Tag: bsf exile and return lesson 13

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BSF Study Questions Exile & Return: A Time to Build Lesson 13, Day 4: Esther 2:1-18

November 19, 2025October 31, 2025 by atozmom, posted in BSF Exile & Return: A Time to Build 2025/2026

Summary of Esther 2:1-18

After Vashti, King Ahasuerus’s servants gathered beautiful virgins for a new queen from all over his kingdom. They are to be placed under the care of the king’s eunuch, Hegai, and given makeovers. Esther, a Jewish orphan raised by her cousin Mordecai, was taken to the palace. She wont he favor of Hegai and was provided for. She concealed her identity, won the favor of all, and after 12 months of preparation, the king loved her most and crowned her queen. A banquet was given and a holiday proclaimed.

BSF Study Questions Exile & Return: A Time to Build Lesson 13, Day 4: Esther 2:1-18

10) King Ahasuerus’s servants gathered beautiful virgins for a new queen from all over his kingdom. They are to be placed under the care of the king’s eunuch, Hegai, and given makeovers. Then, the one who pleases the king the most will be made queen.

11a) Mordecai is introduced. His ancestors had been carried into exile from Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon. Mordecai’s cousin was Esther, whom he had raised since she was an orphan. She was beautiful.

b) No doubt she would have been excluded if it had been known she was a Jew, since they were technically servants in the Persian kingdom and discriminated against. Mordecai likely advised secrecy for protection and strategy. Revealing her Jewish identity could have exposed her to prejudice, disqualifying her or endangering her. It also allowed her to gain influence impartially, positioning her as a “sleeper agent” who could later save her people without the king suspecting her agenda.

c) She pleased Hegai and won his favor. Immediately, he provided her with her beauty treatments and special food. He assigned to her seven female attendants selected from the king’s palace and moved her and her attendants into the best place in the harem. In sum, she got preferential treatment!

12) The king was attracted to Esther more than to any of the other women, and she won his favor and approval more than any of the other virgins. So he set a royal crown on her head and made her queen.

13) My job. Coaching. Saved from unruly situations. His hand has been on my life in many ways.

Conclusions BSF Study Questions Exile & Return: A Time to Build Lesson 13, Day 4: Esther 2:1-18

Love how we see God at work! This shows us that we all have a place in God’s plan for our lives. There is a purpose for all of us. Great stuff!

End Notes BSF Study Questions Exile & Return: A Time to Build Lesson 13, Day 4: Esther 2:1-18

History tells us that this takes place 4 years after Esther 1. Xerxes had recently been defeated by the Greeks and is now looking for a new wife.

Xerxes planned to assemble a harem and choose his most favored one to be queen. Historians estimate there were 400 women chosen from all over his kingdom.

Esther and Mordecai did not return with Ezra.

Esther means “star” and her Jewish name (Hadassah) means myrtle.

None of the women had a choice to go to Xerxes.

We should not normally hide the fact we are Christians; yet, there are times when it is prudent.

The 12 months preparation time was to ensure the women were not pregnant because the King did not want a child not his.

The fate of those not chosen was grim. They would be banished to the harem, rarely see the king, and could not marry another.

Beauty does gain attention and should not be shunned.

God had a plan, and Esther was a big part of it. None of what happened to her was happenstance.

God uses the evil of Xerxes ousting his former queen for good.

No one can defeat God’s plan for our lives, no matter what they do to us.

END NOTES SUMMARIZED

This passage details the providential rise of Esther. After King Ahasuerus’s anger subsides, a search is launched for a new queen. This search is a systematic, state-run operation to gather beautiful virgins for the king’s harem.

We are introduced to Esther, a beautiful Jewish orphan, and her cousin Mordecai, who raised her. Esther is taken into this system, where she wins the “favor” of Hegai, the eunuch in charge. On Mordecai’s orders, she conceals her Jewish identity. Following Hegai’s advice, Esther captivates the king, who loves her more than any other woman and makes her queen in Vashti’s place.

Conclusion

Esther 2:1-18 demonstrates God’s hidden hand at work. In a story defined by pagan power, lust, and human scheming, God strategically places his own person in the highest position of power in the empire. Esther’s concealment of her identity and her obedience to Mordecai are the very factors that make her available for this role, setting the stage for her to become the savior of her people.

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BSF Study Questions Exile & Return: A Time to Build Lesson 13, Day 3: Esther 1:10-22

November 18, 2025October 31, 2025 by atozmom, posted in BSF Exile & Return: A Time to Build 2025/2026

Summary of Esther 1:10-22

Drunk, King Ahasuerus ordered Queen Vashti to display her beauty before the people, but she refused. Enraged, the king consulted his advisors. Fearing widespread domestic disobedience, they issued a royal decree banishing Vashti and commanding all wives throughout the empire to honor their husbands. He is to give her royal position to someone else who is better. The royal decree was issued, proclaiming that every man shall be ruler over his own household.

BSF Study Questions Exile & Return: A Time to Build Lesson 13, Day 3: Esther 1:10-22

6) King Xerxes commanded the Queen to come to him, wearing her royal crown, in order to display her beauty to the people and nobles.

7) She wanted to be seen as more powerful than the king. She just wanted to say no to see what would happen. She didn’t feel like coming and being an object. Vashti likely refused to protect her royal dignity and personal modesty. The king was drunk, and his command to parade her “beauty” before his drunken guests was a demeaning objectification. It violated Persian customs that secluded royal women and reduced her from a queen to a spectacle.

8a) King Xerxes issued a royal decree, proclaiming that every man shall be ruler over his own household, and the Queen must never again enter Xerxes’ presence.

b) Xerxes’ ungodly authority was self-serving, impulsive, and insecure. Driven by pride and rage, he used force to objectify Vashti and demand respect. In contrast, godly authority is service-oriented, self-controlled, and humble, seeking to honor others and earning respect through wisdom and love, not threats.

9) Many times. You have to do what is right, or you can’t live with yourself. Oftentimes, it resulted in shunning or isolation. But God never leaves me!

Conclusions BSF Study Questions Exile & Return: A Time to Build Lesson 13, Day 3: Esther 1:10-22

I love how we see the shallowness of the King here and how easily he can be persuaded. No wonder the Persian Empire was obliterated from the Earth.

End Notes BSF Study Questions Exile & Return: A Time to Build Lesson 13, Day 3: Esther 1:10-22

Bible scholars argue that there was most likely an argument at the table and a debate about who had the most beautiful wife, so the King decided to lay the matter to rest. She may have been expected to be immodest here, too.

Note that wives are to submit to their husbands, but not obey if it causes her to sin. God’s commands come before men’s.

The King was foolish here to back his advisors and not his queen.

A wife’s respect is the most precious gift she can give her husband. Xerxes here tried to demand respect; it should be a gift.

END NOTES SUMMARIZED

This passage details a crisis of power in the Persian court. When a drunken King Ahasuerus commands Queen Vashti to be paraded as an object to display her beauty, she refuses, publicly humiliating him.

This act of defiance is not treated as a private marital dispute but as a political threat. The king’s advisors, led by Memucan, spin the event, fearing it will inspire widespread rebellion from all wives in the empire. Their solution is a legal one: banish Vashti and issue an absurd royal decree, sent to all 127 provinces, commanding that every man must be “master in his own household.”

Conclusion

This episode exposes the fragility of the king’s supposedly absolute power. His authority, built on lavish displays, is shown to be hollow, easily threatened by a single act of defiance. The over-the-top, foolish decree reveals a court that is insecure and farcical. Most importantly, Vashti’s removal, born from a drunken whim and political panic, creates the very power vacuum that God will providentially use to elevate Esther to the throne.

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BSF Study Questions Exile & Return: A Time to Build Lesson 13, Day 2: Esther 1:1-9

November 17, 2025October 31, 2025 by atozmom, posted in BSF Exile & Return: A Time to Build 2025/2026

Summary of Esther 1:1-9

King Xerxes gave a banquet for his nobles and officials in the 3rd year of his reign. Then he gave a feast for the citizens. Each guest was allowed to drink with no restrictions. Queen Vashti also gave a banquet for all the women in the royal palace of King Xerxes.

BSF Study Questions Exile & Return: A Time to Build Lesson 13, Day 2: Esther 1:1-9

3) Xerxes ruled the kingdom of Persia. He ruled over 127 provinces stretching from India to Cush (the upper Nile region of Egypt).

4a) Lavish to say the least. For a full 180 days he displayed the vast wealth of his kingdom and the splendor and glory of his majesty. The king gave a banquet, lasting seven days, in the enclosed garden of the king’s palace, for all the people from the least to the greatest who were in the citadel of Susa.The garden had hangings of white and blue linen, fastened with cords of white linen and purple material to silver rings on marble pillars. There were couches of gold and silver on a mosaic pavement of porphyry, marble, mother-of-pearl and other costly stones.Wine was served in goblets of gold, each one different from the other, and the royal wine was abundant, in keeping with the king’s liberality.By the king’s command each guest was allowed to drink with no restrictions, for the king instructed all the wine stewards to serve each man what he wished.

b) To display his wealth and power for all to see so that no one would challenge him. Xerxes’ 180-day feast was likely a strategic war council, not just a party. He gathered leaders to plan his invasion of Greece, securing their loyalty and resources. It was also a massive propaganda display—showing his immense wealth and power to intimidate rivals and satisfy his own ego.

5a) Many define success as having wealth. Many like to display this wealth for all to see. However, others don’t. Many define success by their family. Our culture often defines success by financial wealth, career status, and material possessions. This success is then externally validated through public recognition, fame, and social media influence, which are often equated with personal worth and achievement.

b) I think we are all tempted at some point because it is so predominant in our culture. However, God is my lynch pin.

c) Doing His will. Helping others. Putting others first. Raising my family. Spreading His light unto the world.

Conclusions BSF Study Questions Exile & Return: A Time to Build Lesson 13, Day 2: Esther 1:1-9

It must have been insane to have seen such parties back in the day!

End Notes BSF Study Questions Exile & Return: A Time to Build Lesson 13, Day 2: Esther 1:1-9

Esther is a historical book of the Bible. It features King Xerxes of Persia, who was the son of Darius I of Persia around 483 BC. Xerxes was planning to invade Greece (which would fail). It takes place in the middle of the book of Ezra, between chapters 6 and 7. This takes place before the second wave of exiles return to Jerusalem under King Artaxerxes, who may have been her son or step-son.

Persia was the largest empire that most people had seen, covering most of the Middle East and into Egypt and Asia. The Jewish people were dispersed all throughout the Persian Empire, but they maintained their separation, culture, and identity with God. Hence, they were persecuted and discriminated against, which is why Esther concealed her identity to the King. She rose to power so God could use her to save His people. God is always in control!

There are 3 feasts here:

One for his government officials and servants that lasted 180 days. The reason for this was to show off the glory and riches of his kingdom.
The 2nd feast was for the citizens of the capital city of Susa. The reason for this was most likely pride and to show off his wealth and prestige, as well as his generosity
The 3rd feast was for the women of the royal palace, hosted by Queen Vashti.

END NOTES SUMMARIZED

Esther 1:1-9 sets the stage by establishing the immense power, wealth, and extravagance of the Persian Empire under King Ahasuerus (Xerxes). The narrative emphasizes the vastness of his kingdom (127 provinces) and, most notably, the opulent, 180-day feast thrown purely to display his “glorious kingdom” and “splendor.” This is followed by another lavish, seven-day banquet for all the people in the capital.

The detailed descriptions of luxurious decorations, free-flowing wine, and separate feasts (including Queen Vashti’s for the women) paint a picture of a court defined by excess, self-indulgence, and a focus on outward appearances.

Conclusion

This opening passage meticulously establishes a world dominated by seemingly absolute human power and worldly splendor. It portrays a culture of excess and arbitrary rule, creating the perfect backdrop for the story that follows. This seemingly secure pagan court, governed by the whims of a prideful king, is the unlikely setting where the hidden, sovereign hand of God will work to protect His people.

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