Esther #

Esther is an exciting story. Take time to read the whole story from start to finish.
This book doesn’t mention the Lord’s name. But it’s clear that he is working in the lives of people all the time.
It’s important to remember that God is always with his people. That’s true even when we don’t say or use his name.

1:1–20 #

King Xerxes had absolute power. Everyone had to do whatever he wanted. Queen Vashti refused to obey the king. She didn’t want the king and his drunken friends to look at her.
It was a brave decision but disobeying the king had serious consequences. Vashti lost her position as queen. And she could never see the king again.
Sometimes when you do what is right, you still experience unpleasant consequences.

2:1–4 #

In those days, kings usually had more than one wife. They all lived together in the women’s quarters of the palace. The group of women was called a harem.
The women had no choice about living there. If the king ordered them to go into his harem, they had to obey him.
They were carefully guarded and not allowed to leave the harem. They were part of the king’s possessions.

2:19–23 #

Mordecai saved the king’s life. But he didn’t receive a reward.
But Mordecai knew that he’d made the right choice.
He knew that the Lord had guided him in what he’d done.
Inny has an idea. Keep a journal for one week. At the end of each day, write about one thing you did that was a really good choice. Then pray to the Lord. Thank him for helping you make that choice.

3:8–11 #

Mordecai had made Haman angry. So Haman decided to destroy all the Jews. But he could find nothing against them to use as a reason.
Then Haman told lies about the Jews. He used these lies to convince the king to have them killed.

4:12–16 #

Here Inny sees what Esther did when she had to make an important decision.
She went to the Lord.
She and the other Jews didn’t eat or drink anything for three days. They prayed to the Lord. They wanted to tell him about the difficult thing Esther had to do. They asked the Lord to help her.
Do you ask the Lord for help when you have important decisions to make?

6:1–3 #

One night the Lord made sure that the king couldn’t sleep. The king asked his attendants to read from the official records. And the king was reminded that Mordecai had saved his life. He was also reminded that Mordecai hadn’t been rewarded. The king didn’t know it, but the Lord was working on his plan to save the Jews. It’s important to remember that God is always in control of all things.
God wouldn’t allow Haman to destroy his people.

7:3–6 #

Esther told the king that the man he’d trusted, Haman, had tricked him. She told the king that Haman wanted to kill her and all the Jews.
When everything seemed hopeless, the Lord provided a solution. Haman was punished, and the Jews were allowed to defend themselves. The king couldn’t change his laws. So he made a new law.
Inny wonders if there are times when you or your family face problems. Do you pray to the Lord about your problems? Do you trust the Lord to guide you? And when the Lord answers your prayers, do you thank him?

8:5–14, 9:2–4 #

Queen Esther risked her life for her people. She asked the king for help. The king agreed to give new orders. So he gave Mordecai permission to write these orders. He also signed them with the king’s royal seal.
Talky wonders what these orders were. Get your group together and read Esther 8:9–12.
Talk about this question. What could the Jews do when they were attacked?
Then read Esther 9:2–4. What did the Jews do? And what happened?