Esther 3:7-11

　

　

　

Esther 3:7-11 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 the twelfth month, the month of Adar. 8 Then Haman said to King Xerxes, “There is a certain people dispersed among the peoples in all the provinces of your kingdom who keep themselves separate. Their customs are different from those of all other people, and they do not obey the king’s laws; it is not in the king’s best interest to tolerate them. 9 If it pleases the king, let a decree be issued to destroy them, and I will give ten thousand talents of silver to the king’s administrators for the royal treasury.”

10 So the king took his signet ring from his finger and gave it to Haman son of Hammedatha, the Agagite, the enemy of the Jews. 11 “Keep the money,” the king said to Haman, “and do with the people as you please.”

Scripture: Psalm 52:2 You who practice deceit, your tongue plots destruction;
it is like a sharpened razor.

Commentary from http://www.easyenglish.info/bible-commentaries/: Esther Verse 7 Haman wanted to select a lucky date when he could kill the Jews. So he told his officials to throw the Purim (special stones with numbers on them). The way that the stones fell on the ground would show the best day and month for some act. God made sure that the Purim stones chose a date nearly a year later. God had a special plan to save the Jews from Haman’s plot. Verses 8-11 Haman told the king about a certain nation. But he did not say which nation. Haman pretended that he was trying to assist the king. Haman said that this particular nation did not obey the king’s laws. The Jews did have the laws of God. But they usually obeyed the king’s laws too. Mordecai was a Jew but he was also loyal to the king (Esther 2:22). Haman offered the king a huge sum of money. It seems that Haman was already very rich. But he would probably take all the property of the Jews that he killed. The king should have been surprised that Haman was willing to give such a large amount. Xerxes gave his ring to Haman. This action meant that Haman had the king’s authority to carry out his plot. The king answered ‘The silver is yours.’ This might mean ‘Keep the money.’ But the king was probably just being polite. We know from history that the king was rich and greedy. Mordecai believed that Haman had promised to pay the money (Esther 4:7).

Psalms 52 Verse 2: Our tongue is the part of our mouth that we eat and speak with. David says that Doeg’s tongue is like a sharp knife. The Hebrew word means "razor". A razor is the sharp knife that men shave (or cut off) their beards with! Doeg’s words cut and hurt people’s feelings.

Application: Human cast lots to see when he would kill the Jews. Little did he know God had a plan. The day of death was a year away giving Esther time to prepare. Instead of practicing destruction with our words, why not practice praise and thanksgiving. We should offer thanks ever day for the blessing God gives us. We can never say thank you enough to our friends, family, leaders or even God. When praise and thanksgiving become a integral part of your life, you will find that your attitude toward life will change. You will become more positive, gracious, loving and humble.

Prayer: Thank You Jesus for the blessings You have given us. God of all blessings,
source of all life, giver of all grace: We thank you for the gift of life: for the breath
that sustains life, for the food of this earth that nurtures life, for the love of family and friends without which there would be no life. We thank you for the mystery of creation:
for the beauty that the eye can see, for the joy that the ear may hear, for the unknown
that we cannot behold filling the universe with wonder, for the expanse of space
that draws us beyond the definitions of our selves. We thank you for setting us in communities: for families who nurture our becoming, for friends who love us by choice,
for companions at work, who share our burdens and daily tasks, for strangers who welcome us into their midst, for people from other lands who call us to grow in understanding, for children who lighten our moments with delight, for the unborn,
who offer us hope for the future. We thank you for this day: for life and one more day to love, for opportunity and one more day to work for justice and peace, for neighbors
and one more person to love and by whom be loved, for your grace and one more experience of your presence, for your promise: to be with us, to be our God, and to give salvation. For these, and all blessings, we give you thanks, eternal, loving God,
through Jesus Christ we pray. Amen.
Prayer from http://www.beliefnet.com/Prayers/Christian/Gratitude/Prayer-Of-Thanksgiving.aspx#