Triumph
Good morning!Question of the day: What do you like to celebrate?
Review: So last week in chapter 7 Queen Esther tells the king what she wants, and it ends in Haman being killed.
READ: Esther 8
The King’s Edict in Behalf of the Jews
8 That same day King Xerxes gave Queen Esther the estate of Haman,the enemy of the Jews. And Mordecai came into the presence of the king, for Esther had told how he was related to her. 2 The king took off his signet ring, which he had reclaimed from Haman, and presented it to Mordecai. And Esther appointed him over Haman’s estate.
3 Esther again pleaded with the king, falling at his feet and weeping. She begged him to put an end to the evil plan of Haman the Agagite, which he had devised against the Jews. 4 Then the king extended the gold scepter to Esther and she arose and stood before him.
5 “If it pleases the king,” she said, “and if he regards me with favor and thinks it the right thing to do, and if he is pleased with me, let an order be written overruling the dispatches that Haman son of Hammedatha, the Agagite, devised and wrote to destroy the Jews in all the king’s provinces. 6 For how can I bear to see disaster fall on my people? How can I bear to see the destruction of my family?”
7 King Xerxes replied to Queen Esther and to Mordecai the Jew, “Because Haman attacked the Jews, I have given his estate to Esther, and they have impaled him on the pole he set up. 8 Now write another decree in the king’s name in behalf of the Jews as seems best to you, and seal it with the king’s signet ring—for no document written in the king’s name and sealed with his ring can be revoked.”
9 At once the royal secretaries were summoned—on the twenty-third day of the third month, the month of Sivan. They wrote out all Mordecai’s orders to the Jews, and to the satraps, governors and nobles of the 127 provinces stretching from India to Cush.[a] These orders were written in the script of each province and the language of each people and also to the Jews in their own script and language. 10 Mordecai wrote in the name of King Xerxes, sealed the dispatches with the king’s signet ring, and sent them by mounted couriers, who rode fast horses especially bred for the king.
11 The king’s edict granted the Jews in every city the right to assemble and protect themselves; to destroy, kill and annihilate the armed men of any nationality or province who might attack them and their women and children,[b] and to plunder the property of their enemies. 12 The day appointed for the Jews to do this in all the provinces of King Xerxes was the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, the month of Adar. 13 A copy of the text of the edict was to be issued as law in every province and made known to the people of every nationality so that the Jews would be ready on that day to avenge themselves on their enemies.
14 The couriers, riding the royal horses, went out, spurred on by the king’s command, and the edict was issued in the citadel of Susa.
The Triumph of the Jews
15 When Mordecai left the king’s presence, he was wearing royal garments of blue and white, a large crown of gold and a purple robe of fine linen. And the city of Susa held a joyous celebration. 16 For the Jews it was a time of happiness and joy, gladness and honor. 17 In every province and in every city to which the edict of the king came, there was joy and gladness among the Jews, with feasting and celebrating. And many people of other nationalities became Jews because fear of the Jews had seized them.
Many times in our SS class we have studied and learned the importance of waiting. Waiting for the right time. Here Esther doesn't have to wait any longer. The very same day....
We often talk about the waiting, but how glorious are the times when there is no more waiting!
So the very same day the King gave Haman's estate to Esther.
I found this interesting since at the time women didn't own property or estates. The signant ring and all the power that went with it was given to Mordecai. Talk about the reversal of fortune. All that was Haman's was now Esthers and Mordecai.
This first section it all sounds so good. Esther gives control of the estate to Mordecai. Everything seems to be in order and then the next section....
The next section finds Esther crying and begging the King. It seems like too different Esthers. How come?
The reversal of fortune means nothing if their death is still imminent. She is once again putting herself in danger, she is once again falling before the king in an effort to save her life and the life of her people. This time she is crying and loosing her composure. This time she let's it all go and is vulnerable, in every way.
Questions:
1. When did Esther become a strong player in this whole story?
2. How is this chapter a continuation of that?
Esther acknowledges who she is. Identifies herself with her people. Tells the King who she is and then is vulnerable enough to fall before him, begging for her life.
1. How do we as modern day Christians claim who we are? How do we let the world know who we are?
2. What about being vulnerable? Are we supposed to be vulnerable?
3. Isn't it our natural inclination to be strong and try to protect ourselves?
4. What does being vulnerable and acknowledging who we are look like?
So I am very late writing this lesson. I planned to have it done on Thursday and everyone and everything kept interrupting to the point I just gave up. Then yesterday started at 7am and I kept trying to find a moment and they never came. Then last night, should have been a quick, pass out some giveaways and then come back. Instead I didn't get back till 11:30. I know now that God wanted me to wait because he had something to add to this lesson. Here is why....
When I went to set up the giveaways one of my girls came out of the meeting in tears and said she had messed up. I asked what happened and this was her story.
The pastor who was leading the earliteen division told them, loudly in front of all the leaders and some kids that a parent had complained that MPA was supporting LGBTQ agenda. The parent was furious. The pastor told the kids loudly and accusatory, that he was sure they would never do such a thing. Because if they ever did it would ruin their school. My girl, asked to speak to him alone, then explained that in the small group that she was leading the night before she had shared that she has two moms. That her moms are lesbian. Why? Well the discussion of the group topic was pain. They had been asked to share with the kids and encourage the kids to share what pain they have struggled with. She was sharing her pain. She let him know she had never supported the LGBTQ agenda, just shared her pain. She also shared how after her group dispersed one of the earliteen girls in her group told her that she also has parents who are gay and has never known anyone else in the same situation. She expressed how hard and painful it is to go to church and campmeeting (her grandparents bring her) where people are always talking about how her parents are going to hell. That has been my students greatest hurt as well and she encouraged the earliteen girl to just keep loving God and trust HIM. Trust that He loves in a way that we can't understand. That no matter what he does in judging it will be the right thing. To put her trust in Jesus no matter what the world says and know that he will make all things right!
As she vulnerably shared her story with the pastor, he started apologizing and told her that his daughter is gay and this is a subject that is very raw and fresh for him, and he was so sorry he had handled the situation so badly. He was so sorry he had hurt her and sounded accusatory.
Later the guest speaker talked with her and also apologized. Then after the evening meeting they all gathered around and had a debrief about the week. There were so many stories about the earliteen kids dealing with suicidal thoughts, cutting, gender issues, homosexuality, abuse, rejection, bullying, etc. and yet my students had all been listening and then turning them to Jesus. There were kids who had accepted Jesus for the first time and many who asked for baptism. It was crazy seeing how God had been working.
After it was all over the pastor approached my girl again. Her body language was guarded, but she started having a conversation with him. Later last night, back at our house she shared....
The pastor had just again apologized and told her that he was really struggling with his daughter. My student turned to the pastor and said, "God has chosen you to be her dad. He has chosen you because He knows you have the capacity to love her and that is all you have been asked to do! You are not her judge, you are her father, called to love. Just lover her! Just lover her!"
My girl, told me, (now much stronger than the girl who was in tears afraid that she had ruined her school because she had told the kids she had two moms,) that she stood by every word she had said, that she knew God had asked her to be vulnerable with them, she was sure no matter the outcome, no matter the ridicule, no matter the judgement, she had to obey God, listen to Him and accepted the consequences that might come her way. She then said, "Mrs. Grissom, I love my moms, I love them so much, but I have to love and trust God. Trust that His way will always be the right way. If I can trust Him with loving my moms and even His judgement of them, then I can trust Him enough to lay it all out there and know that he will give me the strength to endure the persecution that might follow."
Are you willing to face whatever persecution might come your way if you really fully acknowledge who you are?
Are you willing to trust God like that?
How do we do that?
What gave my girl the strength to lay it all out and then take the pain that followed?
What must come first before we can be that strong or that vulnerable?
What do we need to develop that level of trust with God?
This chapter continues and in the end there is lots of rejoicing! God's people were celebrating! Last night in the debrief session with the leaders the speaker started cheering about the kids who had given their lives to Christ. He talked about the importance of cheering! He talked about the importance of celebrating.
Is there anything you can celebrate that God has done in your life?
Has something happened worth celebrating?
Why celebrate?
To celebrate is to remember.
To celebrate is to acknowledge the blessing.
To celebrate is to proclaim what has happened.
When we sing happy Birthday in church we are publicly proclaiming they have had a birthday.
Is there anything in the class this morning that as a class we should celebrate?
If there is we need to make note of it and celebrate!
I hope as a church family, and as a class that we celebrate on a regular basis what Jesus is doing in our lives!
Let's be a celebration church! (Yes I know how that sounds, and I'm saying it anyway!)
Let's be a celebration church! A church that is constantly proclaiming what God has done in our lives and taking the time to celebrate it!
Happy Sabbath!
Go and Love Well!
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