Esther 5-6

"Beauty & The Beast" - Esther 5-6

After a prolonged break, we will pick up our study in the intriguing book of Esther! We finished chapter 4 during our last study, so we will pick up in chapter 5!

I am quite certain you are familiar with the classic Disney story of Beauty & the Beast. But did you know that it is based on a true story of a French boy who rose to status in court of King Henry II of France? Despite his hairy appearance which resulted from a genetic condition called congenital hypertrichosis, he was not the beast he appeared to be. Rather, Petrus Gonsalvus [his real name] rose to a place of honor and was eventually married and had four children.

As in the Disney story, the "beast" was misjudged and misunderstood. Maybe the real beasts were those that judged him by his odd appearance and failed to see the real "him".

It's clear in our Bible study that Esther is the Beauty. God has used her naturally stunning genetic beauty for His sovereign purposes. Our beauty -- Queen Esther -- has resigned herself to a willingness to sacrifice her own life to save her people. But who is the Beast?

The answer to that question may depend on who you ask. If you ask Haman, the beast is that awful Mordecai who refuses to bow to him. That beast -- Mordecai -- would be more consistent with the real story -- misjudged, overlooked, and then rising to power.

But if you ask me...and Esther, Mordecai, and even God...Haman is the Beast. A proud, animalistic man blinded by his inflated narcissism and obsessed with murder. If God is true to His Word, and pride really does come before destruction, can you guess in which direction our story turns?

Truth really is stranger than fiction, and our story will leave us in suspense as we see a sovereign God working things according to His Word. What happens to the Beauty? What about our two Beasts...?

...VIEW and SEE

Steve