Good morning, everybody. Let's turn over to the Book of Esther. Over the next few weeks, we'll be in the Book of Esther. Three weeks, I believe, in the Book of Esther, and then two weeks in Malachi. And then we head over back to the New Testament in our Sunday School series here. So the Book of Esther, one of the two books in the Bible named after women. They're both very different sorts of books. We look at Ruth, and that's a quiet Jewish village. But you look at Esther, and it's a busy Gentile city. You see in Ruth, they're doing business in the city gate. But you look at Esther, and it's in the city. It's got, you know, in the courts of a monarch, in the place of a king. You have simple living in Ruth, and yet in Esther, it's all in the palace. It's all in a well-to-do place. Two different worlds, two different worlds, but the same God in the two different worlds. So don't ever think that in your part of the world, wherever you are, well, God's not there. Oh, He's just as much there where you are, if you have a simple lifestyle, as He is in the palace of a king somewhere. He's just as relevant. He's just as present. He's just as at work in your area where you are, just as He is. You can rest in Him. He's the God of the field. And as in Ruth, He's the God of the feasts, as in Esther. He's the same God. So don't ever think He's far and above, far beyond where you are, where you're at and what you're going through. He is just the same God working. Well, I don't always see Him. We don't always see Him anywhere. If you say, well, if I was in the palace, I would see Him work like Esther. No, but you need to see Him work when you're in the field as well, like Ruth. Ruth ordering her steps and just where she went, just the same as Esther, ordering her steps and how she went about life. God, it's still the same God. Don't be considering, oh, it has to be a certain way. But God will work all things after the counsel of His own will. This book, the book of Esther, shows the providence of God. God's name is not mentioned in this book. You don't find any mention of him at all. You find the word king is mentioned over a hundred times. The king's name is mentioned more than 25 times, but there's no God mentioned in it. But you can't help but see that God is involved and God is working in behind the scenes. So God is hidden. God's not involved. He's working behind the scenes, bringing things to pass, even though it can't be seen to our eyes. If we ever lose hope that God has stopped working behind the scenes in our lives, we're going to be cactus, as my dad would say. Man, just cactus. God is working behind those scenes. And that's where we have to trust him, that he is sovereign, he is Lord God over all, he is working in ways that we cannot see, in the ways that we cannot document, we just trust. God is working. It's a lack of faith, God show me. Sometimes God will give you a little glimpses along the way, but we don't walk by sight, we walk by faith. And Lord, I need to trust you in these things. Roman the book of Esther is a great example in illustration of Romans 8 28 but we know that all things work together for good to them to love God to them who are the call according to his purpose and God has a purpose God has a purpose in your life just like he had in Esther just like he had in Ruth just like everybody else God's got a purpose in those things he's faithfully working behind the scenes getting the job done He rules over this world. It's not that the rulers of this world are the rulers. The rulers of this world are second in command under God. God still is ruler over all in this world. Psalm 22, 28 tells us, for the kingdom is the Lord's. He is the governor among the nations. Now remember Daniel, over in Daniel chapter four, Nebuchadnezzar, he thought he'd built the kingdom. He thought he'd done it. He got high and lifted up. Well, God brought him down to earth. Nebuchadnezzar had some things to learn before God brought him out. God humbled him and he says, God, what are you doing? God has a way. God is working things out. We have no place. We have no right. We actually think we know what's going on. We don't know what's going on. We trust the Lord that He is doing what is best, what is right, what is timely. We trust Him to do that. And all He asks for us is to trust. Earth is a place for trust. Heaven is a place for understanding. We'll understand it all, the song says, we'll understand it better by and by. But right now we're walking by faith through this life and to do that and to see. Both Ruth and Esther, they both yielded themselves to the Lord and they were used of God to accomplish great things for His glory and His purposes. And it's about yielding ourselves and giving ourselves over and allowing the Lord to work in and through us. But Esther had a tremendous opportunity where she was at. We have tremendous opportunities in our lives where we're at. The opportunities didn't run out with the dinosaurs. There are still opportunities today in each of our lives, where we live and our work life, our way of life, whether it be work or school, in the community, whatever it be, are opportunities for us to see God work through us for the benefit of somebody else. While we're still alive, God's got a purpose for us. When our earthly ministry is finished, our life is finished, He takes us home and we have another ministry there. So God can use the peasants like He did with Ruth. God can use the princesses and the powerful queens like He did with Esther. But we have to give him opportunity to do that. I don't know if you've considered, who are you serving? Are you self-serving or are you serving God? Are you serving someone else greater than yourself rather than just doing what you're doing? So be looking for opportunities. Be looking to see what all that's going on. The book of Esther fits in between Ezra chapter six and chapter seven. So there's about 70 years in there. And this is where the book of Esther slots in into scripture. The book of Esther might be divided into three sections versus chapters one and two. We see Esther's coronation. Esther chapters three to seven is Haman's condemnation. Haman comes on the scene, Esther is in a place, a specific place at a specific time for a specific purpose. And Haman rises up and then we have Israel's celebration, chapters 8 through 10. So as we come now, we'll be looking at chapters 1 and 2 here this morning. Now as we look into these chapters, we're going to see that the particular thing to point out in chapter 1, would be the virtue of Vashti. Queen Vashti, King Ahasuerus' wife, Queen. We're going to see her virtue in verses 10 through 12. We're going to be looking at the verses on either side of it to see. Now chapter 1 details how a family argument grew into a national crisis. They're having a blue in the home. And out of that blue, oh, it caused trouble right through the kingdom. How many times, oh, I would hate to see, you know, Mr. Morrison, you know, Prime Minister Morrison and him and his wife have a blue and all these things go on. You know, there are things that happen in our homes and they're drug into the church and it's caused problems in the church. Oh, it's only our argument. Oh no, no, no, you bring it here too. and it can cause problems. I know of one church that closed, the pastor, his wife having problems, the church blew up. Go get it fixed and then come back and minister. But it's just amazing. Here they are, they haven't, you know, there's a private, well, we'll call it a misunderstanding. It was more than a misunderstanding. but it was dealt with in a very public way and it just continued to play out in such a manner. As you hear it, he's a proud man. He's very proud. We'll see by his actions what he does, his pride. He's boastful and he's a drunk. He's vindictive. Oh, his pride comes out. And it came out in that home and it came out and it affected his whole kingdom. It has Uris in verse one there, that's his Hebrew name. And then a Greek name. I saw his Persian name, I can't even pronounce it. It's about 16 letters long or something. So if you wanna try have a go at pronouncing it, just look it up. So he has a Persian name, he has a Greek name. and he has a Hebrew name, Ahasuerus and Xerxes, X-E-R-X-E-S, Xerxes. And so he's in power, he's in rule, we see there in verse 1. In the third year of his reign he puts on a feast, in verse 3. Now, in this chapter, verses 1 through 9, there are three feasts mentioned. He has one feast for his military generals and political officers, in verses 2 to 4. 3 to 4 verses 5, 5 through 8. He has one for the men and his wife, the Queen, has one for the women there in verse 9. Now throughout the book of Esther, there are six other feasts mentioned. So these people enjoyed having a time of getting together and eating. Do we call it substance abuse? Do we call it abuse in their bodies? But they enjoyed getting together and living it up. They're all together here. He's put on this show for them. Verse four. So for about 180 days, about six months, he's put on a big show. Now, I don't know that he would have got all his political officers together and his generals together for six months. It would weaken the kingdom. But over that time he would have had them come in. He's put on a big show here. And when these days were expired, verse 5, both unto great and small seven days in the court of the garden of the king's palace where there were white, green and blue hangings fastened with cords of fine linen and purple of silver rings and pillars of marble. The beds were of gold and silver upon the pavement of red, blue, white, black and marble. Oh, he's putting on a show in front of everybody and what a place he's doing it in. Oh, it's an amazing play. They all come in, wow, look at this. Oh, he's boastful. Oh, he's just showing off now. Yes, he was. He was showing it all off, all that they have. We're not that far removed these days. People show things off too. They just move into a new home, they have a housewarming party. They want to show it all off. Oh, look what we've done. They just get a new car. So they invite people over, but have the car parked down the driveway, not in the garage. Someone gets a new ring. Oh, yes. You know? We're just the same. We show off things. Here they are. They're just showing things. King's showing off what he's got. That would appeal to those people that attended it. Oh, look at that, oh, I can't wait. It would help his political officers, his military men to wanna climb the ladder to get, oh yeah, oh, man, I can't wait. Oh, I'd love to serve here all the time. Look at the surroundings, look at this place. And they'd wanna get in and do that. But there's such wealth and everything, but pride goeth before destruction, haughty spirit before a fall. History suggests that at this particular point in time Ahasuerus was planning a raid on Greece. So he's brought all these people together, but that doesn't go very well at all for him. These people are in authority. We have to realize people in authority have to realize that their authority comes from God. They wouldn't be in that position, they wouldn't have that authority unless it was God that gave them that authority and put them in that place. So we need to be careful of that. He is in complete control. There are some leaders that had to learn God was in control. Pharaoh was a biblical leader that had to learn God was in control. He had to learn that thing that God was there, Nebuchadnezzar, Belshazzar, Sennacherib. These people thought they were somebody in Scripture, but God brought them down a peg or two. He brought them back down. But every person that is in authority needs to realize the Lord is over all. We come now to verse 10, on the seventh day, when the heart of the king was merry with wine. So now remember, they've been in feast for about 180 days, big celebration. He's focused on his generals and stuff. The men are in feast, the women are in feast. It's in a gorgeous place, opulence, all this stuff going on. And then verse 10 tells us the king's heart was merry with wine, and he commanded Mahuman, Bitha, Habona, Bigtha, Abagtha, Zetha, and Carcas, the seven chamberlains that served in the presence of King Ahasuerus, Now, we have here the king, he's drinking too much. He didn't make every man drink in verse eight. He gave opportunity for men to drink at their pleasure as it came. None did compel, for so the king had appointed to all the officers of his house that they should do according to every man's pleasure. People were there, they could drink and eat as much as they want, but old king, he went ahead and ate too much, drank too much. He drank more than what he should have. The Bible does not command total abstinence, but it does emphasize it. It never says thou shalt not drink, but it does emphasize it. There are examples of it. Israel were told not to take strong drink. The priests were told not to take strong drink. The Nazarites were told not to take strong drink. It doesn't say, they'll shout not. People like to bring out the line. Oh, well, Jesus turned water into wine. Well, yes, he did. So that's our example. Well, it's all right to follow Jesus' example, because Jesus' example today is, he is a total abstainer. He says, I will not drink again until I come in my kingdom. Now, number two, If Jesus is your example for drinking, is Jesus your example for sacrificing and for praying and for holy living? Now let's just not take one instance and leave off the rest. Let's make sure we look at all of it and say, ah, he's my example in everything, not just in this matter of drinking. He'd go all night praying. He would fast. So just remember, if you're going to pull Jesus as your example, Remember to use all of Jesus, not just one little instance of that. So the Bible warns against drunkenness and the best way to not get drunk is to totally abstain from it. Don't mess with it. I've talked to fellows before, I can give it up whenever I want. Well, when? And they never can put it down to now. I can give her whatever I want. Okay. Well, you know, we'll see how all that rides. And then he says to bring Vashti the queen before the king with the crown royal. Oh, she's a pretty girl. Bring her in. Men go get her. Bring her in. I want to show off my wife. Well, the queen, she's got enough sense to go with her beauty to go in before a bunch of drunken men. Looking at her and her beauty, she might've been stone cold sober, sober as a judge, I don't know. But she still had enough sense not to go before a group of men that are well drunk, being a pretty woman standing before a group of men. So she already knows, oh, I'm not gonna go in there. Her response had what was a threefold offense. Firstly, she was a woman usurping authority over a man. I'm not going to go in there. I'm not going to do that. She was a wife disobeying a husband. She was a subject disobeying the king. And the king, he's upset. Look at the end of verse 12. He was angry. He was angry. He couldn't control his thirst and he couldn't control his temper. Two things destroy society, alcohol and anger. How many times you read in the paper about what they call a one punch? What was that? One punch? What one punch? Yeah, but how many times you see that? Why they're out having too much to drink. They reckon they're a hero and they hit somebody. Some of them just can't hit somebody. Someone's not even looking. They reckon they're tough guys. Alcohol and anger. And it ruins them. It ruins them. The king was wrathful. He didn't want to do that. He got in a tizzy all about it. He could control the kingdom, but he couldn't control his own self. He could master a kingdom. He could build a kingdom, but he couldn't build his own character and to do that. In Proverbs 16, a couple of things there about anger and self-control. Proverbs 16, 32, he that is slow to anger is better than the mighty, and he that ruleth his spirit than he that taketh the city. Proverbs 25, he that hath rule over his own spirit is like a city that's broken down and without walls. I know a pastor and his wife, and they all passed away, and each of them would hold men's classes and women's classes. And he would teach the men, don't allow your hot temper to mistreat the men and the people around you. The wife would go to the women and tell them, don't allow your hormones to mistreat the people around you. Both your hot head, your hot temper and your hormones are no reason to mistreat and abuse the people around you. I thought, man, that's good advice. That's good advice. We see in the world alcohol and anger, but we can control, we can do things differently. He got all upset, his anger blinded his eyes to what was right. It deafens our hearts, we can't hear, we just get in a rage. Guilty, guilty just consumes you. Slow down, slow down. My wife's telling me, slow down, slow down. I'm ready to rip somebody, slow down, slow down. But it causes a lot of problems. He's gonna depose Vashti from being queen, and it's gonna bring trouble on all the kingdoms. It's going to change a lot of lives. His one decision, by getting rid of the Queen, is going to change a lot of lives. Because he's going to get some more coming in. So he's going to go looking for another Queen. But he was embarrassed by what she'd done. His pride, he just let go. His ego was pricked. Oh, she hit it. But when our ego gets in the way, we're going to do things that we're not going to be real proud of afterwards. We've got to learn to take that humble road and to know that, okay, I need to make sure I'm going the low road here, not the high road. Just be careful with all those things as you face those things. Verses 13 to 22, we see his ego, He asks them, you know, what shall be done? And they're all, you know, the wise men, they're all up to, oh, oh, she's now set a precedent. And look what's gonna happen in all the homes and all this. A king, probably a good idea for you to get rid of her. Or you can have someone like that around the throne, better get rid of her. And they try to get rid of her and they depose her. They recommend, if it pleases the king in verse 19, If it please the king, let there go a royal commandment from him, and let it be written among the laws of the Persians and Medes, that it be not altered, that Vashti come no more before King Ahasuerus, and let the king give her royal estate unto another that is better than she. And when the king's decree, which he shall make, shall be published throughout all the empire, for it is great, all the wives shall give their husbands honour, both to the great and to the small. So they recommended deposing Vashti, putting fear into the women of the empire and causing them to be more respectful towards their husbands. But let's be honest, if they pass the law saying, wives love your husbands, will that automatically generate within a woman's heart, love your husband? There's no guarantee that that's going to work. They talk about, you know, oh, so if we punish the Queen, is that really going to affect all the women in the empire? We think we can pass laws and make a change of heart. Laws have to be passed because there is no change of heart. So someone has to come along and say, okay, you're living like this, this is the rule. You go against the rule, you get in trouble. But if we would be our law unto ourselves, as unto the book that is, and we make sure that we're walking with the Lord, listening, following His steps, you might find there might not be quite so many laws. But we go and change it to do what we want. The time is passing real quick here. As far as advice goes, let me give you a couple of things with advice. The king got advice from his counsellors that were about him. Two things about advice. Number one, be careful where you go to get advice. Be careful where you go because the person you go and get advice from might have a hidden agenda and they're setting you up for a specific purpose. Number two, Be careful giving advice because someone might do what you tell them to do. And then who is it on? It's their fault, they shouldn't have listened. No dummy, you shouldn't have said something. Remember, you give that advice, they might put enough stock in what you've said to follow what you do, your advice, and do that. An old fellow that's passed away said this, people that will take advice don't need it, people that need advice don't take it. I thought, wow. You gotta know, be listening. Go get advice, go get some help. You don't know everything, you are not the sum total of everything. If you don't take advice, your life is only gonna be as good as you are, and we're really not all that good. Go get some counsel, go get some advice. and make sure you've got some counsels in your life that you can bounce those things from. He goes through and he does it there, we see that. And the saying, please the King, verse 21, he goes and does that. Probably didn't give much thought to it. He's motivated by anger. Oh, I'm gonna get in with this woman. How dare she embarrass me. History records that it was in that year that Artaxerxes was born. Vashti is said to be the mother of Artaxerxes, the king in Nehemiah and Ezra's day. It would indicate that she's pregnant this year of this feast. Now, having been with a woman that's been pregnant five times and being great with child, there is just some things she's thinking, I just cannot wear. I don't feel very pretty. What am I going to do with this? I can't hide it. Maybe the queen was great with child and she still didn't want to go in before the king, before them drunken men and have them say so, I don't know. But there's a lot more going on behind the scenes. We only have scripture here with us. But there's a lot more going on. By the time Artaxerxes comes on the scene, we don't know what happens to Vashti. We don't know. She said she'll be the queen mother. There's nothing said about what happens to Esther. We don't know that. Nothing said. But God is setting up things and putting things in place for His purposes, for Him to be glorified. As we come to chapter 2, we see now the Queen. Esther is about to come on the scene. She's the heroine. A fellow said this, God is preparing His heroes and when the opportunity comes, He can fit them into their places in a moment and the world will wonder where they came from. Well, God's preparing a heroine ready to go into the place of the palace for a specific purpose, a specific purpose of God for the benefit of her people. God is preparing someone ready to slide into that situation. Esther comes on the scene here. She's being divinely prepared to be queen in that place. We don't know how long she served as queen. We don't know much about that at all. But God is never surprised by circumstances. All this went on, God is never surprised. God had someone ready to go at a specific point in time, just like he did with Joseph, just like he did with Daniel, just like he had with Moses when he rose up on Moses, just like he had with David when David's on the backside of the desert there taking care of, where are those few sheep? Oh, David's taking care of a few sheep, but God's preparing him in a wilderness place ready to step into the kingdom. But God is at hand. Folks, don't ever think God has left you alone. God is preparing you. There's opportunity, there's a place. He has something in mind for you. Just go about your life, live the way God would have you live. Do right and do that. Verse one of chapter two. In history, the king's gone to war. He's been humiliated in defeat. After these things, when the wrath of King Ahasuerus was appeased, he remembered Vashti, and what she had done, and what was decreed against her. He remembered his queen. He remembered what she'd done, he remembered everything. And the king's servants, verse two, let there be fair young virgins sought for the king. We better get somebody else in there, because if he brings Vashti back, we're gone. Those wise men knew what's gonna happen. That woman, oh, she'll get even. Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned. Oh, she'll get even, those heads would roll. Guys, we need to get somebody else in there. What are we gonna do? He go, so they said, let there be fair young virgins, sort for the king and let the king sort. If you're a virgin, you're gonna be worried. Oh, no. and let the king appoint officers in all the provinces of his kingdom. So chapter one and verse one, is it? Over a hundred and twenty and seven provinces. So he's got a lot of area to cover. That they may gather together all the fair young virgins unto Shushan the palace, to the house of the women, unto the custody of Hegi, the king's chamberlain. Keeper of the women, and let their things for purification be given them, and let the maiden which pleased the king be queen instead of vassal, and the thing pleased the king. And he did so. Oh, the king's pleased. Oh, these people are giving him such good advice. Now, Shushan the palace was a certain Jew whose name was Mordecai, the son of Jair, the son of Shimei, the son of Kish, a Benjamite, who had been carried away from Jerusalem with the captivity, which had been carried away with Jeconiah, king of Judah, whom Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, had carried away. And he brought up Hadassah, that is Esther, his uncle's daughter. For she had neither father nor mother, and the maid was fair and beautiful, whom Mordecai, when her father and mother were dead, took for his own daughter." So now we have here, we have Esther. Esther's come on the scene. The king settled down. His counselors, they've given him some advice there, what to do. Again, they're looking after themselves. They wanna make sure Vashti doesn't get back onto the throne. They're trying to take care of themselves, trying to appease the king. Hey, king, why don't you look for some virgins to do that? I don't believe it was a beauty contest. I think they went and gathered them. Okay, looking for any fair young virgins. How many virgins would have hid? How many parents would have lied? Oh, no, no, not taking mine. Oh, I've got one, but she's ugly. You wouldn't want her, no. Oh no, they went around the kingdom looking. They wanted to build up a harem for the king. I don't know how many took off, but they go looking, and they wanted to do that. How many of those virgins would have just married anybody, just so they wouldn't have to go to the king? Oh, you're good enough. Hey, you wanna get married? Yeah, I'll see you down the church Saturday afternoon. You think, man, just getting married, live right in the center, wanted to do that. So if you were born pretty, you'd be thinking, man, why was I born so beautiful? I'm gonna go to the king. I don't know how many went that way either. But verse four, the last phrase. And he did so. And he did so. All of this does not mean that God forced Ahasuerus to accept that plan, nor does it show that God approved of harems and the way in which you went all that. But without being the author of sin, God did direct his people, did direct these people in this situation to make those decisions that would accomplish his will for what was going on. God was over all of it. God was seeing all this through to see what was going to happen. God is still on the throne. No decisions are made. Oh, you know what's happening over there. And you see what that government's doing. Do you really think it's all caught God by surprise? All that's happening hasn't taken God by surprise. Has it ever occurred to you? Someone said that nothing has ever occurred to God. God already knew what was going to happen with that situation in that place. He already knew. And people are up in arms about it. Let's just find the mind of the Lord in it and continue on. Verse five, Mordecai comes on the scene. His name there is mentioned 58 times in the book, seven times in this book. He's identified as a Jew, but he never gave that away. He kept that little thing to himself. He brings up Esther, Hadassah. He brings up his cousin as his own daughter, takes care of her. He brings her up. Now in all of this now, she's beautiful to look upon, she's fair. Verses 8 and 9. The king's commandment came to pass. For sake of time, we'll keep moving. they gather these women together, they're brought to the keeper of the women, Haggai at the end of verse eight, verse nine, and the maiden that pleased him, pleased the kings here and to obtain kindness of him. And he speedily gave her the things for a purification, such things as belong to her and seven maidens. Esther had somebody on the inside that was looking out for her, helping her fast track in this situation, giving her, opening the way up for her to go in with the king. It had to be Esther. Esther was a Jew. They needed a Jew on the inside to stick up for the Jewish people. and God had somebody ready to help this young Jewess get into that place. Verses 12 to 14, it was one night with the king. Every maid's turn, verse 12, now when every maid's turn was come to go in to King Ahasuerus, after that she'd been 12 months, so she's on a 12-month makeover plan. So they made sure they were ready to go in, maybe diet, cosmetics, court etiquette, how to act in front of the king, making her ready to go before the king. So they go in, he would have one night with them and then they would go back in the morning to the house and then he'd get another one each night. In the morning, verse 14, in the evening she went in, and on the morrow she returned to the house. Verse 15, Now when the turn of Esther, the daughter of Abahai, the uncle of Mordecai, who had taken her for his daughter, was come to go in to the king, she required nothing but what Haggai, the king's chamberlain, the keeper of the women, appointed. And Esther obtained favour in the sight of all them that looked upon her. Number one, Haggai, he knew what would please the king. He knew how to dress this young woman to be appealing to the king. These women over a 12-month period were worked upon to please the king. They have one night to please the king, and then they're dismissed. And they come to this point, and all that looked upon Esther, wow, look at her. She gained favor of all those that looked upon her. They would go in. So she went into the king. The king was so taken with her, so Esther was taken unto King Ahasuerus in the royal house in the 10th month, which is the month Tebeth, the seventh year of his reign. So from chapter one is the third year of his reign. Here's the seventh year of his reign. So it's four years since this has passed. And the king loved Esther above all the women. He loved her above all the women. So he loved all the women, but he loved her more than the other women. Oh, that's good. Good for you, Esther. Ladies, would you like that sort of a deal? Well, he wasn't saying, I'm wholly yours, I'll never turn aside to another. No, he wasn't saying that. And she obtained grace and favour in his sight more than all the virgins. So he had grace and favour for all the virgins, but he had more for her. She's still not getting a real good deal out of this. She's on the wrong end of it. So she goes in, She becomes queen. He's so taken back with her, she becomes queen. And he personally puts the crown on her head in verse 17. And the king loved Esther. So he set the royal crown upon her head and made her queen instead of Ashti. And when the king made, then the king made a great feast under the princes and the feast. They just love to celebrate. They got in and do it. That's the fourth feast in this book. And it likely meant the last part of verse 18, there'd be tax concessions or even cancellations, there was partying, gifts were given out, all those things. It's all just part of the celebration. Verse 20, Esther had not yet showed her kindred nor her people as Mordecai had charged her. For Esther did the commandment of Mordecai, as when she was brought up with him. So we see Providence at work in the palace, in the life of a queen, of a young lady that went on to be queen. And Providence was the same working in the life of Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus. Things were working out there, then eventually they, we heard last week with Brother Davis, those two men took the body of Christ and anointed him. Coming through and looking at these things, it raised questions in my mind. How could a young Jewish virgin get involved in something like this? Was she not living a kosher? Did she not have a kosher home? All these things, I don't know. I haven't got answers. All I've got is scripture. I don't know what was going on in her home. I don't know all the details of it. All I know is I see God working in it. So I'm gonna trust the Lord with it when we get to the other side. Lord, how could you use somebody that didn't use your name, that kept everything quiet? I don't see that... I don't, see they're holding to the law that you give them. I see later on, Mordecai, he would not stand for Haman and that gets Haman all upset. Maybe like king, like servant, he gets all upset. I don't know. But I'm gonna trust the Lord in it, that he has his hand upon it all. So sometimes you're gonna have questions, Don't let your questions distract you. You're just gonna, sometimes, Lord, I'm gonna trust you with this, even though I don't understand it all. It's a different time, a different place. But don't think, oh, oh, well, I'm gonna do that thing. I can live however I want and do this and that. No, I wouldn't do that either. You've got far more light. They're in captivity. I don't know what's going on there. But I do know God was in charge of it all. God was in control. So let's just lean on the Lord and trust Him. He will bring things to pass. In His providence, He brings things to pass. Even though we don't understand, even though we don't see, He will bring things to pass. Father, help us, Lord, in the morning service hour, we pray. Lord, draw people out. May God's hearts be seeking for you, wanting to hear from heaven. Bless this short time of fellowship together now, we pray, and we ask it in Jesus' name, amen.