the story of Esther

Summary

Podcast Summary: "The Story of Esther"
Christ With Coffee On Ice
Hosted by Ally Yost
Release Date: April 18, 2025

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Introduction

In the April 18, 2025 episode of Christ With Coffee On Ice, host Ally Yost delves into the profound narrative of the Book of Esther. Emphasizing themes of vulnerability, hope, and divine providence, Ally guides listeners through the complexities of Esther's story, offering scriptural insights and personal reflections. The episode encourages believers to draw strength from God's unseen hand in challenging circumstances while walking with Christ.

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Scripture and Memorization

Timestamp: [01:43]

Ally Yost begins the episode by expressing her constant desire to internalize scripture, admitting, “I have scripture in my brain all the time. But I never know, like, what it is or where it is.” She shares a personal anecdote about her father creating songs to help her memorize mathematical equations, highlighting the importance of engaging methods to retain scripture. This segues into a discussion about the significance of Psalm 118:24:

Ally Yost ([04:14]): "Psalm 118:24 says, 'This is the day that the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad in it.'"

Ally emphasizes the joy and gratitude that come from recognizing each day as a divine gift, setting a hopeful tone for the episode.

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Introduction to the Book of Esther

Timestamp: [07:38]

Ally introduces the Book of Esther, noting its unique feature where God is not explicitly mentioned. She explains:

Ally Yost ([07:51]): "The Book of Esther's main message is that God's providence and sovereignty are evident even when not explicitly mentioned. Individuals can be used by God to bring about His plan, even in difficult situations."

She provides a brief overview of Esther's background, highlighting her rise to queenship and her pivotal role in saving the Jewish people from genocide.

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Reading and Commentary on Esther Chapter 1-4

Timestamp: [08:57] - [32:55]

King Xerxes' Banquet and Queen Vashti's Refusal

Ally narrates the lavish banquet hosted by King Xerxes and Queen Vashti's subsequent refusal to appear before him, which leads to her banishment. She offers commentary on the king's pride and the consequences of Vashti's steadfastness:

Ally Yost ([15:04]): "It's just not good stuff. As to which country had the most beautiful women, the king decided to settle the issue by putting his wife, the queen, on public display."

Esther's Rise to Queenship

The story progresses to Esther's selection as the new queen. Ally discusses Mordecai's role in protecting Esther and her strategic rise within the royal harem. She highlights Esther's favor with King Xerxes and her secret Jewish identity:

Ally Yost ([23:23]): "Esther was taken to King Xerxes at the royal palace in early winter of the seventh year of his reign. And the king loved Esther more than any of the other young women. He was so delighted with her that he set the royal crown on her head and declared her queen instead of Vashti."

Haman's Plot Against the Jews

Ally details Haman's ascension to power and his malicious decree to annihilate the Jewish population. She emphasizes the themes of pride, manipulation, and the impending danger faced by the Jews:

Ally Yost ([22:16]): "This is literally awful. This is such evil."

Mordecai's Plea and Esther's Resolve

The narrative reaches a critical juncture as Mordecai urges Esther to intervene, risking her life to save her people. Ally underscores Esther's courage and faith:

Ally Yost ([20:52] & [22:39]): "Maybe you were made queen for such a time as this."
Ally Yost ([24:04]): "If I must die, I must die."

She highlights the pivotal moment where Esther decides to approach the king despite the personal risk, demonstrating unwavering commitment to her faith and heritage.

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Insights and Reflections

Throughout the reading, Ally interweaves personal reflections and theological insights. She explores the underlying message of Esther's story, focusing on God's subtle yet powerful presence:

Ally Yost ([16:41]): "Every command to submit on a human level is conditioned by their higher obligation to obey God before man."

Ally reflects on the importance of wisdom, courage, and divine purpose, encouraging listeners to recognize their roles in God's greater plan, even when His presence is not overtly stated.

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Conclusion and Upcoming Content

As the episode concludes, Ally acknowledges the cliffhanger ending of Esther Chapter 4 and teases the continuation in the next episode. She reiterates the significance of Esther's bravery and the hopeful message of divine intervention:

Ally Yost ([40:12]): "We are going to pick up where we left off, which is at the top of Esther chapter five. We will finish the story because there's only... Yeah, this is like a whole nother episode, which is great."

Ally closes with an invitation for listeners to subscribe for early access and support the podcast, reinforcing the community aspect of Christ With Coffee On Ice.

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Notable Quotes

• Ally Yost ([04:14]): "Psalm 118:24 says, 'This is the day that the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad in it.'"
• Ally Yost ([07:51]): "The Book of Esther's main message is that God's providence and sovereignty are evident even when not explicitly mentioned."
• Ally Yost ([15:04]): "It's just not good stuff. As to which country had the most beautiful women, the king decided to settle the issue by putting his wife, the queen, on public display."
• Ally Yost ([22:16]): "This is literally awful. This is such evil."
• Ally Yost ([20:52]): "Maybe you were made queen for such a time as this."
• Ally Yost ([24:04]): "If I must die, I must die."

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Final Thoughts

Ally Yost's exploration of the Book of Esther in this episode offers a blend of biblical exposition, personal experience, and heartfelt encouragement. By dissecting Esther's journey, Ally invites listeners to reflect on their own roles within God's narrative, fostering a deeper connection with scripture and an inspired walk with Christ.

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End of Summary

Transcript

[Ali Yost]

I don't know where this has come from, y'all. Maybe it's from the Lord.

[Unknown]

Maybe it's a good thing.

[Ali Yost]

But lately I've been getting more concerned about all of the chemicals in my products.

[Unknown]

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[Ali Yost]

Just like my beauty products and anything else that could have harsh chemicals in it. And these days, it seems like everything has so many unnecessary chemicals in it. And I was really surprised to learn.

[Unknown]

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[Ali Yost]

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[Unknown]

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[Ali Yost]

That I'm not exposing myself and even potentially my dogs. Like, I literally wash all of their.

[Unknown]

Bedding in this stuff that we're not getting exposed to those unnecessary toxins anymore. If you want a gentler clean, switch.

[Ali Yost]

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[Unknown]

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[Ali Yost]

Hello, everybody. Welcome to another episode of Christ with Coffee on Ice. I am your host, Ali Yost. It is a joy and honor to be here with you guys. Happy Friday, everybody. How are we feeling?

[Unknown]

Are we doing?

[Ali Yost]

Yeah. I'm so. I'm so excited for today. I am. Simply because, as I always say, I will never stop saying it. It's just a joy and honor to be here with you guys. We are going to rejoice in this day because this day is the Lord's. What is that? Scripture? Guys, I will admit, I just want to be better. I have scripture in my brain all the time. But I never know, like, what it is or where it is.

[Unknown]

And so I feel like I'm always like, it's like that scripture that goes. But I can never be like, oh, Psalm 118:24 says, like, I want to be that type of Christian. You know, I think ultimately knowing God.

[Ali Yost]

And being in relationship with him and, you know, doing your best is good, but there can be goals we can set. And for me, I want to be able to be like someone 1824. But I also was never that type of person in school. Memorizing things was so hard for me. But one thing that my dad did do right, and I think this is probably what I just have to do because I know that this exists, actually. But growing up, when my dad would help me study for school, like for tests or whatever, if I had to memorize things, he would make up songs for me because he'd be like, sometimes it's easier if it's put in a song or like in a little jingle. So we would make up these jingles. I remember there were songs that we would sing about mathematical equations. There was one that was like, 8 times 8 is 48. 7 times 8 is it? I don't even actually know it anymore. But there was a whole song that we made about, like, mathematical equations.

[Unknown]

And I did great in math that year because there were songs that we made up.

[Ali Yost]

So that was kind of fun.

[Unknown]

And maybe that just shows, like, my musical brain. But I think that could be for all of us. I don't know. There's different ways to memorize things for.

[Ali Yost]

All the different people.

[Unknown]

But for me, songs was best. So when I say there are things like this that exist. Ali, your train of thought is awful right now. I'm so sorry, guys. Bear with me today, okay? Bear with me today. There are songs that are just scripture. I mean, we used one of them as our intro for Jesus freaks. Our intro music is literally scripture. And so maybe that's what I need to do to memorize scripture more. Is music question mark. Should I just get to it and read this scripture? Okay. Psalm 118:24 says, this is the day that the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad in it. We're going to be glad and we're.

[Ali Yost]

Going to rejoice because this is the day that the Lord has made.

[Unknown]

Thank you, Jesus. Thank you, God. That we are alive today. That we can be together today. That the sun is shining. I don't know wherever you're at, even if it's Cloudy. The sun is shining. You just can't see it.

[Ali Yost]

It's blocked, but it's there. It's shining.

[Unknown]

So the sun is shining.

[Ali Yost]

God is good.

[Unknown]

He has put breath into our lungs today. So, yeah, let us rejoice in that and let us be glad in it. Anyway, guys, I don't know what we're doing today. Story of my life, guys. Story of my life. I just like to riff with the Lord. I like to freestyle, like, freestyle beatboxing type. I just like to freestyle with God. It's fun, it's exciting, it's exhilarating. For me, it's probably slightly irresponsible, but I like to do it. What should we do today, guys? We should. What we could do is, when in doubt, we could just read the Word of God. I do like when we do that. I think that it's productive and it's good. And I think it's always good to just have the Word of God in our ears and reading it. Of course. But even if you're not in a place to read it physically with me hearing it, Word of God is just healing. It's everything. Thank you, God. So we could do that. We could just read the Bible. What should we read? Okay, let's see. Abba, what should we read? Old Testament. Oh, should we read Esther? Let's see. I just want to see what jumps out at me. Make it jump, God. Make it jump. I feel like he's saying, you could read Esther, girl. Okay, I'm going to read Esther. We might even be able to read all of Esther, because it's really not that long, I don't think. Okay, here we are.

[Ali Yost]

We made it.

[Unknown]

Okay. Also, my Bible, isn't it gorgeous and beautiful? So every Bible that I have showed you on the podcast. Jk, jk, jk. The very first Bible that I ever read and I still love and adore. I might even break her out from time to time. I did get that from Barnes and Noble. That was my story, is, I went to Barnes and Noble and I got it, and it's beautiful, and it's floral and it's pink and it's girly. Love her. But my last two Bibles that I have had that I've shown on the podcast is from this brand called Hosanna Revival. Am I saying that right? Girl, get it together.

[Ali Yost]

Hosanna Revival. And they are perfect. They're everything. You guys need to go on their website, look at their stuff. They have the most beautiful Bibles, journals. Stunning. So aesthetically gorgeous. Especially very Girly. Sorry, boys. I'm sorry. There.

[Unknown]

There probably could be some that could be more me and Lee. Probably not, actually.

[Ali Yost]

A lot of them have flowers on them, but yeah, they just have such beautiful Bibles. This has to be one of the prettiest Bibles I've ever owned. I do have the NLT translation. And also I have a code for you guys. So if you ever want to shop their site, I do have a code and it's just Alyost. It's my name. A L, L, Y Y O S T. And you will always save 15% off their website. So, yeah, use that because they have the cutest, sweetest, cutie pie, girly. Poppiest tools and things for you to use, including Bibles. The ultimate tool. So anyway, that's where my Bible is from. I just get a lot of questions about that. I'm plugging them. Cause I love them. They're just such incredible people over there. And they're doing great things. So we love them. Okay, we're gonna read Esther. I know. I'm gonna botch some of the names in the story. We are not gonna be able to finish.

[Unknown]

I don't know. Maybe we can.

[Ali Yost]

All right, let's just try our best.

[Unknown]

Also, I think let's get a good.

[Ali Yost]

Old overview of the Book of Esther. Some of you are listening, and your.

[Unknown]

Name is literally Esther. Hi, Esther. I know there's some girlies out there whose name is Esther.

[Ali Yost]

Okay. The book relates the story of a Jewish woman in Persia born as Hadassah, but known as Esther, who becomes queen and essentially stops a genocide of her people. The Book of Esther's main message is that God's providence and sovereignty are evident even when not explicitly mentioned. And that individuals can be used by God to bring about his plan, even in difficult situations. Also, an interesting fact about Esther is God is not directly talked about or referred to in the Book of Esther, which is so interesting. I think that's why even in this definition, as I read it, God is not explicitly mentioned, but it still shows that individuals can be used by God to bring about his plan, even in difficult situations, which is really cool. Cool. Okay.

[Unknown]

So I think that's all we should.

[Ali Yost]

Really know so that we're, you know, we kind of have an overall understanding before we jump into it. Okay, so top of Esther, if you have a Bible near you, please join me. It's always so good to follow along with your eyeballs. But if you can't and you're, you know, driving a car or you're On a walk or something.

[Unknown]

That's okay. I'll just read it to you.

[Ali Yost]

Okay. The king's Banquet. These events happened in the days of King Xerxes, who reigned over 127 provinces stretching from India to Ethiopia. At that time, Xerxes ruled his empire from his royal throne at the fortress of Susa. In the third year of his reign, he gave a banquet for all nobles and officials. He invited all the military officers of Persia and Media, as well as the princes and nobles of the provinces. The celebration lasted 180 days. A tremendous display of the opulent wealth of his empire and the pomp and splendor of His Majesty.

[Unknown]

Okay.

[Ali Yost]

So ultimately he threw a big old party celebrating how awesome he is. Tremendous display of the wealth of his empire and the splendor of His Majesty. Okay. When it was all over, the king gave a banquet for all the people, from the greatest to the least, who were in the fortress of Susa. It lasted for seven days and was held in the courtyard of the palace garden. The courtyard was beautifully decorated with white cotton curtains and blue hangings which were fastened with white linen cords and purple ribbons to silver rings embedded in marble pillars. Gold and silver couches stood on a mosaic pavement of porphyry, marble, mother of pearl and other costly stones. Drinks were served in gold goblets of many designs. And there was an abundance of royal wine, reflecting the king's generosity. By edict of the king, no limits were placed on the drinking, for the king had instructed all his palace officials to serve each man as much as he wanted. At the same time, Queen Vashti gave a banquet for the women in the royal palace of King Xerxes. On the seventh day of the feast, when King Xerxes was in high spirits because of the wine, he told the seven eunuchs who attended him, listing off all of their names.

[Unknown]

I don't think I'm going to try to read them.

[Ali Yost]

Okay. But they list off the seven eunuchs who attended him. Okay. To bring Queen Vashti to him with the royal crown on her head. He wanted the nobles and all the other men to gaze on her beauty, for she was a very beautiful woman. But when they conveyed the king's orders to Queen Vashti, she refused to come. This made the king furious and he burned with anger. He immediately consulted with his wise advisors who knew all the Persian laws and customs, for he always asked their advice. The names of these men were. And so on. I love you, God, but I'm scared to. I can't say These names, seven nobles of Persia and Media. They met with the king regularly and held the highest positions in the empire. What must be done to Queen Vashti? The king demanded. What penalty does the law provide for a queen who refuses to obey the king's orders properly? Sent through his eunuchs, Memekin, who is one of the seven men, answered the king and his nobles. Queen Vashti has wronged not only the king, but also every noble and citizen throughout your empire. Women everywhere will begin to despise their husbands when they learn that Queen Vashti had refused to appear before the king. Before this day is out, the wives of all the king's nobles throughout Persia and Media will hear what the queen did and start treating their husbands the same way. There will be no end to their contempt and anger. So, if it please the king, we suggest that you issue a written decree, A law of the Persians and and Metis that cannot be revoked. It should order that Queen Vashti be forever banished from the presence of king Xerxes, and that the king should choose another queen more worthy than she. When this decree is published throughout the king's vast empire, husbands everywhere, whatever their rank, will receive proper respect from their wives. The king and his nobles thought this made good sense. So he followed Memekin's counsel. He sent letters to all parts of the empire, to each province in its own script and language, proclaiming that every man should be the ruler of his own home and should say whatever he pleases. Okay, I want to go to some commentary to further understand what is being said here. Okay. I'm just curious. I don't know if anyone else is, but I'm just curious and I would love some extra commentary. I use an app called Enduring Word, and it is awesome. Ashley Hetherington showed me this. It's what she uses to go for more commentary when it comes to scripture and just having more context. Okay. Three royal feasts that in the third year of his reign, he made a feast for all his officials and servants, the power of Persia and media, the nobles and the princes of the provinces being before him. So the basic reasons for these feasts was, of course, pride. The king wanted to impress his subjects with a great display of his own wealth, power, majesty, and generosity. This is typical of. Of the way that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and those who are great exercise authority over them. Okay, now fast forwarding. The third feast was for the women in the royal palace and was conducted by the wife of king Xerxes. Okay. Now we're going to talk about Queen Vashti. When the heart of the king was marry with wine, this reveals that he was drunk. According to Jewish tradition, this request came from an argument among the men at the feast as to which country had the most beautiful woman. So the reason that the king had asked for Queen Vashti to be brought was because he was, like, probably trying to say, nah, I got. I got the most beautiful wife. I got the most beautiful queen. So according to Jewish tradition, this request came from an argument among the men at the feast. This is all giving such pride, y'all. It's such pride and, like, fear of.

[Unknown]

Man, like just wanting the approval and.

[Ali Yost]

Like to impress other people. It's just not good stuff. As to which country had the most beautiful women, the king decided to settle the issue by putting his wife, the queen, on public display. It is not specifically said, but the implication that Vashti was expected to display herself in an immodest way, for she was beautiful to behold. So it looks like it was expected for her to display herself in an immodest way, which means she probably wasn't super, super covered up. I don't know. Maybe she was going to be revealing her body. And though Vashti was by no means a follower of the true God, she had enough wisdom and modesty to know that this was something she should not do. The Bible says that wives have a special responsibility to submit to their husbands. Wives, submit to your own husbands as to the Lord. Yet it does not mean that a wife must obey her husband if he commands her to submit. Sin. Every command to submit on a human level is conditioned by their higher obligation to obey God before man. However, it is important for a Christian in such a situation to maintain a submissive and respectful attitude toward the one in authority. It is possible to disobey the command of another, but do so in a submissive manner. It is impossible to say if Queen Vashti had this attitude in this situation. Jewish traditions say that her refusal had nothing to do with modesty. These stories say that she was ready to appear before the banquet completely unclothed, except that God smote her with leprosy just as she received the request.

[Unknown]

Okay.

[Ali Yost]

Therefore, the king was furious and his anger burned. Queen Vashti was therefore in a very dangerous situation. It does not seem that she put herself in this situation because it appears that she was not even at this banquet. Sadly, many women today put themselves in dangerous places, especially where alcohol is involved, showing a severe lack of wisdom. Nevertheless, it certainly gives no justification to the sin of men against an unwise woman in such a situation. When the King heeded this advice from Memican, okay, he showed himself to be unreasonable and wrong. He should have honored the dignity of his queen. Yet history's profile of the King shows him to be an unreasonable and foolish man in many cases.

[Unknown]

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[Ali Yost]

The Glorify app, I'm obviously talking about all the great things of the app.

[Unknown]

But especially the meditations.

[Ali Yost]

And I know that maybe even that word sounds a little like, oh, Ali, what are you doing?

[Unknown]

But it's literally all biblical. A lot of it is scripture. There's this one that's called Creation, which is my favorite. Basically going over the book of Genesis and how the Lord just created everything. If you're ready to celebrate Easter in a new way, join me and join Glorify's Holy Week Challenge. You'll also get access to exclusive reflections and insights from the Chosen's Laura Silva, guiding you through the season of renewal. Visit glorify-app.com alli right now to download.

[Ali Yost]

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[Unknown]

That's glorify-app.com alli to download the glorify app for free. Glorify-app.com alli Imagine if you could ask.

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My son slammed like $6 worth of.

[Ali Yost]

Blueberries in five minutes.

[Unknown]

This is a podcast about all the ways money comes into our lives and then leaves again, which, of course, we all have a lot of feelings about.

[Ali Yost]

I really want these things. I want to own a house. I want to have a child. But this morning I really wanted a coffee.

[Unknown]

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[Ali Yost]

Okay, so getting more clarity to the verse that says that each man should be master in his own house. The purpose of the harsh treatment of Vashti was so that she would not set a bad example for the other women of Persia. The king wanted to reinforce the idea of a man's leadership in the home. They were afraid that because of Queen Vashti's example, wives would despise their husbands, that there would be excessive contempt and wrath. Therefore, they wanted to ensure that each man should be master in his own home. The goal presented here was admirable and speaks to the need within every man and speaks to the need within every man to sense respect and honor from his wife. However, the means used here to gain and preserve this respect were foolish. A man cannot demand or caress respect from his wife. If it isn't freely given, then it isn't worth anything. Now we're going to continue to Esther, to the Old Testament. Y'all really, we're hanging in there, right? We're hanging in there. Okay. I think I'm understanding this.

[Unknown]

I read Esther before. I really like it when Esther comes into the picture. Okay. Because she is a boss. I just love her. Okay.

[Ali Yost]

Esther becomes queen. But after Xerxes anger had subsided, he began thinking about Vashti and what she had done and the decree he had made. So his personal attendance suggested, let us search the empire to find beautiful young virgins for the king. Let the king appoint agents in every province to bring these beautiful young women into the royal harmon. At the fortress of Susa, Higai, the king's eunuch in charge of the harem, will see that they are all given beauty treatments. After that, the young women who most pleases the king will be made queen instead of Vashti. This advice was very appealing to the king, so he put the plan into effect. At that time, there was a Jewish man in the fortress of Susa whose name was Mordecai, son of Jair. He was from the tribe of Benjamin and was a descendant of Kish and Shimai. His family had been among those who with King Jin.

[Unknown]

Guys, I'm really just going to stop trying to say these myself. I'm going to ask Siri to just say it.

[Ali Yost]

Jehoiachin.

[Unknown]

Jehoiakin. Jehoiachin. With King Jehoiakin of Judah, had been exiled from Jerusalem to Babylon by King I will not even try. I think that has 18 letters in it.

[Ali Yost]

This man had a very beautiful and lovely young cousin who was also called Esther. When her father and mother died, Mordecai adopted her into his family and raised her as his own daughter. So Mordecai adopted Esther. He is her cousin, but he adopted her and took her in as his own daughter because her parents had died.

[Unknown]

Okay, this is when the story gets. Starts to get good. Guys, we're gonna pick things up now.

[Ali Yost]

As a result of the king's decree, Esther, along with many other young women, was brought to the king's harem at the fortress of Susa and placed in Hagai's care. Hagai was very impressed with Esther and treated her kindly. He quickly ordered a special menu for her and provided her with beauty treatments. He also assigned her seven maids specially chosen from the king's palace. And he moved her and her maids into the best place in the harem. So Esther just had favor from the beginning? Esther had favor because a guy was very impressed with Esther and treated her kindly.

[Unknown]

So Esther was impressive. Okay.

[Ali Yost]

Esther had not told anyone of her nationality and family background because Mordecai had directed her not to do so. Every day, Mordecai would take a walk near the courtyard of the harem to find out about Esther and what was happening to her. Before each young woman was taken to the king's bed, she was given the prescribed 12 months of beauty treatments. Six months with oil, followed by six months with special perfumes and ointments. When it was time for her to go to the king's palace, she was given her choice of whatever clothing or jewelry she wanted to take from the harem. That evening, she was taken to the king's private rooms, and the next morning she was brought to the second harem where the king's wives lived.

[Unknown]

Guys, Old Testament. Oh, Old Testament. Okay, we're charging, we're marching. We're doing good, right? Okay.

[Ali Yost]

There she would be under the care of Shashgaz, the king's eunuch in charge of the concubines. She would never go to the king again unless he especially enjoyed her and requested her by name. Esther was the daughter of Abihail, who was Mordecai's uncle. When it was Esther's turn to go to the king, she accepted the advice of Haggai. She asked for nothing except what he suggested, and she was admired by everyone who saw her. Esther was taken to King Xerxes at the royal palace in early winter of the seventh year of his reign. And the king loved Esther more than any of the other young women. He was so delighted with her that he set the royal crown on her head and declared her queen instead of Vashti. To celebrate the occasion, he gave a great banquet in Esther's honor for all his nobles and officials, declaring a public holiday for the provinces and giving generous gifts to everyone. Even after all the young women had been transferred to the second harem and Mordecai had become a palace official, Esther continued to keep her family background and nationality a secret. She was still following Mordecai's directions, just as she did when she lived in his home. One day, as Mordecai was on duty at the king's gate, two of the king's eunuchs, Bigthana and Teresh, who were guards at the door of the king's private quarters, became angry at the king and plotted to assassinate him. But Mordecai heard about the plot and gave the information to Queen Esther. She then told the king about it and gave Mordecai credit for the report. When an investigation was made and Mordecai's story was found to be true, the two men were impaled on a sharpened pole. This was all recorded in the book of the history of King Xerxes reign. Okay, that's too bad. Okay, moving on to Esther. Chapter three. Sometime later, King Xerxes promoted Haman over all the other nobles, making him the most powerful official in the empire. All the king's officials would bow down before Haman to show him respect. Respect whenever he passed by, for. So the king had commanded this. But Mordecai refused to bow down or show him respect. Then the palace officials at the king's gate asked Mordecai, why are you disobeying the king's command? They spoke to him day after day, but still he refused to comply with the order. So they spoke to Haman about this to see if he would tolerate Mordecai's conduct, since Mordecai had told them he was a Jew. When Haman saw that Mordecai would not bow down or show him respect, he was filled with rage. He had learned of Mordecai's nationality, so he decided it was not enough to lay hands on Mordecai alone. Instead, he looked for a way to destroy all the Jews throughout the entire empire of Xerxes. Okay, so because of Haman's literal freaking pride, and because Mordecai. I don't know why Mordecai, I guess it's not very clear in here why Mordecai wouldn't bow down. Maybe he just simply didn't respect the guy. Maybe he didn't like him. Maybe he thought he was an awful man, but he wouldn't bow down to him. And so because he wouldn't bow down to him, he was like, I'm just going to kill all of your people. Because he had learned about Mordecai's nationality, he said, all right, cool. Then all the Jews are going to die because you won't bow down to me. That's so gross. But that's basically what's happening here. So in the month of April, during the 12th year of King Xerxes reign, lots were cast in Haman's presence to determine the best day and month to take action. And the day selected was March 7, nearly a year later. Then Haman approached the king and said, there is a certain race of people scattered throughout all the provinces of your empire who keep themselves separate from everyone else. Their laws are different from those of any other people, and they refuse to obey the law of the king. So it is not in the king's interest to let them live. If it please the king, issue a decree that they be destroyed, and I will give 10,000 large sacks of silver to the government administrators to be deposited in the royal treasury. The king agreed, confirming his decision by removing his signet ring from his finger and giving it to Haman, son of Hametetha, the enemy of the Jews. The king said, the money and the people are both yours to do with as you see fit. So it sounds like homeboy literally went up to the king and kind of told a big fat lie just because he wanted them dead. This is like a personal thing to him, but I think the way that he approached it and brought it to the king is he made it sound like it was like a much bigger thing that they were actually directly disrespecting the king. It also sounds like he was kind of painting them out to be prideful, like they separate themselves from everyone else. Their laws are different from those of any other people. They refuse to obey the laws of the king, creating this narrative and this story, making it up, saying that they deserve to die because they're blatantly disrespecting the king. And so from what the king is hearing in this moment, he's like, yeah, okay, yeah, I agree with that. Then we need to take them out. Then they need to die. There's a lot of pride happening here. In multiple different avenues. There's manipulation, it's really not good. But ultimately Haman got what he wanted, which was the approval from the king. And the king gave him direct authority and power and just said, hey, you know, the money and the people are both yours to do however you see to do it. So on April 17th at the King's secretaries were summoned and a decree was written exactly as Haman dictated. It was sent to the king's highest officers, the governors of the respective provinces, and the nobles of each province in their own scripts and languages. This decree was written in the name of King Xerxes and sealed with the King's signet ring. Right. Because Haman has that ring now. The king gave it to him. So big old stamp of approval. It's been done in the name of the king. Dispatches were sent by swift messengers into all the provinces of the empire, giving the order that all Jews, young and old, including women and children, must be killed, slaughtered and annihilated on a single day. This was scheduled to happen on March 7 of the near year. The property of the Jews would be given to those who killed them. This is literally awful. This is such evil. Okay. A copy of this decree was to be issued as law in every province and proclaimed to all peoples so that they would be ready to do their duty on the appointed day at the King's command. The decree went out by swift messengers and it was also proclaimed in the fortress of Susa. Then the king and Haman sat down to drink. But the city of Susa fell into confusion.

[Unknown]

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[Ali Yost]

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[Ali Yost]

Okay, now we're in. Esther, Chapter four. When Mordecai learned about all that had been done, he tore his clothes and put on burlap and ashes and went out into the city crying with a loud and bitter wail. He went as far as the gate of the palace, for no one was allowed to enter the palace gate while wearing clothes of mourning. And as news of the king's decree reached all the provinces, there was great mourning among the Jews. They fasted, wept and wailed, and many people lay in burlap and ashes. When Queen Esther's maid and eunuchs came and told her about Mordecai, she was deeply distressed. She sent clothing to him to replace the burlap, but he refused. Then Esther sent for Hathich, one of the king's eunuchs who had been appointed as her attendant. She ordered him to go to Mordecai and find out what was troubling him and why he was in mourning. So at this point, Esther's like totally out of the loop. She has no idea what's happening. She's confused as to why her cousin Mordecai is in such mourning. She basically sends her attendant to go out there and ask what has gone wrong. Mordecai told him the whole story, including the exact amount of money Haman had promised to pay into the royal treasury for the destruction of the Jews. Mordecai gave Hathich a copy of the decree issued in Susa that called for the death of all Jews. He asked him to show it to Esther and explain the situation to her. He also asked him to direct her to go to the king to beg for mercy and plead for her people. So Hathich returned to Esther with Mordecai's message. Then Esther told Hathich to go back and relay this message to Mordecai. All the king's officials and even the people in the provinces know that anyone who appears before the king in his inner court without being invited is doomed to die unless the king holds out his gold scepter. And the king has not called for me to come to him for 30 days. So Hathich gave Esther's message to Mordecai. Basically, what Esther is saying right now is she says, unless the king has asked for me to come to him, that's the only way that I could talk to him. Like, I can't come to the king unannounced. I can't do that on my own. I literally could die, like, by law at that time. And just the way that things rolled, you just couldn't do that. You just couldn't go to the king and be like, hey, I got to tell you something, you know? And so basically, Esther's like, mordecai, you're asking me to put my life on the line. Like, I haven't even been called to the king for 30 days, so I don't know how I'm supposed to plead to him to change his mind about killing all the Jews. Mordecai sent this reply to Esther. Don't think for a moment that because you're in the palace, you will escape when all other Jews are killed. If you keep quiet at a time like this, deliverance and relief for the Jews will arise from some other place, but you and your relatives will die. Who knows if perhaps you were made queen for such a time as this? I have full body chills. That has to be the best part of this entire book is that Mordecai says, all right, well, I think this is the reality, is that do you think for a moment that because you're. You're in the palace, you will escape when all the other Jews are killed? Basically saying when they find out that you are also a Jew girl, like, don't think for a moment that just because you're in the palace, you're off limits. So if this happens, they'll probably kill you too anyway. So, like, death is something that probably is going to happen for you anyway if you don't speak up. But also he's saying, maybe you were made queen for such a Time as this. Like, maybe because you specifically were positioned as queen with also having a Jewish background, like, that has still been a secret, you know, that has not been revealed about Queen Esther yet. And so if it had been anyone else, maybe the Jews could have never been saved. But because she was made queen at such a time as this, she could potentially be their only hope. Like, that could be the reason that she was made queen. And I think this is also, like, the best part in the book that refers to, like, maybe that's why God appointed you as queen, my girl. You know, like, obviously, again, God is not directly acknowledged in the Book of Esther, but that is, like, maybe you were made queen for such a time as this by God to save the Jews and speak up, because they are your fam. That's your heritage. That's literally your background. And because she has favor with the king. Like, if anyone's going to listen to anyone, potentially, hopefully it could be Esther because she was so highly favored by the king. So basically, she's their only hope, and she needs to just speak up. Even if she could get killed or not. It's like, you got to just say something, girl. Okay, then. Esther sent this reply to, go and gather together all the Jews of Susa and fast for me. Do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. My maids and I will do the same. And then, though it is against the law, I will go in to see the king. If I must die, I must die. So Mordecai went away and did everything as Esther had ordered him. So Esther was like, okay, I'm going to do it. She made the decision. She said, and though I may die, if I die, I die. Like, she honestly was like, my life, if I die, then that's what happens. But I have to stand up for my people, and if there's a chance to save them, I'm going to do it. So Esther is literally putting her life on the line to save the Jews. But in preparation of that, she goes, I need all of you to fast and pray. Like, we got to go in. We need to pray. This is also, like, acknowledgement of God, I guess, without outwardly saying God. But they were fasting and praying to the Lord and saying God, they were praying for favor. Like, please let me have favor with the king. Let him spare my life. I pray you soften his heart to what I'm saying. And I just pray there's favor for him to change his mind as I bring this to him. So I love that that is shown here. Is that they. They fasted and they prayed and they begged the Lord. They said, God, please, favor, favor. Save the Jews, save us. Okay, so that is where we're going to stop for today. I know, I know. Cliffhanger. But, hey, this is what we're going to do next week. We are going to pick up where we left off, which is at the top of Esther chapter five. We will pick up a chapter five and we will finish the story because there's only. Yeah, this is like a whole nother episode, which is great. There's a few more pages left. If you're not familiar with the Book of Esther, this story is so good and it's, like, getting really good right now. This is a good time to stop and we will resume next week. But I love you guys and is a joy and honor to read the Bible to you no matter how hard or easy it is sometimes. Okay, it's testing of me. It's testing of my enunciation, and it's good. It's good for me. It's good to say it out loud because typically if I'm reading it to myself or in my head, I just skip over all of it. Anyway, I love y'all so much. Happy Friday. Have a great weekend. Have a great rest of your week until I see you next Friday. Guys, can we do something cool today? Can we show somebody how cool Jesus is? Let's walk more like him, talk more like him, be more like Jesus. We should strive to be more like him more and more every day. I love you guys, and I will see you next week.

[Unknown]

Bye.

[Ali Yost]

Are some of y'all still listening? Okay, if you're still here, that means you're a real one, which is why I'm about to share this with you. If you've already caught up on all the episodes so far and you don't want to wait until next Friday for a new one, I have really good news for you. Subscribe to our Patreon to get early access to the episodes every week, early access to merch launches or any other exciting news, and receive personalized encouraging messages or Bible verses from us. Subscribe to our [e-mail] c backslash cwcoi. I do also want to mention that there is a way to give to the podcast, so if you ever feel led to donate, it blesses me so much, and it helps allow the podcast to keep running. You can donate to our PayPal at www.paypal.me. cWCOI we appreciate y'all and we love you so, so much.