Wednesday January 29th, 2014

LESSON 5

God's Amazing Book

Is God really the author of this book?

2 Timothy 3:16-17
"All scripture is inspired by God and is profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness"

Today's lesson examined the authority of the Bible.

Our wrap up talk beautifully shared many of the critiques of the Bible and then gave archaeological evidence that has been discovered - most of it in the past century - which disproves those critiques.

Paraphrasing from the wrap up talk:
"The more they dig up out of the ground, the more evidence is found that the Bible is true".

"When someone wants to challenge you regarding scripture, a Christian belief, or argues the Bible just isn't true or Jesus was just some legend, challenge them to read it for themselves, and then set aside a time to discuss with them.  We don't need to defend ourselves, the Bible does just fine on it's own."

....wonderful thoughts about the authority of the Bible.

We were also encouraged to visit the Holy Land in Israel as well as go to see artifacts here in the museums of London from Biblical times.  In fact, we are going to plan a "field trip" during an upcoming class where we will have a guided tour of the Biblical artifacts in the British Museum.  Don't miss it!!

Finally, this is an excellent time to be reminded that we welcome all backgrounds, denominations, nationalities, ethnicities and all women to be part of our group.  We also encourage questions and we know that sometimes we may not agree on certain points.  Our servant team is made up of humble women - none of who have any sort of seminary background or training in religion.  We are just women who want to study God's word.  We do not pretend to be perfect, in fact, we can boast that we are full of faults and unequipped to be running this class.  It is God's class, not ours.  We simply do our best.  That is all we can ask.  If you have any concerns or issues, please do not hesitate to ask, inquire, and disagree.  When an individual, who is part of our group of women, speaks on a topic, gives a devotion, shares her testimony, or gives a wrap-up talk, she is speaking only of her own experience, and her opinions do not always represent the group as whole.  We are made up of a variety of very diverse women!!  Please respect our differences.  We pray that everyone will feel welcome, and when you sense differently, we appreciate you letting us know so that we can become sensitive and more Christ-like.

After all, the greatest commandment is:
from Matthew 22:37-39
Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and mind.  This is the first and most important commandment.  The second most important commandment is like this one. And it is, “Love others as much as you love yourself.”

We want you to feel loved and welcomed!

I'd like to paraphrase/summarize a great point from an author I respect who says:
People today do not necessarily want historical evidence in support of the life of Jesus and the truth of the Bible; they want, more importantly, to see some signs of life and love among his followers.

Wednesday January 22nd, 2014

LESSON 4 

THE NEW TESTAMENT PART 2

Choose Christ

Choose to grow in Christ

Choose to Endure in Christ

The letters and epistles of the New Testament - general information:

An epistle is an artistic literary form that is intended for the public.

Letters are for a specific person or persons

Some are personal in nature, others seem more for a public audience.  

All are from the 1st century, and all were written for a specific purpose….which is curious, we do not always understand the setting in which the letters were intended.  It is sort of like hearing only one side of a phone conversation.  For example, What was going on in Corinth that caused Paul to write 1 Corinthians?  How does he know what is going on there and what is his relationship with the people?

--The Corinthians were mostly Gentiles although there were some Jews, they are intelligent and proud, Paul rebukes them on many occasions - for division within the church, moral issues, and conflicts among believers.

Many of the letters/epistles have a similar format:

--name of the writer

--the recipient

--greeting “Grace and peace to you from God our Father”

--prayers of thanksgiving or wishes

--body of the letter (with advice, cautions, testimonies)

--final greetings and farewells

Easy to interpret and agree upon the MAIN points of this part of the Bible:

All have sinned (Romans 3:23)

The wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23)

By Grace through Christ you have been saved, through faith (Ephesians 2:8)

Walk by the Spirit (Gal 5:16)  Walk in the way of love (Eph 5:2)

Regarding some details (ie head coverings, disputes, etc) - remember that even Biblical scholars do not all agree on specific details.  The larger picture and overall points are commonly agreed upon and understood - this is what is important.

These we can all agree upon - that come from these letters and epistles -  with that knowledge, life is good and easy right?  We accept Christ, we learn and study from our Bibles, and all will be well.  Right?  

Unfortunately, this is not the case. Becoming a Christian does not make your life easier, and does not take away your troubles. True, when you have Christ, you are never alone and you have a peace that surpasses your suffering. But you still have the suffering, you still have tough times.  I wish I had known that when I came to Christ.

Phil 4:6-7

6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

John 16:33 In this world you will have trouble.  

We are all broken.  We all have times when we question our faith, and we wonder how God can allow certain painful things in our lives.  We may beg God to calm the storms of our life, but sometimes instead of calming the storm, he strengthens us instead.  In our weaknesses, God’s strength is displayed, because we must rely on him all the more.  If all is well and perfect, we may feel we don't need him. We won't rely on him.

Phil 4:12

I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.

The main point - as is reflected in many of the texts for our study today - whether it be in the Paul’s letters as he Paul house arrest, beatings, imprisonment, loneliness, many a horrific travel across seas and cities. or whether it is in some of the prophecy in Revelation which warns us of difficulties to come - my main point is that as a Christian we will have a cross to bear.  We will have chains that bind us, we will feel imprisoned, we will feel defeated, we will cry out WHY.  

But I would say, it’s in some of our toughest times that God is strengthening our faith.  

Rom 8:28

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

I know I will have great challenges in my life ahead.  I shouldn’t be surprised when they come.  But I have that faith, I have prayer, I have Christ with me, I have HOPE.  

2 Tim 4:7

I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.

We have to pick up our cross and carry it, knowing that God will never give us more than we can handle.  And that he will never ever leave us.

Wednesday January 15th, 2014

CHRIST - THE CHURCH - AND YOU

This week I had a revelation of sorts, as I pondered our homework.  I have been feeling a bit removed from the deeper study of the Bible that I am accustomed to - Bible studies which involve a focus on one book or one topic.  It hit me this week that our booklet, "God's Amazing Book" is not at all the kind of study I have done before.  This one sweeps over the Bible like a "fly-over" - an examination of the Bible as a whole.  I'm usually the last one to sort of figure these things out...most of you probably have had this understood since the first lesson.  Well, once I came to this conclusion, I wanted to SEE the Bible from a bigger picture, and for me, that means visuals or charts.  

We are actually looking at an entire library!  

So I bombarded you all with some nice visuals, and here they are:

This one is from hornes.org:

the next one below is from

http://www.somersworthfirstparish.org/library.htm

from parablesblog.blogspot.com

From BibleWheel.com

From scriptureman.com

From today's wrap-up talk:

THE WORD.  We have this word.  This history.  This beautiful collection of writings.  And we have Jesus.  God dwelling among us - deeply personal and approachable.  

How strange and yet how wonderful to call someone A WORD.

THE GOSPELS.

Matthew, Mark and Luke are referred to as the synoptic gospels, ("syn" - together, "optic" - seeing) because they are similar, while John is quite different.  Matthew, Mark and Luke have similar language, material and recordings about Christ's life

See Mt 10:22, Mk 13:13, Luke 12:17

Mathematically, 91% of Mark's gospel is included in Matthew, and 53% of Mark is included in Luke.  Perhaps they relied on a common source - an oral history source, or perhaps access to a written fragment - there are many theories - but it comes down to DIVINE DIRECTION.  God directed the formation of the gospels.

Matthew: was a tax collector who left his work to follow Jesus.  He is called “Levi” in the books of Mark and Luke.  Matthew wants to prove to his Jewish readers that Jesus is their Messiah.  He shows how Jesus's life and ministry fulfilled the OT scriptures.  ¼ of his book is the spoken word of Jesus!  He also bridges the OT and the NT - he referrs to the OT scriptures and prophecy more than any of the other gospels.  This is the only gospel which uses the term “Church” and “Kingdom of Heaven”

Matt 5:17

Mark:  mostly consisting of Peter's preachings shaped by Mark's authorship - it is simple, unadorned, emphasizing more of what Jesus DID than what he said.  There is a sense of urgency as he uses "immediately" many times in his text.  He was writing to a Roman audience and therefore does not mention much of the OT.

Mark 12:17

LUKE: gentile by birth, well-educated in Greek culture and a physician by profession, Luke's book is written to strengthen the faith of all believers and respond to attacks of unbelievers...his hope is that the gospel will reach every corner of the world.  Luke would have been writing towards the Greeks and as a doctor noting the physical and human aspects of Jesus.  He gives a universal call to all people to proclaim Jesus as the perfect Son of Man!  Luke has the best Christmas story version.

Luke 12:34

JOHN:  "the disciple whom Jesus loved" Knew Jewish life well and the customs, written in a way that hints at eyewitness experiences - focusing on the signs of Jesus' identity and mission.  The central theme is summed up on 3:16.  A book of wisdom, John writes to convince us that Jesus is the Son of God who offers eternal life.  The book of John contains the I AM statements.  

John 3:16

ALL FOUR books promote the GOOD NEWS!!  Jesus is divine above all, our saviour and messiah.  

Four ways of looking at the life of Jesus and his purpose among us.  

A book probably intended for Jews, one for Romans, one perhaps for Greeks, and the John offering a truly spiritual, all encompassing gospel.

And the question remains waiting for everyone to respond to -

Will you accept him or reject him?

ACTS: perhaps written by Luke, the story presents a historical account of Christian origins and the beginnings of the Church.  It describes how the church grew and spread and responded to pagan and Jewish thoughts and challenges. Basic principles of Christian life are presented in light of persecution and difficulty, with the stories of Peter and Paul taking center stage.   The book bridges the life of Jesus in the Gospels to the life of the church in the letters (next week).  The story begins in Jerusalem and finds the believers soon scattered and spreading the good news of Christ, the first 30 years of the Christian church!  It’s like reading about the very first missionaries.

Acts 2:38

ALL FIVE:  JESUS!

Jesus was living flesh, both divine and human.  There is no one like him - he is MAN and he is GOD, the world was forever changed.  

He was approachable, compassionate, a miracle worker and healer, a teacher and friend.

He touched the untouchables and remained silent to the accusations of Herod, while responding often in questions to the religious leader's questions.  

The facts, which cannot be ignored, are:

Jesus lived sin-free

He died on the cross for our sins

He was buried

He rose again

What will WE DO with this information?  I imagine, perhaps naively, that we all accept this, but how can we spread the Gospel?  How can we live the Gospel?  That is between you & God….

For next week, complete Study 4, pages 23-26 of our booklet.

Have a blessed week, each of you.

THANK YOU for being a part of our Bible Study, for doing your homework, for coming to class and sharing your thoughts and prayers!!

Wednesday January 8th 2014

Welcome Back To CBSi Swiss Cottage for 2014!!

Today's lesson was The Old Testament Part 2.

Main Point.. The Old Testament is more than Rules and Regulations.

Central idea…  God wants a personal relationship with man.

Last class, we went over the Torah or Pentateuch and the 12 historical narratives of the Old Testament.

Today we will be looking at the 5 Poetry/prose/wisdom books and the books of 17 Prophecy.

All different kinds of writing/literature!  Psalms and poems....

Examples from the lives of people at that time...warnings and things to learn from their experiences.

POETRY:  5 books:  Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Song of Songs.

Some people call them the Wisdom books.

LOOKING DEEPER

Poetry includes the following:

If ever you are suffering and looking for encouragement, Job is a wonderful book to see clearly that troubles will affect all of us, and that we should not attribute troubles to sin.

The author of Job is unknown—Job, Elihu, Moses, Hezekiah, and others have been suggested.  Whoever wrote this book was a loyal Jew, living somewhere between 600 and 400 B.C.  Including both poetry and prose, it is a universal poem because it deals with a universal need—the agony of a heart wracked by "the heart-ache and the thousand natural shocks that flesh is heir to."  It speaks of a blank in the human heart that only Jesus can fill.

Job 1:21 “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will depart.  The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised.”

Psalms:  authors named include David, 73 times; the sons of Korah, 11 times; and Asaph, 12 times.  The 150 psalms are arranged into 5 praise books (hymns, communal laments, royal psalms, individual laments, individual songs of thanksgiving), perhaps to match the 5 books of the Law.  God as Creator and King is at the centre of Psalms, making it the Old Testament in miniature.

Psalm 136 - from our homework -  “His Love Endures Forever”  26 times??? so do you think that might be important???

Psalm 23: 1-3   - “The Lord is my Shepherd, I lack nothing.  He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he refreshes my soul”

I want to come back to the psalms at the close...they are just too precious.

Proverbs (short, fundamental truths or parables):  King Solomon, David's son, is considered the author.  He did not originate each thought but compiled this collection of wise sayings, some perhaps from as early as the Bronze Age.  In the Ancient East wise men were equal with priests and prophets as God's spokesmen.  It may not have been finally completed until around 180 B.C.  Proverbs' emphasis is not on the achievement of material success but on wisdom as a way of life.  

Practical tips for life. wisdom for everyday living!

Proverbs 20:12b “Those who promote peace have joy”

Proverbs ends with a whole series on the Wife of Noble Character - proverbs 31:10-31...not that we must strive to meet these standards but interesting that at this time they included all of this - unusual for the time and culture of the day.

Ecclesiastes:  Greek word meaning "the Preacher."  Here Solomon addresses the general public who do not see beyond this world and convicts them of the vanity of reducing religion to mere secularism.  This book speaks of the curse of the Fall (Genesis 3), the necessity of fearing God.  Apart from God, we have no meaning - life is empty - only God brings us satisfaction.

I love Ecc 3:1 "There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens.

A time to be born and a time to die….a time to plant and a time to uproot"….etc...

Song of Solomon:  called "The Song of Songs."  There are two schools of thought: (1) It tells of the love between God and His people, an allegory of Christ's love for His church (see Isaiah and Hosea in OT; Matthew 25:1; Romans 7:4; II Corinthians 11:2; Ephesians 5:32 in NT).  (2) It is a poem dealing solely with human love, indicating the value of love between man and woman, censuring lust and endorsing the place of physical love within a legitimate relationship.

Married love is a beautiful thing and worth celebrating!

The Major Prophets:

The Major Prophet books are Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Ezekiel,and Daniel.

Isaiah:  called the "evangelistic prophet" because he so clearly and consistently announced the good news of the Messiah.

Isaiah 40:28-31 probably the first verses that truly captured my heart as a teenager who had never seen or read a Bible before!!

“Do you not know?  Have you not heard?

The Lord is the Everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the Earth.  He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom.  He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.  Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall, but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength.  They will soar on wings like eagles, they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not grow faint.”

Jeremiah:  called the "weeping prophet" because of his broken-hearted cry over the Jewish people as they rejected God's messages again and again.  He also wrote the book of Lamentations, a sad lament over the destruction of Jerusalem and its temple by the Babylonians.

To help us remember: the twelve historical books of the Old Testament tell the story of …….the twelve tribes of Israel.

12 minor prophets are not minor because they are less important; they are minor because they are shorter - great reads for a time when you want to pick up your bible but don’t know where to go - they can be read quickly.   They include:

Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi.

The word poets has five letters; these five books of poetry are at the centre (or heart) of the Old Testament.

THE POWER OF GOD'S WORD, and the beautiful Psalms

My sister in law, Angie, shared this story with me, and it is a real testament to the power of God's word!! About 2 years ago, her next door neighbor named Emma was coming to the final stages of ALS, MND or Lou Gehrigs disease.  As she watched this young woman, about her same age, with children similar in age to hers, slowly lose all her capacities and then become bedridden, then nearly in a coma state in her final week and days.  My sister in law Angie struggled to find how to help.  Up to that point, she had been helping with the children, delivering hot home cooked meals to them, and just being available.  But now.  What could she do.  This was the end. I don’t know how many of you have ever been bedside to someone dying, in their final weeks or days.  I have not.  I cannot imagine how it might feel. She is part of a Bible study, and she talked to her discussion leader about this, asking for suggestions of what to do. Knowing Emma was a Christian, her discussion leader suggested that she simply read from the Bible to Emma - that even in a coma, she could hear, and that the Psalms are a wonderful book to read aloud. Angie did this.  She placed herself next to her dear friend Emma, opened to the psalms, and began reading.  Emma had nearly all of her physical strength gone, she slept mostly and barely moved.  What Angie told me, I will never forget.  She told me that each time she was able to be with her in the final week or so, when she would read the Psalms to her, she witnessed a physical response to God’s word!!  A small upturn in her lip, as though she was smiling in her sleep.  This is the power of God’s word.  She brought joy and comfort to this dear friend.  I will never forget this story, and if I ever find myself in a situation like this, I too will reach for the Bible, open it to the Psalms and read aloud.  God’s word is a powerful tool, a blessing and comfort, guidance and wisdom, poetry and prophecy.  

Hebrews 4:12 "For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart."

Week of December 11th Old Testament Part 1

First of all, a HUGE thank you to everyone who brought food to share for our Christmas pot luck lunch.  We really enjoyed the variety of foods from around the world, the fellowship time just chatting over lunch, and a relaxing time to get to know one another better.  A real blessing!

We began a new study booklet called "God's Amazing Book".  This is a 12 lesson study which will take us all over the Bible as we take an overview of this book which is the most important book in the entire world!  Even if you have studied the Bible for years and years, there is more to discover, and in fact, oftentimes the more you learn, the more you realize there is still more to learn.

The lesson focused mostly on the first five books of the Old Testament, which are often referred to as The Law, The book of Moses, the Pentateuch, or for Jews, the Torah.   

In Genesis we learn about the creation of the world and our origins.  God is unexplained.  He is unexplainable.  Exodus details the Israelites deliverance from Egypt.  Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy describe the rituals, sacrfices, offerings and regulations for the priests. 

The historical books of the Old Testament give accounts of the lives of the Israelites and their struggle to maintain not only order within their people but also hold of their promised lands.

But we now have the New Testamanet, and Christ came and changed it all.

Well can’t we just get rid of these Old Testament books then?  I mean, why do we need them?

If you are a Christian, the Old Testament is your spiritual history. The promises and calling of God to Israel are YOUR historical promises and callings. 

The sacrificial system established in Leviticus lays the foundation for the New Testament.  I didn’t understand this until very recently, really, about 5 years ago, when I studied the Old Testament.

In order to understand who Christ was and what He did, we must begin with the Old Testament, which contains prophecies concerning the coming of Christ as a “guilt offering” (Isaiah 53:10). In fact, the whole sacrificial system established by God in the Old Testament set the stage for the coming of Christ, who is the perfect sacrifice God would provide as atonement for the sins of His people (Romans 8:3; Hebrews 10).  The Old Testament system is a process of substituting something for our sins in order to be right with God.  

The sacrifice of lambs played a very important role in the Jewish religious life and sacrificial system. When John the Baptist referred to Jesus as the “Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29), the Jews who heard him might have immediately thought of any one of several important sacrifices. With the time of the Passover feast being very near, the first thought might be the sacrifice of the Passover lamb. The Passover feast was one of the main Jewish holidays and a celebration in remembrance of God’s deliverance of the Israelites from bondage in Egypt. In fact, the slaying of the Passover lamb and the applying of the blood to doorposts of the houses (Exodus 12:11-13) is a beautiful picture of Christ’s atoning work on the cross.

The sacrifices had to be done again and again, but with Christ - he was the perfect sacrifice - and the final sacrifice, the once and for all sacrifice, designed by God. 

The Old Testament points to the New Testamanet - they are linked and cannot be broken.  

Now for a couple Do’s and Dont’s regarding the OT! (from "How to Read the Bible for all its Worth", by Fee/Stuart)

Do see the Old Testamanet as God’s inspired word for you.

Don’t see it as God’s commands to you.

Do see the Old Testament law as the basis for the old covenant, and therefore Israel’s history.

Don’t see the Old Testament law as binding on Christians in the new covenant where specifically renewed.

For a very long time as a Christian, the Old Testament meant to me Outdated, Weird, Foreign, Difficult to Read.  It is easier to open up the Bible in the New Testament, definitely. 

But what a revelation I experienced when I finally did realize what it mean that Jesus is my sacrifical lamb.  That for centuries people had to follow sacrificial rituals in order to be holy in the presence of God.  That in many other religions of the world today, there is a requirement of cleansing before entering the place of worship.  Or there is a sense that they must earn their way to God’s favor.  With Christ, and the foundational laid in the Old Testament, we can access God anytime.  We can come here and worship him, we are all equally loved by God.  God doesn’t love anyone more because she knows her scriptures.  God doesn’t love anyone more because she prays so much or knows all the perfect Christian religious rituals.  God loves us all, and welcomes us all, no matter what our situation.  We can thank Jesus for this - He is everything.  He turned the Old Testament upside down really!!

Amen for that!!

We hope that you have a lovely Christmas break!  

Our next class will be January 8th.

Please complete pages 12-17 in your booklet.

Week of December 4th Esther 9-10

Triumphant Deliverance

Esther chapters 9 & 10

For next week, we will begin a new study called "God's Amazing Book".  This study will take us all over the Bible, to see the consistent themes thread throughout this holy text.  Even if you have studied the Bible for many many years, this is wonderful to take a step back and see the Bible as one whole unit.  It is our prayer that you'll find this study to be rewarding and insightful.

Next week, December 11th, we will have a wonderful Christmas pot-luck of sorts, just after class from 12-1ish.  Each of you has the opportunity to bring a dish to share.  We've signed up in our discussion groups, so see or email your discussion leader if you have questions about what to bring.

We will also take up donations to give to a new church plant in Kentish Town and to the HTSC homeless shelter.  We've heard that the homeless organization that the HtB plant at St. Lukes in Kentish town urgently need new or gently used clothes, etc (new mens socks, new underclothes, new/used backpacks, new/used thermos).
Please consider bringing items in to donate.

Now, onto this past week's study!!
Our study of Esther comes to a close.  What a dramatic change of events we have seen in these last few chapters!
The tables have turned.  
This expression means taking the place of your opponent.  And in chapter 9, when the date arrives for the planned genocide originated with Haman's anger towards Mordecai arrives, the Jews defend themselves and actually, over the course of 2 days, kill 300, 500 and 75,000 of their opponents.  
Unfortunately today the Jews are still constantly threatened.  But here, God intervened and a new decree had been passed allowing them to fight - it was now a day when the Jews could legally fight and kill those who would seek to harm them. And as we read in the passage 9:1, ‘on this day the enemies of the Jews had hoped to overpower them... the tables were turned and the Jews got the upper hand over those who hated them.’  The ultimate table turner is God.  In all our circumstances, and in the ultimate gift of Jesus, He turns the tables for us.  Do you have any area where the enemy has been gaining what looks like a sure victory? Thank God that He is able to turn the tables and bring hope from despair and life out of death. It is written above that in those days, through the ‘turning of the tables’, the fame of Mordecai increased greatly throughout the realm. We also see Haman's sons brought to justice, all of them are also killed, per Esther's request.

After the battles came the rest and celebration!  And Mordecai proclaimed that this event will forever be celebrated, and indeed it is today, called Purim.  It is celebrated in the month of February or March. 

Celebrations are important religious events!!  As Christians, and at this most important time of the year, how will you and your family make Christmas a religious celebration more so than a consumerism celebration?  

To recap Esther, one commentator (I. Gordon) writes:

 A nasty villain and a wicked plan... a beautiful queen and position of power... a decree of death and a city perplexed... a sleepless night and an enemy exposed... an annihilation averted and a victory gained. To be honest there is far too much to sum up with a few words. But in it all we have seen the hand of the invisible God moving providentially on behalf of His people. And, like any good story, sometimes it was only at the very last minute! But move He did. 

I loved learning from Esther!!  

I think there is so much more to discover, and I look forward to studying it again in the future.

Some final questions:

Write down and record the times in your life that God has turned a negative situation into a positive one, and keep this record in a safe place to add to as God continues working in your life!

How can you renew the importance of celebrating the Christian religious holidays throughout the year?  What might you start as a new tradition, religious in nature, in your home for Christmas this year?

Week of November 27th, 2013

Esther Chapters 6-8

Pride goes before a fall

Special thanks to Grace W. for doing our wrap up talk this week!  What a blessing!!

The king cannot sleep.  He calls for the royal diary to be read to him.  This is when he is reminded of the incident where Mordecai saved his life, and he learns that nothing had been done to reward Mordecai.

Then he asks his closest advisor, Haman, to help him plan a way to properly honor Mordecai, without revealing who the honors were for, so actually Haman, being selfish and prideful, believes it must be for him!

How ironic then, when Xerxes demands that all the rewards be done unto Mordecai!  Can you picture Haman's reaction!?

And then Esther reveals the edict to the king and reveals her identity as a Jew.

The king is outraged, and then finds Haman fallen upon Esther, taking the scene to mean he had assaulted her as well.  Enraged he demands that Haman be impaled on the pole he had erected for Mordecai, when one of the kings eunuchs explains that a gallows had been built at Haman's house. Again, an ironic turn of events!

A new edict is passed and the Jews celebrate!!

In Chapters 6 to 8 God's sovereignty is powerfully evident.  We see that Mordecai finally receives honor for his role in saving the king's life.  We see Haman get what he deserves, and that his pride in hoping for glories and honors for himself actually cause him to present those honors upon Mordecai!  Xerxes clearly was unaware of the feud/hatred between Haman and Mordecai. Esther's position enables her to influence the king through her courageous and brave approach to make her request and eventually save her people.  Wherever we are, we are of use to God.  How will God use you today?

Some questions for optional further consideration:
Scripture tells us that "God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble" (James 4:6 quoting Prov 3:34).  How do you see this principle in Esther 6-8?  How have you seen this principle work out in your life and the lives of those around you?
These chapters of Esther portray a sudden reversal in the lives of the Jews, from dispair and distress to dancing, feasting and celebrating.  How have you seen God turn grief into joy in your life or in others you know?