Week 8: God saves his people

Week 8: Esther 6-10

Objective: 

• The King Honors Mordecai
• Haman Hanged Instead of Mordecai
• Esther Saves the Jews
• The Feast of Purim
• Mordecai’s Advancement

Resources:

• Fr Tadros Y Malaty Commentary
• Catena Bible Commentary
• Fr Dawoud Lamie Bible study (Arabic)

Reading:

• Esther 6:1-14
• Esther 7:1-10
• Esther 8:1-11
• Esther 9:18-28
• Esther 10:1-3

Key verse(s):

“For Mordecai the Jew was second to King Ahasuerus, and was great among the Jews and well received by the multitude of his brethren, seeking the good of his people and speaking peace to all his countrymen.”  Esther 10:3

Comments:

• The story in chapter 6 was all planned by God. The king couldn't sleep and reading the book leading to honoring Mordecai was all God's plan to save His people.
• King Ahasuerus asked Haman about rewarding a person who was faithful to the king. Haman thought the king was asking to honor him, but he did not know it was for Mordecai.
• King Ahasuerus found out that Haman was an evil person. Esther told the king about his plans. The king told his eunuchs to take him and kill him using the gallows that Haman built to kill Mordecai.
• Haman had issued a decree to kill all the Jews in the Kingdom. The kingdom's protocol insists that the King can't change his decisions. Mordecai and Esther quickly wrote another decree that the Jews through the entire kingdom can defend themselves against anyone who seeks to kill them.
• After the Jews were saved, Mordecai and Esther declared a feast for the Jews called Purim from the word Pur which means lots. This is to remember that Haman when he wanted to kill the Jews, brought people to "cast lots" to choose the day when he can kill all the Jews.
• We read that Mordecai was trusted by the king and he became the second man in the kingdom.

Review/recap questions:
**Servant may add more questions

1. When the king learned that Mordecai was never rewarded for saving his life he:
   a) ask Haman's advice b) held a banquet in his honor c) gave Mordecai great wealth
2. Who is the man that the king honored?
   a) Haman b) Mordecai c) Bigthana
3. When Esther revealed Haman's plan for destroying her people to the king, Haman:
   a) begged Esther for his life b) threatened to kill Esther c) asked God for forgiveness
4. King Ahasuerus discovered Haman lying on Esther's bed. What happened to Haman?
   a) he took his own life b) he was hung on the gallows c) he was cast into prison
5. Why couldn't the king change his own decrees? (Esther 8:8)
6. Mordecai and the Jews started celebrating a new feast called:
   a) Passover b) Christmas c) Purim d) Hanukah

Homework:
**Servant may add more questions

1. According to Haman how can the king honor the one whom he delights?
2. What did Haman do after honoring Mordecai?
3. What is Esther referring to when she said, “For we have been sold”?
4. What was ironic in the way Haman died?
5. Why did the people fear Mordecai? (Esther 9:3-4)
6. How did the Jews celebrate the Feast of Purim?