The Jews in Susa, however, had assembled on the thirteenth and fourteenth, and then on the fifteenth they rested and made it a day of feasting and joy. That is why rural Jews—those living in villages—observe the fourteenth of the month of Adar as a day of joy and feasting, a day for giving presents to each other. Mordecai recorded these events, and he sent letters to all the Jews throughout the provinces of King Xerxes, near and far, to have them celebrate annually the fourteenth and fifteenth days of the month of Adar as the time when the Jews got relief from their enemies, and as the month when their sorrow was turned into joy and their mourning into a day of celebration. He wrote them to observe the days as days of feasting and joy and giving presents of food to one another and gifts to the poor. So the Jews agreed to continue the celebration they had begun, doing what Mordecai had written to them.
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7 Days
Amid fearful times under a tyrannical monarchy, Esther and Mordecai could not see how every detail of God’s redemptive plan would unfold for the Jewish people. Yet, they trusted in the One whose providential purposes could not be stopped, even by the most powerful rulers of their day. This 7-day study on the book of Esther explores how our heavenly King works all things for the good of His people.
The Bible has a princess movie script, but it's not your classic Cinderella story. Esther tells of an orphan, trafficked into sex work, who goes from rags to riches. This Insta-perfect princess puts herself in jeopardy after discovering a conspiracy against her people. In a story that, at first glance, seems to have airbrushed God out of its pages, we find more than just His fingerprints guiding her path!
8 Days
Eight Session, Video-Driven Reading Plan taught by Prestonwood Women's Minister Tasha Calvert.
9 Days
The book of Esther is set during the period of exile when God's people are scattered across the Persian empire. As nefarious men plot against the Jews, Esther reminds us that even in dark days God is providentially guiding and protecting His people.
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