 

Let’s Bow Before the Father

OH HEAVENLY FATHER, KING OVER ALL THE EARTH, we bow before You and thank you for this book of Esther. Thank you for all the practical Truths You are teaching us. Oh Father, may we all be ever so encouraged as we watch Esther with this hopeless situation still hanging over her head, and her fearless persistence on behalf of her people. Oh may we be persistent, may we be fearless, confident that we can approach You, who are on Your throne. May we understand we can come to You any time, anywhere, and cry out our requests to You. In fact, help us to remember we don’t have because we don’t ask. May we ask, ask, ask! May we be persistent, tenacious!

And Father, may You move upon our hearts to be burdened for the lost, but also just as burdened for fellow believers, our brothers, and sisters in Christ. Show us Holy Spirit how to pray effectively for the lost and for Your precious people! How do we pray against the evil schemes that are being devised against Your people? Show us, lead us, guide, and direct us. Oh, we ask these things in Your name Lord Jesus! Amen!

 

You did great! You are learning the Inductive Method of Study!

Do you see how much time you spend LOOKING?

It is so easy! And all at your fingertips!

Next: We’ll look at the next paragraph, Esther 8:8-14.

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