Verse of the Day: (1:21) And said, Naked came I out of my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return thither: the LORD gave, and the LORD hath taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD.
1.Born (1:1-19)
And there were born unto him seven sons and three daughters. (1:2)
One of the joys of parenthood is to witness the miraculous birth of their children, especially the first born. What a bundle of joy when the baby comes forth from the mother’s womb! However, one of the sad moments of parenthood is to witness the death of their child or children. This was exactly what happened to Job, who witnessed the birth of his 7 sons and 3 daughters, and subsequently he experienced one of the sad moments of his life when a great wind destroyed the house where all his children gathered and killed them all. What truly happened? Satan was behind the great and tragic loss of Job as he provoked God to test the faith of Job. God gave Satan the permission as He knew that Job would pass the test. Did Job curse and blame God after his tragedy? Most people will have curse and blame God, but not Job. Even though Job did not know that the calamities he suffered was God’s test on his faith, yet he actually blessed the name of the LORD! Indeed, let us bless the name of the Lord when we believe in and receive Jesus Christ as our personal Saviour, as we are born again into His everlasting kingdom, and we shall never perish, but our souls shall live forever with Him in glorious heaven. (John 3:1-21)
2.Blessed (1:20-22)
In all this Job sinned not, nor charged God foolishly. (1:22)
The faith to thank God even in the worst situation is what truly defines a man of God. Amid the loss of all his precious and dearest 10 children, and all his possessions of 7,000 sheep, 3,000 camels, 500 yoke of oxen and 500 she asses, Job blessed the name of the LORD, and did not sin nor blame God, because he knew that he came with nothing, and he shall return with nothing, and he was truly a man of God. Indeed, let us therefore not just be hearers of God’s Word, but be doers of His Word in our daily life! (James 1:21-27)
3.Bone (2:1-13)
But put forth thine hand now, and touch his bone and his flesh, and he will curse thee to thy face. (2:5)
Satan tested Job to the maximum as God allowed him to be inflicted with unbearable pain on his bones and flesh that he wished he would immediately die. To make matter worse, Job’s wife told him to curse God and die. What will you do if you are Job? Maybe we will give up, but not Job, as he persevered to the end. Let us as God’s members, flesh and bones, persevere to the end because He truly loves and cares for us! (Ephesians 5:21-33)
Prayer of the Day:
Dearest God, blessed be Your name as You give and You take away from me.
Verse of the Day: (9:26) Wherefore they called these days Purim after the name of Pur. Therefore for all the words of this letter, and of that which they had seen concerning this matter, and which had come unto them,
1.Power (9:1-25)
Now in the twelfth month, that is, the month Adar, on the thirteenth day of the same, when the king’s commandment and his decree drew near to be put in execution, in the day that the enemies of the Jews hoped to have power over them, (though it was turned to the contrary, that the Jews had rule over them that hated them;) (9:1)
On the 13th day of the 12th month, the month of Adar, all the Jews gathered together to fight for their lives as in the King’s decree, as this was also the day that an earlier King’s decree had given authority to all the people in the Persian Empire to exterminate the Jews in their land. Indeed, God preserved the Jews as Jesus Christ, God’s Son, shall come from them. Let us thus keep sharing the gospel of Christ as it is His power to save whoever believes in Him from hell, and one day He shall promote them to heaven. (Romans 1:16)
2.Purim (9:26-32)
And that these days should be remembered and kept throughout every generation, every family, every province, and every city; and that these days of Purim should not fail from among the Jews, nor the memorial of them perish from their seed. (9:28)
After God’s deliverance of the Jews from being exterminated, Esther the queen and Mordecai the Jew wrote with authority that all the Jews must remember and keep the days of Purim (comes from the word, Pur or Lot, which means drawing of such objects as a method of deciding something) throughout all their generations and in every province and city. Today, Purim is a Jewish festival celebrated on the 14th day of the month of Adar (6th month of the Jewish calendar) in commemoration of the deliverance of the Jews in Persia from the destruction by Haman. The Purim is like the day when Jesus purchased us with His own blood so that we have a heaven to gain and a hell to shun. (Acts 20:28)
3.Peace (10:1-3)
For Mordecai the Jew was next unto king Ahasuerus, and great among the Jess, and accepted of the multitude of his brethren, seeking the wealth of his people, and speaking peace to all his seed. (10:3)
What a change for a man who was almost exterminated together with his entire Jewish race to become the second most powerful person in the Persian Empire! This was Mordecai who believed in his true God of Israel granting him salvation and peace, and the heart to seek the welfare of his people as well as be their peacemaker. (Matthew 5:9)
Prayer of the Day:
Dearest God, thank You that I celebrate my Purim the day You saved my soul.
Verse of the Day: (8:11) Wherein the king granted the Jews which were in every city to gather themselves together, and to stand for their life, to destroy, to slay, and to cause to perish, all the power of the people and province that would assault them, both little ones and women, and to take the spoil of them for a prey,
1.Sold (7:1-10)
For we are sold, I and my people, to be destroyed, to be slain, and to perish. But if we had been sold for bondmen and bondwomen, I had held my tongue, although the enemy could not countervail the king’s damage. (7:4)
Finally, Queen Esther revealed to King Ahasuerus that she was a Jew, and that Haman had abused his authority to command the massacre of the entire Jewish race. Haman realised that his life was in danger as he did not know that Esther was a Jew, and what he did amounted to the murder of the Queen which was a capital punishment. While the king walked out of the palace as he was furious with Haman, the latter begged Esther to spare his life. When the king returned, he thought that Haman was trying to harm Esther, and he immediately ordered his men to arrest and then hang him on the gallows that Haman had prepared for Mordecai. Let us thus not be sold under sin, but believe in and receive Jesus Christ as our Saviour and Lord, and serve Him now and forever. (Romans 7:14-25)
2.Seal (8:1-8)
Write ye also for the Jews, as it liketh you, in the king’s name, and seal it with the king’s ring: for the writing which is written in the king’s name, and sealed with the king’s ring, may no man reverse. (8:8)
As the king’s writing was irreversible as to the extermination of the Jews initiated by Haman, he now had to write another law to the Jews to stand for their lives and sealed it with his ring. Thank God that we have the indwelling of the Holy Spirit that is sealed in us and irreversible since the day of our redemption and salvation. (Ephesians 4:29-32)
3.Stand (8:9-17)
And in every province, and in every city, whithersoever the king’s commandment and his decree came, the Jews had joy and gladness, a feast and a good day. And many of the people of the land became Jews; for the fear of the Jews fell upon them. (8:17)
The people became Jews in their belief in the true God of the Jews as they could never become another race. Thank God for Mordecai and Esther as they persevered in their faith in God even though their lives were threatened as the devil who was behind Haman wanted to stop the birth of Jesus, the Saviour of the world, who shall be from their race. Let us thus put on God’s whole armour, and stand against the devil. (Ephesians 6:10-19)
Prayer of the Day:
Dearest God, please help me to stand for my life and for You as You are my King.
Verse of the Day: (6:13) And Haman told Zeresh his wife and all his friends every thing that had befallen him. Then said his wise men and Zeresh his wife unto him, If Mordecai be of the seed of the Jews, before whom thou hast begun to fall, thou shalt not prevail against him, but shalt surely fall before him.
1.Sceptre (5:1-14)
And it was so, when the king saw Esther the queen standing in the court, that she obtained favour in his sight: and the king held out to Esther the golden sceptre that was in his hand. So Esther drew near, and touched the top of the sceptre. (5:2)
The turning point of Esther was when by faith she stood in the inner court of the king’s house, and waited for him until he saw her, and by God’s grace, she obtained his favour. Imagine if the king saw her, and was angry with her for standing in the court without his approval, she would have been executed! Thank God Esther found favour in the king’s sight, as he held out the golden sceptre, and drew her to it. Let us by faith thus go to God’s sceptre of righteousness to obtain His mercy in time of our needs. (Hebrews 1:1-8)
2.Sleep (6:1-11)
On that night could not the king sleep, and he commanded to bring the book of records of the chronicles; and they were read before the king. (6:1)
God is in control of everything, as He deprived the king of his sleep so that he commanded his servants to read the book of records of the chronicles before him, and discovered that he had not rewarded Mordecai for saving him. God then moved the king to speak to Haman who was at the outward court of his house about to ask his approval to hang Mordecai on the gallows he had prepared for him. Little did Haman know that the king was to ask him as to how he could reward Mordecai whom Haman wanted to hang! God’s providence and protection were upon Mordecai as instead of being hang, Haman dressed him up and brought him on horseback through the street proclaiming to all that he was the man whom the king delighted to honour. Let us therefore trust God, as He not only gives us abundant life, and our family, and children, but even our sleep! (Psalm 127)
3.Seed (6:12-14)
And while they were yet talking with him, came the king’s chamberlains, and hasted to bring Haman unto the banquet that Esther had prepared. (6:14)
One time Haman’s wife, Zeresh, and his wise friends instigated him to make the gallows to hang Mordecai, and now they told him that Mordecai was untouchable, as he was the child of Israel, God’s chosen people. Indeed, the Seed of God came to this world to be the Seed of man to die and shed His precious blood for the sins of man, so that the seeds of man can now become the seeds of God when we truly believe in Him. (2 Timothy 2:8-10)
Prayer of the Day:
Dearest God, thank You that I am Your seed and saint as I truly believe in You.
Verse of the Day: (2:15) Now when the turn of Esther, the daughter of Abihail the uncle of Mordecai, who had taken her for his daughter, was come to go in unto the king, she required nothing but what Hegai the king’s chamberlain, the keeper of the women, appointed. And Esther obtained favour in the sight of all them that looked upon her.
1.No (1:1-22)
If it please the king, let there go a royal commandment from him, and let it be written among the laws of the Persians and the Medes, that it be not altered, That Vashti come no more before king Ahasuerus; and let the king give her royal estate unto another that is better than she. (1:19)
King Ahasuerus, who reigned an empire that stretched from India to Ethiopia, made a feast for all his princes and servants to show off his wealth for 180 days before them. He then requested his wife, Queen Vashti, to be with him, so that he could show off her stunning beauty. However, Vashti refused as she assumed the king would give in to her insolence, but he was so angry with her that he commanded her to come no more to him as he would replace her with another queen. Subsequently, he sent a decree to all that all wives shall honour their husbands. Indeed, let us truly humble ourselves, and submit to the will of God, and no longer live in disobedience and the lusts of men. (1 Peter 4:1-2)
2.Nothing (2:1-20)
And he brought up Hadassah, that is, Esther, his uncle’s daughter: for she had neither father nor mother, and the maid was fair and beautiful; whom Mordecai, when her father and mother were dead, took for his own daughter. (2:7)
The quest for the new queen for King Ahasuerus began, and after much search he chose Esther. What a contrast between the 2 queens! The former queen Vashti was proud who required everything for her status, while Queen Esther was humble who required nothing, and she even obtained favour in the sight of all who were with her. Esther was a humble and godly woman mainly because she was an orphan, and was raised by Mordecai, her humble and godly uncle. Indeed, let us be truly contented with God, as we bring nothing into this world, and it is certain that we can carry nothing out of it. (1 Timothy 6:6-10)
3.Name (2:21-23)
And the thing was known to Mordecai, who told it unto Esther the queen; and Esther certified the king thereof in Mordecai’s name. (2:22)
Mordecai saved the king as he told Esther that 2 of the king’s servants had plotted to kill Ahasuerus. The culprits were eventually arrested and hanged, and Mordecai’s name was recorded in the chronicles. Indeed, when we choose to believe in God, our names shall be written in His book of life and our souls shall live with Him forever! (Revelation 3:1-5)
Prayer of the Day:
Dearest God, thank You that I require nothing in this life except Your salvation.
Verse of the Day: (4:16) Go, gather together all the Jews that are present in Shushan, and fast ye for me, and neither eat nor drink three days, night or day: I also and my maidens will fast likewise; and so will I go in unto the king, which is not according to the law: and if I perish, I perish.
1.Promotion (3:1-15)
After these things did king Ahasuerus promote Haman the son of Hammedatha the Agagite, and advanced him, and set his seat above all the princes that were with him. (3:1)
Though the entire book of Esther does not mention God, yet throughout its pages, the hand of God was upon the Jews, His people. King Ahasuerus promoted Haman, the Agagite, to be his right-hand man, and everyone bowed before him, except Mordecai, the Jew. Mordecai believed that he should only bow to his God, and not man. God was with Mordecai while the devil was with Haman. God almost allowed an extermination of the Jews as the devil wanted to hinder the birth of Jesus, the Saviour of the world, who shall be from the Jewish race. Imagine if Haman succeeded in the extermination of the Jews, then there would be no Saviour. Indeed, let us continue to trust God, even though sometime evil men are promoted, but eventually God’s will shall prevail. (Psalm 75:1-10)
2.Peace (4:1-14)
For if thou altogether holdest thy peace at this time, then shall there enlargement and deliverance arise to the Jews from another place; but thou and thy father’s house shall be destroyed: and who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this? (4:14)
The Jews were depressed when they heard that Haman had commanded his people to destroy all of them, just because Mordecai had refused to bow before him. Mordecai sought help from his adopted daughter, Esther, to speak to the king. Esther told him that she could never meet the king until he called for her. They then held their peace, and spread words to all the Jews to keep praying for God’s providence and protection upon them. Let us thus hold our peace, and seek God’s peace, and trust in Him. (John 16:33)
3.Perish (4:15-17)
So Mordecai went his way, and did according to all that Esther had commanded him. (4:17)
Esther told Mordecai that she was ready to perish, if the king refused to see her. Mordecai obeyed Esther’s command by gathering all the Jews in Shushan to fast for 3 days and nights, as they waited for the outcome of her meeting with the king. Let us thus trust God as His will is that none should perish, but that all should come to repentance. (2 Peter 3:9)
Prayer of the Day:
Dearest God, please help me to be ready to pray, preach and perish for Your glory.
Verse of the Day: (13:31) And for the wood offering, at times appointed, and for the firstfruits. Remember me, O my God, for good.
1.Read (13:1-3)
On that day they read in the book of Moses in the audience of the people; and therein was found written, that the Ammonite and the Moabite should not come into the congregation of God for ever; (13:1)
A reader may not be a leader, but all God’s leaders are readers, especially of God’s Word. Israel read the book of Moses and discovered that the Ammonite and the Moabite were not allowed to be with them unless they would repent of their sins of unbelief and wickedness. Indeed, let us read, meditate and apply God’s Word in our hearts that all who know us, may come to know Christ through our sharing and testimony. (Ephesians 3:1-7)
2.Rulers (13:4-13)
Then contented I with the rulers, and said, Why is the house of God forsaken? And I gathered them together, and set them in their place. (13:11)
While Nehemiah was away from Jerusalem, Eliashib, the priest, had allied himself with Tobiah, the Ammonite, and had forsaken and defiled God’s house by allowing Tobiah, an unbeliever, to stay in the chamber of God’s house where the people’s gifts to God to be distributed to those who served Him were stored, in other words, Tobiah had accessed to these gifts. Upon his return, Nehemiah was very grieved when he heard of the corruption of Eliashib, and immediately he threw out Tobiah from the chamber. He then confronted the leaders to return all the offerings to those who served God in His house, and to resume the worship of God. Indeed, let us serve God and flee from evil. (Romans 13:1-4)
3.Remember (13:14-31)
Remember me, O my God, concerning this, and wipe not out my good deeds that I have done for the house of my God, and for the offices thereof. (13:14)
Nehemiah commanded the people never to marry the unbelievers as they would compromise their belief, and to stop working on the Sabbath day, but instead they should worship God for who He is, and what He has done for them. (2 Corinthians 6:14-18) At the end of Nehemiah’s life, he prayed to God to remember him and the works he had done for Him. Indeed, God shall remember the works that we have done for Him as He remembered the criminal at the cross who cried in repentance to Him, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom. Jesus replied, Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise. (Luke 23:39-43) What a day it shall be when we get to heaven as God calls our names from His book of life, and we shall behold His wonderful face, and also those of our loved ones who had gone ahead of us! (Revelation 20:11-15)
Prayer of the Day:
Dearest God, please remember me for all that I have believed in and done for You.
Verse of the Day: (12:27) And at the dedication of the wall of Jerusalem they sought the Levites out of all their places, to bring them to Jerusalem, to keep the dedication with gladness, both with thanksgivings, and with singing, with cymbals, psalteries, and with harps.
1.Ten (11:1-36)
And the rulers of the people dwelt at Jerusalem: the rest of the people also cast lots, to bring one of ten to dwell in Jerusalem the holy city, and nine parts to dwell in other cities. (11:1)
Everyone sought to stay in Jerusalem because it was God’s holy city. As a result, Jerusalem was overcrowded, and the rulers prepared lots for Israel such that only 1 out of 10 shall be able to stay in Jerusalem while the rest had to move out to other cities. Indeed, let us be thankful to God for saving our souls from hell to heaven just like the 1 out of the 10 lepers who gave thanks to Jesus for healing him while the rest did not. (Luke 17:11-19)
2.Thanksgivings (12:1-43)
Also that day they offered great sacrifices, and rejoiced: for God had made them rejoice with great joy: the wives also and the children rejoiced: so that the joy of Jerusalem was heard even afar off. (12:43)
God’s Word never fails to record the names of Israel because Jesus shall come forth from them. This is why time and again, God protects and preserves Israel until today, because Jesus came more than 2,000 years ago, and lived, ministered, died and shed His blood on the cross for the sins of the whole world. In fact, Jesus is coming again, the 2nd time, during the Rapture, to draw His Christians and the dead in Christ to be with Him in glorious heaven forever. Then after the 7 years Tribulation, Jesus shall come again, and this time, He shall rule Israel as His kingdom for 1,000 years. (Revelation 19-22) This was why Nehemiah sought the Levites to dedicate the walls with thanksgivings to God, because they knew that it was He who helped them amid discouragement and distress, and at the same time, He also revived their spiritual lives. Indeed, let us trust and obey God with joy and thanksgivings, as He is worthy of all our praise. (2 Corinthians 9:12-15)
3.Treasures (12:44-47)
And at that time were some appointed over the chambers for the treasures, for the offerings, for the firstfruits, and for the tithes, to gather into them out of the fields of the cities the portions of the law for the priests and Levites: for Judah rejoiced for the priests and for the Levites that waited. (12:44)
Judah rejoiced for the services of the priests and Levites, because Jesus, the Son of God, shall come from their tribe. Indeed, the greatest treasure is God, the Holy Spirit, dwelling in us, once we believe in and receive Jesus as our personal Saviour. (2 Corinthians 4:1-10)
Prayer of the Day:
Dearest God, thank You for everything especially saving my wretched soul and life.
Verse of the Day: (10:36) Also the firstborn of our sons, and of our cattle, as it is written in the law, and the firstlings of our herds and of our flocks, to bring to the house of our God, unto the priests that minister to in the house of our God:
1.Fire (9:1-38)
Moreover thou leddest them in the day by a cloudy pillar; and in the night by a pillar of fire, to give them light in the way wherein they should go. (9:12)
Though Israel failed God many times, especially in the wilderness, yet He was always ready to pardon their sins, gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and forsook them not as He led them as a pillar of fire in the night and a pillar of cloud in the day. Nehemiah and Israel separated themselves with the unbelievers, and began reading God’s Word for more than 6 hours, and another 6 hours in confessing and repenting their sins, and in worshipping Him. Indeed, let us truly spend time reading and applying God’s Word in our lives, as well as worshipping Him, as He is not only a loving God, but He is also a consuming Fire who judges us of all our sins. (Hebrews 12:28-29)
2.Firstborn (10:1-36)
They clave to their brethren, their nobles, and entered into a curse, and into an oath, to walk in God’s law, which was given by Moses the servant of God, and to observe and do all the commandments of the LORD our Lord, and his judgments and his statutes; (10:29)
God brought revival to Israel, as they diligently heard and applied His Word in their lives, and confessed and repented their sins. They then covenanted with God, and sealed with the names of Nehemiah, the princes, priests and Levites to obey His commandments. Subsequently, they dedicated their firstborns to God, knowing that He is the Giver of life and the Creator of all living creatures, including man, made in His own image. Indeed, let us be thankful to God for lovingly sending His Firstborn and only begotten Son, Jesus, to live, minister, die and shed His blood for the sins of the whole world. (Romans 8:29-39)
3.Firstfruits (10:37-39)
And that we should bring the firstfruits of our dough, and our offerings, and the fruit of all manner of trees, of wine and of oil, unto the priests, to the chambers of the house of our God; and the tithes of our ground unto the Levites, that the same Levites might have the tithes in all the cities of our tillage. (10:37)
Beside their firstborns, Israel also gave their firstfruits of everything to God, thanking Him for all that He had blessed them with. Indeed, let us look forward to the glorious day when Jesus, our Firstfruit, shall lead us to glorious heaven during the Rapture, together with all the resurrected Old as well as New Testament saints. (1 Corinthians 15:20-23)
Prayer of the Day:
Dearest God, please help me to give my firstborn, firstfruits and my life to You.
Verse of the Day: (7:2) That I gave my brother Hanani, and Hananiah the ruler of the palace, charge over Jerusalem: for he was a faithful man, and feared God above many.
1.Faithful (7:1-4)
And I said unto them, Let not the gates of Jerusalem be opened until the sun be hot; and while they stand by, let them shut the doors, and bar them: and appoint watches of the inhabitants of Jerusalem, every one in his watch, and every one to be over against his house. (7:3)
After the completion of the rebuilding project, Nehemiah delegated the works of overseeing Jerusalem to Hanani, his brother, and Hananiah, the ruler of the palace, as both were faithful men who feared God. He then appointed guards at all the gates as he knew that their enemies, the Samaritans, would seek to destroy what they had rebuilt. Indeed, let us be faithful to God, and fear Him, and be sober and vigilant, as Satan, God’s enemy, is always seeking to destroy us, and our works for Him. (1 Corinthians 4:1-2)
2.First (7:5-73)
And my God put into mine heart to gather together the nobles, and the rulers, and the people, that they might be reckoned by genealogy. And I found a register of the genealogy of them which came up at the first, and found written therein. (7:5)
God then put into Nehemiah’s heart to find the register of the genealogy of the Jews who first returned to Jerusalem after being released from the Babylonian captivity. The reason was because Jesus, God’s only begotten Son, shall be from the Jews, and Satan would do everything to hinder His birth such that man can never be reconciled with God but be eternally condemned in hell like him because of sin. However, Jesus, the First and the Last, always win over Satan, as He came into this world, and lived and ministered, and died and shed His blood at the cross for the sins of the world. Whoever therefore believes in Jesus shall never perish, but have eternal life with Him in heaven. (Revelation 1:1-11)
3.Fat (8:1-18)
Then he said unto them, Go your way, eat the fat, and drink the sweet, and send portions unto them for whom nothing is prepared: for this day is holy unto our Lord: neither be ye sorry; for the joy of the LORD is your strength. (8:10)
Amid opposition, the people gathered as one people to hear Ezra, the priest, reading God’s Word, and some wept as this was the first time they heard it, as they never hear it during their 70 long years of captivity in Babylon. Nehemiah then led them in great celebration with the fat and sweet drinks of the land, and they also shared the blessings with the poor. It was indeed a holy day, as they knew that the joy of the Lord was their strength. Let us thus trust in God, and He shall bless us now and forever. (Proverbs 28:25)
Prayer of the Day:
Dearest God, please help me to be faithful, and to always fear You now and forever.
