The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz) - Day 275: Esther Becomes Queen (2025)

Episode Date: October 2, 2025

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's 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 chapter 7. 11 and 12 yesterday, as well as Proverbs chapter 21 versus 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-year plan, here's a little secret, you can visit ascensionpress.com slash Bible in the 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 6 and 7, Esther, Chapter 1 and 2, Proverbs chapter 21, verses 1 through 4. The Book of Nehemiah, Chapter 6. Enemy plots avoided. Now, when it was reported to Sanballat and Tobiah, and to Gashem, 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 Gresham 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, Sanbalat, 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 Gresham also said, 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 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, O God, strengthen my hands. Now, when I went into the house of Shemaiah, the son of Delaya, son of Mahatabell, 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 Sanbalat, oh my God, according to these things that they did,

and also the prophetess no Adaya, and the rest of the prophets who wanted to make me afraid. The wall completed. So the wall was finished. on the 25th day of the month, Elul, in 52 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 Tobaya, 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 Shakanaya,

the son of Ara, and his son, Johanan, had taken the daughter of Mesulam, the son of Berakaya, as his wife. Also, they spoke of his good deeds in my presence and reported my words to him, and Tobias 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 Zerubabelle, Jeshua, Nehemiah, Nihamai, Azariah, Raamaya, Nehameh, Mordecai, Bilsbareth, Bigvi, Nehum, Baana.

The number of the men of the sons of Israel, the sons of Parosh, 2,872. The sons of Shafataya, 372. The sons of Arra, 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 Zaki, 760. The sons of Binui, 648, the sons of Bibi, 628, the sons of Asgad, 2,322.

The sons of Adonikam, 667, the sons of Big Vai, 267, the sons of Adin, 655, the sons of Ater, namely of Hezekiah 98, the sons of Hashim, 328, the sons of Bizaai, 324, the sons of Bizaai, 324, the sons of of Harif, a hundred and twelve. The sons of Gibbon, ninety-five. The men of Bethlehem and Netafah, a hundred and eighty-eight. The men of Anathothoth, a hundred and twenty-eight. The men of Beth Asmaveth, 42. The men of Kiryath Jirim, Chifirah, and Beiroth, 743. The men of Rama and Giba, 621. The men of Micmas, a hundred and twenty-two. The men of Bethel and Eai, 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 Judea, namely of the house of Jesua, 973. The sons of Imer, 152. The sons of Paschur, 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 Avesaf, 148.

The gatekeepers, the sons of Shalum, the sons of Ater, the sons of Talman, 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 of Sia, the sons of Padon, the sons of Lebanon, the sons of Haggaba, the sons of Shalmay, the sons of Hanan, the sons of Gdell, the sons of Gahar, the sons of Raya, the sons of Raiah, the sons of Resin, the sons of Nekhoda, the sons of Gazam, the sons of Basai, the sons of Meunim, the sons of Nefushasim, the sons of Nefushasim, the sons of of Bakbuk, the sons of Hakufa, the sons of Harchur, the sons of Baselith, the sons of Mahida, the sons of Harsha, the sons of Barcos, the sons of Cicera, the sons of Tima, the sons of Nizia, the sons of Hatifah, the sons of Solomon's servants, the sons of Sotai, the sons of Sopharath, the sons of Sopharath, the sons of Sopharath, the sons of Sopha'aim, the sons of Sophaeim, the sons of Amman. All the temple servants and the sons of Solomon's servants were

392. The following were those who came up from Telmala, Telhashah, Cherub, Adan, and Imer, but they could not prove their father's houses nor their descent whether they belonged to Israel. The sons of Delaya, the sons of Tobaya, the sons of Nukudah, 642. Also of the priests, the sons of Hobaya, the sons of Hakkos, the sons of Barzalai, who had taken a wife of the daughters of Barzalai, 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 Urum and Thumim should arise.

The whole assembly together was 42,360 besides their men's servants and maid servants, of whom there were 7,337, and they had 245 singers, male and female. Their horses were 736, their mules, 245, their camels 435, and their donkeys, 6,720. Now, some of the heads of father's houses gave to the work, the governor gave to the treasury a thousand derricks of gold, 50 basins, 530 priests' garments. And some of the heads of father's 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 menes 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,

and all Israel lived in their towns. The Book of Esther, Chapter 1, King Ahasuerus deposes Queen Vashti. In the days of Ahasueros, who reigned from India to Ethiopia over 127 provinces, in those days when King Ahasueros 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 should. 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

Sousa 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 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 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 Mehmann, Bistha, Harbona, Bigtha, and Abagetha, Zehar, and Carcas, 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 reversed in law and judgment, the men next to him being

Karshanah, Shethar, Admatha, Tarshish, Marez, Marseh, and Mimokhan, 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 Ahasueros conveyed by the eunuchs. Then Mimukon 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 in 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 Medea, 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 Osweros, 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 Bemocon 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 Hagai, 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 Jai, son of Kish, a Benjaminite, who had been carried away from Jerusalem among the captives carried away with Jechaniah, 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 Hegai, Esther also was taken into the king's palace and put in custody of Hegai, 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 Ahasueros, 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 into 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 Shaashkas, 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 Hagi 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 Ahasueros 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. 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, Big Thun and Teresh, two of the king's eunuchs who guarded the threshold became angry and sought to lay hands on King Asweros. 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 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 2, 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 and we'll just try again. And yet, the Lord weighs the heart. And this gift of truth and this. 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, there is, 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 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 7 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, everyone of those numbers associated with the names are an individual that is either living forever with God or forever without God, just that we recognize. Every person

is it 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 San Balat and Tobiah and Gashem, the Arab, and the rest of the enemies that kept trying to get Nehemiah killed. Here's Nehemiah's great answer. At some point, San Balat and Gasham come, they send to Nehemiah, say, come and let us meet together, 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 small country priest and a small country parish, whatever that work is that you've been given, what 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 teaching these kids. I'm doing a great work and I cannot come down. 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 in the work. He says, I am doing a great work and I cannot come down. Not only they try that,

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 would 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 commission 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 Ahasueros, who's not a great guy. We all know this, right? This is, he's not someone to be emulated. 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, you know, 187 days by now. I'm not just going to go into his presence and be on display for everyone to ogle 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 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 it'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, Ahasueros, is not a hero. Let's make that clear. Ahasueros 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, Bashti included, who are mere property, right? That here is 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 Ahasueros believe.

It's not what the Persians, the Medes or the Babylonians believed. We believe that men and women are created an equal equality and equal dignity and that women are not meant to be objects for men. And that's why 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 accomplish, to have people be saved, to have people be lifted up out of this. oppression and out of this injustice. We're going to 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.

Thank you.