WEBVTT - Esther 1

0:00:02.759 --> 0:00:06.720
<v Speaker 1>Life Audio. For more resources to help you in your

0:00:06.800 --> 0:00:10.720
<v Speaker 1>walk with Christ, please visit us at Bible Study Headquarters

0:00:11.119 --> 0:00:15.280
<v Speaker 1>dot com. You're listening to the Chapter a Day Audio Bible.

0:00:15.880 --> 0:00:20.160
<v Speaker 1>I'm John Stanghy, and today we're in Esther chapter one

0:00:20.960 --> 0:00:26.000
<v Speaker 1>and we'll be reading from the contemporary English version. King

0:00:26.079 --> 0:00:29.880
<v Speaker 1>Xerxes of Persia lived in his capital city of Sousa

0:00:29.920 --> 0:00:34.760
<v Speaker 1>and ruled one hundred twenty seven provinces from India to Ethiopia.

0:00:35.960 --> 0:00:39.040
<v Speaker 1>During the third year of his rule, Xerxes gave a

0:00:39.040 --> 0:00:43.440
<v Speaker 1>big dinner for all his officials and officers. The governors

0:00:43.440 --> 0:00:46.760
<v Speaker 1>and leaders of the provinces were also invited, and even

0:00:46.760 --> 0:00:50.879
<v Speaker 1>the commanders of the Persian and Median armies came. For

0:00:51.000 --> 0:00:54.360
<v Speaker 1>one hundred eighty days. He showed off his wealth and

0:00:54.440 --> 0:00:57.080
<v Speaker 1>spent a lot of money to impress his guests with

0:00:57.160 --> 0:01:01.440
<v Speaker 1>the greatness of his kingdom. King Xerxes soon gave another

0:01:01.520 --> 0:01:04.600
<v Speaker 1>dinner and invited everyone in the city of Sousa, no

0:01:04.680 --> 0:01:08.320
<v Speaker 1>matter who they were. The eating and drinking lasted seven

0:01:08.440 --> 0:01:12.800
<v Speaker 1>days in the beautiful palace gardens. The area was decorated

0:01:12.880 --> 0:01:16.640
<v Speaker 1>with blue and white cotton curtains tied back with purple

0:01:16.800 --> 0:01:21.560
<v Speaker 1>linen cords. That ran through silver rings fastened to marble columns.

0:01:22.360 --> 0:01:25.800
<v Speaker 1>Couches of gold and silver rested on pavement that had

0:01:25.840 --> 0:01:30.400
<v Speaker 1>all kinds of designs made from costly bright colored stones

0:01:30.520 --> 0:01:34.880
<v Speaker 1>and marble and mother of pearl. The guests drank from

0:01:34.959 --> 0:01:38.959
<v Speaker 1>gold cups, and each cup had a different design. The

0:01:39.040 --> 0:01:42.160
<v Speaker 1>king was generous and said to them, drink all you want.

0:01:42.640 --> 0:01:46.360
<v Speaker 1>Then he told his servants keep their cups full. While

0:01:46.400 --> 0:01:50.160
<v Speaker 1>the men were enjoying themselves, Queen Vashti gave the women

0:01:50.320 --> 0:01:55.480
<v Speaker 1>a big dinner inside the royal palace. By the seventh day,

0:01:56.080 --> 0:01:59.600
<v Speaker 1>King Xerxes was feeling happy because of so much wine,

0:02:00.080 --> 0:02:08.040
<v Speaker 1>and he asked his seven personal servants Meehuman, Biztha, Harbona, Bigtha, Abigtha,

0:02:08.800 --> 0:02:14.080
<v Speaker 1>Zephyr and Kharkas to bring Queen Vashti to him. The

0:02:14.160 --> 0:02:16.720
<v Speaker 1>king wanted her to wear her crown and let his

0:02:16.880 --> 0:02:21.400
<v Speaker 1>people and his officials see how beautiful she was. The

0:02:21.520 --> 0:02:24.800
<v Speaker 1>king's servants told Queen Vashdi what he had said, but

0:02:24.880 --> 0:02:27.800
<v Speaker 1>she refused to go to him, and this made him

0:02:27.919 --> 0:02:32.680
<v Speaker 1>terribly angry. The king called in the seven highest officials

0:02:32.680 --> 0:02:40.359
<v Speaker 1>of Persia and media. They were Karshina, shethhar Admatha, Tarsish Maries,

0:02:41.200 --> 0:02:46.760
<v Speaker 1>Marsna and Memucan. These men were very wise and understood

0:02:46.760 --> 0:02:49.320
<v Speaker 1>all the laws and customs of the country, and the

0:02:49.440 --> 0:02:53.040
<v Speaker 1>king always asked them what they thought about such matters.

0:02:53.800 --> 0:02:57.399
<v Speaker 1>The King said to them, Queen Vashti refused to come

0:02:57.440 --> 0:03:00.519
<v Speaker 1>to me when I sent my servants for her. What

0:03:00.560 --> 0:03:04.400
<v Speaker 1>does the law say I should do about that? Then

0:03:04.440 --> 0:03:09.360
<v Speaker 1>Memucan told the King and the officials, your majesty, Queen

0:03:09.480 --> 0:03:13.080
<v Speaker 1>Vashiti has not only embarrassed you, but she has insulted

0:03:13.120 --> 0:03:17.960
<v Speaker 1>your officials and everyone else in all the provinces. The

0:03:18.000 --> 0:03:20.560
<v Speaker 1>women in the kingdom will hear about this, and they

0:03:20.600 --> 0:03:24.840
<v Speaker 1>will refuse to respect their husbands. They will say, if

0:03:24.919 --> 0:03:29.720
<v Speaker 1>Queen Vashti doesn't obey her husband, why should we. Before

0:03:29.760 --> 0:03:32.560
<v Speaker 1>this day is over, the wives of the officials of

0:03:32.600 --> 0:03:36.320
<v Speaker 1>Persia and media will find out what Queen Vashti has done,

0:03:36.800 --> 0:03:40.040
<v Speaker 1>and they will refuse to obey their husbands. They won't

0:03:40.080 --> 0:03:43.960
<v Speaker 1>respect their husbands, and their husbands will be angry with them.

0:03:44.640 --> 0:03:48.360
<v Speaker 1>Your majesty, if you agree, you should write for the

0:03:48.400 --> 0:03:51.600
<v Speaker 1>Medes and Persians a law that can never be changed.

0:03:52.400 --> 0:03:55.960
<v Speaker 1>This law would keep Queen Vashti from ever seeing you again.

0:03:56.440 --> 0:03:59.600
<v Speaker 1>Then you could let someone who respects you be queen

0:03:59.720 --> 0:04:03.040
<v Speaker 1>and her her place. When the women in your great

0:04:03.120 --> 0:04:07.000
<v Speaker 1>kingdom hear about this new law, they will respect their husbands,

0:04:07.360 --> 0:04:11.440
<v Speaker 1>no matter if they are rich or poor. King Xerxes

0:04:11.480 --> 0:04:14.720
<v Speaker 1>and his officials liked what Memuchan had said, and he

0:04:14.760 --> 0:04:18.520
<v Speaker 1>sent letters to all his provinces. Each letter was written

0:04:18.520 --> 0:04:20.880
<v Speaker 1>in the language of the province to which it was sent,

0:04:21.400 --> 0:04:24.800
<v Speaker 1>and it's said that husbands should have complete control over

0:04:24.839 --> 0:04:32.560
<v Speaker 1>their wives and children. Let's pray, Lord, we thank you

0:04:32.640 --> 0:04:34.560
<v Speaker 1>for your word, and we thank you for the privilege

0:04:34.560 --> 0:04:37.520
<v Speaker 1>of being able to look at it together today. And Lord,

0:04:37.560 --> 0:04:39.680
<v Speaker 1>as we look at this portion of scripture, we could

0:04:39.720 --> 0:04:42.880
<v Speaker 1>see that some things are stirring here in the lives

0:04:42.920 --> 0:04:46.640
<v Speaker 1>of the people of Persia, and among the king in particular.

0:04:47.400 --> 0:04:50.960
<v Speaker 1>We see events starting to transpire that we know you're

0:04:51.000 --> 0:04:54.760
<v Speaker 1>going to sovereignly direct and work your will in the

0:04:54.800 --> 0:04:58.719
<v Speaker 1>midst of And Lord, we're grateful that that's how you operate,

0:04:59.320 --> 0:05:01.839
<v Speaker 1>that you have a plan, and that you're working all

0:05:01.920 --> 0:05:04.680
<v Speaker 1>things together for good. And we certainly know that that's

0:05:04.720 --> 0:05:07.800
<v Speaker 1>true in our lives as well. Lord. When we read

0:05:07.839 --> 0:05:11.159
<v Speaker 1>through these Old Testament portions of scripture, we realize that

0:05:11.279 --> 0:05:14.640
<v Speaker 1>the ultimate narrative that's being communicated when we take these

0:05:14.680 --> 0:05:18.440
<v Speaker 1>as a whole is the redemption of mankind through faith

0:05:18.480 --> 0:05:21.440
<v Speaker 1>in your son Jesus Christ. So Lord, we thank you

0:05:21.480 --> 0:05:25.080
<v Speaker 1>that that has been your plan for mankind from eternity past,

0:05:25.520 --> 0:05:28.200
<v Speaker 1>and that we have the privilege to be the beneficiaries

0:05:28.240 --> 0:05:31.960
<v Speaker 1>of new life and salvation through your son Jesus Christ.

0:05:32.600 --> 0:05:35.000
<v Speaker 1>Thank you, Lord for including us in your plan. Thank

0:05:35.000 --> 0:05:37.880
<v Speaker 1>you Lord for blessing us as you choose to bless us.

0:05:38.200 --> 0:05:40.080
<v Speaker 1>And we commit this day to your care, and we

0:05:40.200 --> 0:05:42.280
<v Speaker 1>thank you for your presence in it. We pray this

0:05:42.360 --> 0:05:45.599
<v Speaker 1>all in Jesus' name. Amen.