Christianity Oasis Forum

[cimi]

APRIL 26
Saturday


RESPECT

READ:
esther 1:1-5,9-12
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You have made him a
little lower than the
angels, and You have
crowned him with glory
and honor.
__Psalm 8:5
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In 1967, American vocalist Aretha Franklin topped the charts with her hit single "Respect." The song became an inspirational anthem for the civil rights movement and for others who demanded to be treated with respect.

Long before Aretha's hit record, Queen Vashti topped the Persian charts with her own version of "Respect." The book of Esther begins with King Ahasuerus hosting a great celebration. In addition to displaying his wealth and power, he also wanted to showcase his wife's beauty. So he commanded that Queen Vashti be brought before him and his guests.

If she obeyed, she would have allowed the king to degrade and disrespect her. If she refused, she risked losing her life. she refused. what courage! Vashti didn't want to compromise her character by being reduced to a place of property. Her desire for respect led to her banishment. We have no record that Vashti feared the Lord. But her courage shows that she understood the God-given dignity accorded to every human being.

God created us in His image and crowned us with glory and honor, having made us "a little lower than the angels" (Ps. 8:5). Out of love and reverence for Him, let us treat ourselves and others with honor, dignity, and respect. __Marvin Williams
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`````````````````Man's crowning glory lies in this:`````````````````
````````````````God stamped on him His image rare;``````````````
``````````````````No other creatures have that gift,```````````````
`````````````Nor living things with man compare.__D. De Haan```````
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Even the most difficult people we know
bear the image of God.

**************Today's Bible Reading __ esther 1:1-5,9-12***********

1 Now it came to pass in the
days of Ahasuerus... 3 that
in the third year of his reign
he made a feast for all his
officials and servants--the
powers of Persia and Media,
the nobles, and the princes of
the provinces being before
him-- 4 when he showed the
riches of his glorious
kingdom and the splendor of
his excellent majesty for
many days, one hundred and
eighty days in all. 5 And
when these days were
completed, the king made a
feast lasting seven days for
all the people who were
present in Shushan the
citadel, from great to small,
in the court of the garden of
the king's palace....

9 Queen Vashti also made a
feast for the women in the
royal palace which belonged
to king Ahasuerus.

10 On the seventh day, when
the heart of the king was
merry with wine, he
commanded Mchuman,
Biztha, Harbona, Bigtha,
Abagtha, Zethar, and Carcas,
seven enuchs who served in
the presence of King
Ahasuerus, 11 to bring Queen
Vashti before the king,
wearing her royal crown, in
order to show her beauty to
the people and the officials,
for she was beautiful to
behold. 12 But Queen Vashti
refused to come at the king's
command brought by his
enuchs; therefore the king
was furious, and his anger
burned within him.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>INSIGHT<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<

Ezra and Nehemiah both give an account of the small remnant
of Jews who returned to judea after the Babylonian exile, The
majority of the Jews chose to remain in Babylon. The events in the
book of Esther take place between the first return of the Jews to
Jerusalem under Zerubbabel (538 BC) and the second return under
Ezra (458 BC). __Sim Kay Tee