Esther: A Woman of Great Courage

Notes

Verses

{“And then, though it is against the law, I will go in to see the king. If I must die, I must die.” Esther 4:16 NLT}{“As a result of the king’s decree, Esther, along with many other young women, was brought to the king’s harem at the fortress of Susa and placed in Hegai’s care.” Esther 2:8 NLT}{“Before each young woman was taken to the king’s bed, she was given the prescribed twelve months of beauty treatments—six months with oil of myrrh, followed by six months with special perfumes and ointments. When it was time for her to go to the king’s palace, she was given her choice of whatever clothing or jewelry she wanted to take from the harem. That evening she was taken to the king’s private rooms, and the next morning she was brought to the second harem, where the king’s wives lived. There she would be under the care of Shaashgaz, the king’s eunuch in charge of the concubines. She would never go to the king again unless he had especially enjoyed her and requested her by name.” Esther 2:12-14 NLT}{“When Haman saw that Mordecai would not bow down or show him respect, he was filled with rage. He had learned of Mordecai’s nationality, so he decided it was not enough to lay hands on Mordecai alone. Instead, he looked for a way to destroy all the Jews throughout the entire empire of Xerxes.” Esther 3:5-6 NLT}{Mordecai sent this reply to Esther: “Don’t think for a moment that because you’re in the palace you will escape when all other Jews are killed. If you keep quiet at a time like this, deliverance and relief for the Jews will arise from some other place, but you and your relatives will die. Who knows if perhaps you were made queen for just such a time as this?” Esther 4:13-14 NLT}

Quotes

Matt Damon : “You know, sometimes all you need is twenty seconds of insane courage. Just literally twenty seconds of just embarrassing bravery. And I promise you, something great will come of it.” (We Bought A Zoo); Mark Batterson : “History turns on a dime, and the dime is a defining decision that takes about twenty seconds of insane courage. But if you have the courage to take that one step of faith, it will change your life forever.”
(ALL IN); Beth Moore : “The most critical breakthrough of faith you and I could ever experience is to let God bring us to a place where we trust him-period. We don’t just trust Him to let us avoid what we fear most. We determine to trust Him no matter what, even if our worst nightmare befalls us. Have the courage to live under strain and pain to be part of a better story.”
(Esther);