Pray For the Peace of Jerusalem(5/16/18)[Prayer]

The Holy Scriptures | 5/16/18 | left that other site

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Pray For the Peace of Jerusalem

The Shared Meal




(Old Testament)

Esther 1

Queen Vashti Deposed

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

4 For a full 180 days he displayed the vast wealth of his kingdom and the splendor and glory of his majesty. 5 When these days were over, the king gave a banquet, lasting seven days, in the enclosed garden of the king’s palace, for all the people from the least to the greatest who were in the citadel of Susa. 6 The garden had hangings of white and blue linen, fastened with cords of white linen and purple material to silver rings on marble pillars. There were couches of gold and silver on a mosaic pavement of porphyry, marble, mother-of-pearl and other costly stones. 7 Wine was served in goblets of gold, each one different from the other, and the royal wine was abundant, in keeping with the king’s liberality. 8 By the king’s command each guest was allowed to drink with no restrictions, for the king instructed all the wine stewards to serve each man what he wished.

9 Queen Vashti also gave a banquet for the women in the royal palace of King Xerxes.

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

13 Since it was customary for the king to consult experts in matters of law and justice, he spoke with the wise men who understood the times 14 and were closest to the king—Karshena, Shethar, Admatha, Tarshish, Meres, Marsena and Memukan, the seven nobles of Persia and Media who had special access to the king and were highest in the kingdom.

15 “According to law, what must be done to Queen Vashti?” he asked. “She has not obeyed the command of King Xerxes that the eunuchs have taken to her.” 16 Then Memukan replied in the presence of the king and the nobles, “Queen Vashti has done wrong, not only against the king but also against all the nobles and the peoples of all the provinces of King Xerxes. 17 For the queen’s conduct will become known to all the women, and so they will despise their husbands and say, ‘King Xerxes commanded Queen Vashti to be brought before him, but she would not come.’ 18 This very day the Persian and Median women of the nobility who have heard about the queen’s conduct will respond to all the king’s nobles in the same way. There will be no end of disrespect and discord.

19 “Therefore, if it pleases the king, let him issue a royal decree and let it be written in the laws of Persia and Media, which cannot be repealed, that Vashti is never again to enter the presence of King Xerxes. Also let the king give her royal position to someone else who is better than she. 20 Then when the king’s edict is proclaimed throughout all his vast realm, all the women will respect their husbands, from the least to the greatest.”

21 The king and his nobles were pleased with this advice, so the king did as Memukan proposed. 22 He sent dispatches to all parts of the kingdom, to each province in its own script and to each people in their own language, proclaiming that every man should be ruler over his own household, using his native tongue.

Footnotes:

1. Esther 1:1 Hebrew Ahasuerus; here and throughout Esther
2. Esther 1:1 That is, the upper Nile region

(End of Scripture Passage)



There are so many interesting "shared meals" in this story that we will read the entire Book (The Whole Megillah!).

Some people say that this is a secular Book, because the Name of God is nowhere mentioned. However, His Presence is all through the story, and the Faith of the characters is palpable on every page.

First we set the stage. The Persian Empire was enormous, extending from India to Egypt. It maintained many of the trappings of Babylon, as well as the Hebrew Captives who continued to live among them. The king had great power, but was restrained by the law of the Medes and the Persians, which, once enacted, could not be altered. They did not have the option of repealing or changing laws like we do. We saw an example of this in The Story of Daniel in the Lions Den. Once enacted, even the King was stuck with the Law. This is an important point to remember as we study the character of Esther.

Queen Vashti is sometimes hailed as a "Woman's Rights Advocate", but from the context, we can see that she really didn't care about other women in the kingdom, only herself. Her behavior only made things worse for the Women of Persia.

The first "feast" in this book is one designed to "show off" one's assets. We will call it "The Ostentatious Feast".


New International Version (NIV)
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

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Pray For the Peace of Jerusalem

Abba, Father,
How Wonderful You Are!
Your mercy is From Everlasting to Everlasting
We Thank You For Your Grace,
And For Your Steadfast Love.

We Pray For The Peace of Jerusalem,
According to Your Will and Promise.
We Pray For the People and Leaders of Israel,
that They Will Look to You for the Protection
and Prosperity of their Nation.
We Also Pray For Revival in our own Beloved USA.



We Pray For The Swift and Sure Coming of Messiah,
Blessed Be He,
To Establish His Kingdom,
and Make All Things Right.

Blessings To All Who Visit This Garden of Prayer.



Hallelujah and Amen

ML/LTOS

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Pray For the Peace of Jerusalem

The beloved American Holiday of Thanksgiving has its legendary "dark side", having to do with WHERE the Feast will be held. I was in a "mixed marriage", so the other other holidays were easy: Christmas, Easter, and Sunday Dinner at Mom's, and Passover, Chanukha, Rosh Hashana at MIL's. Mothers Day was a traveling day, Boston in the Morning and The North Shore in the Evening. It was OK because Mothers' Day was not a "Feast" Day. Mothers should not be in the kitchen on Mothers' Day!

But. Thanksgiving. There was a problem. Thanksgiving was a sit-down Feast and required an all-day attendance. Both Moms would get angry if the other was "chosen". It became a bone of contention every year, and threatened the family peace.

Finally, we came up with the solution. There was a large Nursing Home in Southie that had a big Thanksgiving Dinner every year. Hubby and I brought my sound equipment and keyboard, and I provided music. We had a nice dinner with the elderly, and it took up the whole afternoon. Then we went to each of our parent's homes for dessert and coffee. Although it involved Boston Airport Traffic via the pre-Big-Dig morass on the busiest travel day of the year, it was worth it to keep the peace!

One wonders, however, how the simple holiday of Thanksgiving became the epicenter of "Family Issues". It is famous, and has been the subject of comedy routines and movies for many years. Could it be that the original concept of Thanking God for His Providence has turned into a showcase of excess, and thus obscured the original intent? And could it be that because of this, it has become "An Ostentatious Feast" like this one in Ancient Persia, complete with "Family Issues" on full display?

Come and Pray For the Peace of Jerusalem, For Our FRiends in Need, For Persecuted Believers, and For Our Beloved Nation.

"Let us acknowledge the Lord; let us press on to acknowledge him. As surely as the sun rises, he will appear; he will come to us like the winter rains, like the spring rains that water the earth.” Hosea 6:3 NIV

God Bless America!

Blessings To All Who Visit This Garden of Prayer.



This Symbol Represents Christians in The Middle East, who desperately need our Prayers.

Hallelujah and Amen

ML/LTOS

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Sorry...forgot to ping! :-)

[blueyon]

Amen

[metmom]

We solved the holiday thing with Thanksgiving at one parents and Christmas at the other.

Then the following year, we switched. Thanksgiving and Christmas were both with the one we didn’t do it with the year before.

We just alternated.

Where does this story fall into the timeline of Daniel and the captivity of the Jews?

It’s hard to go by names because it often depends on which language is being spoken, what the rulers name is.

[etabeta]

Adding my prayers. God bless.

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Daniel Was a trusted advisor throughout many regimes in both Babylon and Persia, so the timeline is a little difficult to nail down. However, you have intrigued me, so I’m going to look it up! :-)

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Pray For the Peace of Jerusalem

Thank You, blueyon, For Your Prayers For the Peace of Jerusalem, For Our FRiends in Need, For Persecuted Believers, and For Our Beloved Nation.

"Let us acknowledge the Lord; let us press on to acknowledge him. As surely as the sun rises, he will appear; he will come to us like the winter rains, like the spring rains that water the earth.” Hosea 6:3 NIV

God Bless America!

Blessings To All Who Visit This Garden of Prayer.



This Symbol Represents Christians in The Middle East, who desperately need our Prayers.

Hallelujah and Amen

ML/LTOS

[left that other site]

Pray For the Peace of Jerusalem

Thank You, metmom, For Your Prayers For the Peace of Jerusalem, For Our FRiends in Need, For Persecuted Believers, and For Our Beloved Nation.

"Let us acknowledge the Lord; let us press on to acknowledge him. As surely as the sun rises, he will appear; he will come to us like the winter rains, like the spring rains that water the earth.” Hosea 6:3 NIV

God Bless America!

Blessings To All Who Visit This Garden of Prayer.



This Symbol Represents Christians in The Middle East, who desperately need our Prayers.

Hallelujah and Amen

ML/LTOS

[left that other site]

Pray For the Peace of Jerusalem

Thank You, Etabeta, For Your Prayers For the Peace of Jerusalem, For Our FRiends in Need, For Persecuted Believers, and For Our Beloved Nation.

"Let us acknowledge the Lord; let us press on to acknowledge him. As surely as the sun rises, he will appear; he will come to us like the winter rains, like the spring rains that water the earth.” Hosea 6:3 NIV

God Bless America!

Blessings To All Who Visit This Garden of Prayer.



This Symbol Represents Christians in The Middle East, who desperately need our Prayers.

Hallelujah and Amen

ML/LTOS

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This is a website about the Kings of Persia and their relationship to Bible Characters. It is published by Persian Christians.

http://farsinet.com/iranbibl/kings.html

[NEWwoman]

Oh, the joy of family get-togethers!

And there was that time Novermber 28, 2013 when Hanukkah and Thanksgiving were on the same day. (And probably the last time.)

https://www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-joel-hoffman/hanukkah-and-thanskgiving_b_4312207.html

Joining in prayer for the Peace of Jerusalem and for our beloved America.

[Pajamajan]

Amen.

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Pray For the Peace of Jerusalem

Thank You, NEWwoman, For Your Prayers For the Peace of Jerusalem, For Our FRiends in Need, For Persecuted Believers, and For Our Beloved Nation.

"Let us acknowledge the Lord; let us press on to acknowledge him. As surely as the sun rises, he will appear; he will come to us like the winter rains, like the spring rains that water the earth.” Hosea 6:3 NIV

God Bless America!

Blessings To All Who Visit This Garden of Prayer.



This Symbol Represents Christians in The Middle East, who desperately need our Prayers.

Hallelujah and Amen

ML/LTOS

[left that other site]

Pray For the Peace of Jerusalem

Thank You, Pajamajan, For Your Prayers For the Peace of Jerusalem, For Our FRiends in Need, For Persecuted Believers, and For Our Beloved Nation.

"Let us acknowledge the Lord; let us press on to acknowledge him. As surely as the sun rises, he will appear; he will come to us like the winter rains, like the spring rains that water the earth.” Hosea 6:3 NIV

God Bless America!

Blessings To All Who Visit This Garden of Prayer.



This Symbol Represents Christians in The Middle East, who desperately need our Prayers.

Hallelujah and Amen

ML/LTOS

[Maudeen]

Agreeing in prayer.

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Pray For the Peace of Jerusalem

Thank You, Maudeen, For Your Prayers For the Peace of Jerusalem, For Our FRiends in Need, For Persecuted Believers, and For Our Beloved Nation.

"Let us acknowledge the Lord; let us press on to acknowledge him. As surely as the sun rises, he will appear; he will come to us like the winter rains, like the spring rains that water the earth.” Hosea 6:3 NIV

God Bless America!

Blessings To All Who Visit This Garden of Prayer.



This Symbol Represents Christians in The Middle East, who desperately need our Prayers.

Hallelujah and Amen

ML/LTOS