Study Notes From Esther Chapter 5

Once a week, women from my home church gather for a Bible study. At this time, we are going through the book of Esther. These are the notes for the lesson in Chapter 5. Susan Estes

Esther Chapter 5

5:1, The Jews, at Esther’s request, have been fasting 3 days. (Daniel 10:3). Jesus said that when we fast we do not make it visible and He will see our faith and reward us, (Matthew 6:16-18.) Conceivably, Esther is still fasting, yet she is bathed and dressed in the royal apparel of Queen of the Medes and the Persians. More importantly, through fasting, she ‘washed’ and dressed herself in her faith in Almighty God.

Esther’s entrance is beautiful example of our cleansing by Jesus’ blood and our entrance into God’s Holy Throne room dressed in Jesus’ righteousness? Esther obtained her apparel when she became the bride to the king. All believers obtain glorious apparel when we become the Bride of Christ. (Isaiah 61:10)

5:2, Esther can’t see the future but her faith in action is entering Xerxes court knowing she could die. Trusting God is answering her prayers, she presents herself to Xerxes. Earlier Vashti refused to come wearing the Queenly raiment. Today Esther prepares herself in her royal clothing and presents herself for his inspection. Her care honors his throne, and for whatever reason, he approves.

We dress in royal robes of holiness and daily present ourselves to our King. But unlike Esther’s danger, our King’s throne room is always open to enter with boldness, joy, gladness and praise. (Psalm 100, Hebrews 4:16, 10:19,13:6, Ephesians 3:12). And God approves. He has betrothed us to Himself through our faith. (Ephesians 2:9-10) Hosea 2:19)

5:3, This verse shows God’s sovereignty at work in the faith of His people. Evil is visibly amassing against the Jews while God is moving unseen on their behalf. (Proverbs 21:1) It is conceivable for Xerxes to sign half the kingdom to her control. Historical documentation records women of Persian royalty owned and manage property.

5:4-8, (Proverbs 31:10-12) Knowing the king has the power to kill her even now, her approach is calculated to appeal to his pleasures. (Xerxes is known for his drinking parties. J. Vernon McGee). She does not know what will happen, yet she prepares for God’s future answer. The banquet is not to deceive, but Esther utilizes it to appeal to Xerxes baser nature, which appears to rule much of his decisions.

Inviting Haman is strategic, her invitation deadens any suspicions he could have, plus Xerxes will have the one person who flatters him as his Queen serves him. Esther utilizes the weakness of her king and Haman’s megalomania to facilitate male bonding around food.

5:9-11, Haman thrives on his own self-esteem. When Mordecai still doesn’t bow, Haman cannot even take pleasure knowing he has ordered Mordecai and the Jews killed. Maybe he thought Mordecai would be begging for his life. Haman has no concept of faith in the true and living God.

“For pride is spiritual cancer: it eats up the very possibility of love, or contentment, or even common sense.” C.S. Lewis , Mere Christianity

God, the Holy Spirit, gives the extraordinary supernatural gift of faith to those who are facing serious consequences, (1 Corinthians 12:9). Those tortured and murdered for being Christian in the past, and present, are supplied this amazing gift to endure horrendous physical acts against them. Mordecai is sure of his God. (2 Corinthians 5:1)

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego are three men who stood in the power of God without bowing to idolatry, Daniel 3:12.

“Others were tortured, not accepting deliverance, that they might obtain a better resurrection” Hebrews 11:35b

God says to ask for His supernatural grace and He promises to supply all we need, when we need it. For all that He does in and through us, His body, the church, will bring beautiful glory to Him, (1 Corinthians 12:31, 14:1).

5:12-14, Haman’s hatred is driven by pride and it’s lethal. Xerxes is a fool and Haman is a servant in power.

“For three things the earth is perturbed, Yes, for four it cannot bear up: For a servant when he reigns, A fool when he is filled with food” Proverbs 30:22a.

“A quick tempered man acts foolishly, and a man of wicked intentions is hated” Proverbs 14:17.

5:14, And the thing pleased Haman; so he had the gallows made. Haman has no idea that there is a real, powerful, and living God, who does move on behalf of His people.

The very essence of secularism is the thesis that the here and now is all there is. There is no realm of the eternal. But as Christians, we are called to consider the present in light of the eternal. This is what Jesus preached again and again. What does it profit a man if in this time and in this place he gains the whole world, but he loses his own soul (Luke 9:25)? —Dr. R.C. Sproul, Founder & Chairman of Ligonier Ministries, and author of Crucial Questions

The world is full of false gods, and those who believe in them suffer blindness to the fact their gods never answer or move one way or the other. They base their ‘faith’ on favorable or unfavorable circumstantial acts that happen to them. (Horoscope, Karma, Luck, The stars, Chance, The lottery)

We have the Almighty GOD as our GOD. He really is HOLY GOD. Let us get to know Him in a truly personal way that transcends this earth. For this earth is passing away. Our GOD is Everlasting.

Lesson points:

1. Prayer is a real connection between us and Almighty God

2. Believe God at His Word. (Hebrews 4:12) Read it to know it

3. Daily ask God to empower you for His service. (2 Corinthians 4:6,7)

4. Get to know your God.

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Esther Chapter 1

This week, I began a ladies study through the book of Esther

The verse for the definition of this Bible study is: “Then those who feared the LORD spoke to one another, and the LORD listened and heard them; So a book of remembrance was written before Him for those who fear the LORD, and who meditate on His name. Malachi 3:16

Notes for Week 1, Chapter 1: Lesson 1

What’s the most amazing factor about the book of Esther? It’s what makes many question its inclusion in the Bible. Esther is the book that never mentions God by name, yet it is where God moves everything for His glory. God shows His mighty power and Sovereignty over all His creation. 

This is a great book that proves the action of faith without sight.

2 Corinthians 5:7. For we walk by faith, not by sight.

Corrie Ten Boom said it this way, “Trust the unknown future to a known God”

We don’t need to see God but we see Him in all that He does. 

In the Book of Acts 2:2, the upper room was filled with the sound of a rushing mighty wind. There was no wind, God supplied only the sound. At that time, the Holy Spirit chose that sound as His entrance, as proof of His appearance. They didn’t see God but they certainly knew He was in the room.

When God came to Mount Sinai, the children of Israel saw only great dark clouds, and lightning, and heard thunders. They didn’t see God but they knew He was present.

God isn’t mentioned in Esther but He certainly is in it. As we see the appearance of God throughout this book, it is because God moves the natural in ways that are unnatural to the world. Miracles are only special from our side of heaven, because nothing is miraculous with God. Miracles are work as usual for God. 

That makes the book of Esther one of the most powerful books of faith we can read. It is a great book of faith, for what is faith but in the belief that God will answer prayer and do all things good for His glory and the salvation of the world. We don’t see God but we pray anyway.

The more we read the Bible, the more we know the Power of God. The more we know the power of God, the more we trust Him. The more we trust Him, the less we fear the chaos of the world. The more we understand our Awesome God, the more set apart from the world we can live. A greater peace will exist in us.

 We read and meditate on the word of Almighty God and our faith is in the One and only God who has proven Himself over and over again. The gospels are great lessons of the realness of our Awesome God, His love for us and His power over everything He created. John 1:1-4

We don’t need to see God but God loves us and will keep us, no matter what happens around us.

The Bible Knowledge Commentary gives the purpose of writing this book of Esther was to encourage the returning Jewish exiles by reminding them of the faithfulness of God.

Esther is a great work of faith for us today, proving God, whom we can’t see, but it proves Him so beautifully.

Historically, there’s a lot of national things going on at this time. The Jews have been freed from their 70 years captivity for disobedience to God and many have returned to Jerusalem. Esther’s story occurs between Chapters 6 & 7 of the book of Ezra. (Ezra 6: 19-22)

The nation of Israel was back in business. They were now sacrificing with what David describes as a broken and contrite heart. All those years they had not obeyed God with all the Sabbath years had placed them in captivity for 70 years. Now, a remnant returned to worship with the correct heart for God and His Holiness.

In the gap between Ezra 6 & 7, King Ahasuerus comes to the throne of the now mixed rule of the Medes and the Persians. When the book of Esther opens he’s ruled for 7 years.

The kingdom of Media and Persia are not a very solid national structure. Their weakness is described in the Daniel prophecy of Nebuchadnezzar’s dream of the huge statue. King Aharuerus reigns during time represented by the silver torso. Also Daniel prophesizes of the bear devouring the three ribs. And again the Ram with two horns destroyed by the goat. All three symbols means the kingdom is weak in its divided alliance.

Esther 1:1-5

I’m not going into much about the history as I want to focus on God in this book. But some is necessary and it really brings God’s sovereignty to the forefront.

The Bible Knowledge Commentary says this about the king:

Much evidence supports the historicity of the facts in this book. Xerxes was a real king in Persia. His drinking parties were well known. Xerxes did have an irrational temper, occasionally exhibiting fits of rage. He did have a palace in Susa and a large harem there. Various features of the court can also be substantiated from other sources. (BKC pg 700/701)

As for the instability of king’s mind, when attempting the campaign to conquer Greece, the king ordered a stretch of water whipped and had shackles thrown into it because the violent current washed away his bridge.

The king was about to go into a huge battle to try to add Greece to his list of conquered nations. He throws a great party in the capital to prove he’s going to win. This way the lesser rulers of the semi-detached smaller states within his kingdom would support his fight. Daniel’s interpretations of the weakness of the cohesiveness of this kingdom are evident because Xerxes doesn’t appear able to give an executive order and have an army fight for him. Doesn’t say much for his authority.

Our God lives outside of the time He created, can see all the empires of the world before Him at all times. He sees and has seen King Xerxes defeated.

God is so awesome!!! We cannot but worship Him.

While the king is throwing a party for the men, Vashti, the Queen matches his extravagance for the women. We can assume she too is attempting to bolster the moral of the ladies who very well may become widows in the next few years of war. Widows have never had a good success in any nation, including those of nobility.

In his party, the king does a dumb thing. He commands his wife, the Queen, walk the palace runway in her finery and she refuses to parade before him and his drunken cohorts. He should never have made the command. Esther 1:10-18.

There is a sense that Vashti’s refusal to come at the King’s command was right, that is the respect for the men in the room. Respecting her husband’s throne, even if he wasn't showing respect for it.

But she was also wrong refusing to come at his command, for it was open disobedience, shaming her husband and her king.

The King was wrong and Vashti was wrong. In fact—the entire scenario was wrong. And although it was wrong, Vashti should have obeyed anyway. Two wrongs don’t make a right.

But there was something right in it as well. Anyone take a guess? (God’s sovereignty.) Proverbs 21:1

This drunken command brings more proof of Xerxes weakness to rule such a vast kingdom. It probably disgusted some of the men at the feast, because women were not to be included in counsels of war, if in fact that is Xerxes reason for the party.

Humiliated in front of the people he was attempting to impress, the king makes a law while he’s drunk. The worst case scenario just became a disaster of a catastrophic earthquake.

Esther 1: 19-21

Do you feel sad for Vashti? Well, don’t. she’s a pagan idol worshiper. She doesn’t know Jesus as her Savior. She doesn’t worship the One and Holy GOD. She is a drunken woman, who worshiped false gods. She’s the Queen of Persia. She’s a heathen who rules over a nation of slaves conquered in war. She has the right to order anyone whipped or imprisoned, or killed for any reason she wanted. This woman is in all probability just as cruel as her husband, the King is. 

The Bible gives us several women in power who misused their positions.

Jezebel was a queen and a murderess. (1 Kings 21)

Athaliah was a crazy murderous queen of Judah. (2 Kings 11)

 Potiphar’s wife had control over Joseph as a slave. (Genesis 39)

Vashti is described as very beautiful—but Proverbs says this, As a ring of gold in a swine’s snout, So is a lovely woman who lacks discretion” Proverbs 11:22. Vashti’s outward beauty was destroyed not only by her husband’s drunkenness, but by her own drunkenness. (Ephesians 5:18.)

Recorded in Luke, is Jesus words to the woman at the well.

“But the hour is coming, and now is, when true worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth” Luke 4:23,24.

We also have these words from Jesus that encourage our faith in Almighty God, These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world” John 14:33. 

The nation of the Medes and Persians was under the ruling hand of a weak, pagan, temperamental king, the children of Israel were still subjects of this kingdom, but they had the One and Living God working on their behalf. Even though we Christians live in troubling times, we have the One and Living God working for us. Let us look up with gladness and joy and anticipation. Our redemption draws near. Hallelujah!

2 Corinthians 4:16-18.

We serve an Awesome God!

Lesson Points:

1.     Every book in the Bible has significance.

2.     We walk by faith, not by sight: 2 Corinthians 5:7 (1 Peter 1:8)

3.     God moves the natural in ways that are unnatural to the world.

4.     Esther is one of the most powerful books of faith

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Re-Posting: They Missed Christmas: originally posted 12/14/13

(2015), I expanded this into an hour long Christmas program performed by my home church on Christmas Eve.

They Missed Christmas

The innkeeper missed Christmas. He turned away a woman heavy with child because she and her husband could not pay enough for him to bother to oust another paying guest.

The guests of the inn missed Christmas. Not one of them took pity on the woman to give up their room for her comfort.

The town of Bethlehem missed Christmas. When the shepherds came into the city seeking the wondrous thing proclaimed by the angels, no one ventured to search out why they were excited.

Months later, the Priests and Scribes missed Christmas.An entourage of men, Astrologers from another country, came because of a new star that had appeared. They knew the prophecy that this new star announced the birth of the King of the Jews. When questioned by Herod about what these travelers were talking about, the Priests and Scribes answered correctly that the King would be born in Bethlehem. Nevertheless, they never went to see for themselves.

Herod missed Christmas. He believed the Travelers about the new King and out of jealousy, he tried to kill the baby to get rid of the threat to his reign.

Many people on December 25 will miss Christmas. Millions will have parties; laugh and exchange gifts but they will miss the real gift of Christmas.

For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulders. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Isaiah 9:6

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son and whoever believes on Him will not die but have eternal life.

John 3:16

Let us not miss Christmas.

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Preach the Word, In Season & Out of Season

My Husband is in Hospice care, but thankfully he's still at home with me. His in-home care workers come 6 days a week to help me take care of him.

I had prayed some months ago that God would use our house as a place for the gospel to be told to people who come to visit. Specifically that my kitchen would be used for His glory and to somehow save the souls of some people who God would have me talk to.

God is SOOOOOO good! It is amazing how He answers prayers. While the need of my husband is sad, it seems to be the way God is using this time as the answer to my prayer. People are coming into our house where we can present Jesus' free salvation to them.

I had been still praying for that to happen, today God showed me He was willing to grant me the ability. Today, during the time my Husband and I share the Bible and prayer in the morning, I prayed for the salvation of the worker, and that God would help us/me be some way used today to introduce the woman to Jesus.

All of Husband's helpers know we are Christians, as they have all seen us pray together and read our Bibles.

I didn't want to speak during the woman's working time, as that means she would have to listen even if she didn't want to. But after I signed her voucher sheet at the end of her time, she began speaking about seeing angels and an experience she had while visiting a relatives' grave. She thought a dead relative had reached out to her from the grave when something unusual happened while at the grave side.

That was my opening! And she didn't have any more clients today so she stayed another 20 minutes.

After talking a bit about angels, I ended up at the passage of Luke 16 and Jesus' explaining about Lazarus and the Rich Man and how in the Afterlife, there's a gulf between the two eternal places, paradise and hell.
Jesus shows Lazarus is comforted and at peace, without worry, having trusted in God, while the rich man who trusted in his riches was in torment.
And the finality of Jesus' words that 'even if a man comes back from the dead, those who hear him will not believe.' But they have Moses and the prophets to learn from.

I explained as I understood it, that the dead do not have access to the living, nor does Paradise have access to Hell. The opposite is true that Hell has no access to Heaven.

And, although she refused to take an offered Bible tract, she said I had given her much to think about. And I know the Holy Spirit will use the Word to speak to her.

God says, "For as the rain comes down, and the snow from heaven, and do not return there, but water the earth, and make it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower and bread to the eater, So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void, but it shall accomplish what I please, and shall proper in the thing for which I sent it" Isaiah 55:10,11.

The Word of God is how people hear the gospel. Jesus says so.

"For faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God" Romans 10:17.

(Jesus prayed to the Father) "Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth. John 17:17.

"For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edge sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart" Hebrews 5:12.

"All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work" 2 Timothy 3:16,17.

GOD IS SO GOOD!

AMAZING GRACE!

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A Personal Opinion of the Fall of Mankind in Genesis 3

A personal opinion of what happened in the Garden of Eden. This is not to be taken as fact but is just an idea of mine.

After he figured out that God loved these weak little creatures Jesus made, Satan wanted to be worshiped. However, because of his newly expressed pride, Satan was kicked out of heaven for trying to elevate his position to a god.

Therefore, angry at God for not accepting his self-appointed promotion, Satan decided to see wha...t damage he could do to God's perfect little creatures. He took a walk around the Garden of Eden watching and studying the man and his wife. Finally figuring out a way to hurt them, Satan approached Eve with his evil plans.


Satan succeeded in killing the relationship between God and man by getting Eve to question God's love for her simply by making her wonder why God would tell her not to do something.

Satan killed us all, bringing the wages of sin in the form of death to all people. Spiritual death and eternal separation in hellfire from our original relationship to God and physical death in our bodies that returns to the earth God formed us from.

Thank God for His gracious salvation Jesus provided through the cross!!

Completely rhetorical question---How long would you imagine it took Satan to figure out from which tree Adam and Eve weren’t to eat?

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Guest Post--The Decision: by Linda Handzel

This is guest blog from a friend of mine. Linda is a beautiful Christian with a powerful message. Her love of God motivates her to help others and her speaking engagements encourage many women with her enthusiastic hope and faith in God.

http://lindahandzel.com/blog/

The Decision: by Linda Handzel

    When I changed over to Christian High School for my senior year she was already a student there, starting her sophomore year. I always thought she was beautifully composed, nothing like me! She had a gorgeous alto singing voice and every note was smoothly controlled as she sang praises to God. We spent a lot of time together, but my brother Stan spent more time with Lori than I did. After they graduated from high school together he went away to college for a year. During that time I was able to steal more time with her. When Stan came home at Christmas he asked Lori to marry him and the next summer I was a bridesmaid in their wedding. The weekend after that she was the Matron of Honor in my wedding.

    My husband and I moved a few towns over when we got married, but Lori and Stan stayed in their home area. We had our first three children, and after a few years Stan and Lori gave birth to a boy, then a girl. Our lives got busier and we saw each other at various family holidays, but not as much as we would have liked.

    The summer that we both celebrated our sixteenth wedding anniversaries we gathered together at a Fourth of July family picnic. That day Lori quietly pulled me aside to tell me the news that she had found a lump and the doctor had ordered a biopsy. Cancer ran in her family and she was scared. She was only 37 years old and I knew there was no way a woman that young could have breast cancer! Her sister had a lot of problems with cysts. Surely that would be the diagnosis!

    Mum’s voice was quiet and low when she called a few days later to tell me the results of Lori’s biopsy. “The news isn’t good. It’s aggressive Carcinoma.” I literally reeled and spun around with the impact of those words!

    My whole world came to a crashing halt. I couldn’t think of anything else– my brother’s beloved sweetheart had cancer! For several weeks my mind rocked and whirled with countless reactions. How could this possibly happen? I knew what I would say to someone who came to me with this diagnosis in their family: “God works all things out for His good. He’ll give you the strength to go through this. He’s still a healing God and you can believe Him to heal her. If He doesn’t heal her here, He’ll give you the strength to make it through. God will take care of their two children.” Endlessly those words ran ‘round and ‘round in my head. But I found myself questioning every phrase. Did I really believe this stuff? The verses that came to my mind from memory had never been tested like this before, and my faith was shaken to the core! I questioned the very foundation of all that I had embraced and lived for since childhood. What if God wasn’t really all I said He was? Did He really care? Was He able to heal? If he didn’t heal Lori, would He carry us through this horrifying journey? Just the thought of my broken-hearted brother and their two young children was more than I could fathom. Stan was a pastor! How could God even think of allowing Lori to have cancer?
Lori’s treatment plan was laid out: Radical mastectomy followed by radiation and chemotherapy. Dozens of foreign-sounding medical terms were thrown around while all of us reeled with the reality of the unfathomable. And I questioned: “WHERE IS GOD?”

    Mom and Dad struggled while watching their son’s heartbreaking trial. My whole family was cut to the core. I kept thinking of all the reasons this shouldn’t be happening to us: Mom and Dad had brought us up in a Christian home. We had all been saved as children. Each of us had chosen Christian mates, and now we were bringing our own children up in Godly homes. Each of us was deeply involved in our own church. In spite of doing all the ‘right’ things, it felt like everything was going wrong!

    Maybe God didn’t care! He sure wasn’t acting like He cared! Maybe I couldn’t trust Him at all! Maybe I could find someone else to trust. Maybe I had been wrong all these years, and God wasn’t what I thought He was. Maybe I should just give up on this whole thing called ‘Christianity’. It sure wasn’t working out for the ‘good’ that I wanted!

    For three weeks I wallowed through questions. I was so mired in anxious confusion that my children commented I was sighing all the time. I felt like the weight of the world was on my shoulders, and I was helpless to get it off! Nothing happened when I prayed, all the words seemed hallow. What was I going to do?

    Finally I started to recount the many ways God had clearly answered prayer throughout my life. Who else would answer like that? I had always known deep in my heart that God was with me, through every turn in my life. Who else was offering that kind of companionship? I had seen Him perform many impossible miracles in answer to prayer. Who else was capable of doing that?

    I was hanging laundry outside one day when one question suddenly stood out more than all the others: If I abandoned my belief in God, who could possibly take His place? All other thoughts came to a standstill as I wrestled with that one ultimate question: WHO ELSE IS THERE TO TRUST? Right there, on that sunny summer day I concluded that there was NO ONE! I felt a huge weight lift off my heart! Relief flooded my being when I firmly decided that I needed God, and only God! He was the only One who promised He would never leave me or forsake me. In all my life I had never felt abandoned by Him. He was the only One who said He wouldn’t give us more than we could bear.

    As I looked back over my short life I couldn’t think of one time that God had ever let me down. At different times in their short lives my children had been catastrophically ill, yet I felt God’s presence with me while I waited for Him to heal each sickness. I had prayed so many times for wisdom as a mother, and He had led me in ways I had never dreamed of! No matter how I searched, there was not even one moment in my life when I could say God had let me down! I decided I could believe the words of Isaiah that said: “His ways are not our ways, and His thoughts are not our thoughts. For as the Heavens are high above the earth, so are His thoughts higher than our thoughts!”

    YES, I was going to trust God! I was going to cling to His unchanging hand! I would believe that He would hold my family as we traveled this scary journey! I believed! I did believe and I held tight to those beliefs as I went forward with my family.

    T hat journey wasn’t easy because it was fraught with highs and lows. Lori finished the treatments and felt better for a few months. But sixteen months after the first biopsy, she was diagnosed with bone cancer. They tried other treatments. Stan took her to Mexico for alternative medicine. And we prayed. Oh how we prayed! I’m sure that many thousands of prayers were said, asking God to heal Lori. And He did heal her! At dawn on a quiet June morning the phone rang with the news that Lori had gone to Heaven. I remember so well that it was a wonderfully clear day, a perfect day to fly to Heaven! Lori was only sick with cancer for 23 months and then she was perfect.

    I thank God for the weeks I spent questioning the foundation of my faith. When I decided God was the only answer for me I had no idea I was deciding on a platform that would hold me without faltering for many tears to come. The next sixteen years after Lori died were filled with one heartbreak after another for our family. Too many times I’ve stared at a young body in a casket. In my mind it seems that only old people should be in caskets. Yet I know God is in control! We’ll understand it all when we meet Him (and our loved ones) in Glory! Until then, I still believe His Way Is Perfect!

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http://lindahandzel.com/blog/

 About Linda      

Linda Handzel grew up with two brothers in a Christian home, and began her personal relationship with Jesus Christ at a young age. Soon after she completed her college education, Linda noticed a handsome man in the young adult’s Sunday School class. This young man named Michael noticed her too, soon he asked Linda to go out with him. In only six months Michael asked Linda to marry him. Five months later they were married and began a family together. God blessed them with four children whom Linda home-schooled.

Just before their 24th wedding anniversary tragedy struck the Handzel household. Michael was killed instantly when someone hit him on his motorcycle and Linda had to deliver the news to her children: “Daddy’s gone to Heaven.” Through the dark days and long nights of grief, Linda has never been alone. God has faithfully led her through the many trials and transitions that were brought on by Michael’s death.

Linda’s public speaking ministry began soon after Michael died, and her message to women is that God loves us, and wants to help us through the hurts, heartaches and horrors of life. She shares both personal anecdotes and stories from the Bible, using them to illustrate that God has a perfect plan for each one of us.

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Women With Backbone--Lessons From the Book of Judges

"In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes" Judges 17:6.

     That is one of the saddest verses in the Bible. Crime ran rampant, yet in the book of Judges two women stand out with a lesson for godly living amid a time of everyone doing what was right in their own eyes.

• Deborah--The Judicial Scholar

“Now Deborah, a prophetess, the wife of Lapidoth,
was judging Israel at that time” Judges 4: 4”

     Deborah must have been a holy woman of prayer and strong in her faith to have people trust her as judge in Israel, when men were doing what was right in their own eyes.

     Deborah’s faith in God and His ability to save her and her people showed through her stand against the evil in her country. Although she couldn’t lead as a man could have, (she held no office in town but under a tree where people came to her), she took a firm stand on the side of right and spoke against the wrong. And she even rebukes the general of the army who loses out on a great blessing when he shows a weakness in engaging into battle with the enemy.

     What shame it is to a people when the women are the strong walls of faith and not the fathers, husbands and sons. How many blessings are lost to marriages, families, communities and even churches because god-fearing men are not leading.

Lesson: In faith and knowledge of God, stand strong in times of trouble.

• Manoah's Wife: The Energetic Believer

(The Angel of the LORD said to her) "Now therefore,

please be careful not to drink wine or similar drink,

and be careful not to eat anything unclean" Judges 13: 4.

     The pre-incarnate Jesus came to this God-fearing woman and gave her a conditional promise. Keep yourself holy for you are destined for great things. In her enthusiasm for obedience, she took her husband into the presence of God where he was commanded to stay aware of his wife's life choices. When this husband and wife got on the same track, from that day on, their home would be forever changed by the LORD's visit.

Lesson: Obedience to God will change you and your family in surprising ways.

     For Deborah, and Manoah's wife, their lives are witness to what godly women can do through faith in the promises of God. These women had a life of prayer. Make a difference in your home, community and your church through faith, wisdom and prayer.

Bonus....

Another woman stands out for a totally different reason--a bold woman who knew who to ask for blessings.

Achsah--the Intelligent Beauty Queen

“Then Calab said, “Whoever attacks Kirjath Sepher and takes it,

to him I will give my daughter Achsah as wife” Judges 1: 12.

     How would you like to have that as your marriage proposal? It would be safe to assume she's a pretty girl and even as the youngest, must have been quite a bride to win. A soldier named Othniel beat the competition and became the husband to this woman.

     It appears not only is she satisfied to be the bride of a mighty soldier who won a city and her hand, this strong-willed woman goes to her father with a bold request. This girl rides a horse into the army camp, dismounts and asks her father  straight out for a specific plot of land filled with springs. This gal is right on the mark, knowing the wealth in owning fresh water. And furthermore, she knew exactly who to ask--her Father!

Lesson: Go straight to the source of the power to give you what you need. God's blessings begin in His throne room and when we are strong in Him, we will see blessings we never imagined. The springs of life are ours when we ask God for them.

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