Esther Chapter 2

These are the notes from the second study from the Book of Esther. Esther chapter 2

2:1 ; *It’s been three years since the war party. King Ahasuerus failed to conquer Greece, and returns to Shushan in humiliation. Adding to his shame, he remembers the stupid law. Vashti still belongs to the King but wherever she’s being kept, her quarters would be more of a prison than a home. She can’t be thrown out for she’s the former Queen, and she can’t be tossed into the harem for the same reason. Xerxes problem, he doesn’t have a Queen beside him while he attempts to reorganize his kingdom and its defeated army. His kingdom is a shambles.

The most amazing thing? God sees all and knows all. There is nothing in the hearts of all mankind that God doesn’t know about. God even sees what is coming. Almighty God is without equal!

The king has concubines galore, but the throne needs a woman of beauty with a sound reputation, whom the court approves joined to the king with a proper setting. An already owned sex-slave cannot fill that position. Just like in chapter 1—two wrongs don’t make a right.

In ch 1, it was the wise men who instructed the king to write the law dethroning Vashti. Ch 2:2, it’s not even the wise men but his servants suggest gathering virgins for the king to choose a queen from.

So the order goes out to herd young women to the palace, like cattle. Conscripted by order, yanked from their homes and parents arms, many never to be seen by family again. They were essentially kidnapped for the king’s pleasure.

Can you imagine the crying? The terror? The sorrow that they will never be loved wives, or mothers? No homes, nor husbands or children to take care of? Only one can be Queen, the rest will be sex-slaves for the rest of their lives.

2:2-4. It’s not his wise men but his servants that advise him now. And this thing pleased the king. The thing being kidnapping beautiful girls. What do you think? (In a moral society, this would, should be, be sickening.)

2:5,6,7. God inserts Himself in between Xerxes idea & his implementing it. By inserting Mordecai into the palace, God has changed the outcome already.

2:5-6. God shows up! God is so amazing. Although never mentioned, Holy God appears regularly in the movement of different events and different lives. Something horrible is about to happen but Almighty God inserts His presence into the story.

It’s like Paul’s letter to the Thessalonians. God knew they would need powerful encouragement, as the persecution became very heavy in that city. God sent them a wonderful love letter through Paul’s hand. Thessalonians 2:7-12. You need God—God shows up!

Mordecai lives in the Capital city, and more importantly, he has retained his heritage. This is more proof of God appearance in this book---the choice of Mordecai as a devout Jew, strong in his faith and the pride of his heritage.

What can Christians express pride in? (Psalm 34:2, 44:8, 2 Corinthians 9:2, Galatians 6:14)

God told the Jews to always remember their families names and heritage. It seems Mordecai was born while his family was captives, as it was his great great grandfather who was carried away from Jerusalem when Nebuchadnezzar captured the city. (2 Kings 24:14) Kish must have been a mighty man in Jerusalem, because the best were taken during the first captivity. Kish was taken the same time as Daniel, but he wasn’t placed with Daniel with the eunuchs, as he certainly had children.(1st captivity Jeremiah 29:5-7) (Forbidden Marriage Due 7:1-3, Joshua 23:11-12, Ezra 9:1,2)

It seems Kish and his decedents kept their Jewish linage clean from inter marriage.

For some reason Mortdecai did not return to Jerusalem when Ezra and Nehemiah returned to rebuild. He and his family still reside in the capital Persian city of Shushan.

Esther has the same clean Jewish Lineage as Mordecai. And she is hauled off to the palace with the rest of the young girls. Her prospects of a Jewish family line ends. 

There is another young girl we know in the Bible whose family heritage was kept pure for an awesome reason. Who is that young girl? Mary. (Matthew 1:1-17)2

2:9 Esther’s character was different than any of the other girls in the harem. And her difference was noticed by the major guard of the woman, Hegai. He knew there was something different about her and he treated her with a greater respect than he did all the other women there.

2:8,9. Esther exposed the darkness of the king’s harem by her difference. Her personal holiness in a dark place made her godly character standout among the crowd, thus creating a different atmosphere around her. (2 Corinthians 4:7)

2:10, Esther is an ambassador of her people and of God. Daniel’s account was a historical fact in the Jew’s history of their captivity. There could not have been many that didn’t know how Daniel stood up for his Jewish heritage. But unlike Daniel, Esther kept her Hebrew blood a secret but she retained her learned character.

We may never have an opportunity to speak of our Christian heritage, but our character needs to be the higher standard. It doesn’t matter where we are, who we’re with, we have the mind of Christ, we have the power of God, we have the indwelling Holy Spirit. There needs to be something extraordinary about our holy conduct that even the ungodly will have to take notice.

What is holiness? What are some holy actions? Things Christians do or don’t do publically that sets them apart from the world?

Esther was different from the other women, and her difference gave her an edge in becoming Queen. Hegai was on the look-out for Queen qualities, it was part of his job. And by her more beautiful, composed, lady-like behavior, she expose the hidden things of darkness. She shined brighter in a room full of lesser characters.

Esther was beautiful but she went through the beauty treatments to make her gorgeous. Her beauty treatments went on for a year.

God says women are to shine with an inner beauty, which will shine through any mars of our outward frailties. We’re familiar with the woman of 1 Peter 3, and the Proverbs 31, woman)

We’re the Bride of Christ. We need an extraordinary interest in making ourselves beautiful in Christ.

We have a simpler beauty treatment with less stress. We’re already the Bride of the King. You want to be made beautiful? To have the inner beauty of the heart?

The Bible is your beauty treatment. Get into God’s word to be cleansed from the world. John 17: 17, Ephesians 5:22-27, Titus 3:5, Proverbs 31:17,18 & 30,

We have the Shulamite as our example also, of the love of God shining our beauty that no one else can comprehend. Loving God will draw out the beauty that only He can see in a woman.

You want to have a successful beauty treatment? Get into the word of God. Pray, read, fellowship, worship. Determine to make the effort to love the Lord with all your heart, your strength, your mind. You will be beautiful and others will see it. They may not understand it, but they will certainly see it.

2:21-23. When the trouble came, Mordecai and Esther were able to do the right thing, the right way, to have the right decision made to stop the wrong. This was just a foretaste of their work to come. And now God has Mordecai moved into the palace business district. He’s one of the movers’ and shakers in the palace politics. He’s gaining a reputation as a man of integrity. His peers trust his wisdom. They may hate him but they know he’s an honest man.

Christians need knowledge of the world. God says be as wise as serpents and gentle as doves. God says the serpent is crafty. Know the ins and outs of ruthlessness business, yet conduct business with different deliverance & purpose.

Esther and Mordecai from different positions, exposed the hidden darkness.(Ephesians 5:8-13.)

Lesson Points:

1. God knows the innermost secret hearts of all people.

2. Boast of your salvation in Christ

3. As the Bride of Christ, take an extraordinary interest in making yourself beautiful for Christ Jesus.

4. The Bible is your beauty treatment. Let God’s word cleanse you from the world.

*Historical information from Bible Knowledge Commentary & Commentary, study notes of J. Vernon McGee

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5 Actions That Will Beautify Any Christian Woman

"Do not let your adornment be merely outward

--arranging the hair, wearing gold or putting on

fine apparel--rather let it be the hidden person

of the heart, with the incorruptible beauty of a

gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious

in the sight of God"

1 Peter 3:3 & 4

This verse has a bad reputation but it's actually a call for Christian women to rejoice in their womanhood.

Christian women should take a stand and say, "Yes, because I love God, I am different. I refuse to let society fads and fashions stereotype me and my styles."

Here are 5 verses that can influence the way women can show off the beauty in Christianity. 

“Judge not, that you be not judged” Matthew 7: 1

     A woman's judgement, either for or against someone or something, many times will be for the safety of herself, her spouse, her children, her extended family or her friends.
     Judgement condemning someone which may forever keep them from God is never the role of a Christian. Condemnation is God’s job but, if this form of judging is your habitual sin, He will absolutely forgive all who ask for forgiveness.
     This verse also warns us when judging to make sure the impact of our choice does not condemn us. If making a decision for or against anyone, use discernment to judge fairly, and strive to deliberately harm no one.
     God gave women a special personality trait of high emotional influence and because of this, when judging someone; you must carefully examine your reasons. Any necessary judgments women make are to improve the good things and destroy the bad things to create safer and cleaner lives.

“But I say to you that for every idle word men, (women), may speak, they will give an account of it in the day of judgment” Matthew 12: 36.
     Communication is essential to life. The correct language can open doors and incorrect language can close doors. With a carefully sustained clean conduct, women can control a major part of the language spoken in their homes, work place and in public. Commonality of speech for women doesn’t have to assume coarseness or gutter-talk.
     Women can show off their beauty and attractiveness by their everyday speaking. Clean speech and behavior can especially enhance a woman’s character, style, beauty, and desirability.

“And just as you want men, (women), to do to you, you also do to them likewise” Luke 6: 31
     Rudeness mars beauty. Sometimes called the ‘golden rule’, it is a real fact, if you want people to be polite and nice, show yourself to be polite and nice. Women can be strong leaders in this area of personal and public life. A mother can teach her children how kind words and actions can help them achieve much. On the job, favorable actions and manners will get better reviews. If you want to have any influence, use the ‘golden rule’ and see what can happen around you.

“But when you do a charitable deed, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing” Matthew 6: 3.
     Visibly heightened emotions are created part of women. Love, joy, anger, sympathy, empathy, and mother's love and protection; women show these traits with more vulnerability than men. If managed well, they can be a part of our hidden beauty that makes us attractive. Women can utilize their God given emotional specialties as wonderful givers, doers, motivators, counselors, and encouragers.
     Have you ever done something for someone who wasn’t expecting it, and you did it just for the joy of giving? While God made men to be subtly appreciative, God made woman with the capacity of giving and receiving with more emotion.
     Is there anyone you can help without thinking of any return for your effort?

“…Esau…took wives, Judith…and Basemath…and they were a grief to Isaac and Rebekah” Genesis 26: 33, 34.
     Family relationships can be a struggle at any time. A woman can trouble her own house or she can make it comfortable. Everyone will admire a woman, whether married or unmarried, who can maintain a good home. Habitual good and bad behavior is something learned or unlearned.
     In former decades, before the push for what is touted as equality, before she left home, most girls were taught the ways of femininity for her own benefit. While a woman can be computer programmers, drive trucks, be CEO of large companies, and run for President of the United States with no condemnation against her womanhood, she should present maturity and good behavior while preforming her public duties and personal actions.
     God gave Christians the closeness of church family. Let the Christian woman seek good friends with sound advice on how to manage her home, business, and her life. A fun circle of close woman-friends can encourage each other in good works.

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Are there any special Bible verses you make an effort to obey to enhance your Christian beauty?

(There are no guarantees that these suggestions will change anyone's situation if implemented. While these descriptions are in general and do not apply to all situations, they can be effectively true in the Christian woman who strives to please God.)

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I Challenge Your Faith!

These are some question that I ask in the workbook section of my EBook Squished! Why God Seemingly Destroys Our Fruit. I had to answer these questions for myself when my home church went through a difficult time. I had to ask myself who or what was my I basing my faith in or on? Was my faith real?

How strong is your faith in Christ Jesus, the Lord? I want to challenge you right now to think about the consequences of sudden disasters like those that hit Job. These may sound gloomy but I want you to focus on the joy of the Lord; the joy that we are to have because we are pilgrims looking for the country where we are going. With these scenarios I challenge you to think about how close your personal walk is with Jesus and how much is just earthly baggage.

 What if your house burned down today? Everything in it is now ashes, not one thing survives. Mentally walk through your house right now and look at the things you have. Right now it is gone! It no longer exists!
1. What are you feeling the loss of most?
2. What is going to substitute for that loss?
3. Who are you going to trust to relieve the loss?
4. What is it you are afraid of facing the most at the loss of your house?


What if your spouse died today? Are you walking close enough to the Lord to accept it? If the person you love never comes back to you alive today, what do you think about?
1. Do they know I love them?
2. Have they trusted the Lord as their savior?
3. Have I prayed for them lately? Really prayed for their safety, well being, love, strength, spiritual growth? That they are walking close to the Lord daily?
4. Are they ready to meet the Lord Jesus today?


       If the scenario was your children died today, ask the previous questions for this also.

What if your home church burned, there is not a shred of anything left; to what do you associate the building?
1. What constitutes as loss when the building is no longer available?
2. How does this affect your worship?
3. How strong is your feeling toward the activities that you attended?
4. How much were you accustomed to what was available inside the building?
5. If how you served depended on the material inside the building; how will you serve now?


 What does the pastor mean to you in terms of your church attendance and service?
1. Do you come to church to hear him or God?
2. Do you feel uncomfortable when someone unfamiliar speaks?
3. Do you think this is the proper way you are to listen to sermons?
4. Are you reluctant to listen to the Holy Spirit speaking to your heart through a different speaker?

What if you died today?

1. Are you ready today to meet Jesus?
2. Is your daily desire to meet Jesus face to face?
3. Is your family strong enough to walk with Jesus after your death?
4. Is there someone you need to tell about Jesus? 

     Examine your daily spiritual life.
1. How much of your life since your salvation has been building with straw, hay and stubble?
2.. How much of your life was building with gold, silver and precious stones?

Where are your values? Is it your stuff, your people, your

activities? Today, can you walk through your house and say to Jesus, I throw it all away. I challenge you to do just that.
1. Where have your thoughts been lately?
2. Where are they right now?
3. Do these scenarios hurt?
4. Why? Or why not?

Be Real!

Ask Jesus to clean your house, to show you where your stuff is hindering your service to Him. 

Do you love Him enough to let Him have everything?

Do you fear Him that much?

Think about these scenarios and pray about your thoughts daily.

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Boaz, Ruth & the Closer Relative

In Chapter 4 of the book of Ruth we see Boaz and the Closer Relative of Naomi transact the Kinsman/Redeemer law. And it all plays out to God's satisfaction when Boaz and Ruth are finally wed to live happily ever after.

Because Boaz was going to carry out the Kinsman/Redeemer law to it's fullest extent, none of the land he obtained in keeping the law would be his. It would go to Obed, their son, who would inherit to perpetuate the family name of his grandfather Elimilech.
All Boaz took from this marriage was Ruth. Just as when we become the bride of Christ, we bring nothing with us into the marriage but ourselves, redeemed by our Savior.

This simile is not a perfect fit, and I have never heard this connection before; I could be way wrong, but I do like it.

• The Closer Relative = God the Father
• Boaz = Jesus
• Ruth= us, the church, the bride of Christ

• Ruth came to Boaz and asked him to marry her. We come to Jesus and ask Him to save us.
• Boaz presents Ruth to the Closer Relative. Jesus presents us to God the Father.
• The Closer Relative does not become the husband but gives her to Boaz. God the Father gives us to Jesus, His Son, to be His bride.

• And, to add another far out extension is Naomi, who led Ruth to Boaz = the Holy Spirit leads us to God and Jesus.

• Jesus, the Son, is the way to the Father, who ultimately extends His grace to us when we ask His forgiveness. Jesus says, “No one comes to the Father but by Me." (John 14:6).
• Jesus says "no one comes to Him expect the Father draws them." (John 6:44).
• Jesus says that "the Father gives all to Him." (John 6:37).
• All born again Christians are called the Bride and are married to Jesus, because God the Father gave us all to His Son. (Ephesians 5:27).

The First Kinsman Redeemer

(God the Father)

gives us to

the One who is the Bridegroom

(Jesus)

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25 Life Applications from the Book of Ruth

Here are 25 Life Application to be found in the book of Ruth.

There were so many places in this story where disobedience, selfish ambitions, and pride of any number of those involved could have created disaster. But three people, Boaz, Ruth and Naomi were determined to obedience to the law given to Moses so that God would be glorified.

#1 Have quiet patience with people who insult us.
      Ruth holds her peace even as Naomi ignores her. (1:21)

#2 Seek God, even when we don’t know what’s going on.
      Ruth leaves all she knows, trusting in God, whom she's newly put her faith in to take care of her. (1:16,17)

#3 Trust God when we are taking a new direction.
      Ruth travels to Bethlehem not knowing what awaits her, only she knows that the God of Israel will take care of her. (1:22)

#4 When repenting, don’t just stop doing something, but leave it far behind.
      Ruth left Moab and a life of idolatry. (Ruth 1)

#5 Our everyday, ordinary conduct is an integral part of our witness.
      Ruth stays pure and holy in her new life.

#6 Pray despite your pain.
     Naomi prays for her two daughters in law. (1:8,9)

#7 Our loyalty shouldn’t hinge on the character of the person we love (unconditional love).
       Ruth ignores Naomi's urging to stay in Moab, and insists on going to Bethlehem. (1:15)

#8 Stick to your promises.

     Ruth stays with Naomi through all the troubles.

#9 Respect is earned, never granted.
      Boaz and Ruth have both earned the respect of the harvesters. (2:4-7)

#10 Humility is knowing your limits and your needs.

      Ruth humbles herself to ask for the charity of gleaning in Boaz' fields. (1:7)

#11 Once we’re saved, God has forever forgiven us of our past.
       Boaz never derides Ruth because of her ancestry.

#12 As ambassadors of Christ, we need to guard our reputations.
       Ruth, Naomi and Boaz stay true to God among an immoral society. (Judges 21:25)

#13 Some sacrifices will hurt severely, but the rewards for pleasing God are worth it.
       Boaz and Ruth sacrifice their desire to marry to keep the Kinsman/Redeemer Law. (3:13)

#14 Many times our sacrifices to God will make no sense to anyone else but us.
       To fulfill the law, Boaz sticks to the rules and offers Ruth, whom he loves, to the closer relative. (4:1-5)

#15 God moves in our ordinary lives to bless us in extraordinary ways.
       God moves behind the scenes through the entire book of Ruth.

#16 No one is beyond the amazing salvation of God.
       Even though a Moabite, Ruth is saved through her faith in God.

#17 Obedience is rewarded.
      Boaz, Ruth and Naomi enjoy the birth of Obed. (4:13-16)

#18 Our need is to continue to pray about everything.

#19 God is always with His children through everything.

#20 God wants us to rely on Him for everything.

#21 If your prayer isn’t answered right away, keep praying.

#22 What we choose to do good or bad is going to affect the reputations of our fellow Christians.

#23 We should do nothing that would cause unbelievers to blaspheme the name of our Lord

#24 God can make us wait before He fulfills all He’s going to give us.

#25 God sees the end from the beginning. He sees us in heaven right now enjoying our rewards. He is seeing our worship perfected.

Ruth Boaz and Naomi show how to live our lives

in obedience, purity, holiness and faith.

Christians are not under the law today, but we are to live holy lives, set apart for God's glory.

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A Theorized Explanation of Satan in the Garden

This is not to be taken as a Biblical fact, nor to be used as a commentary, but it is my theory and mine alone, of which I hope you find interesting.

“And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived, fell into transgression.”1 Timothy 2:14.

There is no way to say how long Satan examined this couple before he approached them. My personal theory is Satan fell from heaven after God created the heavens and the earth and Adam and Eve.

Here he is, the most beautiful creature ever created. He’s the voice of worship and his place among the angels of glory is gorgeous and glorious. He enjoys pleasing God with his music, his magnificence, and all the splendor of his being, created to lead worship before God’s Throne. Lucifer is a great worshipper.

Then God fashions this tiny thing called the universe, and these puny little beings He calls humans. Suddenly, God has another worship leader, Adam. Yet Satan sees something exclusive about the worship Adam brings to God. Adam freely adores God with loving reverence. Worse, it brings God enormous pleasure the more Adam learns to worship.

Not one of the angels ever had the thought of not worshipping God. God created Lucifer to worship and lead worship. It hadn’t been a thing to contemplate before; it was how God ordained heaven's business.

Satan starts looking at Adam as a rival. Now Satan’s character changes and he begins to see where he is now second fiddle and it’s no place to be in the orchestra of the heavenly host.

That’s where we get God’s explanation of Lucifer’s sin in Ezekiel 28. Satan decides he wants the type of worship Adam brings to God. God says that pride entered into him and the most gorgeous cherub suddenly became the most abhorrent thing in heaven. Sin can never stand before God’s perfection and Satan has to leave heaven’s throne room.

Where’s he going to go? He’s a created being and there’s only two places available. Kicked out of the one God entirely occupies, he heads for earth and the garden.

Because everything is as it should be, Eve would have no qualms about submitting to Adam. He shows her around the neighborhood introducing her to the animals and all the fruit trees. She learns him and he learns her. It’s flawless, they are one, and both are naked. They’re naked of clothing because it wasn’t necessary and they are naked of fear, faults, or worry. God visits and the abundant life is theirs. Nothing is missing in Eve’s life. Eve’s submission was without fault and there’s no flaw in her marriage. There is no pain, no sorrow, no jealousy, and no strife. Their relationship doesn’t hurt at all.

The lord of the flies is about to land in the perfume. Satan has examined these simple little creatures for some time now and has seen how they walk and talk and interact with God. Since his defection, his one desire is be worshipped and these creatures have minds of their own. Maybe he’s tried to get cows to worship him, or serpents and concluded that’s futility. Adam and Eve, they’re different.

He can’t approach Adam, he’s always studying what to ask God at the next meeting But Eve, well, she’s always studying how to please both Adam and God.

Satan comes dressed as one of the peaceful garden creatures and offers her something other than submission. It might have seemed natural for it to speak to her, after all everything God made was good. Instead of asking why it was speaking, she entered into conversation with it. The first thing Satan does is deceive her with a lie about her relationship.

Eve could have said no. She should have said no. Eve had the perfect support group to run to and rat him out: Adam, and God. However, Eve stopped being submissive the moment she desired that fruit and ate it.

In the Garden of Eden, Satan won a small battle. But a small victory was all it was, even for the centuries he's walked to and fro on the earth, tormenting people and destroying souls. Compared to the Omnipotence of Almighty, Eternal God, it is a small victory. The created being he is, there is no successful future for Satan. His defeat was at the cross where Jesus Christ died.

And his future, final defeat is when Satan loses even the stolen control of the world when he is thrown into his eternal prison, the Lake of Fire.

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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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A Miracle Marriage

"So Boaz took Ruth and she became his wife; 

and when he went in to her, the LORD gave her 

conception, and she bore a son" Ruth 4:13.

God had a personal purpose in this marriage. When Adam sinned,God knew how He would bring forgiveness into the world. To do this, God formed a family line beginning with Abraham, the father of the Jewish nation. Matthew records the entire family line from Abraham to Jesus in the opening of his gospel. (Which, by the way, is a fascinating historical account of some of God's miracles).

The record of Obed's birth is God’s ability to work seemingly bad circumstances for the purpose of good. This impossible marriage of Boaz and Ruth took place as a God-blessed miracle union.

Here are a few incidents that happened for this marriage to take place.

• God chose Abraham out of idolatry and made him the father of the Jewish nation. (Gen. 12:1)
• Abraham begets Isaac and Isaac begets Jacob, who begets Judah. (Gen. 21:1-7, Gen. 24:66, Gen. 29:35)
• Judah is the father of Perez (Gen 38)
• God set up the law of the Gleaning as the system of welfare to support the poorest people. (Lev. 19: 9,10)
• God sets up the Kinsman/Redeemer law. (Deut. 25: 5-10)
• God saved Rahab at the destruction of Jericho. (Joshua 6: 22-23)
• Because of drought and famine in the land, Elimelech takes his family down to Moab where his son Mahlon marries Ruth. (Ruth 1:2)
• Mahlon dies. (Ruth 1:5)
• Following her mother-in-law, Naomi, Ruth comes to Israel, turning her back on her own land and its idolatry to follow Naomi's God. (Ruth 1:16-18)
• They return in the time of harvest. (Ruth 1:22)
• God helps Ruth to the right field. (Ruth 2:3)
• Boaz meets Ruth. (Ruth 2)
• Boaz is an honorable, God-fearing man who exercises the Kinsman Redeemer law to marry Ruth. (Ruth 3:10-4:12)
• Obed is born
• In this lineage, Jesus is born just as God had planned from the beginning. (Ruth 4:13)

Ruth was a poor, foreign widow, from a nation of idolatry, with no way of salvation. Boaz was a strong follower of the Jewish law. These two people would never be together in ordinary circumstances, yet, in His sovereignty, God moved the impossible to accomplish the extraordinary marriage of Ruth and Boaz.

This miracle marriage was an integral part of the Ancestry of Jesus. "Salmon begot Boaz by Rahab, Boaz begot Obed by Ruth" Matthew 1:5.

Nothing is impossible with God. All that He does is only miraculous from our viewpoint.

Miracles are standard procedure for Almighty God!

The Best Man for the Job

"I desire therefore that the men pray everywhere, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting" 1 Timothy 2:8.

Ever consider how much God knew and trusted Joseph to be the step-father of His Son on earth?

In the account of how Joseph became aware of his betroth's pregnancy, it says he thought about these things. At one point he even contemplated a private divorce. This man was hurting.

While their marriage was likely arranged, at some point, he must have loved this girl, even now pregnant with someone else's child. We can assume the situation estranged them from their families. It is possible they didn't have a big wedding party or feast among family and friends. Even though they hadn't been sexually intimate, with the exception of her cousin Elizabeth, it would be normal that no one else believed them.

God knew something about Joseph that no one else knew and He chose the man who would provide the early home for the baby Jesus. As Jesus grew into a young man, Mary and Joseph loved Him as their son. So much so, there came a day when Jesus had to remind them both of who He was and why He came. (Luke 2:41-49)

As little as we're told about him, though with a major roll to play, Joseph is easily overlooked in the Christmas story. There was no way around it, Mary needed a Husband. And with the most important infant to be born into the world on the way, she needed a strong Spiritual leader, and he had to be a man who would trust in God through the tough times. And here we see God's knowledge of men's hearts as He Mary Joseph. God knew Joesph's heart as well as He knew Mary's heart.

Matthew 1:20 says Joseph was thinking about the problem of the pregnancy and certainly his meditation included prayers for help, asking God what he's to do about Mary. His answer came through the dream appearance of the angel sent to tell him not to fear marriage to Mary.

The Scriptures says Joseph when he found out about the baby, he thought about quietly separating from Mary but the angel confirmed Mary's words of how she is pregnant. Joseph's response is a beautiful picture of a godly man trusting his God. He must have been looking for the Messiah and now he learns he's to be part of the fulfillment of prophecy.

And as Mary was obedient, Joseph also believed God and did all he was told.

God knew Joesph was the Best Man for the job

What an example of trust and obedience in times when a stand against the norm is needed.

Six Habit-Forming Daily Devotions

Ever wonder if you've prayed enough? Well, you have to answer that one for yourself, but here is a list of six ideas to overcome the challenge of daily devotions in a busy life.

1. Pray before getting out of bed.

Even if you're late and running with the pedal to the metal, don't swing your legs off the bed before saying something to God. Need a short list of prayer requests?

• His Wisdom for whatever you encounter in the day
• His Help with any trouble you're facing
• For someone's salvation
• For someone's health
• Anybody for any reason that comes to mind
• Lord, Help me bless someone today 
• Thank you, Lord

2. Speak a prayer aloud for your spouse or children

Still in a rush? Even in a quick passing, lay your hand on the shoulder of at least one person in your care and say a short prayer. Need a short list of prayer requests? In each short prayer, name the person as you bring them before God.

• Lord, protect (name)
• Lord, I love (name)
• Lord, help (name) today
• Lord, give (name) a peaceful day
• Lord, Thank You for giving (name) to me
• Lord, help me be (name) Husband or Help me be (name) Wife, or Help me be (name) parent

3. Speak a Scripture verse to God

Are you still running late? Don't have time to look up any Bible verses, or read any devotional material? Well, most Christian homes have a verse plaque hanging somewhere, be it Bathroom, Kitchen, or Hallway. Stop and read it to God, taking a breather to think about the power in those words. If you have only a few, then make sure you get more and hang them all over your house. You'll never be without blessing material.

4. Speak a verse aloud

Do you commute in a personal auto? You have time to meditate on at least one verse. If you ride public transport or carpool, maybe you have to wait until you're alone. Take sometime during your day to say a verse aloud. Speaking Scripture is wonderful. You get to think it, feel it in your mouth, and hear it said. Three blessings. Are you at home? Then you can bless a family member with your worship. Maybe you can even speak the verse together, doubling the blessing.

5. Pray before tasting every piece of food or swallow of drink

Even if you're grabbing a doughnut and coffee at the drive-thru, say Thank You, God. You couldn't drive through to get your doughnut and coffee if it weren't for God. It's His car, His food, and especially His money you're spending. He even made it possible for the Drive-Thru to exist at that location.

6. Speak the name of Jesus aloud

For any believer, the name of Jesus is a loving word. It cannot be spoken without some thought about His Holiness, or Grace, or Crucifixion, or Resurrection, or Lordship, or His Forgiveness.

Nurture the habit of speaking love aloud and it'll grow easier every day. As you speak verses and prayers aloud around your family and even among your friends, they'll catch the worship habit as well and multiply the blessing to God.

"For faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God" 

Romans 10:17. NKJ

# # #

For more ideas on prayers for the people in your life, 

download this free PDF file. 

Ten Things to Pray For in the Lives of Others

Would You Forgive My Father?

Ormand Grant was a very smart man, a thinker, a planner, a gambler, and a schemer. My Father could have been a very great man.

He could draw 3-demesional designs to create detailed machinery and it's inner workings. My Father could rebuild automobiles from the chassis to the chrome. My Father could tear down an engine and put it back together better than it was before.

My Father read voraciously anything from Popular Mechanics to Pulp Fiction. My Father was a great story-teller. He spoke well. My Father could laugh and make jokes.

My Father had a fine singing voice. He was rhythmical and could more than adequately play simple percussion instruments when the occasion came up.

My Father could dance, even on roller skates.

My Father was married to Mother for 22 years. My Father raised five children, two boys and three girls.

My Father taught me how paddle a canoe, make a campfire, catch and cook fish, build a shelter, read a map, use a compass, read the stars, and find my way out of the woods without aide of  any of those things.

My Father worked hard when he had a job to do.

My Father rooted for the Red Sox every season.

I could admire such a man.

I could.

But I didn't.

My Father had a sexual perversion that destroyed our home.

My Father was a Pediphile.

In September 1967, we moved to St Albans Maine. I was 4 years old, and the next to the last child. It was a strange house with no electricity nor running water, no indoor plumbing. I don't recall being frightened of the house, but things were somehow darker with just kerosine lamps and lanterns. Vastly different from our house on Nancy Avenue in Beacon Falls Connecticut. (Mother and Father were native Mainers but Father had a job in Connecticut for a while)

I don't remember the first winter but I understand it was cold. It was the worst winter in years and one night Father almost died in a blizzard walking home from work at the Stryers Woolen Mill in Corinna .

We had a wood stove that first winter but my ingenious Father designed a gravity-fed oil burner furnace in the basement. Now with hot air heat, the wood stove was a goner. The next thing was to get the water pump into the kitchen and that happened the following year, I think.

It was Father's intention all along to improve on the house. In that first year he had designed a windmill and was even working on the blades in his 'shop' in the shed. I still remember the big sheets of metal. Without electricity, he was hand-drilling holes in the metal then sawing through it to cut the fan blades.

We had a huge garden. Father had us go fishing in the swamp near our house and bring home everything we caught. We placed a fish under every corn seed. The Yellow and Gold corn we had that year grew 14 foot stalks. We had potatoes, peas, green beans, carrots, and tons of food. Mother's Mother stayed with us for a time to help Mother learn to can it all.

I didn't know how much Mother and Father gave up to live in that house but later I learned Father went from a $50, 000 a year salary to minimum wage. His high paying job was moved overseas and the mill in Connecticut closed. Father always intended to get electricity to our house and open his own garage and auto body shop.

It was his intention to improve always.

Father didn't adjust well to being poor. He drank. Beer wasn't his downfall as much as the whiskey. He would get fighting mad on a whiskey drunk and my Father was a large man who knew a lot about fighting.

Father was raised a non-attending Catholic. Once in a while, he took us to the Pleasant Street Baptist church in Corinna. Things weren't very bad that first year.

Things somehow went all wrong. Father stopped going to church. His drinking worsened. Then life suddenly became strange. I don't know if he began with me, or my older sister first but when I was five years old, I became a sexual attraction with him. He would touch me and have me touch him. He said it was making babies and told me it was what a man and woman did when they loved each other. He told me it made him love me more and more.

If Father asked if I loved him the only answer was Yes.

 And I was never, ever, ever to tell anyone. "Promise, or Daddy would get hurt."

I didn't tell anyone. I began hating my Father.

At age seven I wanted to kill myself. --or him.

By that time I know my sisters were being abused. His drinking worsened and his anger rose with it. Mother had bruises and cried  sometimes. We were poor before, now we were poorer. Our lawn was littered with beer cans and liquor bottles. Father wouldn't come home paydays, with the money for Mother to shop.

I know a seven year old is capable of premeditated murder. I dreamed of ways to kill him and how i would explain it to the police. I hated him.

My oldest brother permanently moved out of the house at age 14. He'd been gone on and off from age 12 but he'd found a family to take him in. I never was close to him, barely knowing him.

My oldest sister ran away at age 17 and was gone for almost two years.

My other older brother lived at a state funded school for poor children.

That left me and my little sister. And Mother.

I became Father's little wife. He would buy me horsy things because I loved horses. He took me to where I could ride horses. He took me camping which I loved. He let me drive the car, so at age 12, I went for the fun of that. All for a price. He loved me, so he said.

In 1973, Father had surgery on his neck that made it impossible for him to turn his head without turning his upper body. He began getting Social Security Disability. He drank more, was less at home and even less a providing husband and father.

It was hard on us all. My older sister came home for a short time and ran off again. My older Brother seldom visited at all and my other brother was still mostly living at school.

I suppose my little sister got strange too but I got weird. I became frightened of everything and everybody. I was happiest out in the woods, far away from people. I dreamed of doing amazing things, of being invisible, or being a long-lost princess, of running away to get a job on a horse ranch, be a race car driver. I imagined having the FBI rescue me. I often planned ways to run off to live in the woods, designing how to build a shelter and then make trinkets and draw pictures to trade for food.

I studied ways to kill myself. In my imagination, I could do anything, even returning from the dead to spy on everyone and see if they actually missed me, which I didn't believe they would.

In January 1977, Father left for Florida. Just up and left us in the middle of winter. Mother with no income and three children to care for as my next older brother was home from school. We got very, very poor. I didn't know until later that people gave Mother all the help she needed for that first six months and she paid back every cent in the next twenty years. At that time, an abandoned mother couldn't file for State help for six months.

Father came back the next summer but Mother had the state help then and he didn't actually come back to live with us. He had a live-in woman down in Hallowell Maine but it began all over again. I was a weird, mixed up kid. Really odd and solitary. I was 13

Mother moved us to a house with electricity, running water and indoor plumbing. Father came around every so often and took me for rides. He took me camping and let me drive.

I began taking drugs, anything anyone handed me. All you had to do was explain how to take it and give it to me. I was already a drinker from age 7. Father taught me how to drink, and if you handed me anything alcoholic, I drank it.

Now that we were where I could get to stores alone, I started stealing. I could get my own things.

Suicide was always an option, either by choice or accidental, didn't matter. I thought about it.

I quit school at age 13. Mother always feared the school system would come after her not having me in school, but no one ever came. I guess they could see I was a lost cause and not worth the trouble. Mother got me psychiatry help. It didn't work.

I dated drug dealers. I traded sex for drugs. I stole things. I hated. I went with my Father because I could get things.

I can go on and on but I'll jump to age twenty-four. No, back up a bit. At age 18 I married. Imagine that! Mother was losing her state income on me and I needed someone to take care of me. In my mental state, there was no way I was capable of going out in the public and get a job. I latched onto a man to take care of my housing, food, and whatever. Only he didn't. Within a year he had gone back to his mother. It turned out he needed as much help as I sdid.

Mother moved us again. I actually got a job working at the dairy farm of the man she rented from. I worked for day wages, helping during milking and through the summer, haying.

Father came occasionally, but he and his woman traveled a lot. He lived in Florida during the winters and in Maine summers. But he came for me. I was still his little wife. I was still weird.

Then in 1989, Father's live-in woman in Florida, died. He called and asked me to come down there if he bought me a ticket. I went. I told myself I went to see my next oldest brother who had just gotten out of the Air Force. I missed him. We had been best friends and he was safe to be with.

Father took me to all the Florida Tourists attractions. I got to drive. I enjoyed Florida as a visit. I missed Maine. I missed Ivan, my boss, whom I now lived with. I didn't love Father.

My Brother invited me to church. I went. I heard a wonderful preacher talking about Jesus dying for me. I went back again and heard more about this Jesus who died for me.

Who would die for me?

When I finally figured out God died in my place, for my weirdness, my self-loathing, my awful, evils, I cried and went forward and ask Jesus to forgive me and save me. I became born-again.

Suddenly, I had this new life. Suddenly, I had this new feeling that Father could never touch this life and ruin it. I was feeling a love that was absolutely different.

Father didn't like me any more.

When I asked him to come to my baptism, he told me he wouldn't step into a church ever again. Back when I was 5 years old, when we were so poor, when he took us to church, someone told him he needed to wear a suit to church. His work clothes weren't dignified enough for the assembly.

Father sat in the car outside while I was baptized.

I came back to Maine and Father never touched me again.

*I won't go into all the things I went through in my first years of Christianity. I had way too much craziness to overcome and it wasn't easy. With a wonderful woman taking me under her wing and the care of a pastor who knew how to be kind and gentle in his counseling, I came to trust Jesus and His love.

Father died in 1988 of cancer. Learning he had cancer, he married his new live-in woman, hoping to keep Mother from getting his Social Security checks. He died four months later and upon receiving her first check from his SS, she said, "He's finally supporting me."

I didn't go to his funeral.

Now, for all of you who have read this thus far, would you forgive my Father?

I want to tell you something about Jesus. Jesus is God. God is perfect. Jesus is perfect. Nothing sinful can stand in His presence. His perfectness has to destroy sin and imperfection, He is that pure. It is as natural as your breathing. That is why it is imperative for people to be born-again into Jesus, to be saved from God's perfect wrath against sin.

God would forgive my Father if he had asked Him. God's love is that perfect. Jesus died for all my Father's imperfections, weirdness, evilness, and perversion. Jesus died for Ormand Grant's sins.

Jesus would forgive him and accept him into heaven when he died. My Father had every chance to be forgiven by God because God is that forgiving.

Would you forgive him?

My step-mother told me that Father asked for a priest before he died. Remember my Father was sort- of raised a catholic. My Father knew he was in need of forgiveness but the priest didn't get there before my Father hemorrhaged, bled, and died in Togus Veterans Hospital in Augusta, in June of 1988.


My Father could be in heaven waiting for me right now. My father could be dressed in the white robe of righteousness, clothed by the shed blood of Jesus 2000 years ago on the Roman cross for the sin of the world.

I know that a priest cannot forgive anyone's sins, only God. No man can give perfect forgiveness for any other man's sins. It doesn't matter that the priest didn't come. What does matter is if my Father knew he needed to be forgiven and that God would forgive, and if he asked God for forgiveness, my Father is in heaven right now, waiting for me.

And I will be so glad to see him.

It took me a long time to forgive my Father. I truly think that if he hadn't died in 1988, it would have taken me a lot longer to heal, but I am a child of God and my God is awesome. Now, I may still be weird, but I'm not that weird anymore.

I ask you again--would you forgive my Father?



* For more on my Personal testimony see PDF file My Testimony. See also chapter VI From Dregs to Pure, in my EBook Squished! Why God Seemingly Destroys Our Fruit. available at Amazon.com