The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1905-11-04
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LESSON sIx--NoVEMsER 5.
Golden al hem

AhS QuCSh, III attempting " Save
her people, must % risk everything
her position, her husband, her wealth,
her life. (2) She must do it on the
mere chance that such a king would
look upon her with favor. (3) "She
must attempt, by the mere weight OF
personal influence, to reverse the de-
crees of an empire that prides itself
on nfallibility-whose laws are unal-
terable," (4) And she must do this
against the influence of the kings ia
vorite, who had easiest access and
largest influence with the monarch,
and was the most powerful subject in
the kingdom, and the enemy of her
people. 90 She belonged to de-
spised race, and must reveal that fact
to the capricious king.
1S. Then Mordecai commanded to.
answer Esther" He gives four reasons
why Esther should undertake the mis-
sion. % She could not escape the
massacre, even If she should refuse to
undergo this danger. (2) She was
providentially endowed with beauty
and raised to her position as queen
for this very purpose. If this was
true, God would make her successful.
It issa blessed thing to find out what
one is sent into this world for. (3),
All her relatives would be destroyed.
Every motive OF patriotism and relig-
ion urged her on. (4) Then a great
privilege was presented to her, such
an opportunity as seldom falls to the
lot Of any one. The work is certain
to be accomplished in some way, but
the joy and blessing Of doing 1t, is Of
fered to Esther.
Is. 'Then Esther bade them re-
turn answer" She ac-
cepted the dangerous mission, but she
went about her work in the wisest and
most skillful way. ~ Religious prep
aration. 16 Neither eat nor drink,
three days" Fasting implies prayer,
earnestness, confession Of sin, belief
in God, an intense desire to be fitted
toAobtain the right spirit. This was on
the same principle as Christ's prom
Use to his disciples when two or three
agreed together touching anything
they shall ask Matt. 18: 19). (2) She
used every means within her power.
5: 1. Esther put on her royal ap-
parel" She was sensible, practical
woman, and used her beauty and
charm of person and of dress to ac.
complish her object.
2. "The king held out :"
the golden sceptre" The sign that he
received her, and that the most dan
gerous part of her mission was over.
But the most difficult was yet to come.
| (3) She was very wise in her method
Of asking her favor by feast, by de-
lays that keyed up the kings curios-
ity to the highest pitch, and gave her
and Mordecai time to make the wisest
plans for overcoming the unchange-
able law of the Medes and Persians.
| (4) She was aided by the strange
providence of the kings sleepless
night, and the consequent behavior of
Haman.
Scene VI. The Deliverance. The
Fruit of Heroic Patriotism.-Th re-
suit was a counteracting decree, per-
mitting the Jews to stand up in their
own defense, and large numbers Of
their enemies were slain. The Jews
were saved from destruction, and ex-
alted before the people. Mordecai
took Haman's place in the govern
ment. The feast of Purim was insti-
tuted with great feasting and Joy, and
has been celebrated annually ever
since on the fourteenth of Adar. Feb
ruary- March, one month before Easter.
At least there are records Of its OBJ
servance for more than two thousand
years.
Several writer's of prominence have
unjostly condemned the book of Es-
ther for its sanguinary ending. But If
we were defending ourselves and our
families against robbers; if we were
defending our country against foreign
invaders; if we were fighting for lib
erty and religion, and it seemed to us
that our cause was identified with
them and with the salvation of the
world, then we would feel that the
prayer for the destruction and scatter
ing of our enemies was holy, as that
of Millions angels in the war against
Satan and his host
The Heart Of the Lesson.
Heroism in Everyday Life is the ex-
preston and cultivation Of the heroic
spirit in our ordinary daily life. We
cannot all be heroes in great things
but the field of heroism is everywhere,
in every home, in every town. There
are great enemies to overcome in our
own hearts, there are powers and
principalities Of evil on every hand.
Christian Patriotism is to give for
God and Christ our King, and
for the sake of the king
dom of God, the same devotion,
conservation, self-denial that patriot
ism requires for our country. In real
ity 1t is one and the same spirit. And
the best thing we can do patriotically
for our country is to be true to the
principles which Christ taught us, and
live a perfect Christian life. Heroism,
courage, patriotism, are as real, and
living and growing amid the tempta-
/ tions of civil life as on the field of