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Bible Teaching, Bible Study, Teaching, Verses, Sermons, online, mp3, classesA Bible Teaching Ministry of Galyn Wiemers


Daily Devotions, Evening and Morning Devotional

 

Sunrise on Temple Mount in Jerusalem; Back to Previous Devotion

May 13 - Evening

"When the king’s (Xerxes) 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.
 
She pleased him and won his favor. Immediately he provided her with her beauty treatments and special food. He assigned to her seven female attendants selected from the king’s palace and moved her and
her attendants into the best place in the harem.
"

- Esther 2:8-9

Sunset on the Sea of Galilee; Click to go to next devotion  
478 BC, Esther Moves into the Harem in Susa    

(See table below and the 478 BC date of Esther chapter 2 and other dates and details.)
The “many young women” where more than candidates trying out for Vashti’s abandoned position as wife and queen. Once these girls were taken they were all considered “wives” of King Xerxes and would not be going back home. Indeed, one of these girls would be chosen from among all the “wives” to be the queen, but the rest would remain in the king’s harem and were legally his concubines. When Esther went to sleep with the king she was legally already his “wife” or “concubine” trying out for the royal office of queen.

Hegai, the administrator of the harem, was pleased with Esther and showed her favor before Xerxes began to call for his wives (maybe, even before Xerxes had physically arrived back to Susa from his failure on the battlefields in Greece, since it would have been months of battle followed by months of travel to return.)

Besides extra beauty treatments and special food overseen by Hegai himself, Esther was given seven female attendants hand-picked and taken from Xerxes palace. These attendants would have not only been the most skilled with the most training and experience, but they also would have personal insight into the Xerxes’ personality and preferences.

Esther and her entourage were moved into the most superlatively equip luxury apartment in the harem. And, surely, there, was a nice view looking over the city of Susa from Esther’s harem window there in the citadel. (See details/photos/images on Susa HERE and HERE. See a drawing the the Susa citadel with the palace and administrative buildings HERE.)

485
  • Xerxes begins to reign.
  • Samaritans take this chance to file a complaint. (Ezra 4:6)
Xerxes
Ezra 4:6
483 Xerxes displays his vast wealth and military power at a banquet in preparation for his invasion of Greece as seen in Esther 1 Esther 1
481

Xerxes goes to war against Greece. Persia fights the battles of:

  1. Thermopylae – This battle is the basis of the movie “300” that features the Spartan king Leonidas and his 300 men who fight the invading King Xerxes and his Persian troops.
  2. Salamis – Persians occupy Athens and burn the temple.
    The Persians move their ships into a strait through a bottle neck thinking the beached Greek trireme ships are trapped. Xerxes watches from his ivory throne placed on a hill in disbelief as his ships are rammed, congested and unable to maneuver while Persians ships continue to sail into the bottle neck. Xerxes heads back to Persia, leaving behind 1/3 of his troops which then burn Athens to the ground.
  3. Plataea – In what looked like a rout of the Greeks, the Persians fail to stay organized and are driven from Greece.

These Greek battles fulfill Daniel 11:2: “a fourth Persian king, who will be far richer. . .will stir up everyone against the kingdom of Greece.”
This sets the stage for the rise of Alexander the Great who will seek deliverance and revenge for the burning of Athens in 336 BC.

 

 

Battles of:

  • Thermopylae
  • Salamis
  • Plataea

Daniel 11:2

478 Esther goes to Xerxes and becomes Queen in Dec/Jan in Esther 2 Esther 2
474

Esther’s fifth year as queen.
• April 17 is the date set to meet to determine fate of Jews.

  • Esther 3:7 - "In the twelfth year of King Xerxes, in the first month, the month of Nisan, the pur (that is, the lot) was cast in the presence of Haman to select a day and month. And the lot fell on[a] the twelfth month, the month of Adar."
Esther 3:7
Haman
Esther
Mordecai
473 • According to Haman’s plans and Xerxes order, the Jews are to be killed in Persia on March 7
• March 7, the Jews defend themselves. The Jews kill 500 men in Susa and 10 of Haman’s sons.

 

Esther 3:12-14

465

• Xerxes is inside his bedchamber when he is assassinated by 3 conspirators. They convince Artaxerxes, Xerxes’s son, to slay his older brother. They then try to kill Artaxerxes who is only wounded but kills his attacker.
• Artaxerxes becomes Persian Emperor and will reign for 41 years.
• Esther would be about 38 years old if she became queen when she was 25.

 

Artaxerxes

464 • Artaxerxes orders the rebuilding of the rebellious city, Jerusalem, to stop.
• Samaritans send a letter to Artaxerxes to say Jerusalem is a rebellious city. (Ezra 4:7)
• Artaxerxes replies: “this city will not be rebuilt until I so order.”
(Ezra 4:21)

Ezra 4:7-23
Ezra 4:21
Daniel 9:25
458 • In Artaxeres’ seventh year he issues the decree to rebuild and restore Jerusalem.
• Ezra leaves Babylon on April 8 and arrives in
Jerusalem on August.
• December 19 the people assemble and the investigation of
intermarriage begins.
• The 70 weeks (or, 490 years) of Daniels prophecy in Daniel 9:25 begins with Artaxerxes’ decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem in 458 BC. The decree is found in Ezra 7:12-26. The 70 weeks (490 years) are interrupted after 69 weeks (483 years) with the coming of the Messiah. 458 BC minus 483 years equals 25/26 AD which is when John the Baptists will introduce the Messiah to the Jewish nation.

Decree to Rebuild

Ezra
Ezra 7: 8-9

Ezra 7:12-26
Daniel 9:25
Ezra 10:9-16

457 Ezra committee ends their three month long investigation into intermarriage by Mar/Apr (Ezra 10:17) Ezra 10:17
446 Nov/Dec, Nehemiah is in Susa and hears a report from a Jew from Jerusalem that the walls of Jerusalem have not been rebuilt

Nehemiah

Nehemiah 1

445
  • Artaxerxes 20th year
  • Mar/Apr, Nehemiah, Artaxerxes cup bearer, speaks to
    Artaxerxes about Jerusalem’s ruined wall system. (Neh. 2:1)
  • August 10, Nehemiah begins to rebuild the walls of
    Jerusalem.
  • Opposition to building the walls. (Neh. 4, 6)
  • October 2, The walls of Jerusalem are completed in 52 days.
    (Neb. 6:15)
  • October 8, Ezra reads the law to public for first time in
    thirteen years. (8:2)
  • October 9, the people of Jerusalem celebrate the Feast of
    Tabernacles. (8:13)
  • October 30, Israel confesses their sin. (Neh. 9)
  • If Esther were 25 when she married Xerxes she is now 58

Nehemiah 2:1

Nehemiah 4

Nehemiah 6:15

Nehemiah 8:2

Nehemiah 8:13

Nehemiah 9

Esther is 58

  Christian Quote from Church History

"An intelligent appreciation of the doctrine of Christ is the best safeguard against most forms of heretical teaching."
- F. F. Bruce

 

 

 

 

 

Something to Ponder??

Seven Points of Doctrine Concerning the
Inspiration of Scripture:

All Scripture is inspired.
(2 Tim. 3:16)
Scripture comes from the mouth of God.
(2 Tim. 3:16)
Scripture reveals God’s plan and God’s ways to man.
(2 Tim. 3:16)
Scripture did not originate in the thoughts of man.
(2 Peter 1:20)
Scripture came through men who were carried along by the Holy Ghost in their thinking, speaking and writing.
(2 Peter 1:20)
The Words of Scripture were written through inspiration.
(1 Cor. 2:13)
The Words of Scripture continue to be inspired throughout all time.
(Mark 13:31)

 
Hebrew and Greek Word Study   Facts and Information

Sophos (Gr) – Wise (Eng) – a Greek word which means “wise” and is used in the New Testament to describe God (1 Tim. 1:17), believers (1 Cor. 3:10), educated men (Romans 1:14, 22) and Jewish scholars (Matt. 23:34 and 11:25).

 

The ancient city of Corinth remained occupied until 1858 when an earthquake destroyed it. At that time the inhabitants moved four mile away to rebuild modern Corinth. In 1896 excavation began in ancient Corinth. Discoveries include:

A 46 foot wide street with sidewalks and gutters but no sign of wear from wagon wheels. This means it was for foot traffic alone.

A marble lintel of a door inscribed with “Synagogue of the Hebrews” (photo)

A limestone block inscribed “Erastus, the Commissioner of the city, paved this plaza at his own expense.” (photo) The plaza was 60 square feet. Erastus is called the “Director of Public Works” or the “Treasure of the City” by Paul in Romans 16:23

A Greek Theater (photo)

A temple for Apollos
(photos)

Ancient court with fountain of Peirene (five photos)

Agora market place

The Bema (two photos) , or judgment platform, where Paul was brought to trial before Gallio by the Jews in
Acts 18:12 and the pavement (photo) infront of the Bema where the Jews were beaten in Acts 18:17 where the crowd at the trial "turned on Sosthenes the synagogue leader and beat him in front of the proconsul."
(Full story Acts 18:10-17)

Meat Market Inscription
(photo)

     
Confession to Action   Facts and Information
Is sin part of my accept lifestyle?
Is sin or is righteousness my first choice?
I will learn to recognize sin and instead chose righteousness.
  "Where there is strife,
there is pride,
    but wisdom is found in those who take advice."

- Proverbs 13:10
     
Read the Bible in a Year; Bible Reading Program
Read one chapter each day to read through the narrative portion (or, the story line) of the whole Bible Genesis-Acts in one year. Read the General Text of the Bible Read the Complete Text of the Bible in a Year
(morning only) Second Kings 4 1 Chronicles 20
 
Prayer for Today
Personal Prayer Church Prayer Item National Prayer Concerns World Prayer Concerns

For peace and contentment

Increase Spiritual hunger

Health care

Egypt
 
Photo of Jerusalem; Pictures of Israel Bible Map and Diagram
Megiddo Valley

Governor's House in Beth Shean 1100 BC

Driving thru Megiddo Valley from Nazareth and heading south. Details of the governor's house in Beth Shean from
the days of the Judges and
King Saul (1200-1000 BC)
   
Details and Explanation of Sets & Reps Devotional System Here Make a donation to support Generation Word Bible Teaching Ministry
   
 
 
 
Reps & Sets is a daily Bible devotional for Christians from Generation Word Bible Teaching used each morning and evening.
 

 
 
 
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Generation Word - Bible Teaching Ministry   Generation Word - Bible Teaching Ministry