Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1923-06-12
SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON
For June II, 1923
BY DR.. MARION McH. HULL

the next evening.
In the meantime Hannah builds
the gallows and swells with vanity;
while the king spends a sleepless
night-Esther food might have
been too rich for him. He whites
away the time having the chronicles
read to him, and finds in them a
record Of MordecaIs good offices in
saving his life sometimes back. He
also learns that nothing has been
done to reward him for it.
Unfortunately for Hannah he
steps in just in time. You remen-
Der his vanity, the proposal of him
self as he thought, and his chargrin
at having to pay Mordecai the great
est honor that he would have him
self paid. You also remember the
wrath of the king when he found
out what Hannah had made him do.
You recall how Hannah, caught in
his own net, outwitted by a woman,
had acknowledged his defeat and
cast himself on Queen Esther's
couch to beg for mercy and for his
life. But his indiscretion was his
death knell-by the kings orders he
was hanged on the gallows that he
had built for Mordecai.
Esther's Demands
We cannot understand Esther's
demands from our occidental view
point. We must remember that it
was not until Jesus Christ came that
we learned to show mercy. 1t was
then an eye for an eye, and a tooth
for a tooth. Esther eXacted all that
her enemies would have gained
from her had they had the power.
She was necessarily cruel; she was
the product of her age.
Esther was resourceful and tact
full. She knew Humans influence
over the king, and she planned her
attack so that she would be able to
have the king pass judgment on
Hannah in her presence before he
would have a chance to change the
kings mind.
But Esther was not wholly de-
structive. The larger part of her
career was the opposite. 1t was due
to her influence that Mordecai was
elevated to the high position in the
Kingdom. He was an old man now;
he had been brought a captive, a
mere STRIPPING, from Jerusalem when
Jaconiah was deported in 596 b. c..
ESTHER 2:6); he had gone back to
Jerusalem with the first group that
went back under Zerubbabel in the
first year of Cyrus, 538 B. c.; Ezra
2:2). Nehemiah had been one of
this company, too. He and Nehe-
miah had come back to Babylon for
some reason. 1t was in this way
that Esther had come in contact
with Nehemiah and it was probably
thus that he had been appointed
to the important office of cupbearer
to the king. 1t was eight years
after Hamaa's death that Nehemiah
was granted permission by the king
to go back and repair the walls of
Jerusalem, and it was Esther the
queen who was sitting by (Neh. 212J
that made such an unusual commits
sion possible.
The story of Esther is just one in
stance and illustration of the fact
that God will keep His covenant
with His people. IN this instance
Esther was His instrument.
But from tina other viewpoint it
is an illustration of what woman
Tor man either can do who uses
the talent that she has. without
thought of self out only Of others.
Esther's talent was her beauty. 1t
was the stepping stone to a position
of powert that power she used for
others. And with her position she
used her brain also. Controlled by
a great passion for her people, In
spired by the thought that she was
called to q certain work, she put ev-
erything she had into the accom-
plishment of it, gambling with her
own life, as Epaphroditus did--and
won.
There are many men and women
today whose very position, whose
personal CHARM, whose opportunities
have created tremendous responsible
tiles. Some Of them are, with holy
abandon, forgetting self and placing
themselves at Christ's disposal for
service.
Others-God pity their end-are
using these God-glven opportunities
for their own selfish ends or for
their families. The former are ex-
periencnig more and more the I'M
speakable joy of service. Not one
of the latter but is utterly unhappy.
Which shall yours be?