Women in the Bible
Lesson Thirteen: by turtle

This next lesson is perhaps the hardest to grasp. USA is a land of freedom and opportunity. It is
a place of freedom of religion and speech, yet not always have all had this basic right. In fact
when our freedom is taken away it does mean we never had it to begin with. It means as long as
one was doing well and obeying the rules and did not speak out one would do fine. Esther
family could not obey this one rule of worshipping a man. Could not bow to a man. Mordecai
and many others began to weep and mourn for their impeding death. They wept for the nation
as well as their people. No doubt this caused a disturbance. This brought much distress to
Esther and she sent a maid to find out why Mordecai wept and fasted.

Esther 4:1-9 KJV
(1)  When Mordecai perceived all that was done, Mordecai rent his clothes, and put on
sackcloth with ashes, and went out into the midst of the city, and cried with a loud and a bitter
cry;
(2)  And came even before the king's gate: for none might enter into the king's gate clothed with
sackcloth.
(3)  And in every province, whithersoever the king's commandment and his decree came, there
was great mourning among the Jews, and fasting, and weeping, and wailing; and many lay in
sackcloth and ashes.
(4)  So Esther's maids and her chamberlains came and told it her. Then was the queen
exceedingly grieved; and she sent raiment to clothe Mordecai, and to take away his sackcloth
from him: but he received it not.
(5)  Then called Esther for Hatach, one of the king's chamberlains, whom he had appointed to
attend upon her, and gave him a commandment to Mordecai, to know what it was, and why it
was.
(6)  So Hatach went forth to Mordecai unto the street of the city, which was before the king's
gate.
(7)  And Mordecai told him of all that had happened unto him, and of the sum of the money
that Haman had promised to pay to the king's treasuries for the Jews, to destroy them.
(8)  Also he gave him the copy of the writing of the decree that was given at Shushan to destroy
them, to shew it unto Esther, and to declare it unto her, and to charge her that she should go in
unto the king, to make supplication unto him, and to make request before him for her people.
(9)  And Hatach came and told Esther the words of Mordecai.

The King command annihilation for all the Jews. This caused Esther stress, but she knew she
was in position to do something, yet the rules were clear she could not go before the king
without being requested, or the Kings scepter be held out to her, so she sent word back to
Mordecai to have all the Jews fast and pray.

Esther 4:10-17 KJV
(10)  Again Esther spake unto Hatach, and gave him commandment unto Mordecai;
(11)  All the king's servants, and the people of the king's provinces, do know, that whosoever,
whether man or woman, shall come unto the king into the inner court, who is not called, there
is one law of his to put him to death, except such to whom the king shall hold out the golden
sceptre, that he may live: but I have not been called to come in unto the king these thirty days.
(12)  And they told to Mordecai Esther's words.
(13)  Then Mordecai commanded to answer Esther, Think not with thyself that thou shalt
escape in the king's house, more than all the Jews.
(14)  For if thou altogether holdest thy peace at this time, then shall there enlargement and
deliverance arise to the Jews from another place; but thou and thy father's house shall be
destroyed: and who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this?
(15)  Then Esther bade them return Mordecai this answer,
(16)  Go, gather together all the Jews that are present in Shushan, and fast ye for me, and
neither eat nor drink three days, night or day: I also and my maidens will fast likewise; and so
will I go in unto the king, which is not according to the law: and if I perish, I perish.
(17)  So Mordecai went his way, and did according to all that Esther had commanded him.

One must consider what was it like to fast for three days knowing it might be your last chance
of survival. To know that only if you prayed and begged you might have a chance to plead for a
reprieve. Yet the law was stated as such that all would die by the law. Oh how precious is the
blood of Jesus that took away our punishment of sin and death. See even under the law of the
land if you break it, God can abolishes those laws that are against God and in the next lesson
we will see that, but for now lets look a little deeper at the Christian perspective.

Law of sin in the Bible that is against God we all break at sometime or another. We even break
the law of sin in the old testament and are punishable by that sin, until God made the way
through Christ.

Romans 8:1-5 KJV
(1)  There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not
after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
(2)  For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and
death.
(3)  For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own
Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh:
(4)  That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but
after the Spirit.
(5)  For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the
Spirit the things of the Spirit.

The law that God established He broke so we could have eternal life if we would believe. In
other words Jesus came so that we could have life. That even so our imperfections would be
cleared. That however does not mean if we broke the law of the land that we would not be
punishable by it. For example: if a killer gets saved, he is still punishable by the law of the land,
but not by the law of God. A conviction of a crime of killing is death in some states and a life
sentence in other states. The fact remains killing is wrong in God’s eyes and the land’s.
The why is God able to forgive it? Because God’s mercy is not man’s mercy. Man’s
mercy to forgive and forget is harder. The human is not perfect and is known to do something
again if not corrected. God corrects and punishes his children.

Hebrews 12:5-14 KJV
(5)  And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children, My son,
despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him:
(6)  For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.
(7)  If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the
father chasteneth not?
(8)  But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not
sons.
(9)  Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them
reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live?
(10)  For they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure; but he for our profit,
that we might be partakers of his holiness.
(11)  Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless
afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby.
(12)  Wherefore lift up the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees;
(13)  And make straight paths for your feet, lest that which is lame be turned out of the way; but
let it rather be healed.
(14)  Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord:

Something as Christians we can be assured of if we love Him He will defend us. If we love and
obey Him he will abolish the law that would kill us. We sometimes must be patient and know
God will oversee and do His will in our lives and the lives of others. Our faith in Jesus will stand
until the end of His return. We must pray for those that are suffering because they hate
Christians. Many Christians today are persecuted along with the Jews. These are God’s
chosen people. One must defend and protect them to be blessed.