Esther Series Part 1

Unrest In The Palace Series

Scripture: Esther 1:1-22

Summary: Part one of a series on the book of Esther

INTRO :

Hidden away in the obscure corner of the Old Testament, Esther is a beautiful story of human love & palace intrigue.

The setting is in the days of Israels captivity under the Medo-Persian empire.

Its the account of a captive jewish maiden who amazingly is elevated to the throne of the persian Queen....

Its a story of how God used her and her circumstances to preserve His people against a Hitler like attack.

It is the point in history from which the Jewish feast of Purim commerates its lasting memory. And yet among the books of the Bible it is one of the least preached upon and more importantly least understood portions of Gods Holy Word. (Pause)

What most often preflexes the reader is the fact that there is no mention of God throughout the book. There is no mention of worship or faith. No predicition of the Messiah & no mention of heaven or hell.

Nothing religious is discussed.

So why is it there ? - To show how God works behind the scenes to preserve His people in peril.

The book is chock full of typology. ( explain typology) So keep notes through the entire series

• I Cor. 10:11 & Romans 15:4 = Noah as a type of the conditions at the return of Christ.....

• Jonah as a type of Christs resurrection.....

• Abrahm & Issac type of the Father and the Son

I. THE STORY CENTERS AROUND A KINGDOM & ITS KING - Fix that in your mind!

A. Scripture records the magnificence of the Kingdom. ( Est. 1:1-4 )

1) Kings name is never given:

a. Ahazereus / Xerxes - title like czar or emperor... meaning vererable father!

b. Most probably : " Darius the Mede," in bk of Daniel, who took the kingdom from Belshazzer on the night of his drunken orgy.

2) We find the kingdom lying at peace.... 6 month feast - like Feb. to July / 180 Days

( do overhead of area included)

a. KING - was free and had nothing else to attend to. ie. War.

• He had only to display his glory and the glory & riches of his kingdom.

b. Scriptural Signifigence : Like man when there is an absence of turmoil in his life he has only to look on the good things that he has, but fails to recognize the author of those good things. God. and the usual outcome of such vain thinking is an over-indugence in self pride.

Im going to be giving you types from here on out that will carry through out the book of Ester.

If you wish to gain the maximum benefit from this study you will need to write them down and periodically make notes either in your Bible on on what ever else you may have to write on.

The Empire = The range of influence that our life holds over other people and other things.

Example - Those people or places that are affected by us and our behavior. Our family friends, co-workers, friends & enemies. Every one or everything that our lives touch.

The Capitol City = Susa / Shusham

Our own bodies . Brain, heart, nervous system. Just as the capitol city takes the most interest in protecting the king, so our bodily parts do the best to meet the needs of the King who dwells on the throne in our domain. That is our soul. Just as those in the capital around the king do the best to keep him appraised of what is going on in the empire, so our body provides the stimuli for our though life.

? But what about the King who doesnt serve God ?

? At this point in time Ahazereus was a man without loyalty to anyone but himself !

II. LETS LOOK AT THE TYPEOLOGY BEHIND THE KING

THE KING : That part of each of us that controls the direction of our own personal Kingdoms.

In Ahazereus: The desires of his heart. The king is the one calling the shots.

The king is a type of the soul of man. That part of each one of us that cannot be seen with the naked eye. Yet it is the soul that in the end makes all the choices as to what is going to go on in our capital ( our bodies ) and in our empire.

( That area and those people whome we have influence over )

We use such words as INTELLECT - EMOTIONS - WILL to describe the operation of the soul.

Encompassing all of that part of us that learns, that feels and that responds to what it learns and feels.