Continuing with our Story, we find that the King is told about Mordecai by Esther, and how Mordecai saved the King from Assassination. So the King then wants to know what was ever done for Mordecai, for his Loyalty. No one knows, so the King tells Haman to get the King’s horse, array Mordecai with Jewels and royal clothing, and then to Parade Mordecai throughout the kingdom. Thus, all the people will know what happened and why Mordecai is so wonderful. About the same time, Esther hears about the Proclamation from Haman to destroy all the Jews, and how Haman had deceived the King. Not a good thing for sure!

Esther may be the Queen, but she also knows that to visit the King one must have an Appointment. To do otherwise would be criminal, and the penalty is death. So Esther thinks and thinks of how to get the King’s attention without causing trouble. Esther remembers that the King truly loves her for her beauty and intelligence, and her kind ways toward him. Esther gets all gussied-up and parades herself in the next room from the King’s Hall…where she will be obviously seen.

The King sees her and jumps at the opportunity to speak with her. This is the time where Esther tells the King that she would like to throw a party for Him and Haman. The King immediately accepts the invitation, and Haman can’t believe that even the Queen likes him; and he accepts as well. Oh…and the Plot thickens!

So the King and Haman are having a great time; and the King asks of Esther what does she want. He will give her up to half of his kingdom! Wow…what an offer…right? Yet Esther is not so easily taken in by the offer. She knows Haman was the one that made the Proclamation to destroy the Jews. That being the case, she wants to make sure that the King is determined to make her happy. She tells the King that she would like to throw another party in His Favor, and then she will tell Him what she wants. Now the King is totally enthralled with Esther’s plans. He likes to party!

So, not too much later, the King notices Gallows in Haman’s yard and inquires about it, but few know for whom the gallows exist. In the meantime, the King and Haman attend the second party and are having a great time. This time Queen Esther lays on the King exactly what she wants.

Esther 7:2 “And the king said again unto Esther on the second day at the banquet of wine, What is thy petition, queen Esther? and it shall be granted thee: and what is thy request? and it shall be performed, even to the half of the kingdom.“

There again, the King offers Esther whatever she wants up to half his kingdom. So here we are; Esther begs for her life as well as the Lives her people the Jews. The King then wants to know who gave this order and why. Queen Esther tells the King, “The adversary and enemy is this wicked Haman.”

So Haman has been having a great time at the Party, and now Haman is very afraid and so concerned for himself. Haman had wronged Mordecai on so many occasions and sought his death, along with all the Jews! Haman had also deceived the King into signing the Proclamation; and now it was time for Haman to face the music. The King was very, very, angry!

In the meantime, Haman has thrown himself before Queen Esther to beg for his life. When the King returns to the hall, he sees Haman almost lying on Queen Esther. The King then asks Haman if he was going to take the Queen in his own house, and immediately they covered Haman’s face. The Chamberlains reminded the King of the Gallows in Haman’s yard and that Haman was going to hang Mordecai on it.

Esther 7:9-10 “And Harbonah, one of the chamberlains, said before the king, Behold also, the gallows fifty cubits high, which Haman had made for Mordecai, who had spoken good for the king, standeth in the house of Haman. Then the king said, Hang him thereon. So they hanged Haman on the gallows that he had prepared for Mordecai. Then was the king’s wrath pacified.“

And so they hung Haman on his own Gallows that very day! Wow… what an end for Haman! And yet, because Queen Esther and her Uncle Mordecai were Jews, God’s own people, they continued on in Peace and Safety.

So who were you in this story? What would you have done in their place? Would the end result have been the same?

The next thing to note is this: The Jews ARE God’s chosen people! And God loves His own; therefore, HE takes care of them, especially when they are facing extinction.

What does this story bring into your mind? Anyone that is covered by the Blood of Jesus Christ IS Saved…and is His child…HE LOVES them and cares for them! Where are you in this situation? Are you one of God’s own children? Are you covered by the Blood of Jesus Christ from HIS Cross at Calvary? Will you be saved when the world as we know it comes to an end, at the Rapture and Tribulation? Where is your true Home…Heaven, or Hell? Only YOU can make that choice…and only for you!

No one is able to Pray you into Heaven! You must ask Jesus Christ to come into your Heart and life, to save you from Hell and later the Lake of Fire! In my Years on earth, I have found that this Physical Life means little, other than to find Salvation through Jesus Christ! We know where Haman is today!

Haman hated everyone, just as Satan and his ilk hate you and everyone else! Satan and his ilk will do everything in their power to destroy you, to destroy you mind, your health, your Family, everything! He does not want to go to Hell all by Himself…How tough a guy is that? Right?

I hope that you have enjoyed this article and that you will try and make every story in the Bible as personal as this story. Trust me, it will make a difference in you; it gives you a new perspective.

The Lord bless each and every one of you!

John 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.“

All Scripture comes from the King James Version of the Bible

twobears44@gmail.com

Do you like Political Intrigue? Do you enjoy it when a person gets his/her comeuppance? If that is true for you, then you will Love the Story of Esther! I would like to talk about this story; but before I do, I ask this one thing of you, my Reader. Please take the time to make the story of Esther as personal as possible…to you. In other words, place yourself in this story. Be whomever you wish in the story, but most of all…make it as personal as possible.

Beginning in Esther 1:1, we find ourselves immersed in the daily routines of the King and His Queen Vashti. Now Queen Vashti was a sort of ‘Liberated Woman’ if you will. She enjoyed doing things for herself; thus, she would butt heads with the King. That being said, she was called to come before the King and all the people.

Now the King was truly a ‘Party Animal’ if there ever was one; he enjoyed Wine and the other festivities of a good Party. Obviously, Vashti was not like the King; so when she was called before the King…she refused. This was a bad thing for the queen to do, and the King was really upset. In short, the King had Queen Vashti exiled for this contempt (Esther 1:22).

A little later, the King decided He wanted a new Queen, so all the Fair Maidens in the kingdom were summoned to the Palace. Esther was a Jewish Maiden who had been raised by her Uncle Mordecai. Esther and Mordecai were righteous and just people, yet still just people. In short, Esther was chosen, and she became Queen (Esther 2:22). The King was beside Himself over Esther!

In the meantime, Mordecai would sit at the Gates of the Palace; and He overheard two workers of the Palace plotting to assassinate the King. Mordecai told Esther, and Esther told the King, in Mordecai’s name, of the Plot; so the two workers were caught and Hanged (Esther 2:23).

At this same time, the King made a man named Haman the second in Command, after the King. So now we are going to pause for a Moment or two, maybe for Effect, if you will…Ha Ha!

Who are you in this story? Most of the Women would like to be Esther – sort of the Cinderella of the Bible, if you will – and the Men would always choose to be the King…it’s always good to be King…right? Or are you Mordecai? If you already know the entire Story, few would ever choose to be Haman.

For this moment, being whoever you are in this story, take a personal view, look around. What do you see, what are you thinking, and how are you acting? It truly is important to see the story from this perspective, as you can do with every story in the Bible. The reason I am doing this is to try and get you to see and Live through their Eyes…into their Lives, thus making the experience…very…very Personal! In other words, you ARE that person you chose; you ARE living their life…how much more personal can you make that?

It has been my perspective…that FEW…ever do this sort of thing; thus…how much of the story do you truly miss, how boring can this story be, and how easily forgotten as well. If we sort of ‘Gloss’ over the story, we miss its significance and the importance of each character. And that would include Haman. As we already see, Haman is a very smart person. He is seeking more and more Power, More riches, more of everything! Why? Haman is like everyone else, even in this day and time. Haman likes his comforts, the best of food and drink, the best of homes, and besides that…He wants everyone to KNOW who he is.

Does this sound like people of today? You know it does, simply because people are just that…people. Would your life be better, more enjoyable if you were rich? Of course it would…but is that all there is? Let’s remember, wealth is only for the Living! It can also keep you from seeing how life truly is for all people…does that sound familiar of some people today? WOW.

Let’s move a little bit Laterally.

Little has truly changed from those days…to today. The King had a huge kingdom, all of the Middle East and into North Africa. That being the case, the King needed his advisers to watch everything for him and make all the needed changes. The King would need a huge Army; and in those days there would be all sorts of different Soldiers needed to make war, to defend the Kingdom and all of its people. By the same token, it would take Cities of people to help and support the Army, to provide the armaments, the individual Armor for the soldier as well as his swords and spears, Bows and Arrows.

Again, not much has changed up to this day and age; am I not correct? No matter what Base or Post you go to, there are people all around that support the Military with whatever they need. Of course, this would require food and water for the Troops as well as for all the people making everything for the Troops and their specific animals, Horses and the like.

The troops would need housing and a place to congregate, places for enjoyment to de-stress and find comfort, and places for their Families to live and thrive. We would be able to see that the entire Nation would be required in these efforts; thus, the advisers were critical. Think of how many advisers this nation requires to be the Super Power it is today. Again, if you stop and think about it, the entire Nation is required! Blacksmiths, Farmers, Cattle Drivers and Ranchers, shipbuilders, chariot designers and builders, etc. And again, these people need to be taken care of, to be fed and watered, to be housed and furnished…obviously it is a daunting task!

When it came to the King, everything had to be quick and concise and still have all the information needed. Back in those days, a mistake could cost you your life! The King also was made to be very exacting; a decree once made could not be undone…even by the king himself. ‘Finagling,’ if you will, became important to get around such mistakes, by whomever! Well…except when the King would blow a fuse and rampage about!

You’re the King

As King Ahasuerus, you are the power…right? And as we have shown, you need your advisers to be an efficient King, and you need Haman to be your right hand; otherwise, you would be trying to make every single decision…yourself! Impossible, right?

Think of how much time you must spend listening to others. How much do you trust them? Would it be easy to forget anything? Please notice at the end of Esther 2, you have been saved from assassination by Mordecai; and yet, was anything nice done for Mordecai? WOW.

As of late, your first Queen has snubbed you in front of the entire Nation, and you chose to exile her. Now you have a new Queen. How will she fare for you…or will she be another Vashti? Oh, the Drama of it all! And…what about Haman? Good, bad, or indifferent? Could it be that Haman wants to be King…by dethroning YOU? Maybe being King is not all it’s cracked up to be…Hmm?

You’re Esther

So you’re the ‘Fairest of all the nations maidens’…Wow…you caught the eye of the King! (shivers…shivers!)

So now you are queen! Whoooo….careful now! What are your thoughts? Do not forget Vashti and what all happened to her! You are a Godly Woman, a Jew, here in the Palace with your Uncle who raised you, just outside. What are your duties? Surely you have some…right? How are you feeling? What are your thoughts? Feeling a little scared? I know I would! Keeping the ‘Balance’ – what a job that would have to be for you! Got a Big Head? It would be hard not to feel some of that…right?

It is squirm-y to be caught between the King and someone like Haman, am I not correct? How delicately should you deal with others like Haman without making any enemies of anyone? Sort of like being caught between a rock and a hard place, right?

Vashti was a good and beautiful Queen; thus, she was not executed but exiled for Life. But it could have gone really badly if the King had so chosen! As Esther, you must be above that sort of thing; thus, you must be different…and thoughtful! You must be Gracious to a fault, always thinking before they do. The position is fraught with holes and deception as well; one must be very careful.

As Haman

You are a crafty sort of person…dedicated to promoting YOU. As the absolute Second in Command, you are aloof, self-serving, and especially motivated like no other! The Branch you sit on can be very perilous, and the fall would be Eternal. Your house is built right next door to the King’s Palace, not quite as plush as the Palace, but very, very close. You must be all things for the King and a true hard-nose for the subordinates…all of them! You are conniving and deceitful…when needed. Always to promote you first!

So let’s leave things as they are for now while you continue to engage yourself into your particular Character; study that person, own that person, and you may find it very enjoyable.

May the Lord Bless each and every one of you in this endeavor. I know how this feels; I have done this a number of times, and I enjoyed each of them. Just make sure you stick to what is written in the Bible; the rest is conjecture at best. Let me know what you think of this.

To be continued

John 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.“

All Scripture comes from the King James Version of the Bible

twobears44gmail.com