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Zeresh: One of Haman’s Herd Followers
Have you ever followed someone because they are popular regardless of how they lead?
Jeresh, Haman’s wife, is a great example of a woman who did just that.
Our Biblical Ground Work: Esther 5:14-10:3
Haman was of the a tribe of people (the Amalekites) who hated the Jews already but Mordecai stirred the hatred pot by not bowing down when Haman became second in command in the kingdom. Haman was told he was a Jew and the digging of his pit begins.
Zeresh comes onto the scene in Esther 5 when Haman needed to brag about all he has and tell of his hatred for Mordecai. The plot to kill the Jews was already hatched but the plot to kill Mordecai came from his wife and friends.
Haman is emboldened by his simple herd of followers to go to the king and ask to hang Mordecai but God is at work outside of Haman and his herd. The king sends Haman on a mission to immortalize Mordecai and his herd followers tell him of his downfall.
Our Biblical Life Lesson: Follow the Leader who creates a loyal follower.
Haman’s self serving actions caused great harm to himself, his family and the people of God. He himself was hung, his sons were hung and the rest of them just hung their heads. The weakness of their follow-ship makes us all shake our heads in shame because we have done this before. We have been followers who pamper our leader.
Simple followers think with the herd and follow the leader with a pampering mentality so as not to cause any opposition. They revere him for his popularity and feed his emotions. They are using him just as much as he is using them. They want what he has but are unwilling to do what he is doing.
Everyone follows leaders regardless of how they feel about being a follower. Following a leader whose intent is to hurt God’s people, whether through oppression or genocide, will cause God’s followers to come out of the woodwork. Esther is one of those followers.
Join me in The Bible Gals Monday’s at 2pm EST for His Women in Our World Live Discussions.
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A Time for Blooming
Can you think of a time when you bloomed into what you where doing?
What happened to cause it?
Our Biblical Ground Work: Esther 2:5-5:14
Ahasuerus (in Greek Zerxes) has put away his wife Vashti because she disobeyed him in not coming to parade herself in front of his party guests. This act of defiance created a situation for Ahasuerus – he no longer had a queen.
When his anger was abated, the same people who told him to put his wife out of his sight told him to collect women in the kingdom. He needed to have a queen. A decree went out and 100 women were collected including Esther. A Jew who was cared for by her cousin Mordecai after her parents were dead.
Her and Mordecai build up reputations for themselves among the people around them. Esther in the castle and Mordecai outside the palace gates. Esther as lovely inside and out, Mordecai dedicated to God inside and out. Mordecai’s dedication to God is why Esther has to sacrifice her life.
Our Biblical Life Lesson: You will bloom into who the Lord created you to be when you allow the old to die.
There will be a time that the Lord will bring you to a place in your life where you are going to have to choose between the old you and the new you. The reason He does that is so you become who He created you to be. The old you has 98% of you and He wants the new you to have 98% of you.
This transfer of power has to be done by us being put in a position where a choice has to be made – good or evil. If you have been raised up for such a time as this, to choose good, you will have the power to do it. BUT if you choose evil, God will raise another to do what you have refused to do but the consequences will be grave.
Join me in The Bible Gals here Monday’s at 2pm EST for His Women in Our World Live Discussion.
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The Beauty and the Feast
We have all seen them. They are called eye candy. Those women who are super beautiful married to the rich guys. They haul them around from party to party showing them off.
Have you ever seen one refuse to be flaunted?
Biblical Ground Work: Read the Book of Esther; Esther 1:1-2:4
The king of Persia named Ahasuerus (in Greek Zerxes) was having a party. He was known for his parties and this one was no different but something that would change the course of history was going to happen at this one. Ahasuerus sent for his wife, Vashti, to come in full queenly gear with her crown. This might be a simple request for him but not so simple for her.
Vashti was also having a party for the female guests. She would be busy entertaining them at the time of his request. Vashti was not going to parade herself as the beauty at his feast so she refused his request. The King was not impressed and neither were his advisors. To avoid this same atrocity happening to all the husbands, who wanted to parade their wives, she was punished. Ironic enough, her punishment was exactly what she wanted, to never come before the king.
Biblical Life Lesson: Our strength to do what is right comes with time.
The first woman we read about in Esther has a bold strength that can only come with time in her knowledge own situation. She knew her husband and his advisors well. She also knew exactly what he was thinking in this situation. The boldness and the strength Vashti utilized, in refusing to be ogled and groped by drunken married men, was evidence she had been in this situation before.
The husbands of the women she entertained were also at her husbands party. Although we don’t know her reasoning for refusing, we can make some educated guesses based on how women are used back in 480 B.C. or even today. She could have refused for her own protection, or for the women’s protection, or it could have been her own pride.
We are going to split this book in three and talk about three very different women from the same story. Read all of Esther each week so you can get a clear picture of these three women (Vashti, Esther & Zeresh).
Join me tomorrow at 2pm EST in The Bible Gals for our first meeting about the Book of Esther.
