1. CHAPTER 5 1

2. “God is not a man who lies, or a son of man who changes his mind
“God is not a man who lies, or a son of man who changes his mind. Does He [ever] speak and then not act? Does He [ever] promise and not fulfill?” ~~~~~ Numbers 23:19 2

3. A Primer in Providence
1) God created everything and controls it, material and immaterial/spiritual.
2) God planned a future for the world before He even created it.
3) God chose to revealed the future He planned to mankind.
4) The way God guides all He made, through the obstacles of life, safely to the future He has promised is called Providence. 3

4. Thoughts on Providence from Esther:
1) Messianically...
Satan, Nephilim, Pharaoh, Haman, Herod --If successful, any of these would have prevented Messiah.
2) Nationalistically...
Providence remains with even those Jews who refused to go back to Jerusalem with Zerubabbel.
3) Personally...
God’s promises are even extended to failures like me. His providence guides even me. I am invited to participate. If His promises are sure anyway, I can go kicking and screaming or embrace it and be an Esther. 4

5. 5

6. First Four Episodes Recap
* Are so many of these items really just coincidence?
* Think of the timeframe of Esther’s prayer. She prayed days. God planned for 5 years before her prayer to answer it! 5

7. Esther
Where is the fear of Esther? God stops our fears. “Up to half my kingdom..” God outdoes our hopes. ~~~ Who does Esther come to? Who do I come to? “boldly to the throne of grace to find help in the time of need.” 11

8. Xerxes Esther “put on royalty.”
She must earn enough of the kings favor.
~~~Stay tuned next week when...
[Cue music]
...the king sees Haman
...on a couch
...with his wife
[fade black] 7

9. Haman Pride blinds Haman to the reality of his situation.
“Let his name be blotted out! The name of the wicked will rot!”
~~~
The gallows for Mordecai are built 50 cubits high. 8

10. Haman continued...
* Psalms “God sits in the heavens and laughs” at the raging futile plans of the wicked.
* Psalm 37
“the wicked plot against the just, and gnash their teeth, but the LORD shall laugh at him, the LORD sees his day is coming.”
~~~ Stay tuned next time for …the shocking revelation of Esther at the dinner table. 9

11. RECAP TODAY:
1) Providence is the way God protects the future He has promised to us.
2) *We can participate in providence. Be an Esther * God does not deal with us according to our weaknesses or past failures.
* God invites us to come boldly to the throne of grace in our time of need that we may find help in the day of trouble.
* God can out do our hopes and stop our fears.
3) Pride can blind us. Humble ourselves to be lifted up. Say hard things to one another. 13