Esther Reading Plan – W9D5
Check out all the previous Esther readings here.
Esther Reading Plan | Week 9 | Day 5
Prayer
As you come to spend time with Jesus, calm your mind and body until you feel fully present. Thank God that He cares for you and will look after your needs.
Bible Reading: Proverbs 20:22
Read this verse three times slowly.
Do not say, “I’ll pay you back for this wrong!”
Wait for the Lord, and he will avenge you.
Reflection & Questions
We’ve been reflecting on the justice that Haman received this week for the evil that he plotted. In an amazing twist of irony, he was impaled on the very pole he had set up to unjustly impale Mordecai.
Because we are designed by a just God, he’s wired into us a love for justice. When we are wronged, we want justice. But in this broken world, we don’t always get justice. And in our brokenness we will go after justice in broken ways. The writer of Proverbs makes it clear: “Do not say, ‘I’ll pay you back for this wrong!’ Wait for the Lord, and he will avenge you.” For the followers of Jesus, it is not for us to avenge. We commit our cause into the wisdom and justice of God. He is our avenger. This doesn’t mean we don’t pursue legal means of justice, but it is an acknowledgement that there are wrongs in this life that won’t be made right. And we can let that eat us alive with bitterness and anger, or in a mercenary way, carrying out our own sinful form of justice. Or we can trust ourselves our hurt and desire for justice into the hands of a just God. We can allow Him to be our avenger. That is not easy, but it is the way to healing and life.
- Are there ways you feel you have been wronged or treated unjustly? Have you given those over to God or are they still eating away at you? Sometimes it takes the help of a counselor to work through deep wrongs done to us. If you are struggling with pain, we can help you with that. Contact Pastor Jim.
- It’s been said, “Life’s not fair…Jesus died for your sins.” How does Jesus’ death for our sins play into our desire for fairness and justice in this life?
Prayer
Pray in response to today’s reading.
Worship Song
You might use this song today to worship Jesus today:
Prepare to Meet with Jesus
Find a quiet place to read and pray. Make sure there are no devices around that will distract you. Pray and ask God to help you concentrate. Ask Him to help you understand what you read.
Bible Reading: Esther 7:8b-10
Read these verses three times slowly.
As soon as the king finished speaking, his men covered Haman’s face. Then Harbona said, “There’s a pole standing near Haman’s house. He has prepared it for Mordecai. Mordecai is the one who spoke up to help you. Haman had planned to have him put to death. He was going to have the pole stuck through his body. Then he was going to set it up at a place where it would be 75 feet above the ground.” Harbona was one of the officials who attended the king. The king said to his men, “Put Haman to death! Stick the pole through his body! Set it up where everyone can see it!” So they did. And they used the pole Haman had prepared for Mordecai. Then the king’s anger calmed down.
Reflection & Questions
So the result of Haman plotting evil things ended up getting him killed, didn’t it? He was one bad dude.
Have your parents ever told you that if you choose not to obey them, then you will have to be disciplined? It’s not fun to think about but God does tell us that when we choose to do bad things, there is punishment for those choices. Sometimes the punishment is from our parents but sometimes the punishment is that you lose a friendship because you were mean or you lose the trust of someone you care about because you lied to them.
Punishment is definitely not pleasant to go through, but it is important for us to experience it. It helps us realize just how important it is to do the right thing and it helps to keep us from making bad choices.
- Have you ever made a bad choice and had to face a punishment for that choice? What was your punishment?
- How did the punishment make you feel?
Pray
Ask God to help you when you are tempted to make bad decisions. Thank him for the gift of the Holy Spirit that helps us make good choices. Ask for forgiveness for the times when you have sinned.
Check out more Bible Reading Plans here.
Questions?
Ed Applegate
