One Woman In The Presence Of A King

Maranatha Tabernacle Church of God

381 Manton Avenue, Providence RI 02909

Sunday October 8th 2006 10:00am and 11:30am

One Woman before a King

In the year 586 BC Nebuchadnezzar Emperor of the Babylonians (the Iraqis) invaded Jerusalem, destroyed the temple and captured more than 10,000 young Jews. Among these prisoners of war were Daniel, Shadrack, Meshack , Abednego, and a young man named Kish. Kish became the great grandfather of Hadassah who later became known as Esther. The name Kish means a bow, and by nature he may have been both powerful and flexible. I imagine that Kish had a good attitude. He was a prisoner of war but he knew how to get along with people so he made the best of his situation. Let me just say this “things do not always go the way we want them to go in life, but we must learn to be flexible and look to God for change.” Like Job you and I must learn to say “I will wait till my change comes.”

Kish got married while in Babylon and had a son named Shimei. Kish taught the boy well and he probably became famous just as his name, Shimei, means. Shimei had a son and he named him Abihail which means possessor of might. Abihail had a daughter whom he called Hadassah (myrtle) (who later became the great queen Esther). Apparently Abihail did not live very long after Hadassah was born as Mordecai his brother’s son, had to adopt little Hadassah.

Now remember the name Abihail means possessor of might or power. We do not have any record that he had sons or other daughters. We do not have information that indicates whether Abihail was a great warrior possessing military prowess and skill but what we do know is that he had a daughter named Hadassah or myrtle. When she was born Abihail may have been quite disappointed that they did not have a boy since in many patriarchal societies boys are the preferred gender. When they called him and said “it’s a girl.” He may have said something to the effect of “aw man.”

But what he had forgotten was that his name meant possessor of power. Now his name does not mean power but it means possessor of power. You see in his bowels, embedded in his very being was the potential to generate power and one day she was born and he named her Hadassah. Probably Abihail had sons who were brilliant and were built like Arnold Schwartzenmuscular, but Hadassah was the power he had. Abihail could have daughters that were good cooks and excellent home decorators like Martha Stewart. But Hadassah was the power he had. Abihail may have owed property but Hadassah was the power hr had. Possibly he had a thriving business before he died but Hadassah was the power he had. When she born she did not look like much but she was the power he had. When she used to run around the house skipping and giggling as little girls do he may have just ignored her or tried to shut her up but she was the power he had, a power that would change the course of human history and derail the plans of humankind’s enemy.

Now listen to me “don’t take for granted those children God has blessed you with. Yes I know you may have fallen victim to the pick up lines of some player who was foaming at the mouth with lies, telling you how he loved you. How you were more beautiful than the moon and how your eyes sparkled like the stars and your face beamed like the sun and how he would swim the oceans for you, how he would climb the mountains for you, walk through fire for you and kill a dragon for you. But now, now, now after he lied through his teeth and had things his way, as if your name was King, ..…Burger King, now when he comes by to see the child of his indiscretion he does not even want to get up off the couch (your couch, that you are still paying for) and kill a cockroach walking across the living room floor for you, because he is watching the game on your TV (that you are still paying for) and he won’t get a job to pay the child support. But inspite of all of that, the child is valuable in the eyes of God and you don’t know what you have. The law may say the child is illegitimate but God has a plan for your baby. Don’t ignore abuse or mistreat that child because like Hadassah that child may be the power you have.

So as the story goes, Abihail died and his nephew Mordecai took on the responsibility to raise Hadassah who had been given the Persian name, Esther. In 539 BC the Persians (the Iranians) defeated the Babylonians (the Iraquis). Later king Ahasuerus or Xerxes was ruler of the great Persian Empire made up of 127 provinces that stretched all the way from India to Ethiopia held a great banquet for all his officials. For a full 180 days he displayed the vast wealth of his kingdom. When these days were over, the king gave a banquet, lasting seven days, in the enclosed garden of the king’s palace, for all the men who lived in the city of Susa. The garden had hangings of white and blue linen, fastened with cords of white linen and purple material to silver rings on marble pillars. There were couches of gold and silver on a mosaic pavement of porphyry (PORFERE), marble, mother-of-pearl and other costly stones. Wine was served in goblets of gold, each one different from the other, and the royal wine was abundant, and the wine stewards served everyone whatever they wished.