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If you would like to download my FREE calendar for keeping track of your commitment to read the Bible every day, you can find that on my site, here:     https://www.inthefamilywaycoaching.com/pages/read-the-bible-in-1-year

Monthly memberships to support this event can be purchased on my site, here: https://www.inthefamilywaycoaching.com/offering_packages

In today's reading we will complete the Book of Esther with Chapters 7, 8, and 9. Today we will read about Esther asking King Xerxes to save her and her people, the Jews, from Haman's evil plan to kill them all. The king elevated Mordecai to second in command of his kingdom, executed Haman on the pole that he had set up for Mordecai, and instructed Mordecai to write a law that would satisfy Esther's request to save the Jews. With the new law the Jews were allowed to assemble and fight back to anyone who tried to kill them. After the appointed time that Haman had set up to kill the Jews Mordecai declared that all the people should set up a yearly holiday in remembrance of the event and how God had taken care of them. The holiday is called Purim, named for the Hebrew word for "lot" because Haman cast the lot to determine the day that the Jews should be killed. Throughout the Book of Esther we can see that Mordecai had a heart for God. Even when declaring a remembrance day for the Jews he showed his heart for God and all people by declaring that the yearly holiday should be celebrated by giving gifts to others, including the poor. The story concludes stating that Mordecai was well liked by the people because he worked to treat them right and spoke up for them.

In our discussion for daily application we look at Mordecai's example of looking out for other people- to treat them right and speak up for those who could protect themselves. These are things that God has been teaching us throughout the year. God wants us to stand up for people who cannot stand up for themselves. God wants us to care for children who have lost their parents. God wants us to look out for women who have lost their husbands. We, too, need to be sure that in today's "look out for number one" society that we are not being selfish but are looking out for other people, looking for opportunities to speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves. God places us in positions to be able to do these things so we need to be mindful of them and remember that like Esther (and Mordecai!) God has placed us where we are, in places and positions to be able to help other people for such a time as this.

If you enjoyed today's reading and feel like God has lit YOUR light please click the LIGHT button (it looks like a thumbs up or a heart) and consider subscribing to or following my channel, if you have not done so already.

If you know someone who might be interested in reading the Bible with me this year please SHARE today's reading with them! It's never too late to join in! Let's help this event grow and together we can spread the word about reading God's Word!

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Transcript

Introduction to Day by Day Kids Bible

00:00:04
Speaker
Welcome everybody. Today is August 1st. You are here with Robin at In the Family Way Coaching and I know why you're here today. We are here for our daily Bible reading.
00:00:16
Speaker
We are going through the Day by Day Kids Bible written by Karen Henley. If you are just finding this event, I want you to not be discouraged by the fact that this says it's a kid's Bible.
00:00:29
Speaker
This Bible is just a simply written, condensed version of the entire Bible, and it tells us the entire big story from Genesis to Revelation in chronological order.
00:00:43
Speaker
And then we talk about a daily application on how each day's reading can be applied in our lives every day. And this has been ah most incredible journey. Did you ever think that you would know the whole story of God's big picture?

Progress Update: Nearing New Testament

00:01:02
Speaker
We are reading through the entire Bible this year, and we're having understanding ah of the storyline of everything that happened. I am just loving this the version of the Bible and I hope that you have been as excited to hear each day's reading as I am about reading it with you as well.
00:01:25
Speaker
If you are following along on that commitment calendar, today is August 1st. Get your calendar out. Get your sticker ready or however you're ready to mark that off because you are about to hear the Bible today too.
00:01:43
Speaker
You might notice I have written on here, on this date.

Participant Acknowledgments

00:01:48
Speaker
Guess what that is? NT, that's our start date for the New Testament.
00:01:54
Speaker
We have only nine more days of the Old Testament or the Old Covenant before we begin God's new covenant.
00:02:06
Speaker
Can you believe that? We are almost completely finished with the entire Old Testament. ah Congratulations, everybody. i am so proud of you for your motivation and your dedication to following along with me every day this year.
00:02:25
Speaker
And i I am just so excited. I didn't know when I started this event and how many people would be following along, but God has just put people in my path all the time.
00:02:37
Speaker
And I'm just, I'm so excited and thrilled that you guys are following along. So I want to say hello to Mo. i haven't said hello to you in a while, Mo, but thank you so much for following along with this event with me.
00:02:52
Speaker
Thank you and hello to Maurice. Hey, Maurice. We had such an awesome day chatting yesterday and I thought about you today while I was at work as well.
00:03:04
Speaker
Lex, it was so awesome to see you at work. Thank you for being here with me, whatever day you're able to catch up and and listen or watch. And let's see who else.
00:03:17
Speaker
of Maria and Cleo. Thank you for being here, everybody. ah we have an Alex out there, if I remember correctly. And I have not seen Jeannie in a long time.
00:03:33
Speaker
So Jeannie, if you're out there, hello. i hope you've been doing well this year and that you're still enjoying the event. And I always say hi to you kids, but hello to Pearl and Forest and Jedi and Diamond and a very happy birthday to you, Julie. I did not know it was your birthday to today.
00:03:55
Speaker
I know you're not going to see this on August 1st because I'm not getting it out until August 2nd, but... But happy birthday. i am just so thrilled. that i didn't even know it was your birthday.
00:04:08
Speaker
But happy birthday to you on August 1st.

Reading and Reflection on Esther 7-9

00:04:12
Speaker
So thank you for joining us, everybody. We are going to finish up the book of Esther today.
00:04:20
Speaker
And it is such an awesome story. Man, I love the book of Esther. I have said that so many times. Oh, the book of Esther is so awesome.
00:04:31
Speaker
We get to see so many amazing things with God's perfect timing and his taking care of his people. Isn't that wonderful to see God's involvement?
00:04:44
Speaker
Nothing happened by chance. God was with them every step of the way. God cares about his people. He cares about you. He cares about me.
00:04:56
Speaker
And if you ever have any doubts, just read the book of Esther. Because God's love and care for his people, even though they are not in Jerusalem, it shows that it doesn't matter where we are.
00:05:11
Speaker
God knows us. He sees us.

Mordecai and Esther's Honorable Actions

00:05:14
Speaker
He is the God who sees us. And he loves us. And he takes care of us everywhere, no matter where we are.
00:05:24
Speaker
So let's finish up the book of Esther today. We are going to be reading chapter 7, 8, 9. a nine And i think that's how many chapters there are. 7, 8, 9.
00:05:38
Speaker
All right, chapter seven is entitled, Who Dares to Do This?
00:05:46
Speaker
As we left off yesterday, Haman was being escorted by the servants who ah were taking him to the dinner that Esther had prepared for he and the king, for him

Lessons from Esther and Mordecai

00:06:03
Speaker
and the king.
00:06:06
Speaker
Now Haman and the king went to Esther's dinner and they drank wine. And then the king asked Esther, what would you want? I will give you whatever you ask for.
00:06:17
Speaker
You can even have half of my kingdom if you want. Then Queen Esther said, please save my life. That's what I want.
00:06:31
Speaker
Save my people. If you don't, we will all be killed. Who is this enemy? Asked the king. Where is the man who would dare to do this?
00:06:45
Speaker
The enemy is this hateful man, Haman, said Esther.
00:06:53
Speaker
almost feel like we should do a sound effect of dun-dun-dun.
00:07:00
Speaker
I can be a little silly sometimes. Haman was very scared. The king got up and he was very angry. He went out to the garden and Haman saw that the king had made up his mind.
00:07:14
Speaker
The king knew what he would do to Haman.
00:07:19
Speaker
So Haman stayed with Queen Esther and he begged her to save his life. The king came back into the room and there he saw Haman holding onto Esther's chair, begging her.

Looking Forward: Starting the New Testament

00:07:34
Speaker
Will you so even try to touch my queen? cried the king. Then the servants pulled Haman away. One servant said, A tall hanging pole stands next to Haman's house.
00:07:50
Speaker
He was going to hang Mordecai on it, but Mordecai is the one who saved your life. Hang Haman on that pole, said the king.
00:08:01
Speaker
So they hung Haman on the pole that he had made for Mordecai. Then the king stopped being angry.
00:08:13
Speaker
Chapter 8. Fast horses carry the news.
00:08:18
Speaker
That day, the king gave Haman's house to Esther. He gave Haman's land to Esther too. Then Esther told the king that Mordecai was her cousin.
00:08:32
Speaker
So the king called for Mordecai to come see him. Now the king had taken his ring back from Haman, so he gave his ring to Mordecai, and then Esther put Mordecai in charge of Haman's land.
00:08:48
Speaker
Esther bowed at the king's feet, and she cried. She asked him to stop the killing of the Jews. The king held out his golden rod, his scepter.
00:09:02
Speaker
Esther stood up in front of the king. Please, write another law, she said. Write a law that will stop the killing. How can I stand to see my people killed?
00:09:17
Speaker
No law can be changed, said the king, and that's because it was written in my name. It was sealed with my ring. But you can and write another law in my name.
00:09:31
Speaker
and write it to help the Jews, and do whatever seems best to you. So Mordecai wrote a new law. It was written in every language.
00:09:43
Speaker
Mordecai wrote the law in the king's name. He sealed it with the king's ring. The law said that the Jews could assemble and fight back.
00:09:55
Speaker
They could kill anyone who tried to kill them.
00:09:59
Speaker
Mordecai sent men throughout the country. They rode the king's fast horses. These were horses that were specially bred to be very fast. And they raced out of the city to tell everyone the new law.
00:10:15
Speaker
Then Mordecai left the king. The king had given him blue and white clothes to wear. Mordecai also wore a big crown and a purple robe.
00:10:29
Speaker
Then the city had a holiday. It was a happy, joyful time for the Jews. And all the Jews who heard the king's new law were glad.
00:10:40
Speaker
So there were parties and dinners everywhere. In fact, lots of other people became Jews. And that's because they were afraid of the Jews.
00:10:54
Speaker
Chapter 9, The Holiday Now the day came to kill the Jews, and that's what the first law said. It was the day that the enemies of the Jews had wanted.
00:11:08
Speaker
But the second law said the Jews could fight back, so the Jews got together in every city, and they got ready to fight the people who were going to fight them. Nobody could win against the Jews.
00:11:21
Speaker
All the other people were scared of them. Even the leaders helped the Jews. They were afraid of Mordecai. Mordecai was now an important man at the palace, and people everywhere had heard about him.
00:11:37
Speaker
He got more and more power. So the Jews killed their enemies that day. The king told Queen Esther about it. Now what would you like to have?
00:11:50
Speaker
the king asked her. I'll give you whatever you want.
00:11:56
Speaker
Let the Jews keep fighting their enemies tomorrow, said Esther, and get rid of Haman's sons. So the king gave the order, and the Jews fought against their enemies the next day, and Haman's sons were killed too.
00:12:15
Speaker
The day after that, the Jews rested. It was a day of big, happy dinners. And that is why Jews make it the make that day a holiday every year.
00:12:29
Speaker
It's a day when they give presents to each other. And they also give presents of food to poor people. So Mordecai wrote down all of this, and he sent letters to all the Jews in the land.
00:12:44
Speaker
And the letter told them to have a two-day holiday. He told them to have big dinners. He told them to be happy and he told them to give gifts to the each other. And he told them to give gifts to the poor people too.
00:12:59
Speaker
They called these days Purim. And that's because Haman and his friends had thrown the Pur. It was like throwing dice. They called it Lots.
00:13:11
Speaker
In Hebrew, is is the the Hebrew name for Lots is Pur. The Purim. And that's how they chose the day when they would kill the Jews, when they threw the dice, those lots, the Purim.
00:13:27
Speaker
So every family of Jews should remember this holiday every year. Queen Esther and Mordecai wrote a letter and it said that Purim would be a holiday.
00:13:40
Speaker
Mordecai sent the letter to all the Jews in the land and it cheered up all the Jews. Now the king made his people pay taxes and his kingdom was very big and great.
00:13:54
Speaker
And the king was the boss. But Mordecai was the next man in charge. The Jews liked Mordecai. He worked to treat them right.
00:14:07
Speaker
And he spoke up for them.
00:14:11
Speaker
And that is the end of our reading today. And that is the end of our story of the book of Esther.
00:14:20
Speaker
Wow, isn't that great? The battle once again belonged to our Lord. He alone is responsible for all the good things that happened.
00:14:31
Speaker
He placed Esther into just such a place as for her to be able to have influence. He caused the... He caused Mordecai to overhear the plot against the king so that Mordecai could have the opportunity to do good and tell Esther about the plot and so that she was able to save the king by reporting it.
00:14:54
Speaker
And she gave Mordecai the ah credit for it instead of keeping the credit for herself. We see that both Mordecai and Esther were honorable and they were obedient and they were looking to honor the king and to obey. And we can see that Mordecai, above all, he was looking out for the people.
00:15:21
Speaker
And I love how the very ending of the letter states that loved the book states that he worked to treat the people right. He spoke up for them.
00:15:35
Speaker
And that is our daily application to today. When we are placed in positions where we have the ability that we can make a positive impact in anybody's life, we should take that opportunity.
00:15:50
Speaker
Remember Mordecai, remember Esther. They didn't just work for them themselves. They were not selfish. It can be very common today to only look out for oneself.
00:16:01
Speaker
But Mordecai and Esther, they looked out for the people. And even when Mordecai declared the holiday, that they should remember this time, because this was an amazing thing that God did to take care of his people.
00:16:17
Speaker
And we read the other day, yesterday, that Mordecai had faith that God would indeed save the people, even if Esther would not be brave and approach the king and ask him to help them in the matter.
00:16:32
Speaker
He had faith that God would still take care of them. God honored that faith and he gave favor to Esther from the king.
00:16:44
Speaker
And he the king was pleased to see her. But the king was pleased to see her because she always was obedient and respectful and that she was doing what she was supposed to be doing.
00:16:56
Speaker
and And so it really, it it gained she gained a lot of favor everywhere she went, we read. She gained favor with the people who were taking care of her and looking after her.
00:17:09
Speaker
She always did what she was advised to do. She obeyed Mordecai. And things went well for her. It's just like when we read in for the Ten Commandments, where the one commandment says that children obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right.
00:17:29
Speaker
And God promises that if we do obey our parents in the Lord, that he will bless us with a long life, that things will go well for us. It's the only commandment out of the ten that comes with a promise of good things to come by doing so.
00:17:47
Speaker
Isn't that amazing? So having respect for our parents and obeying those in charge is something that God looks very favorably upon.
00:17:59
Speaker
He desires obedience. And he desires us to be merciful to one another. And so Mordecai was exemplifying these traits. And he declared that when they had the holiday, that they were to give gifts to not just each other, but that they were to look out for those who had very little.
00:18:20
Speaker
And that's a very honorable thing to to to be doing. And it's something that God has always told us to do. He says to uphold the widow, to look out for people who are orphans and have no parents.
00:18:36
Speaker
Mordecai looked out for Esther and he raised her as his own daughter. So Mordecai had a heart for God. And God knew that. And so God blessed him.
00:18:48
Speaker
And God took care of all of the people. through Mordecai and through Esther. So she had good raising with Mordecai and she caused great big impact.
00:19:03
Speaker
And we see that and so did Mordecai. So our daily application is to work hard to treat others well, just like God wants us to do, to treat others well, to treat them how we want to be treated ourselves, to look out for people,
00:19:22
Speaker
And speak up for them if they need us to be speaking up for them. That is what God also told the people when he says to uphold the those who are oppressed.
00:19:34
Speaker
Make sure that people are being judged fairly. And that way ah people are not taken advantage of. So I hope that you feel that God has lit your light with this wonderful story of Esther and all of the examples that we see on how to live well through Mordecai and through Esther.
00:19:55
Speaker
And if you have, then i ask that you would consider clicking that follow and subscribe button in addition to that light button so that we can draw people to God's event and spread the word about reading his word so we can learn about these beautiful examples of righteous living and learn how to live these ways in our life as well.
00:20:18
Speaker
Thank you so much for joining me. I'm so excited to be finishing soon the Old Testament and to be starting the New Testament on August 10th. And I'm looking forward to having each and every one of you following along but the for the rest of the year.
00:20:35
Speaker
So have a fantastic rest of your day, whatever day you get around to hearing this August 1st reading. And I will be here for everyone again tomorrow.