Return from Exile: Esther 1-5 (7)

Pray Psalm 67.1-3.
God be merciful to us and bless us,
And cause His face to shine upon us,
Selah
That Your way may be known on earth,
Your salvation among all nations.
Let the peoples praise You, O God;
Let all the peoples praise You.

Sing Psalm 67.1, 2.
(Solid Rock: My Hope Is Build on Nothing Less)
O bless us, Savior, by Your grace, and shine upon us with Your face,
that we Your way may loud proclaim and tell to all the earth Your fame!
Refrain v. 3 (5)
Let all the peoples praise You, Lord, rejoicing in Your holy Word!
Rejoicing in Your holy Word!

Review Esther 1-5; meditate on Esther 4.14-17

Preparation
1. What did Mordecai ask Esther to consider?

2. How did Esther respond?

Meditation
The story of Esther is the story of every believer. God set Esther in a place where she could have a positive impact. He has done the same for us. She possessed certain natural endowments that made it possible for her to gain access to others (2.7, 9). So do we. We may not all be strikingly beautiful or handsome, but God has given us voices to speak grace and bodies to serve. Esther had friends who encouraged and supported her (2.7-9). Likewise with us. Friends encourage us, teachers equip us, parents and loved ones believe in us. Just like Esther.

Esther was provided a wide door of opportunity to do a work that would have an impact for good (4.13-17). The same is true for us every day. The people we meet throughout the course of a week need something good. They’re always open to a kind or encouraging word, a gesture of friendship or support, or a helping hand. The grace of God spreads from us to others in the place where God has set us, making us agents of His goodness to a weary world. With the encouragement and prayer support of our friends, we can be the means whereby increasing thanks and praise arise to God each day (2 Cor. 4.15).

Esther had to overcome fear, plow ahead into uncertainty, and carry out specific instructions to be an agent of the mercy and grace of God. So do we. Every day.

Esther’s story is beautiful, amazing, and a testimony to the faithfulness of God. We can realize the same beauty, wonder, surprise, and power every day of our lives. But we need to hear the Lord before we launch out into our world. Otherwise, we might fail to perceive the open doors He provides; or we might give into our fears or draw back from uncertainties to coast through life in our undisturbed comfort zone, thus depriving others of the grace and goodness they so need.

But God did not put us here for this. Let us not fall captive to our comforts or our fears. The times we live in need the refreshment and relief only God’s grace can provide. The people in our lives need Jesus, and we know that God has put us here for such a time as this.

Treasures Old and New: Matthew 13.52; Psalm 119.162
In Esther’s story, and ours, we observe that paradigms can be shifted for God’s glory and the benefit of others. Wisdom dictates it when circumstances demand it—guided by mutual love, trust, and obedience to God and one another.

In the beginning of the story, we read how Esther followed God’s commandment to honor the authority figure in her life (Ex. 20.12): “…for Esther obeyed the command of Mordecai as when she was brought up by him” (Esth. 2.20).

But then she was put in a position of extreme difficulty and responsibility and the dynamic changed: “So Mordecai went his way and did according to all that Esther commanded him” (Esth. 4.17).

God’s commandments are always to be followed. That is a given. Esther was still honoring Mordecai even though she asked him to fast for her; and he was mature enough in his faith to see that this was an important time for him to do what she had requested.

Paul wrote in his letter to the Ephesians: “Therefore be imitators of God as dear children. And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma…Walk as children of light (for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness, righteousness, and truth), finding out what is acceptable to the Lord…giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, submitting to one another in the fear of God” (Eph. 5.1, 2, 8-10, 20, 21).

Then to the churches in Galatia he wrote, “For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus” (Gal. 3.26-28).

And to those in Corinth he wrote, “Imitate me, just as I also imitate Christ” (1 Cor. 11.1).

And then all these words of guidance were sent on to us, to learn from and obey.

When we walk with the Lord in the light of His Word,
What a glory He sheds on our way!
While we do His good will
He abides with us still,
And with all who will trust and obey.

Then in fellowship sweet we will sit at His feet,
Or we’ll walk by His side in the way;
What He says we will do,
Where He sends we will go—
Never fear, only trust and obey.

Trust and obey, for there’s no other way
To be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey.
(John H. Sammis, 1887)

For reflection
1. What are some things that can keep you from trusting God’s Word and obeying Him day by day? How should you deal with these things?

2. How does Esther’s story lead you to think about your own calling from the Lord?

3. How should you prepare each day to help make sure that “trust and obey” will be your watchwords?

We are prone to shrink from services that are attended with peril or loss. But when the cause of Christ and his people demand it, we must take up our cross, and follow him. When Christians are disposed to consult their own ease or safety, rather than the public good, they should be blamed…We should, every one, consider for what end God has put us in the place where we are, and study to answer that end: and take care that we do not let it slip. Matthew Henry (1662-1714), Commentary on Esther 4.5-17

Pray Psalm 67.4-6.
Pray that today the salvation of God—His truth, grace, and goodness—will come forth from you in all your words and deeds. Call on Him to give you courage to fulfill your calling in such a time as this.

Sing Psalm 67.4-6.
(Solid Rock: My Hope Is Build on Nothing Less)
Let all the nations gladly sing and joyous praise before You bring.
You judge them by Your holy worth and guide the nations of the earth.
Refrain v. 3 (5)
Let all the peoples praise You, Lord, rejoicing in Your holy Word!
Rejoicing in Your holy Word!

The earth in full its bounty yields—the blessed harvest of the fields.
We gather blessings from Your Word that all the earth may fear You, Lord.
Refrain v. 3 (5)

T. M. and Susie Moore 

Two books can help us understand our own captivity and lead us to seek revival and renewal in the Lord. The Church Captive asks us to consider the ways the Church today has become captive to the world. And Revived! can help us find the way to renewal. Learn more and order your free copies by clicking here and here.

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Except as indicated, all Scriptures are taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. For sources of all quotations, see the weekly PDF of this study. All psalms for singing are from The Ailbe Psalter (Williston: Waxed Tablet Publications, 2006), available free by clicking here.