A PURPOSEFUL LIFE; OLD TESTAMENT STORIES

                              BORN FOR SUCH A TIME AS THIS PART I

"I, Esther, live with my cousin Mordecai... My parents have died.... I am very grateful to my cousin for taking care of  me... We are Jewish but we do not live in Israel.... We live in Persia... Mt family has not always lived in Persia.... We used to live in Israel... But one day the king of Babylon, named, Nebuchadnezzar, came with his army to Jerusalem... And he took many of the Israelite people back with him to Israel...Some of my family members were taken as well... They settled down in Susa.... That is where my cousin Mordecai and I now live... Life is good here for us, Jewish people.... We are able to have a peaceful existence here... I am sure that will continue... I have heard rumours that things at the palace are not as peaceful.... It seems the king, whose name is Xerxes, has sent his queen away because she did not want to obey  him....I wonder if he might want another queen beside him one day... Anyway, that should not affect my life... I am just a young girl who is being taken care of by her cousin.... I am sure I will be able to stay with him for the rest of my life."... Please read the typed out attachment when you will learn about a young Jewish girl named Esther who lived in Persia.


           ATTACHMENT A PURPOSEFUL LIFE; OLD TESTAMENT STORIES

                               BORN FOR SUCH A TIME AS THIS PART I

Esther was a young Jewish girl who lived in Persia. Her parents had died and she was brought up by her cousin Mordecai as you can read in Esther 2:5-7

Now there was in the citadel of Susa, a Jew of the tribe of Benjamin, named Mordecai, son of Jair, son of Shimei, the son of Kish, who had been carried into exile from Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, among those taken captive with Jehoiachin king of Judah. Mordecai had a cousin named Hadassah whom he had brought up because she had neither father nor mother. This girl, who was also known as Esther, was lovely in form and features, and Mordecai had taken her as his own daughter when her father and mother died.

Esther is very settled at the home of her cousin Mordecai. As far as she is concerned, nothing will ever happen to cause a change in her circumstances. It is true, the king has sent his queen away because she did not want to appear before his guests. And he may eventually want to replace her with a new queen but, no doubt, the king will be very careful in his selection of a new queen. However, she is sure, she will not be considered to this very important position, especially because she is not Persian but Jewish.