Hey, welcome back. This is Shelby and Scott. We're walking through the book of Esther. We're going to be talking about Esther 4 through 6 today. But wherever you're listening or watching, we hope that you're following or subscribing so that you don't miss an episode as we go through the Bible this year. Scott, yesterday we saw Esther

was crowned to be the new queen of Persia, but then we also saw that Haman is plotting to kill

the Jews of whom Esther is a Jew. So what happens in today's chapters? We've talked about this.

Esther's a lot like a movie, a drama.

There's a plot that's always thickening.

So what's happening in today's chapters?

There's an interesting contrast between chapter four and then the end of chapter three, because

at the end of chapter three of Haman and Xerxes, after, you know,

Xerxes, you know, creates this plot to exterminate all the Jews.

They're feasting together.

But then in chapter four, we get the Jews who are not feasting.

They're actually fasting deep, they're mourning over this decree that is going to lead to their ends.

And chapter four, this is probably the most famous chapter of Esther, because this is

where you get Mordecai appealing to Esther to go to the king on behalf of the Jews. And then he

tells her, essentially, hey, maybe the whole reason you're here as queen is for this moment,

for such a time as this. The problem, of course, is one does not just waltz

into the king's presence, unbidden. This could have gotten Esther killed, so this was hugely

courageous for her. And yet, I love she tells Mordecai together, all the Jews in the city of Susa,

fast for her. She's going to fast to. And then she defiantly declares, I will go to the king, even if it is against the law. If I perish, I perish.

Yeah, that's such an important moment, a pivotal moment in the story. And I think often we see Esther's bravery here, and it encourages us to maybe have courage in a fearful situation,

and it should do that.

But I also want to draw attention to, in this moment,

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