825 - Les Feldick Bible Study - Lesson 3 Part 1 Book 69 - For such a time as this - Part 1

https://lesfeldickbiblestudy.com Through the Bible with Les Feldick LESSON 3 * PART 1 * BOOK 69 FOR SUCH A TIME AS THIS – PART 1 Book of Esther We’re so glad you’re here this afternoon. For those of you joining us out there on television again, we thank the Lord for every one of you, and especially for your prayers and your giving and your letters. I have to make some comment on the letters. Now, I know I have stressed keeping them short, but I think I overdid it, because too many people will say, “Hi. God bless you. Is that short enough?” Now, when I say short, I just mean I don’t want a whole ream of eight, ten, twelve pages. A one page letter doesn’t bother us a bit. But, I probably overdid it. Keep them short, but by that I mean not more than a page or so. If you have a testimony to write out and it takes two or three, that’s fine, we’ll still read it. So, again, thank all of you out there for everything. Okay, we’re going to be doing something a little different today. After studying the Book of Ruth, I couldn’t help but think of the other book written concerning a woman in Israel, the Book of Esther. So, we’re going to look at the Book of Esther in a little bit. But in order to give us biblical permission to really spend a lot of time in the Old Testament, I still like to come back to what Paul says in Romans chapter 15 verse 4 where the apostle writes. Now watch this! This is interesting. Romans 15:4a “For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning,…” What’s he referring to? The Old Testament and all the things written back in the Old Testament. You know, a lot of people probably think that since I emphasize Paul, that I’m intimating we don’t need the rest of our Bible. I have never said that! I have never even implied that! It’s just that Paul is writing directly to us Gentiles, and it’s in that area of Scripture that we find those things that are pertinent doctrinally for us. But Paul says, “All Scripture has been inspired of God and is profitable.” All right, here is another good instance. He refers us back to the Old Testament, not for doctrine. You won’t find the plan of salvation back in the Old Testament. You won’t find a teaching concerning the Rapture in the Old Testament. Those things were all unknown. But look what he says. “Whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning.” My goodness, I dare say that 90% of even professing Christians really don’t know why they believe what they believe. They really don’t know. Why? They’ve never been taught anything. Now, I read sometime ago and I won’t name the denomination. But I read in the paper of that denomination that 80% of converts to the four major cults - Seventh Day Adventists, Mormonism, Jehovah’s Witness, and at that time it was Worldwide Church of God - 80% of their converts came out of this particular denomination. They were writing it in their own newsletter. Why? They’re so biblically ignorant. When these people come to the door and seemingly are skilled with the Scriptures, hey, they fall for it. This is why we have to learn, learn, learn. God doesn’t want us to remain ignorant. Even Peter says, “That we might grow in grace and knowledge.” Well, how do you grow in grace and knowledge? You study the Scriptures! And not just the New Testament, but even here he says to study the things “that were written aforetime.” All right, I didn’t finish the verse, did I? Romans 15:4 “For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope.” So, whenever you do study Old Testament, I don’t care whether it’s Jacob and the twelve sons, or whether it’s Joseph or Moses or Noah, it’s all for the purpose of increasing our hope from the Scriptures, because it’s all true. All right, now the Book of Esther. You can turn back to it, if you haven’t already, here in the studio. I’m going to make a couple of comparisons between these two women. Then I’m going to make a couple of other statements before we actually start studying chapter 1. Now, since we just finished Ruth, this should all be fresh on your minds, as it is mine. Number one, Ruth was a Gentile who married a Jewish husband. Esther, we’ve got just the inversion. We’ve got a Jewish girl ending up marrying a Gentile husband. Ruth was poverty stricken. She didn’t have anything until she married Boaz. Whereas Esther is in the very center of a sumptuous castle, or capital of the empire, a palace, whatever you want to call it. What a difference. Yet there are so many comparisons. Now, when we taught the Book of Ruth--I’m going to have to go back and look at it. You can put it on the screen, too. Go back to the Book of Ruth a minute. Chapter 2 I think it was. #LesFeldick #BibleStudy #Bible