DOCSLIB.ORG

“An Inner Beauty” 9/6/15 Esther Is One of Only Two Books in the Bible That

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
“An Inner Beauty” 9/6/15 Esther Is One of Only Two Books in the Bible That Esther 2:5-18 “An Inner Beauty” 9/6/15 Esther is one of only two books in the Bible that do not mention God by name - The other is the Song of Solomon - Neither do you find any reference to prayer, worship, or anything else very religious in Esther The book is never mentioned in the New Testament - And it is the only Old Testament book that was not found in the Dead Sea Scrolls - Yet the providence of God - And the care He shows His people, is very evident in many different places in the book Not too long ago, the book of Esther was hit with a lot of criticism - Those who love to cast doubt on our Scriptures, said it is just a story, and it should not even be a part of the Bible - But that is no longer very popular Because, near the end of the 20th century, archeological finds have proven that the book is historically accurate - The spectacular palace in Susa has been unearthed - And finds in Greece have been discovered recording many events, including the great feast in chapter 1 Personally, I find exploring the history of the ancient world interesting - But, I do not need archeological finds - The Bible is the Word of God - And even if it is the only place where something is recorded - I know that it is true, because God’s Word is trustworthy If the Bible were to be arranged in chronological order - The book of Esther would be very near the end of the Old Testament - Because the events recorded here happened only about 480 years before the birth of Jesus Instead of being arranged chronologically, in the order that events happened, the Old Testament is broken into sections - It begins with the Books of Law, then History, then Poetry and Wisdom, and finally Prophecy Page 1 Esther is the last of the historical books - It tells of a time after the Babylonian captivity - Ezra and Nehemiah also record things that happened in that period The difference is that while Ezra and Nehemiah record what happened to the Jews who returned to Jerusalem and the Holy Land - The book of Esther records what happened to some Jews who did not return One interesting difference exists in our English translations of the Bible - Some, like the New International Version, the version I read here in worship, call the king Xerxes - While other English versions of the Bible call him Ahasuerus - Xerxes was his Greek name, while Ahasuerus is a Hebrew transliteration of his Persian name The book of Esther opens with a great feast given by King Xerxes, the king of Persia - What’s left of Persia today, is called Iran - But in Esther’s day, Persia included most of the Middle East, from India to Ethiopia You can imagine how many princes Xerxes had to rule that territory - And they all joined together for a feast that lasted 180 days It was during this feast, that Xerxes sent some of his men, in the words of Esther 1:11, “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”1 It was an inappropriate request to make of the Queen, because this feast would have been a gathering of only men - Drunken men to be more precise - Even worse, some commentators feel that Xerxes wanted Queen Vashti to appear wearing only her royal crown 1 Unless otherwise noted, Scripture quoted has been taken from The Holy Bible, New International Version, © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc., (Published by Zondervan, Grand Rapids, MI) Page 2 Other feel that she may have been great with child - The next king of Persia, Artaxerxes, was born near this time - Whatever the case, Vashti refused to appear So in response, Xerxes deposed her, and banned her from his presence - He realized too late, that this was a big mistake - It was probably not long before he missed Vashti - But it was one of those mistakes that could not be undone That brings us to chapter 2, which begins, “Later when King Xerxes’ fury had subsided, he remembered Vashti and what she had done and what he had decreed about her.” - The word “later” in this verse could easily say years later Approximately four years passed between the end of chapter 1 and the beginning of chapter 2 - In that period, Xerxes attacked Greece with large land and sea forces The most famous battle was at Thermopylae - Where 300 Spartans defended a narrow pass against thousands of Persians - The Persians eventually prevailed, but the week long battle took a heavy toll Battles at Athens and the Acropolis were also Persian victories - But the battle of Salamis was a different story - They brought in a throne so Xerxes could personally watch the naval battle just off the shore He saw his fleet sustain heavy losses - And then he watched as the Greeks annihilated the Persian troops - In the aftermath of that battle Xerxes had all his admirals executed Then when a storm destroyed a bridge that the Persians had built between present day Turkey and Europe - Xerxes had his engineers beheaded - He had the Sea beaten with a whip and he demanded that the waves be chained2 2 Source of historical information for the period between chapters 1 & 2: Treasures from Esther, Dr. Rod Mattoon, © public domain, published April 2001, (Lincoln Land Baptist Church, Springfield, IL) Page 3 This was the King who returned to Persia in defeat - The King who came home to remember what he had done to Vashti - A man who needed cheering up before he beheaded someone else Which brings us to today’s reading, where beautiful young women were brought from all over the kingdom so a new Queen could be selected - Becoming Queen may have been quite an honor - But being one of the young women selected was not a desirable thing at all The King’s harem was filled with hundreds of women - And while they may have been cared for and fed well - It was very often a life sentence of loneliness A woman would have her night with the King - And if he did not request her again - She would live out her days in the harem, childless, without the companionship of a husband, and maybe even friendless Families would sometimes lie about their daughter’s purity - Or rush a teenage daughter into a marriage to protect her from being taken to the King’s harem Esther 2:8 “When the king’s order and edict had been proclaimed, many young women were brought to the citadel of Susa and put under the care of Hegai. Esther also was taken to the king’s palace and entrusted to Hegai, who had charge of the harem.” We do not know if Esther went willingly or not - But as the word “taken” in this verse implies, she had very little choice in the matter Esther 2:7 describes her with the words, “This young woman, who was also known as Esther, had a lovely figure and was beautiful.” - She was being raised by her cousin Mordecai because her parents had died I suspect that Mordecai had raised her for a long time - Because while they were cousins - The relationship reflected in the book is more like that of father and daughter; and verse 7 tells us, “Mordecai had taken her as his own daughter when her father and mother died.” Page 4 Beautiful young women came from all over the kingdom, and Esther 2:17 tells us “Now the king was attracted to Esther more than to any of the other women, and she won his favor and approval more than any of the other virgins. So he set a royal crown on her head and made her queen instead of Vashti.” Esther was without a doubt a totally gorgeous teenage woman - However, there were hundreds of totally gorgeous young women for Xerxes to pick from - So what set Esther apart? - What made her more lovable, more beautiful than all the other women? One clue comes from when the King decided he liked Esther the best - It was after she spent the night with the King - We may conclude that Esther was affectionate - And probably quite passionate too Another clue about what set Esther apart comes from Esther 2:15 - It says, “When the turn came for Esther (the young woman Mordecai had adopted, the daughter of his uncle Abihail) to go to the king, she asked for nothing other than what Hegai, the king’s eunuch who was in charge of the harem, suggested. And Esther won the favor of everyone who saw her.” Notice that she is being humble - She is accepting the advice of Hegai instead of feeling that she has all the answers herself - She is demonstrating a willingness to listen to others - That is a very nice trait, especially in a teenager Also, notice how this verse concludes, “And Esther won the favor of everyone who saw her.” - Although she was very pretty, she was not depending just on outward adornments - But she was drawing on an inner beauty Hundreds of years later, Peter would write, in 1 Peter 3:3-4 “Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as elaborate hairstyles and the wearing of gold jewelry or fine clothes. Rather, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight.” Page 5 We may never get to be as beautiful as Esther - And thirty years after the events recorded in our Scriptures, Esther herself was probably no longer as beautiful - As when she was seventeen But inside, our beauty can endure - The beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit is imperishable - Not only that, but inner beauty is obtainable - Where outer beauty is, at best, only a temporary gift Like Esther, we may live life with passion - Allowing ourselves to be open to the ideas of others - Being humble - And being affectionate toward those deserving our affections Ephesians 5:1-2 “Follow God’s example, therefore, as dearly loved children and walk in the way of love, just
Load more

Recommended publications
  • 07.07.13 Final
    ORDINARY PEOPLE DOING EXTRAORDINARY GOOD Selected scriptures from Esther 07.07.2013 TWO LIFE LESSONS FROM THE STORY OF ESTHER 1. WHEN SIN IS ________________________, IT _______________ EXPONENTIALLY. “And when Haman saw that Mordecai did not bow down or pay homage to him, Haman was filled with fury. 6 But he disdained to lay hands on Mordecai alone. So, as they had made known to him the people of Mordecai, Haman sought to destroy all the Jews, the people of Mordecai, throughout the whole kingdom of Ahasuerus.” Esther 3:4-6 “Temptation comes from our own desires, which entice us and drag us away. 15 These desires give birth to sinful actions. And when sin is allowed to grow, it gives birth to death.” James 1:14-15 (NLT) 2. GOD DOES _______________________________ THINGS THROUGH _________________________ PEOPLE. [Mordecai]: “…was bringing up Hadassah, that is Esther, the daughter of his uncle, for she had neither father nor mother. ….when her father and her mother died, Mordecai took her as his own daughter.” Esther 2:7 [Amos]: “…I’m not a professional prophet, and I was never trained to be one. I’m just a shepherd, and I take care of sycamore-fig trees. 15 But the LORD called me away from my flock and told me, ‘Go and prophesy to my people in Israel.’” Amos 7:14-15 (NLT) “When Peter entered, Cornelius met him, and fell at his feet and worshiped him. 26 But Peter raised him up, saying, "Stand up; I too am just a man.” Acts1 10:25-26Part Epic, MAKE IT PERSONAL: 1.
    [Show full text]
  • The Chapters of Esther
    Scholars Crossing An Alliterated Outline for the Chapters of the Bible A Guide to the Systematic Study of the Bible 5-2018 The Chapters of Esther Harold Willmington Liberty University, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/outline_chapters_bible Part of the Biblical Studies Commons, Christianity Commons, and the Religious Thought, Theology and Philosophy of Religion Commons Recommended Citation Willmington, Harold, "The Chapters of Esther" (2018). An Alliterated Outline for the Chapters of the Bible. 34. https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/outline_chapters_bible/34 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the A Guide to the Systematic Study of the Bible at Scholars Crossing. It has been accepted for inclusion in An Alliterated Outline for the Chapters of the Bible by an authorized administrator of Scholars Crossing. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Esther SECTION OUTLINE ONE (ESTHER 1-2) King Xerxes deposes Queen Vashti for refusing to appear before him at a banquet. A search is made for a new queen, and Esther is selected. Her adoptive father Mordecai becomes a palace official. He overhears a plot to assassinate the king, and he reports it to Esther and saves the king's life. I. THE REJECTION OF VASHTI (1:1-22): King Xerxes of Persia is rebuffed by his queen during one of his banquets, so he deposes her. A. A banquet for his provincial officials (1:1-4): King Xerxes gives a banquet for all his princes and officials from his 127 provinces, stretching from India to Ethiopia.
    [Show full text]
  • Lesson 4 Esther Ch. 2 and 3
    Lesson 4 Esther Ch. 2 and 3 ESTHER Week 4, Chapters 2 and 3 As we left off last week in Esther chapter 2, Esther was now residing in the royal harem in Susa (she and her adoptive father Mordechai were already living in Susa at the time). We noticed that the Bible gives us no implication that Esther was kidnapped, forced against her will, or mistreated when she was sent to the harem. And there is also no hint that this was the case for any of the other virgin girls. In fact, since what was really happening was that these girls were entering a beauty pageant with the winner becoming Queen of Persia, it seems to me that most of these girls and their families would have considered this a great and unexpected opportunity. And this is especially so when we consider that in Persian society there were 7 aristocratic families from which the king always chose his queen. So for this customary marriage protocol to be set aside and instead any girl of any family, ethnicity or social status in the enormous Persian Empire who was beautiful and charming enough was to be given a chance to become royalty, well, such a thing was simply unheard of. Mordechai inexplicably told Esther that she was to say nothing of her Hebrew heritage. We aren’t told his motive for this instruction, but there is also nothing that would tell us that Jews were seen as lesser, or undesirable, or that it would create a problem in the harem.
    [Show full text]
  • Series: Bible Characters Esther – (Esther 4:14B) 1. the Name “Esther
    Series: Bible Characters Esther – (Esther 4:14b) 1. The name “Esther” means “star.” Her Hebrew name is “Hadasseh” which means “myrtle.” 2. She was an orphan girl who was adopted by Mordecai her cousin (Esther 2:5-7). She was probably only 10-11 years of age when king Ahasuerus (also known as Xerxes) came to throne. 3. The books of Ezra and Nehemiah deal with the remnant who returned to Jerusalem. The book of Esther takes place between Ezra chapters 6 & 7. 4. What we need to learn from the story of Esther is that no matter how bad the world’s condition is, God is still in control. I. WORLDLY SITUATIONS A. The Players. 1. At this time, Israel is no longer a nation because they have been absorbed into the most dominant power in the world at that time, Persia. 2. One of the most important people in the world at this time is a key player in this story. His name is Ahasuerus. a. He reigned in Susa. b. His empire spanned over 127 provinces from India to Ethiopia. c. For six months he had the biggest party the world had ever seen. During that time, in one of his drunken stupors, he decides to show off his queen Vashti to his guests. 1) Some feel that he asked the queen to prance around naked in front of the guests. 2) She refuses to do so, and in his rage he banishes her from being queen. He regretted that later, but the law of the Medes and Persians could not be revoked, so he would need a new queen.
    [Show full text]
  • Typology in Esther 1
    TYPOLOGY IN ESTHER 1. The Basic Background PURIM- FEAST OF DICE The word "Purim" means "dice." It was wicked Haman who used dice to set a date for the extermination of the Jews from the Persian Empire on the thirteenth of Adar. God delivered the Jews from the destruction of the plot. Purim is one of three feasts celebrating deliverance. 1. Hanukkah—Feast of the deliverance of Judaism. 2. Purim—The deliverance of the Jews is celebrated. 3. Passover—Deliverance from the slavery of Egypt and the Death Angel. Isaiah 54:17—No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness is of me, saith the Lord. 2. THE PURPOSE OF THE BOOK God shows His provision for His people. PROVIDENCE IS THE HAND OF GOD IN THE GLOVE OF HISTORY. God's hand is seen in.... Creation—the existence of the universe. Preservation—the continuance of the universe. (Colossians 1:16, 17) Providence—The Progress & Development of the Universe. (Psalm 135:6-10) Romans 8:28—And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. God has a way of having the right person, in the right place, at the right time. 3. WHERE IS GOD?- Aleph Tau 110 times. Strength of Covenant. Messiah’s mark and presence as He relates to people in judgement to bless and curse.
    [Show full text]
  • Book of Esther - Thorough
    Book of Esther - Thorough 1. What are the first five words of Esther? NOW IT CAME TO PASS 2. According to 1:1, over what territory did King Ahasuerus reign? FROM INDIA TO ETHIOPIA 3. According to Esther 1:1, who reigned from India to Ethiopia? AHASUERUS 4. According to Esther 1:1, the book of Esther took place in the days of what king? AHASUERUS 5. According to 1:1, over how many provinces did King Ahasuerus reign? 127 6. According to Esther 1:2, where was the throne of the kingdom of Ahasuerus? SHUSHAN THE PALACE 7. According to Esther 1:2, who sat on the throne in Shushan? AHASUERUS 8. Where was the palace of King Ahasuerus when the story of Esther took place? SHUSHAN 9. According to Esther 1:3, in which year of the reign of King Ahasuerus did he make a feast unto all his princes and his servants? THE THIRD YEAR 10. What is the first word in the book of Esther? NOW 11. According to Esther 1:3, what groups of people attended the feast of King Ahasuerus? ALL HIS PRINCES AND HIS SERVANTS; THE POWER OF PERSIA AND MEDIA; THE NOBLES AND PRINCES OF THE PROVINCES 12. According to Esther 1:3, what did King Ahasuerus do in the third year of his reign? HE MADE A FEAST UNTO ALL HIS PRINCES AND HIS SERVANTS; THE POWER OF PERSIA AND MEDIA; THE NOBLES AND PRINCES OF THE PROVINCES 13. According to Esther 1:3, what are we told about the group of people that King Ahasuerus invited to the feast in the third year of his reign? THEY WERE “BEFORE HIM” 14.
    [Show full text]
  • Esther 2 19-3 15
    Preparing for Small Group: Read the passage below, and answer the following questions. (1) What do these verses tell me about God? (2) What do these verses tell me about sinful humanity? (3) What do these verses tell me about Jesus? (4) What does God want me to know? (5) What does God want me to do? ____________________________________________________________________________ “Pride and Prejudice” Esther 2:19-3:15 Main Point: Pride usually leads to destructive prejudice and anger. Lessons related to the destructive results of pride: Pride often leads to prejudice that disregards consequence (3:1-6). While Mordecai had been recognized in the royal record for helping to foil the assassination attempt on King Ahasuerus, the king had failed to properly recognize and reward Mordecai for his faithful service in protecting the king’s life. With this omission glaring, the next thing that’s recorded in the book of Esther is that the king promoted Haman to the position of second in command in his kingdom. While this was several years after the foiled assassination plot, the placement of this event in the story seemed to add injury to insult in relationship to the fact that Mordecai didn’t get what he rightly deserved. Regardless, what happened next pointed to pride in the heart of Mordecai. Mordecai failed to obey the king’s order to give honor to Haman. Bowing to honor Haman in obedience to the king would not have violated Mordecai’s obedience to God, but Mordecai’s prideful prejudice kept him from doing so. The consequences of Mordecai’s actions were clear to everyone around him — as is often the case — but Mordecai’s pride apparently kept him from seeing or caring about the consequences of his actions.
    [Show full text]
  • The Information Structure of the Book of Esther in the Septuagint by Ken
    The information structure of the book of Esther in the Septuagint by Ken Chan A DISSERTATION SUBMITTED FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR of PHILOSOPHY at the SOUTH AFRICAN THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY in October 2010 PROMOTERS: Dr Kevin Smith and Dr Frank Jabini The opinions expressed in this dissertation do not necessarily reflect the views of the South African Theological Seminary. DECLARATION I hereby acknowledge that the work contained in this dissertation is my own original work and has not previously in its entirety or in part been submitted to any academic institution for degree purposes. _________________________________ Ken Chan October 2010 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I thank my wife who encouraged me throughout the writing of this dissertation. Thanks to Dr Kevin Smith, who trusted me and invited me to go further. He is a good writer, and he taught me what it means to write. Thanks to Dr Frank Jabini for giving me valuable input as my second supervisor. Thanks to my external examiners for contributing their valuable time to review my work. Thanks to all the authors whom I cited (whether it was for or against) because scholarship is a collective effort. Thanks to the financial support of all my supporters during this study period. Thanks to my mission board, which allowed me to take this time to deepen my understanding of God’s word. Thanks to the Chinese University of Hong Kong Library for letting me use their excellent facilities. To God alone be the glory. Ken Chan October 2010 ABSTRACT A comparison of studies on the book of Esther shows that there are diverse opinions of what constitutes (a) the purpose, and (b) the discourse boundaries of the book.
    [Show full text]
  • Girls Life Application Study Bible Is an Edition of the Holy Bible, New Living Translation
    girls application® life STUDY BIBLE New Living Translation® SECOND EDITION Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. Carol Stream, Illinois Visit Tyndale’s exciting Web sites at www.newlivingtranslation.com and www.tyndale.com. Interior illustrations copyright © 2005 by Jessie McGrath. All rights reserved. Girls Life Application Study Bible is an edition of the Holy Bible, New Living Translation. Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. All rights reserved. The text of the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, may be quoted in any form (written, visual, electronic, or audio) up to and inclusive of five hundred (500) verses without express written permission of the publisher, provided that the verses quoted do not account for more than 25 percent of the work in which they are quoted, and provided that a complete book of the Bible is not quoted. When the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, is quoted, one of the following credit lines must appear on the copyright page or title page of the work: Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved. Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved. Scripture quotations marked NLT are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation.
    [Show full text]
  • Esther Bible Story: Esther (2:2-18; 4:5-17; 5:1-8; 7:1-10; 8:8-17)
    Lesson: Esther Bible Story: Esther (2:2-18; 4:5-17; 5:1-8; 7:1-10; 8:8-17) Video: https://www.sharefaith.com/video/queen-esther-bible-video-for-kids.html Bible Verse: “Call on me and I will help you.” Psalm 50:15 Bible Story: - The bible verse Psalm 50:15 says, “Call on me and I will help you.” We can depend on God to help us when we ask Him. Our story today comes from Esther. It is in the Old Testament. Ask them to show which section of the bible is the Old Testament and which section is the New Testament. Esther (2:2-18; 4:5-17; 5:1-8; 7:1-10; 8:8-17) The king of Persia needed a queen. His helpers brought beautiful women to the palace so the king could choose a queen. Esther was brought to the palace. No one knew that Esther was a Jew, one of the people of Israel. Her guardian, Mordecai, told her not to tell anyone because some people didn’t like Jews. The king chose Esther as his queen. One day, Mordecai was crying in the streets. Esther sent her helper to find out why. Mordecai sent a message to Esther. “You must help your people. The evil Haman has tricked the king into making a law so all Jews would be killed. Go to the king to save us.” Esther sent a message to Mordecai, “Don’t eat or drink for three days. My servants and I will do the same.
    [Show full text]
  • 17-Esther-Nets.Pdf
    17-Est-NETS-4.qxd 11/10/2009 10:27 PM Page 424 ESTHER TO THE READER EDITION OF GREEK TEXT The NETS version of Esther is based on the full critical edition prepared by Robert Hanhart (Septuaginta: Vetus Testamentum Graecum Auctoritate Academiae Scientiarum Gottingensis editum VIII.3: Esther [Göttingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, 1966]). THE TWO GREEK VERSIONS Esther is one of three books in the Hebrew canon to have survived in two distinct Greek versions. The Göttingen critical edition of Esther prints both Greek texts. The “Septuagint” (Old Greek = OG) version is printed on the top half of the page with the siglum o´. The second Greek version is known as the Alpha- text (AT) and is printed on the bottom of the page with the siglum L, because at the time of its printing, this Greek version was thought to be Lucianic. It is not known with certainty which of the two Greek ver- sions is the older or if one text is a revision of the other. Recent scholarship has challenged the traditional view that the o´ text of Esther was the first Greek translation made of the Hebrew and that the AT was a later revision of it. The o´ text carries a colophon, which, if historically reliable, would allow for three pos- sible dates for the origin of the translation: 114/13 BCE, 78/77 BCE, or 48 BCE. Scholars disagree on which is most likely. Both Greek versions have been translated for NETS. The NRSV translates the o´ text into English with the title “Esther: The Greek Version Containing the Additional Chapters” and includes it within the Apocryphal/Deuterocanonical Books.
    [Show full text]
  • Obey Authority” the Ten Commandments for Kids Lesson #6 on Honoring Your Father and Mother
    “Obey Authority” The Ten Commandments for Kids Lesson #6 on Honoring Your Father and Mother God’s Good Rules: Lesson #6 Obey Authority Main idea: We honor our heavenly Father by obeying our parents. Teaching Supplies Needed: Bible; dry erase markers or chart paper and markers; Ten Commandments Coloring Page 5th Commandment; Coupon Book Craft, stapler, scissors, coloring supplies. For bonus ideas, see all our resources for teaching the 10 Commandments to Kids Memory Verses: Psalm 119:1-2 “Joyful are people of integrity, who follow the instructions of the Lord. Joyful are those who obey his laws and search for him with all their hearts.” Scripture references: • Exodus 20:1-8 • Exodus 20:12 • Ephesians 6:1-2 • Romans 13:1 • 1 John 3:1a ©2020 Ministry-To-Children.com – Free license for non-profit use. Tara Tegard. Illustrations ChristianClipArts.com and Mandy Groce. Scripture from Holy Bible, New Living Translation, © 1996, 2004, 2015 Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Teacher Preparation & Devotion Time Read Scripture references, Malachi 1:6, 1 Peter 5:5, Luke 16:10, 1 Samuel 2:11, Ruth 1:16, Esther 2:7-10 Take time to meditate on this week’s Scripture and think about your own life. We often tend to think that the fifth commandment is for only children. While children certainly must learn to honor and obey their parents, we as adults are still called by this commandment to honor our own parents. This looks different for every relationship. It could mean visiting aging parents and helping them with work that is difficult for them to do.
    [Show full text]