66 Love Letters - ESTHER

I decided to do something a little different this week. Since the Jewish holiday Purim was born from this annointed piece of biblical text, I thought I'd share a few fun facts from the book of Esther and the meaning of the celebrated Jewish holiday of Purim.

The longest verse in the Bible is found in Esther containing 90 words: The king’s scribes were summoned at that time, in the third month, which is the month of Sivan, on the twenty-third day. And an edict was written, according to all that Mordecai commanded concerning the Jews, to(B) the satraps and the governors and the officials of the provinces(C) from India to Ethiopia,(D) 127 provinces, to each province in its own script and to each people in its own language, and also to the Jews in their script and their language. Esther 8:9 ESV

• The book of Esther is one of the scrolls, or megillot, that the Jews read in full at particular times throughout the liturgical calendar year.

• The book of Esther is the ONLY book in the Bible that doesn’t mention the name of God.

• The Purim holiday begins with the Fast of Esther, the name of Mordechai’s niece who helped save the Jews from Haman. Before executing her plan she fasted for three days. Jews commemorate this fast with one fast day of their own.

Interested in learning about the Jewish holiday Purim? Then check out these sites: Judaism 101, Purim Customs, and Smile it's Purim.

66 Love Letters - NEHEMIAH

The Book of Nehemiah begins 15 years after the Book of Ezra ends; almost 100 years after the first captives came back to the Promised Land; and some 150 years after the city of Jerusalem was destroyed. After this long time, the walls of the city of Jerusalem were still in rubble. - David Guzik, http://www.blueletterbible.org/

When we are introduced to Nehemiah, he is working in the palace of the King of Persia - quite a prestigious position. Though he lives almost 800 miles from Jerusalem, once he discovers the walls of Jerusalem are in utter disrepair, he grieves and mourns, fasts and prays.

After confessing the sins of his people to God, he reminds God of His promises to his people; “Remember, I pray, the word that You commanded Your servant Moses, saying, ‘If you are unfaithful, I will scatter you among the nations; but if you return to Me, and keep My commandments and do them, though some of you were cast out to the farthest part of the heavens, yet I will gather them from there, and bring them to the place which I have chosen as a dwelling for My name.’" Nehemiah 1:8-9

In chapter two we discover what Nehemiah's position is. He is the king's cup bearer. A royal bodyguard of sorts. He guards the king from poisonous wines or food, and is in his presence often, a position of clear influence. Only the most trustworthy and faithful were chosen for this position. A cup bearer had the easiest ability to assassinate a king.

Nehemiah goes to the king and begs for a leave of absence to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem. And, graciously, the king agrees.

The rest of the book of Nehemiah, we see the nation of Israel come together and rebuild the different gates; the fish gate, the valley gate, the refuse gate, the water gate, on and on the work continues. Families are mentioned throughout this book, working diligently to make whole their sacred land once again.

It is a great reminder to me that there are walls in my life that can become breeched, some that are in need of repair.

Questions to Ponder

• When brothers and sisters in Christ are suffering from hard times or heartache, are you grieved? Is your heart moved to help? What about those who aren't believers?
• What walls in your life need rebuilding? Time with the Lord? Your marriage? Relationships with your children?
• Ask the Lord to show you ways you can rebuild broken places in your life.

66 Love Letters - Ezra

The Book of Ezra is all of ten chapters, smack dab in between II Chronicles and Nehemiah. Ezra was a priest and a scribe of the law (7:21). By the style of his writing and numerous similarities, some believe he may have authored I & II Chronicles.

In this spot in the Bible we see the Israelites returning from Babylonian captivity to worship the Lord and return to their land of promise. This was a public acknowledgement that they believed God would reestablish their nation.

Did you know that Esther and Nehemiah were alive at the same time Ezra was? Chronologically Esther and her story takes pace in between chapters 6 and 7 of Ezra. If you are one who enjoys going deep in your biblical studies, here would be a wonderful place to begin digging for spiritual gems.

Remember, whichever book of the Bible we are in, God's word has the power to speak to every child of God who desires to hear His voice.

For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. Hebrews 4:12

There were many scriptures that spoke to me through this rich book. Most especially; For Ezra had prepared his heart to seek the law of the Lord, and to do it, and to teach statutes and ordinances in Israel. Ezra 7:10

Ezra had a heart for God's word. The more time he spent learning about the Lord, the more he wanted to share his knowledge with his people. He made it a point to seek God.

The word seek is the Hebrew word darash and it means to seek like a dog on a hunt. It's the same Hebrew word used in Jeremiah 29:13 - You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.

Points to Ponder

• Do I seek the Lord with any effort?
• When I learn something about God's word do I share it with others?
• God can be found when I seek him with all of my heart. Why don't I do that more often?
• Seek Him with all of your heart today.