Esther and Her Big Prize

Dr. Larry Thorson
July 29, 2007

Esther 2:17-18; 7:3

17 Now the king was attracted to Esther more than to any of the other women, and she won his favor and approval more than any of the other virgins. So he set a royal crown on her head and made her queen instead of Vashti. 18 And the king gave a great banquet, Esther's banquet, for all his nobles and officials. He proclaimed a holiday throughout the provinces and distributed gifts with royal liberality.

3 Then Queen Esther answered, "If I have found favor with you, O king, and if it pleases your majesty, grant me my life—this is my petition. And spare my people—this is my request.

Ed Nabors, a truck driver from Rocky Face in northwest Georgia, about 90 miles north of Atlanta won half of the record $390 million Mega Millions jackpot, the richest lottery prize in U.S. history. Nabors took home $116 million dollars, before taxes. Lottery officials estimated he was left with about $80 million. Nabors who has been a trucker for about eight years, said he planned to do a lot of fishing, buy a new boat for himself and a new home for his daughter, who lives in a mobile home. He said he planned to drive a truck "for at least two more days."

I wonder how things turned out for Ed Nabors of Rocky Face, Georgia with his big prize. Our story today is about another unlikely big prize winner named Esther or Queen Esther as she became known in her latter days. God is never mentioned in this story but as I retell it try to find where you see God’s hand directing what happened.

Queen Esther. Who comes to your mind when I say “Queen”? Queen Elizabeth of England comes to my mind. There is no book called “A Dummies Guide to Becoming the Queen of England” because about the only way to become the Queen of England is to marry someone in the royal family. To marry someone in the royal family means you have to come from a very wealthy and respectable family. It’s that simple.

Not so in our story today. We have a king. His name is Xerxes, king of Persia or what we know as Iran today. Let’s call him “the king” from now on. Now he was a rich king and a proud king. He wanted to show off his wealth so he threw a party, a party that lasted six months. In this mega party he would parade his military around on the streets for all to ooh and awe. He also wanted to parade his wife Queen Vashti like she was some piece of military equipment. How would you like to be paraded around like something that had been conquered? Well she didn’t like it. Not one bit and she refused to do it.

So the king wanted to send a message to all rebellious women, “do what you’re man says or else”. She wouldn’t budge so he kicked her out of the palace. But now he needed a new queen so he ran a contest. The most beautiful woman in the land would be the new queen. So beautiful women were groomed for the auditions and one by one they would be brought into his presence. If the king especially liked how you looked you’d be invited back to be the Queen. It was basically like a Miss America contest. Love had nothing to do with it. It was strictly about appearances.

Well the king liked the way Esther looked and out of hundreds of women he had looked at he picked her. Oh, by the way her name wasn’t originally Esther, it was Hadassah, a Persian Jewish name but the king was Persian and no Jewish person was going to be a queen of Persia. It just wasn’t going to happen. So her name was changed to Esther for the contest and the king never asked her nationality. The name Esther means “hidden” and the book of Esther that we’re studying today is known as the Book of Hiddenness represents the fact that God is never mentioned in the story. Esther became the queen of Persia.

Next up is the prime minister of Persia. The king gave Haman full power and authority. When Haman would ride his horse down the street all the people would bow to him except for a man named Mordecai, who would bow to no-one but his God. It turns out that Mordecai is a This enraged Haman, and he plotted against the Jews, making a plan to kill and extirpate all Jews throughout the Persian empire. He gained the king's approval for this plan in exchange for ten thousand silver talents. Mordecai tore his robes and put ash on his head on hearing this news. Esther sent clean clothes to him, but he refused them, explaining deliverance for the Jews would come from some other place (presumably God, as the Jews believe they are God's chosen people), but that Esther would be killed if she did not do what she could to stop this genocide - by talking to the King. Esther was not permitted to see the King unless he had asked for her, and if she did she could be put to death. Esther was terrified of this (she had not been called to the king in 30 days), so she and her maid-servants fasted and prayed earnestly for three days before she built up the courage to enter the king's presence. He held out his sceptre to her, showing that he accepted her visit. Esther requested a banquet with the king and Haman. During the banquet she requested another banquet with the King and Haman the following day.

Jonah and His Big Whale

Dr. Larry Thorson
August 5, 2007

Jonah 1:1-17

Zaccheus and His Big Tree

Dr. Larry Thorson
August 12, 2007

Luke 19:1-10

Zaccheus and His Big Tree

Dr. Larry Thorson
August 19, 2007

John 11:17-25; 38-44

17 On his arrival, Jesus found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four days. 18 Now Bethany was less than two miles from Jerusalem, 19 and many Jews had come to Martha and Mary to comfort them in the loss of their brother. 20 When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went out to meet him, but Mary stayed at home.

21 "Lord," Martha said to Jesus, "if you had been here, my brother would not have died. 22 But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask."

23 Jesus said to her, "Your brother will rise again."

24 Martha answered, "I know he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day."

25 Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. Anyone who believes in me will live, even though they die;

38 Jesus, once more deeply moved, came to the tomb. It was a cave with a stone laid across the entrance. 39 "Take away the stone," he said.
"But, Lord," said Martha, the sister of the dead man, "by this time there is a bad odor, for he has been there four days."

40 Then Jesus said, "Did I not tell you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?"

41 So they took away the stone. Then Jesus looked up and said, "Father, I thank you that you have heard me. 42 I knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that you sent me."

43 When he had said this, Jesus called in a loud voice, "Lazarus, come out!" 44 The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face.
Jesus said to them, "Take off the grave clothes and let him go."

Lydia and Her Big Open Heart

Dr. Larry Thorson
September 2, 2007

Acts 16:11-15

11 From Troas we put out to sea and sailed straight for Samothrace, and the next day we went on to Neapolis. 12 From there we traveled to Philippi, a Roman colony and the leading city of that district ^[a] of Macedonia. And we stayed there several days.

13 On the Sabbath we went outside the city gate to the river, where we expected to find a place of prayer. We sat down and began to speak to the women who had gathered there. 14 One of those listening was a woman from the city of Thyatira named Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth. She was a worshiper of God. The Lord opened her heart to respond to Paul's message. 15 When she and the members of her household were baptized, she invited us to her home. "If you consider me a believer in the Lord," she said, "come and stay at my house." And she persuaded us.