Devotionary

Devotionary offers the inspiration of a daily devotional and the insights of a commentary to help make the Bible approachable and applicable. We will be working our way through entire books of the Bible, going verse-by-verse and attempting to get a greater understanding of how the entire Bible fits together as a whole.

The opening lines of the book of Esther set the stage for a showdown between the rich and powerful King Ahasuerus and the unseen, all-powerful God of the universe.

In this episode we get an up-close and personal look into the wealth and power of King Ahasuerus. It is meant to set up a confrontation that will come later in the book between the almighty king and God Almighty.

What happens when King Ahasuerus has his sovereignty challenged by his own queen? And now will this one woman's seemingly independent actions impact all that is to come?

King Ahasuerus gets the royal snub when his queen refuses to put herself on displayh for the benefit of his drunken party guests. But this domestic dispute is going to have long-term and empire-wide ramifications that the king and his wise men could never have imagined.

King Ahasuerus is having second thoughts about his decision to banish his queen, but with the help of his counselors, he comes with an ambitious plan to find her replacement. And what happens next is far more than a case of fate or coincidence.

Esther, a young Jewish girl, finds herself part of a competition to audition for the role of queen of Persia. And the amazing thing is, she won. But was this just a case of good genes and good looks? Or is something bigger going on than even Esther could imagine?

In this episode we begin to see how God is working behind the scenes, weaving together a series of seemingly disparate and disconnected events in order to accomplish His divine will.

This lesson will introduce us to Haman the Agagite, a powerful man who will become a formidable enemy of Mordecai and the Jewish people. But we will also see the sovereignty of the king come face to face with the sovereignty of God Almighty.

Haman plots the extermination of the Jewish people and receives the approval of the king. But these two powerful men are not the arbiters of their fates or those of the people of God. There is a greater Sovereign at work, even thought He appears to be silently absent.

As the king's edict legitimizing the kingdom-wide extermination of the Jews makes its way around Persia, it would be easy to assume that God is silent and unseen. But it is always dangerous to rule God out just because it seems He has failed to show up.

In this episode we begin to explore the behind-the-scenes nature of God's involvement in the events recorded in the story. He is there and nothing that happens does so without His divine approval and providence.

Esther has just been informed by Mordecai about the king’s decree authorizing the mass extermination of all the Jews in his kingdom. This had been the brainchild of Haman. Now Esther finds herself in a tenuous position of having to use her access to the king to beg for mercy for her people.

Esther has been given the unenviable task of approaching the king and begging that he spare the Jewish people by retracting the recent decree that had granted Haman’s wish to have them eliminated. But Esther is not alone. Whether we see Him or not, the God of Israel is by her side. He has given her a plan and the confidence to enact it. And whether she realizes it or not, Esther will be an instrument in His hands. Be sure to take a look at the passage when you get the chance.

In today's episode, we’ll see Haman’s arrogance on full display, as his pride drives him down a path that will ultimately lead to his own destruction. Haman was powerful, but he was no match for the all-powerful God of the universe.

In today's episode, we’re going to see God work some remarkable wonders that turn the tables on Haman’s murderous plans to hang Mordecai on a stake. Instead, he’ll find himself hanging a royal robe on Mordecai’s back and leading a parade in his honor through the streets of Susa. 

The enemies of God’s people are many and their power is formidable, but the key to our survival is not to be found in our own strength, but in that of God. We must learn to lean on His everlasting arms and rely on His all-powerful strength.

Haman is about to discover just what God meant when He said, “Vengeance is mine.” Haman’s bad day was about to get a lot worse. His arrogant pride was going to be obliterated by God and his pompous plans for the destruction of the Jews was going to be turned against him. He would prove no match for the all-knowing, all-powerful God.

In this episode we’ll see the ignominious end of the once-powerful, prideful Haman. Unwittingly, he had pitted himself against the all-powerful God of Israel and lost. He had seen Mordecai as his enemy and had chosen to get back at him by attacking the people of God. But God’s people had something Haman would never have: God’s protection.

Haman is gone. But the edict he helped write still looms large in the picture. The Jews still face annihilation. But God is not done. He is still at work, orchestrating His plan for their redemption. And as the final chapters unfold, we will see that His ways, while not always discernible or enjoyable, are always reliable.