The Connection

Queen Esther's story started long before she was born. Esther 2:5 tells us something very interesting. Meanwhile in the citadel of Susa, there was a Jewish man from the tribe of Benjamin named Mordecai. He was the son of Jair who was a descendent of Shimei and Kish. 1 Chronicles 12:1 After David fled from Saul (son of Kish) to the Philistine city of Ziklag, all the tribes of Israel sent warriors to support him in battles.

2 Samuel 16:5 They traveled on. When David reached Bahurim, one of Saul’s family, Shimei, the son of Gera, came out of his house and cursed David constantly there in the road,

Hadassah is from the tribe of Benjamin, and the family line of King Saul. Why is this important? Do you remember the command God gave King Saul? It is the same command given in Deuteronomy 25:19 When you’re in a position to punish them for this, when all of your other enemies are defeated and you’re living peacefully in the land that the Eternal your God is giving you to live in, then wipe out every trace of the Amalekites under the sky. Don’t forget! Judges 1 tells us the failure of Israel to obey God's command to drive out the peoples on the land that God promised them. Instead of driving them out they coexisted, leaving the command incomplete. So years and generations go by and Saul is given this command. Samuel (to Saul): 1-2 Because the Eternal One sent me to anoint you as ruler over His people Israel, listen to what the Eternal One, the Commander of heavenly armies, has to say: “I will punish Amalek because they waylaid Israel in her path out of Egypt. 3 I want you to go down against Amalek and destroy them, everything they have. Do not allow anything to survive; destroy them all—man and woman, child and infant, ox and sheep, camel and donkey.” This is what Saul did in response to God's command. 8 He cut down the entire population with the sword, as God had told him to do, except he captured King Agag of the Amalekites and kept him alive. 9 Saul and the army spared Agag, and they saved the best of the livestock: the sheep, the oxen, the lambs, and the best of all the stock. They kept what was valuable instead of destroying it, and they only destroyed those things they considered worthless. And so disobedience continued and the command remained incomplete. Because of the in-completion of the command which was given twice now. Harmon is born and the command still needs to be obeyed by someone from the tribe of Benjamin. Esther now has the responsibility to fulfill the command her ancestors failed to fulfill. God sets her up so she can do what needed to be done all along. Haman and his ten sons were killed. God knew when the people He appointed to do a task did not complete the task. He would raise up someone who would. Someone who was willing to perish to do God's will. Hadassah painted us a picture of Jesus, when she was willing to give her life for the lives of her people. Samuel was right when he said " Obedience is better than sacrifice." Had the Israelites obeyed God's command many lives could have been spared. But then we would not have the inspiration of Queen Esther

either. May we learn that disobedience will follow through generations until it is dealt with.