Esther.txt

Preservation through providence; the Divine chess game

• I. The THREAT to the Jews (1 - 4)
• II. The TRIUMPH of the Jews (5 - 10)

1 King Ahasuerus dethrones Queen Vashti

2 Esther becomes queen

3 Haman persuades King Ahasuerus to decree the Jew's annihilation.

5 Haman's plot against Mordecai

6 Mordecai is honored

7 Haman is hanged

9 The Jews destroy their enemies and inaugurate the Feast of Purim.

10 Mordecai the Jew second to King Ahasuerus

4:14 "And who knows whether you have not attained royalty for a time such as this." God has sovereignly placed Esther in her position of influence.

Esther - Jewish maiden of great beauty who became the queen of Persia. Her courage paved the way for the preservation of the Jews within the Persian Empire.

Mordecai - Esther's older cousin and palace official. He was used by God to deliver the Jews.

Haman - An Amalekite, captain of the princes, who plotted destruction of the Jews.

Ahasuerus - The Persian king Xerxes I, reigning 486 - 465 B.C.