The Book of Esther in the Old Testament (The Hebrew Scriptures)
I have not read the book of Esther is many years... but recently I have been going through and reading the books of the Bible that I haven't read in... a long time. Truth be told, I had to read the entire Bible while in seminary, but haven't read many books since... bla... bla... bla...
So what did I walk away with from reading the story?
#1 King Xerxes was not a good leader - do not emulate him
#2 Mordecai was a shrewd man, PLUS he did the right things consistently
#3 Mordecai's words to Esther in chapter 4:12-14 stand out - [paraphrase] just b/c you are in a privileged position do not think you will escape the terror of this moment... you are where you are so you can act from your position not sit back
#4 Fasting and Prayer can change crazy and wicked circumstances
#5 The celebration of freedom resulted in FEASTING, JOY, GIVING GIFTS, and helping the POOR in tangible ways.
I learned about leadership, but most of all I am struck by Mordecai's remembrance of the POOR in the midst of his "deliverance" - he wanted to never forget the marginalized and the forgotten b/c he knew what that felt like and knew that God wasn't honored in that forgetting.
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