Amazon's e-book, The Book of Esther, is "for just a time as this". What timing that it is being brought to the forefront, as the Feast of Purim was currently celebrated.
This e-book is structured with 18 chapters converted into lessons, with its opening chapter setting the scene with King Ahasuerus (Xerxes) sitting at the throne, over a kingdom spanning 127 provinces from India to Cush, abundantly blessed with wealth and the King celebrating it with his nobles, princes, officials and military leaders from Media and Persia. King Xerxes held his celebration for a period of 180 days "displaying" his vast wealth.
Each chapter holds the author's point of view, including a daily bible scripture, and a prayer of the day.
Deborah H. Bateman is always pointing to the scriptures and giving God the glory, requesting insight for the reader as the reader applies each chapter's occurrence to their own lives ie.:
Prayer of the Day:
Dear Heavenly Father,
"As we read this Scripture help us to see drinking too much wine can cause all kinds of trouble. Help us as wives to submit to our husbands as unto the Lord. But help us to know where the boundaries are. In Jesus' name, we ask it. Amen."
She sets the tone for disciplined, committed bible reading (making it ideal for the christian classroom bible study) to further educate the reader into how God uses Esther to teach the modern-day christian who wants to know more about how God continues to genuinely touch an individual from yesterday's events to today's turbulent times.
The author has generously included a section "Things to Think About" further prodding the reader into going beyond what is written on paper and applying principles to effect their own lives.
As in the Book of Ruth, this author's earlier e-book, Deborah manages to capture the spiritual layer of God's involvement in Esther's life relevant to today's christian.
Esther is a Jewish orphan who is raised by her cousin, Mordechi. Esther is taken into the King's palace and "prepped" for one night with the King.
This story has such a deep love from an orphan to her King, and the King's genuine love and affection for a commoner, flowing from one dramatic event to another culminating into a final decision of life or death from Esther to stand up for her people or she and they all perish.
I love prophecy. Israel is currently contemplating striking Iran to prevent Iran's build up of nuclear weapons to prevent Israel's total annihilation threatened by Iran. This is really ironic as Esther and King Xerxes ruled over ancient Persia and Media - today modern day Iran.
Recently on March 9, 2012, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gifted President Obama a Scroll of the Book of Esther:
"...he gave the President the megillah (scroll) of the Book of Esther, which Jews read during Purim..."
"Purim conveys three lessons. First, the survival of the Jewish people is assured -- not by the words or edicts of foreign rulers -- but when they have the ability to defend themselves. As Netanyahu said, "As prime minister of Israel, I will never let my people live in the shadow of annihilation."
Second, Purim suggests that the Jewish people -- and religious liberty -- will always be threatened by regimes that regard self-governance and civil society as the enemy. Alluding to the Passover Haggadah, Netanyahu stated: "In every generation there are those who wish to destroy the Jewish people."
"Indeed, the third and most important lesson of Purim is that ability to take pre-emptive military action is essential to Jewish survival. As Netanyahu said: "The purpose of the Jewish state is to secure the Jewish future. That is why Israel must always have the ability to defend itself, by itself, against any threat..." (source: Spectator.org)
Amazon's e-book, The Book of Esther, A Story of Love and Favor, is "for just a time as this." Indeed, prophecy unveiling today?
"For if you remain completely silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father's house will perish. Yet who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this?" (Esther 4:14)
Read the e-book today and follow Esther's journey. Will she perish? Will God intervene and deliver His people?
The Book of Esther: A Story of Love and Favor (Daily-Bible-Reading Series)
