After the declaration of Cyrus the Great many of the Jews who had been carried away as captives by the Babylonians, returned from captivity to Jerusalem. Under the new Medo-Persian empire some Jews, like the man named Mordecai, chose to stay in the land. Mordecai was raising Hadassah (Esther), a very beautiful young woman who had been orphaned. During this time, Queen Vashti had refused the king’s command to come to him, and King Ahasuerus was searching the kingdom for a queen to replace her.
Why was King Ahasuerus angry with Queen Vashti? What did his advisors tell him to do about it?
Why do you think Esther was chosen to join the other young women in the palace? What special treatment was Esther given by Hegai, the custodian of the women?
How did the King honor Esther as his chosen queen?
Why do you think Mordecai told Esther not to reveal her Jewish identity?
What did Mordecai do to save the king’s life?
Memory Challenge:
Esther 2:17
The king loved Esther more than all the other women, and she obtained grace and favor in his sight more than all the virgins; so he set the royal crown upon her head and made her queen instead of Vashti.
The nation of Judah refused to repent of their sins, so God allowed the Jews to be carried away as captives to Babylon. Some of the first to be taken to Babylon were noblemen and their families; Daniel was most likely taken captive with this group. When they arrived in Babylon, Daniel was selected to be among the young men who would be taught the language, literature, and culture of the Babylonians. Even though he was a captive, Daniel was determined to live according to God’s laws which were certainly not practiced by the Babylonians. The first test came when Daniel’s first plate of food was set before him.
Rebekah Ross | Living Education
Discuss:
Who was the king of Babylon when Daniel was taken captive?
Why do you think Daniel did not want to eat the king’s delicacies? What did Daniel propose that he eat instead? Has there ever been a time when you have had to courageously stand up for your desire to follow God?
What position did King Nebuchadnezzar give to Daniel? How did he get the position? What can we learn from this in relation to Proverbs 22:29?
When the astrologers and magicians could not reveal to the king his dream, what did the king command be done to all the wise men? What did Daniel do when he heard about the proclamation?
Who revealed to Daniel the dream and its meaning? What is important about Nebuchadnezzar’s dream?
Memory Challenge:
Daniel 2:20-22
Daniel answered and said:
“Blessed be the name of God forever and ever, For wisdom and might are His.
https://www.lcgeducation.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/51krovKY6L.jpg500326Jonathan McNairhttps://www.lcgeducation.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/logo_basic-website-300x94.pngJonathan McNair2020-05-06 10:18:262020-11-06 13:11:46Recommended Reads: The Book That Made Your World
Author: Thomas White | Editorial Staff, Living Church of God
“Boy, things sure were better in the ’50s, weren’t they? People really took the Bible seriously back then, in the great Christian nations…
Sure, the Jim Crow stuff was a bit of a shame, and it was a pretty nightmarish time to be alive if you suffered from mental illness, I suppose—but seriously, weren’t the ’50s great?”
“How ‘bout those 1700s? Those founding fathers, they knew what righteousness was. They went to church every Sunday, you know. Yes, yes, you might be hanged if you kept the Sabbath in New England, and you could usually get away with murdering someone as long as you called it a ‘duel,’ but hey—at least people didn’t watch TV so much! Weren’t the 1700s great?”
“Wow, do I ever miss Egypt. We had everything we needed—all we could eat, and since we worked it all off, we never got fat. Yeah, Pharaoh could be a bit of a hardcase, but at least the Egyptians were better than these horrible Canaanites we’re up against now. Weren’t the Egypt days great?”
No. They weren’t.
Not from Wisdom
In his recent Assembly message, Mr. Mario Hernandez passionately warned against looking backward, longing for the way things used to be, because as soon as we do that, we’re no longer seeking first the Kingdom of God. We were created with eyes incapable of moving independently from each other, positioned at the front of our head—we can turn that head to look behind us, or we can keep it where it is and look ahead of us, but we can’t do both. Looking behind cancels out looking ahead.
Solomon had something to say about that: “Do not say, ‘Why were the earlier days better than these days?’ For it is not from wisdom that you inquire this” (Ecclesiastes 7:10, Modern English Version). I also like the simplicity in how the New Living Translation paraphrases it: “Don’t long for ‘the good old days.’ This is not wise.”
Of course, we’re all guilty of this on some level. Have you ever wished you were a blissfully ignorant ten-year-old again? I have. And it’s just as much of a mistake to think of the modern era as any better than “the earlier days,” since modern generations are definitely guilty of many atrocities that past generations were not—and Scripture is pretty clear that society is on a perpetually downward spiral (2 Timothy 3:1-5).
But do we ever catch ourselves comparing the Kingdom of God to some “enlightened” nation of history? Because that’s really quite insulting to the Kingdom, actually. Every single era of human history has belonged to Satan, and had his influence all over it—so when we look back fondly at any one of those eras, we’re essentially saying, “You know, I miss how Satan’s world used to be. His influence was once far more agreeable. It was still a world blinded by sin, but at least the sin didn’t offend me quite so much as it does now. Wasn’t spiritual Egypt great?”
Beyond All Comparison
We humans thrive on comparison. In many ways, it’s how we visualize reality, and that’s not a bad thing at all. I use analogies ad nauseam, so I certainly don’t consider myself exempt.
But even when I’m tempted to think that the Kingdom will be “Like the garden of Eden,” I’m forgetting that “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him” (1 Corinthians 2:9). The “heart of man” includes the hearts of Adam and Eve. Even after experiencing harmony with God before human sin ever entered the world, they still could not even fathom the beauty of the coming Kingdom.
Tomorrow’s world is impossibly wonderful. Let’s not insult it by longing for yesterday’s.
Thomas White was one of the onsite Living Education students for the 2018-2019 semesters. He also has a Bachelor’s Degree in English. Thomas currently works as an Editorial Assistant for the Living Church of God. According to his wife, he eats pizza in entirely the wrong way.
https://www.lcgeducation.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/museums-victoria-4klKI9u0p9I-unsplash.jpg10021500Jonathan McNairhttps://www.lcgeducation.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/logo_basic-website-300x94.pngJonathan McNair2020-05-04 17:26:442021-09-03 13:55:44Second Thoughts: “Weren’t the Egypt days great?”
