Esther Chapter 9 verse 1 to 17

God is the difference and God can make all the difference when you face the biggest challenges of your life. Will you trust God in those times?

The sequence of events:

1. Esther Chapter 3 v13 – The original law passed by Haman (the enemy of the Jews) to annihilate and destroy God’s people.
2. Esther Chapter 8 v11 – The Counter law passed by Mordecai to give legal protection to God’s people.
3. Esther Chapter 9 v1 – The Day has come. The 13th day of Adar which is the 7th March 473 BC.
4. The day that the Jews had been dreading – the Day of death and destruction.

1: Wouldn’t it be amazing if God broke into your situation and turned it right around, especially if it was something that you were really dreading? V1

V1 ‘but now the tables were turned’. The reverse occurred.

Q: What is it in your life that fills you with anxiety and dread? Is there something that you are struggling with right now?

Q: How does the story encourage you to face that thing, that day you dread with a quiet faith and trust in God’s absolute power and plans to work things out for His glory and your good?

2: When you begin to really trust God and obey Him, He will entrust you with greater influence and responsibility which you are to use for the good of others. V2-4

‘Mordecai was prominent in the palace and his reputation spread throughout the provinces and he became more and more powerful.’ V3-4

Q: Where do you live your life Monday to Saturday? What is your circle of influence?

Do you make a conscious decision to shine Jesus, show Jesus and in loving Him, care for the people you rub shoulders with daily?

Q: Do you see that what we do here on Sunday has to radically impact how we live our lives on Monday? Do you see that how you live Monday to Saturday radically impacts our ability to worship God authentically here on Sunday?

3: You don’t have to live a greedy life of getting and grabbing for personal gain. In fact real happiness may well come when you let something go because you love God and want to obey Him. V5-17

‘But they did not lay their hands on the plunder v10, v15, v16.

For background to all this read 1 Samuel Chapter 15 – Deuteronomy Chapter 25 and Exodus Chapter 17.

Q: Is there something / anything in your life that you have or have taken and are holding onto when in your heart you know that God is saying that you need to ‘let go’ so that you can put Him first?