Day 1:  Esther 1:  Verses 1-7

This is what happened during the time of Xerxes,^[a] the Xerxes who ruled over 127 provinces stretching from India to Cush^[b]: ² At that time King Xerxes reigned from his royal throne in the citadel of Susa, ³ and in the third year of his reign he gave a banquet for all his nobles and officials. The military leaders of Persia and Media, the princes, and the nobles of the provinces were present.

⁴ For a full 180 days he displayed the vast wealth of his kingdom and the splendor and glory of his majesty. ⁵ When these days were over, the king gave a banquet, lasting seven days, in the enclosed garden of the king’s palace, for all the people from the least to the greatest who were in the citadel of Susa. ⁶ The garden had hangings of white and blue linen, fastened with cords of white linen and purple material to silver rings on marble pillars. There were couches of gold and silver on a mosaic pavement of porphyry, marble, mother-of-pearl and other costly stones.  Wine was served in goblets of gold, each one different from the other, and the royal wine was abundant, in keeping with the king’s liberality.⁸ By the king’s command each guest was allowed to drink with no restrictions, for the king instructed all the wine stewards to serve each man what he wished.

1. Use one word to describe King Xerxes.  How do you know based on what you read?
2. Do you think that the appearance of the King’s home is important to him?  Explain your answer.
3. Do you think that the King’s attitude toward his home is typical of most men?

Family:

King Xerxes is obviously a very powerful man who likes to share his blessings with the people of his land.  He is very proud of what he has and he likes to flaunt it.  Although pride can be dangerous in GOD’s eyes, don’t most of us appreciate a nice place to live?  What is one thing we can do this week that will enhance our home life?  It could be as simple as baking a cake or buying a plant.  So let’s chime in.  What one thing are we going to do to enhance our home lives this week?  I am going to

1.  admit my faults and work on them immediately. 
2. I am also going to learn how to cook one new thing that my family will love to eat.

This challenge is not just for married women.  We are going to improve our lives in whatever state we are in( including married, single, divorced, widowed, caretaker for parents,  etc.)    If you can’t do something nice for anyone else, do something nice for yourself  but it has to be something home centered because that is where you spend most of your time.  Make yourself a more exciting person.

Fitness:

Another way we can enhance our lives and the lives of our families is by making our bodies stronger.  What fitness goal can you commit to this week?  If it’s only 5 minutes of walking per day or drinking one glass of water then that’s fine.  It’s a start and we will support each other as we grow stronger.  By the end of the year we will be more spiritual with stronger families and healthier bodies whoo hoo!!!!!

We will finish every session with a prayer and any member of the group can contribute to the prayer as long as it is aligned with Christian principles.  I will contribute the prayers for the first week.

Dearest Heavenly Father.  Your children are reaching out to you so that you can help us to become bolder in faith and stronger vessels to spread your word.  We understand that the world is dying daily and we have to be strong and faithful in order to be able to stand against Satan’s tricks.  Lord we know that Charity begins at home and that is why we want to become stronger women of faith who know what to do when the enemy attacks.  We know that when two or more believers are gathered together in praise to you, that you are present and that you faithfully strengthen us.  Lord we are determined to work for your kingdom, and with these goals in mind we trust you to help strengthen our Faith, our families and our Fitness goals so that we can better serve you.

In Esther 1: 1-8, King Ahasuerus sat on the throne of his kingdom in Shushan. The king had been celebrating for an extensive amount of time. The first celebration included all of his noblemen. When this celebration was over, he extended it to all of the common people of the land. As he was enjoying the festivities, the king decided to send for his wife so that he could share her beauty with the world.

Let’s see what happens when the queen is summoned by her king!

Esther 1: 9-12

⁹ Queen Vashti also gave a banquet for the women in the royal palace of the King. ¹⁰ On the seventh day, when the king was in high spirits from wine,he commanded the seven eunuchs who served him—Mehuman, Biztha, Harbona, Bigtha, Abagtha, Zethar and Karkas— ¹¹ to bring before him Queen Vashti, wearing her royal crown, in order to display her beauty to the people and nobles, for she was lovely to look at. ¹² But when the attendants delivered the king’s command, Queen Vashti refused to come. Then the king became furious and burned with anger.

1.  What conclusions can we draw about the relationship between King Xerxes and Queen Vashti?  Do you think that he was proud of her?  Do you think that she was proud to be his wife?
2. What do we know about a man’s ego?
3. Do you think that Queen Vashti’s looks enhanced her husband’s ego?
4. Do you think that Queen Vashti’s actions enhanced her husband’s ego?
5. Did the queen’s actions make her homelife more peaceful or less peaceful?
6. Why do you think the queen responded the way she did?

As promised, Esther Chapter 1 Verses 1-10 from the website biblestudytools.com is posted.

I noticed that in this version of the Bible, the King’s name is different than it is in the King James Version. Is someone available to explain the discrepancy?

I noted from these passages that the King seems to be a very proud man. Do you think this is typical for men in power? Please chime in.

Day 1:  Esther 1:  Verses 1-7

This is what happened during the time of Xerxes,^[a] the Xerxes who ruled over 127 provinces stretching from India to Cush^[b]: ² At that time King Xerxes reigned from his royal throne in the citadel of Susa, ³ and in the third year of his reign he gave a banquet for all his nobles and officials. The military leaders of Persia and Media, the princes, and the nobles of the provinces were present.

⁴ For a full 180 days he displayed the vast wealth of his kingdom and the splendor and glory of his majesty. ⁵ When these days were over, the king gave a banquet, lasting seven days, in the enclosed garden of the king’s palace, for all the people from the least to the greatest who were in the citadel of Susa. ⁶ The garden had hangings of white and blue linen, fastened with cords of white linen and purple material to silver rings on marble pillars. There were couches of gold and silver on a mosaic pavement of porphyry, marble, mother-of-pearl and other costly stones.  Wine was served in goblets of gold, each one different from the other, and the royal wine was abundant, in keeping with the king’s liberality.⁸ By the king’s command each guest was allowed to drink with no restrictions, for the king instructed all the wine stewards to serve each man what he wished.

Thanks for joining me!

Good company in a journey makes the way seem shorter. — Izaak Walton