Esther Reading Plan – W4D1
Check out all the previous Esther readings here.
Esther Reading Plan | Week 4 | Day 1
Prayer
As you come to spend time with Jesus, calm your mind and body until you feel fully present. Ask God to open your eyes and ears to what He wants to say to you today.
Bible Reading: Esther 2:19-23
Read these verses three times slowly.
When the virgins were assembled a second time, Mordecai was sitting at the king’s gate. But Esther had kept secret her family background and nationality just as Mordecai had told her to do, for she continued to follow Mordecai’s instructions as she had done when he was bringing her up.
During the time Mordecai was sitting at the king’s gate, Bigthana and Teresh, two of the king’s officers who guarded the doorway, became angry and conspired to assassinate King Xerxes. But Mordecai found out about the plot and told Queen Esther, who in turn reported it to the king, giving credit to Mordecai. And when the report was investigated and found to be true, the two officials were impaled on poles. All this was recorded in the book of the annals in the presence of the king.
Reflection & Questions
Last week, we left the story of Esther with King Xerxes crowning Esther his queen and him throwing a massive party for her. Even though Esther was now queen, Mordecai was still her chief influencer. She “continued to follow Mordecai’s instructions.” And the relationship between Esther and Mordecai is going to be very instrumental as we go forward in this book.
Now it just so happens that Mordecai is in the right place at the right time to overhears a plot to assassinate the king. He reports this to Esther, who reports it to the king and the plot is thwarted.
“It just so happened” moments are something we are going to see a lot in the story of Esther. The name of God is actually never mentioned in this book, but God is very active. We see His work in all sorts of ways – especially in these “coincidences.” It just so happened the king was looking for a queen. It just so happened that Esther was beautiful. It just so happened that Mordecai overheard a plot. And just wait – there’s even more amazing “it just so happened” moments to come.
God works through “it just so happened” moments even to this day. While we should be careful not to overplay them, coincidences like the ones Esther and Mordecai experienced can be signs that God is working and creating an amazing opportunity.
- Have you had a “it just so happened” moment in your life? Do you think God was at work?
- How would you test whether a coincidence was something from God, or just that, a coincidence?
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
Go to your quiet place. When there are no devices around that will distract you, take a deep breath. Blow it out slowly. Do that again. And do it one last time. Ask God for His help to read and understand.
Bible Reading: Esther 2:19-20
Read these verses three times slowly.
The young women were gathered together a second time. At that time, Mordecai was sitting at the palace gate. Esther had kept her family history a secret. She hadn’t told anyone who her people were. Mordecai had told her not to. She continued to follow his directions. That’s what she had always done when he was bringing her up.
Reflection & Questions
When the Bible says that Mordecai was “sitting at the palace gate,” it means that he had an official job in the palace. That turned out well because it helped him be able to see Esther often. Remember that Mordecai was a caring father, and it was important to Esther to honor and obey him.
Mordecai told Esther not to let people know that she was Jewish. This would make it very hard for her to keep some of the rules of the covenant. Such as, how would she eat the right foods if no one knew she had to follow Jewish rules about what was ok to eat? She may not have followed all the Jewish rules, but God could still use her. God can use us even though we are not perfect.
Psalm 139:14 says, “How you made me is amazing and wonderful. I praise you for that. What you have done is wonderful. I know that very well.” God created each of us just the way we are. He loves us and has a plan for our lives. We are each a masterpiece of God.
- What would it be like to keep your family history a secret? Does it seem like a good thing to do?
- Have you ever wanted to hide something about yourself?
Pray
Thank God for making you just the way you are. Thank Him that He has a plan for you. Ask Him to help you see your strengths and follow Him daily. Ask Him to help you grow into the person that He created you to be.
Check out more Bible Reading Plans here.
Questions?
Ed Applegate