The king has shown kindness to Esther and invited her to come into the court. Now she is at the height of power, before the ruler of the largest empire of its time. Under Xerxes (c. 475; or some argue that it was later under Artaxerxes) the empire stretched from Libya to Pakistan and encompassed around 50 million people. Much of the empire was made up of conquered and displaced peoples (the Persian homeland is only Iran), but the empire was also known for its religious tole

During World War I the British army adopted the motto “For God, King and Country.” It appeared in speeches, banners, and as a patch on some uniforms. Meanwhile, German soldiers had on their belt buckle the phrase “Gott mit uns.” This war cry went back to Prussian sources and was central to the ideology inspiring the army. Assuming that the same God/Gott was implied, one wonders who’s side the Lord was on. Probably neither as they both suffered tremendous loses. As Treebeard

Esther is standing in the outer courts waiting for Ahasuerus (Xerxes), King of Persia, to notice her. If he is not in a good mood, it could go badly for Esther. If he reaches out his scepter, then she is recognized and welcomed into his presence. Her heart races, emotions swirl inside her as she tries to look composed yet in urgent need. How did she get here? A racist government official has convinced the king to let him issue a decree (thus keeping the king’s name out of it

Jeremiah has been called by God into prophetic service that is more difficult than he imagined. Being called to preach is one thing but being called to preach to people who not only won’t listen to God’s word but also turn on the preacher is another. They didn’t tell me in seminary that it would be like this! Jeremiah says: ‘I hear what they are saying about me, the plans they are making against me, and it scares me to death’. Jeremiah 20: 10. For I hear many whispering:

When I started this sub-series on Esther, I told you that her given name was Hadassah “myrtle.” This family of trees gives us several essential oils Notice that Isaiah 41: 19 implies that God will plant useful trees in the wilderness, “the cedar, the myrtle, and the olive” (See also Isaiah 55: 13). As she rises in the Persian hierarchy, her name is changed to ‘Esther’ which is a form of Ishtar, a Mesopotamian goddess recognized by several cultures. Since Persian is an Indo-E

Under God’s orders, Jeremiah has been persistent in preaching warnings about sinful behavior and the effect of national sin on the fortunes of the kingdom of Judah. People don’t like what he is saying. The government doesn’t like to be reminded of how corrupt they are. Even his own family gets tired of it. So, some begin to take action against the preacher. “Justice must be served,” or so they say, but that depends on who is being prosecuted, doesn’t it? Why do those who dema