The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1899-10-14
SundaySchoOH Lessen for October. is
Esther Pleading for Her People.
ESTHER VILE 2-8, 15-17
BY j. e. GILBERT, D. D., L. D.,
Secretary of American Society of Religious Education.

Thereby the blame of the decree was
cast where It belonged, upon him who
instigated It. This adrot pleading was
calculated to concilitate the king who
might properly desire to undo the mis-
chief of a man whom he had put to
death. But Esther did not leave her
request upon it's merits. She pleaded
1t with three considerations IF It
please the king" an appeal to his own
good will: If "she had found favor"
an appeal to his regard for her.. IL "the
thing seemed right" an appeal to his
conscience. These three considerations
might have been expanded Ivy many
words,-pleasure, regard, conscience.
are the motives that most frequently
control the actions of men. And she
followed her request by pre- 'enting her
self as bound uD with the Jews, as
making common cause with them, ard
therefore unable to endure the evil that
would befall them, If the deC-cc were
not reversed.
THE RESPONSE (Verses Z and ST.
King Ahasuerus was favOrably inn
pressed by this earnest appeal He
reflected a moment upon what he had
already done, expressing his thoughts
to those about him. He had caused
Haman to be hung because his hand
had been laid upon the Jews and he
had given Hamans property to the
queen 1t was not consistent, thara-
fore, to allow a wholesale slaughter Of
the Jews in his dominions, to punish Il
man for an evil purpose and then al
There was one difficulty, however The
laws of the kingdom could not be re-
pealed Dan. vi:S). Whatever the king
wrote must stand. 1t was claimed
that the sovereign could do no wrong,
and that his orders could not, there
| fore, be annulled. To meet this din
| Guilty, however, authority was given
| to the Jews everywhere to act in self
| defense. Our lesson omits the verses
that refer to this new message which
went forth into all the provinces III
| the kings name Oversees 9 to II inclu-
sive), but the student should read
them. On the day appointed thare-
fore, two royal mandates were before
| the people, one against the Jews and
one in their favor.
THE HONOR Verse 15).-The evil
man had been slain and his evil pur-
pose had been thwarted. Mordecai
who had refused to humble himself
before the Agagite, was elevated to his
place, the first man in the empire next
to the king. He went forth from the
palace in the kings name. the repre-
sentative of the kings authority. He
had laid aside the sack-cloth which
had been put on when the decree was
issued against his people esther iv:D
and instead he was clad in the appare
of blue and white and purple, taker
from tie royal wardrobe. Besides
there was placed on his head a grea'
crown of gold. sufficient to impress al
beholders with his dignity and import
ance. Once more, as in the case O.
Daniel but a few years previously, tht
Jew was honored (Dan. vi:12). Tht
Persian king has Jewess queen anC
a Jewish prime minister And tn,
honor shown to both had resulted from
the spirit of Jealousy and hate anC
directed against both.
THE GLADDNESS ". Is, 16, 10
The changed conditions caused univer
sal rejoicing. At Shusan, the seat o
government, there had been much per
plexity because Of Haman's DEGREES