The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz) - Day 275: Esther Becomes Queen (2023)

Episode Date: October 2, 2023

Fr. Mike continues reading from the book of Nehemiah as we read of the many attempts to prevent Nehemiah from doing the great work of God. We also see the events that lead to Esther being chosen as queen and the goodness she will bring even in the midst of a broken system. Today’s readings are Nehemiah 6-7, Esther 1-2, and Proverbs 21:1-4. For the complete reading plan, visit ascensionpress.com/bibleinayear. Please note: The Bible contains adult themes that may not be suitable for children - parental discretion is advised.

Hi, my name is Father Mike Schmitz, and you're listening to the Bible in a Year podcast, where we encounter God's voice and live life through the lens of Scripture. The Bible in a Year podcast is brought to you by Ascension. Using the Great Adventure Bible timeline, we'll read all the way from Genesis to Revelation, discovering how the story of salvation unfolds and how we fit into that story today. It is day 275. Ah, well done, everybody. Great day.

What a gift. We are reading Nehemiah chapter 6 and 7, Esther chapter 1 and 2, after we read chapters 11 and 12 yesterday, as well as Proverbs chapter 21, verses 1 through 4. As always, the Bible translation I'm reading from is the Revised Standard Version, Second Catholic Edition. I'm using the Great Adventure Bible from Ascension. If you want to download your own Bible in a year reading plan, here's a little secret. You can visit ascensionpress.com slash Bible in a year.

Also, another little secret that people don't know about, you can subscribe to this podcast and you can receive daily episodes and updates every day, including today, day 275. We're reading Nehemiah chapter six and seven, Esther chapter one and two, Proverbs chapter 21 verses one through four. The book of Nehemiah, chapter 6. Enemy plots avoided. Now when it was reported to Sanballat and Tobiah, and to Geshem the Arab, and to the rest of our enemies, that I had built the wall, and that there was no breach left in

it, although up to that time I had not set up the doors in the gates, Sanballat and Geshem sent to me, saying, Come and let us meet together in one of the villages in the plain of Ono. But they intended to do me harm, and I sent messengers to them, saying, I am doing a great work, and I cannot come down. Why should the work stop while I leave it and come down to you? And they sent to me four times in this way, and I answered them in the same manner. In the same way, Sanballat, for the fifth time, sent his servant to me with an open letter in his hand. In it was written, It is reported among the nations, and Geshem also says it, that you and the Jews intend to rebel. That is why you

are building the wall, and you wish to become their king according to this report. And you have also set up prophets to proclaim concerning you in Jerusalem there is a king in Judah. And you have also set up prophets to proclaim concerning you in Jerusalem, there is a king in Judah. And now it will be reported to the king according to these words. So now come and let us take counsel together. Then I sent to him saying, no such things as you say have been done for you are inventing them out of your own mind. For they all wanted to frighten us thinking their hands will drop from the work and it will not be done. But now, oh God, strengthen my hands. Now, when I went into the house of Shemaiah, the son of Deliah, son of Mahatabel, who was shut up, he said, let us meet together in the house of God within the temple and let us close the doors of the temple for they are coming to kill you.

At night, they are coming to kill you. But I said, Should such a man as I flee? And what man such as I could go into the temple and live? I will not go in. And I understood and saw that God had not sent him, but he had pronounced the prophecy against me because Tobiah and Sanballat had hired him. For this purpose he was hired, that I should be afraid and act in this way and sin, and so they could give me an evil name in order to taunt me. Remember Tobiah and Sanballat, O my God, according to these things that they did, and also the prophetess Noadiah and the rest of the prophets who wanted to make me afraid. The wall completed.

So the wall was finished on the twenty-fifth day of the month Elul, in fifty-two days. And when all our enemies heard of it, all the nations round about us were afraid and fell greatly in their own esteem, for they perceived that this work had been accomplished with the help of our God. Moreover, in those days the nobles of Judah sent many letters to Tobiah, and Tobiah's letters came to them. For many in Judah were bound by oath to him, because he was the son-in-law of Shekiniah the son of Arah, and his son Johanan had taken the daughter of Meshulam the son of Berechiah as his wife. Also they spoke of his good deeds in my presence and reported my words to him. And Tobiah sent letters to make me afraid. Chapter 7. Now

when the wall had been built, and I had set up the doors, and the gatekeepers, the singers, and the Levites had been appointed, I gave my brother Hanani and Hananiah, the governor of the castle, charge over Jerusalem, for he was a more faithful and God-fearing man than many. And I said to them, Let not the gates of Jerusalem be opened until the sun is hot, and while they are still standing guard, let them shut and bar the doors. Appoint guards from among the inhabitants of Jerusalem, each to his station and each opposite his own house. The city was wide and large, but the people within it were few and no houses had been built. Lists of returned exiles. Then God put it into my mind to assemble the nobles and the officials and the people to be

enrolled by genealogy. And I found the book of the genealogy of those who came up at the first, and I found written in it, These were the people of the province who came up out of the captivity of those exiles whom Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, had carried into exile. They returned to Jerusalem and Judah, each to his town. They came with Zerubbabel, Jeshua, Nehemiah, Azariah, Rahamiah, Nehamani, Mordecai, Bilshan, Mizpareth, Bigvi, Nehum, Baana. The number of the men of the sons of Israel, the sons of Parosh, 2,172.

The sons of Shephatiah, 372. The sons of Arah, 652. The sons of Shephatiah, 372. The sons of Arah, 652. The sons of Pahath-Moab, namely the sons of Jeshua and Joab, 2,818. The sons of Elam, 1,254. The sons of Zatu, 845. The sons of Zakkai, 845. The sons of Zakkai, 760. The sons of Binui, 648. The sons of Babai, 628. The sons of Asgad, 2,322. The sons of Adonikam, 667. The sons of Bigvai, 2,067. The sons of Adin, 655. The sons of Ater, namely of Hezekiah, 98. The sons of Hashum, 328. The sons of Bizai, 324. The sons of Harith, 112. The sons of Gibeon, 95. The men of Bethlehem and Netophah, 188. The men of Anathoth, 128. The men of Beth-Azmaveth, 42. The men of Kiriath-Jerim, Shephirah, and Be'eroth, 743. The men of Ramah and Geba, 621. The men of Mikmas, 122. The men of Bethel and Ai, 123. The men of the other Nebo, 52. The sons of theel and Ai, 123 The men of the other Nebo, 52

The sons of the other Elam, 8,254 The sons of Harim, 320 The sons of Jericho, 345 The sons of Lod, Hadid, and Ono, 721 The sons of Sana'a, 3,930. The priests, the sons of Judiah, namely of the house of Jeshua, 973. The sons of Immer, 1,052. The sons of Pashur, 1,247.

The sons of Harim, 1,017. The Levites, the sons of Jeshua, namely of Kadmiel, of the sons of Hodavah, 74. The singers. The sons of Afsaf, 148. The gatekeepers. The sons of Shalom, the sons of Ater, the sons of Talmon, the sons of Akub, the sons of Hatita, the sons of Shobai, 138. The temple servants.

The sons of Zihah, the sons of Hasufah, the sons of Tabaoth, the sons of Keros, the sons The temple servants. the sons of Rezin, the sons of Nekodah, the sons of Gazam, the sons of Uzzah, the sons of Passiah, the sons of Bassai, the sons of Meunim, the sons of Nefushasim, the sons of Bakbuk, the sons of Hakufah, the sons of Harchur, the sons of Bazleth, the sons of Mahida, the sons of Harsha, the sons of Barkos, the sons of Sisera, the sons of Tima, the sons of Niziah, the sons of Hatipha, the sons of Solomon's servants, the sons of Sotai, the sons of Sopharath, the sons of Peraida, the sons of Jaala, the sons of Darkon, the sons of Gedel, the sons of Shephetiah, the sons of Hatil, the sons of Pokareth Hazabaim, the sons of Ammon. All the temple servants and the sons of Solomon's servants were 392. The following were those who came up from Telmala, Telharsha, Cherub, Adan, and Emer,

but they could not prove their father's houses nor their descent whether they belonged to Israel. The sons of Deliah, the sons of Tobiah, the sons of Nechudah, 642. Also of the priests, the sons of Hobiah, the sons of Hakoz, the sons of Barzillai, who had taken a wife of the daughters of Barzillai, the Gileadite, and was called by their name. These sought their registration among those enrolled in the genealogies, but it was not found there, so they were excluded from the priesthood as unclean. The governor told them that they were not to partake of the most holy food until a priest with Urim and Thummim should arise. The whole assembly together was 42,360 besides their menservants and maidservants, of whom there were 7,337, and they had 245 singers, male and female. Their horses were 736,

two hundred and forty-five singers, male and female. Their horses were seven hundred and thirty-six, their mules two hundred and forty-five, their camels four hundred and thirty-five, and their donkeys six thousand seven hundred and twenty. Now some of the heads of fathers' houses gave to the work. The governor gave to the treasury a thousand derricks of gold, fifty basins, five hundred and thirty priests' garments. And some of the heads of fathers' houses gave into the treasury of the work 20,000 derricks of gold and 2,200 minas of silver. And what the rest of the people gave was 20,000 derricks of gold, 2,000 minas of silver, and 67 priests' garments. Ezra opens the book of the law. So the priests, the Levites, the gatekeepers, the singers, some of the people, the temple servants, the gatekeepers, the singers, some of the people, the temple servants, and all Israel lived in their towns.

The Book of Esther, Chapter 1. King Ahasuerus deposes Queen Vashti. In the days of Ahasuerus, the Ahasuerus who reigned from India to Ethiopia over 127 provinces, in those days when King Ahasuerus sat on his throne in India to Ethiopia over 127 provinces. In those days, when King Ahasuerus sat on his throne in Susa, the capital, in the third year of his reign, he gave a banquet for all his princes and servants, the army chiefs of Persia and Medea, and the nobles and governors of the provinces being before him, while he showed the riches of his royal glory and the splendor and pomp of his majesty for many days, 180 days. And when these days were completed,

the king gave for all the people present in Susa the capital, both great and small, a banquet lasting for seven days in the court of the garden of the king's palace. There were white cotton curtains and blue hangings caught up with cords of fine linen and purple to silver rings and marble pillars, and also couches of gold and silver

on a mosaic pavement of porphyry, marble, mother of pillars, and also couches of gold and silver on a mosaic pavement of porphyry, marble, mother-of-pearl, and precious stones. Drinks were served in golden goblets, goblets of different kinds, and the royal wine was lavished according to the bounty of the king. And drinking was according to the law. No one was compelled, for the king had given orders to all the officials of his palace to do as every man desired. Queen Vashti also gave a banquet for the king had given orders to all the officials of his palace to do as every man desired. Queen Vashti also gave a banquet for the women in the palace which belonged to King Ahasuerus. On the seventh day, when the heart of the king was merry with wine, he commanded Mehumon, Biztha, Harbuna, Bigtha, and Abagatha, Zehar, and Karkas, the seven eunuchs who served King Ahasuerus as chamberlains, to bring Queen Vashti before the king with her royal crown, in order to show the peoples and the princes her beauty,

for she was fair to behold. But Queen Vashti refused to come at the king's command conveyed by the eunuchs. At this, the king was enraged, and his anger burned within him. Then the king said to the wise men who knew the times, for this was the king's procedure toward all who were versed in law and judgment, the men next to him being Karshana, Shethar, Admatha, Tarshish, Merez, Marsana, and Mimucan, the seven princes of Persia and Medea, who saw the king's face and sat first in the kingdom. According to the law, what is to be done to Queen Vashti, because she has not performed the command of King Ahasuerus conveyed by the eunuchs. Then Mimucan said in the presence of the king and the princes, not only to the king has Queen Vashti done wrong, but also to all the princes and all the peoples who are in all

the provinces of King Ahasuerus. For this deed of the queen will be made known to all women, causing them to look with contempt upon their husbands, since they will say King Ahasuerus commanded Queen Vashti to be brought before him, and she did not come. This very day, the ladies of Persia and Media, who have heard of the queen's behavior, will be telling it to all the king's princes, and there will be contempt and wrath in plenty. If it please the king, let a royal order go forth from him, and let it be written among the laws of the Persians and the Medes, so that it may not be altered, that Vashti is to come no more before King Ahasuerus, and let the king give her royal position to another who is better than she. So when the decree made by the king is proclaimed throughout all his kingdom, vast as it is, all women will give honor to their

husbands high and low. This advice pleased the king and the princes, and the king did as Bembocan proposed. He sent letters to all the royal provinces, to every province in its own script, and to every people in its own language, that every man be lord in his own house and speak according to the language of his people. Chapter 2.

Esther is chosen as queen. After these things, when the anger of King Ahasuerus had abated, he remembered Vashti and what she had done and what had been decreed against her. Then the king's servants who attended him said, let beautiful young virgins be sought out for the king and let the king appoint officers in all the provinces of his kingdom to gather all the beautiful young virgins to the harem in Susa, the capital, under custody of Haggai, the king's eunuch, who is in charge of the women. Let their ointments be given them, and let the maiden who pleases the king be queen instead of Vashti. This pleased the king, and he did so. Now there was a Jew in Susa,

the capital, whose name was Mordecai, the son of Jair, son of Shimei, son of Kish, a Benjaminite, who had been carried away from Jerusalem among the captives carried away with Jeconiah, king of Judah, whom Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, had carried away. He had brought up Hadassah, that is, Esther, the daughter of his uncle, for she had neither father nor mother. The maiden was beautiful and lovely. And when her father and her mother died, Mordecai adopted her as his own daughter. So when the king's order and his edict were proclaimed, and when many maidens were gathered in Susa the capital in custody of Haggai, Esther also was taken into the king's palace and put in custody of Haggai, who had charge of the women. And the maiden pleased him and won his favor, and he quickly provided her with her ointments and her

portion of food, and with seven chosen maids from the king's palace, and advanced her and her maids to the best place in the harem. Esther had not made known her people or kindred, for Mordecai had charged her not to make it known. And every day Mordecai walked in front of the court of the harem to learn how Esther was and how she fared. Now when the turn came for each maiden to go into King Ahasuerus, after being twelve months under the regulations for the women, since this was the regular period of their beautifying, six months with oil of myrrh and six months with spices and ointments for women, when the maiden went in to the king in this way, she was given whatever she desired to take with her from the harem to the king's palace. In the evening she went, and in

the morning she came back to the second harem in custody of Shaashgaz, the king's eunuch, who was in charge of the concubines. She did not go into the king again unless the king delighted in her, and she was summoned by name. When the turn came for Esther, the daughter of Abahel, the uncle of Mordecai, who had adopted her as his own daughter, to go into the king, she asked for nothing except what Haggai, the king's eunuch, who had charge of the women, advised. Now Esther found favor in the eyes of all who saw her. And when Esther was taken to King Ahasuerus into his royal palace in the tenth month, which is the month of Tebeth, in the seventh year of his reign, the king loved Esther more than all the women, and she found grace and favor in his sight more than all the virgins, so that he

set the royal crown on her head and made her queen instead of Vashti. Then the king gave a great banquet to all his princes and servants. It was Esther's banquet. He also granted a remission of taxes to the provinces and gave gifts with royal liberality. Mordecai discovers a plot. When the virgins were gathered together the second time, Mordecai was sitting at the king's gate. Now Esther had not made known her kindred or her people as Mordecai had charged her, for Esther obeyed Mordecai just as when she was brought up by him. And in those days, as Mordecai was sitting at the king's gate, Bigthan and Teresh, two of the king's eunuchs who guarded the threshold

became angry and sought to lay hands on King Ahasuerus. And this came to the knowledge of Mordecai, and he told it to Queen Esther, and Esther told the king in the name of Mordecai. When the affair was investigated and found to be so, the men were both hanged on the gallows, and it was recorded in the book of the Chronicles in the presence of the king. The book of Proverbs chapter 21 verses 1 through 4. The king's heart is a stream of water in the hand of the Lord. He turns it wherever he will. Every way of a man is right in his own eyes, but the Lord weighs the heart. To do righteousness and justice is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice. Haughty eyes and a proud heart, the lamp of the wicked, are sin.

Father in heaven, we give you praise and glory. Oh, thank you so much, Lord. Thank you for your word. Thank you for this opportunity. Thank you for this community of people, God, who are journeying on this Bible in a year. Thank you for their faithfulness. Thank you for not perfection, but thank you for perseverance. Perseverance, so much more than perfection, faithfulness, so much more than anything else we need. Oh God, thank you. Please receive our thanks in Jesus name. Amen. In the name of the father and of the son and of the Holy spirit. Amen. So golly, we are deep in the story of Esther, but before we get to Esther and to Nehemiah, back to Nehemiah, let's look at Proverbs chapter 21, verse two, every way of a man is right in his

own eyes, but the Lord weighs the heart. Gosh, so incredible. Every way of a man is right in his own eyes. That reminds us, right, of the book of Judges, where it said everyone did what was right in their own eyes. There was no king. Everyone did what was right in their own eyes. That sense of relativism, that sense of if it works, let's try it. If it doesn't work, we'll just try again. And yet the Lord weighs the heart. And this gift of truth and this gift of real goodness and the gift of real justice is present to us in God's word.

And so I'm just so grateful that the Lord has given us his word so we can know the next step. So speaking of next steps, here's a segue. In the book of Nehemiah, we had a number of things happening. A, we got introduced to Ezra at the very end. We're almost introduced to Ezra. He's going to be here in chapter eight. We concluded with chapter seven

and we had the announcement, at least, the header that said, Ezra opens the book of the law. That's coming tomorrow. But today, while we did have chapter seven and the lists of returned exiles, which, you know, is a gift, it's a gift to have these lists of names because we know this is a true story. These people are real people. They lived this real journey. Every one of those names, every one of those numbers associated with the names are an individual that is either living forever with God or forever without God. It's just that we recognize every person is a part of this

story, just like you and I are part of this story. But in chapter six, before the lists, I mean, chapter six, we have these plots against Nehemiah. So remember Sanballat and Tobiah and Geshem, the Arab, and the rest of the enemies that kept trying to get Nehemiah killed. Here's Nehemiah's great answer. At some point, Sambalat and Geshem come, they send to Nehemiah, say, come and let us meet together in one of the villages in the plain of Ono. And I sent messengers to them saying, this is Nehemiah's words, and just these are words that are so important for us. He says, I am doing a great work and I cannot come down. Those words are, gosh, I prayed with those words so many times. How many times do people try to get us to stop

doing God's will? How many times do people try to get us to stop doing exactly what we know God wants us to do? And regardless, if that work is building a wall, that work is working in a garden, if that work is teaching someone, if that work is being a wall, that work is working in a garden, if that work is teaching someone, if that work is being a small country priest in a small country parish, whatever that work is that you've been given, whether that work is being a stay-at-home mom or stay-at-home dad, whatever that work is, you recognize when it's been given to you by God, when someone tries to distract you, take you away from that work, we can have this answer, the answer of Nehemiah.

I am doing a great work and I cannot come down. I'm raising a family right now, doing a great work and I cannot come down. I'm raising a family right now, doing a great work and I cannot come down. I'm teaching these kids. I'm doing a great work and I cannot come down. I'm, the Lord has commissioned me to be a custodian and I keep these halls clean. I keep these bathrooms spotless.

I'm doing a great work and I cannot come down. See, human work, human work has so much dignity. It has dignity because it's humans who do it. And as we said before, us humans made in God's image and likeness, whenever we create, whenever we work, whenever we clean, whenever we do anything, we bring, I don't want to say it too much, but we bring something of the divine to that work. And here's Nehemiah who knows he's doing this because God has commissioned him. And so he won't be distracted. He won't be taken away from the work. He says, I am doing a great

work and I cannot come down. Not only they try that to meet him in this, you know, one of the villages in the plain of Ono, but then he says, listen, you got to go hide in the temple and got to go hide in the temple, knowing that if he ran into the temple out of fear for his life, they'll be able to say he sinned by going to a place that was prohibited from Nehemiah. And so he doesn't do that. And he says in verse nine, for they all wanted to frighten us thinking their hands will drop from the work and it will not be done. And then he prays, but now, oh God, strengthen my hands. So good. They wanted to scare us. How many times people try to frighten you away from doing what God wants you to do? God's commissioned you to do. They don't have permission. Why? Because we turn to the Lord and say, no, Lord God, give us our strength. Be our strength. Speaking of strength, we have this

story, the beginning of the story of Esther. I mean, we already heard chapters 11 and 12 yesterday, but today we get chapters one and two kind of setting the scene. We have King Ahasuerus, who's not a great guy. We all know this, right? He's not someone to be emulated. He has Queen Vashti. He flips out after having a party for 180 days. And then he has a party for seven days with the entire kingdom, wants Vashti to show up. She doesn't because she's like, no, the guy's drunk. He's been partying for 187 days by now. I'm not just going to go into his presence and be on display for everyone to oogle at. And she doesn't come. And what happens? The council given to Osweros is, well, yeah, you know, make a decree against,

you know, listen, I mean, you, you probably heard it. If the other wives hear about Queen Vashti, not doing what the king wanted her to do, they're going to start not doing what their husbands want them to do. And that's going to be chaos all over the place. And it's just one of those situations where you're looking at this thinking, this is nuts. This guy, Ahasuerus, is not a hero. Let's make that clear. Ahasuerus is not to be emulated. After 180 days partying with princes and governors, and then seven days with everybody, he's not making good decisions. And no one here is making good decisions. But then what happens is Queen Esther, Esther, who is a Jewish young woman, gets brought in because we got to replace Vashti and she becomes part of his harem. Again, not a great thing.

And there's a year, 12 months worth of her getting ready to meet the king. Gentlemen, and you thought it took a long time for your wives to get ready. Am I right? Okay, sorry. But there is this sense of injustice happening here. I mean, I guess, especially from a 21st century perspective where we have, it's so clear in our Judeo-Christian heritage that men and women are created equal in dignity, that here is this woman, and not just this woman, Esther, but many women, Vashti included,

who are mere property, right? That here's the man who's powerful and he gets to do whatever he wants, essentially. And what's going to happen is Esther is going to be brought into this broken system, into this broken world. She already lived in the broken world. You and I live in the broken world. Esther is going to be brought into this broken world so God can do something great, even in the midst of brokenness. So please, just once again, as we read these stories, it's really helpful for us to recognize that the reason why we can read this and say, man, that is wrong is because of our Jewish Christian heritage.

It's because of the fact that what we believe is not what Nebuchadnezzar, it's not what Ahasuerus believed. It's not what the Persians, the Medes, or the Babylonians believed. We believe that men and women are created in equal equality and equal dignity, and that women are not meant to be objects for men. And that's one of the reasons why we can see the evil of this moment. But we also are going to be able to see how God can bring up this young woman, Esther, in a broken system to do something incredible. And that's what God wants to do with us too. We are all living in broken systems.

We're all living in a broken world, but God can do something with us in this broken world, in this broken system to have his will accomplished, to have people be saved, to have people be lifted up out of this oppression and out of this injustice. We're gonna see that in the days to come. And I'm so grateful that we are going to be able to have the opportunity to walk with Esther.

We've been walking with each other for 275 days for crying out loud. It's amazing. I am praying for you. Please, please pray for me. My name is Father Mike. I cannot wait to see you tomorrow. God bless.