Esther - Lesson One - Day 2

Lesson One:  A Providential Divorce
DAY TWO:  Party Hearty!

Please carefully read Esther 1:5–8 and answer the following questions.

1.  How did Ahasuerus wrap up this celebration, and where did this take place (v. 5)? 

NOTE: Persian palaces usually stood in the middle of a park with lovely gardens.  When the Old Testament was translated into Greek in the Septuagint, the word used for garden was paradeisos, where we get our word paradise.[vi]  Jesus used this word when He told the thief on the cross, “today you will be with Me in Paradise” (Luke 23:43).

2.  Describe the opulent display and how far Ahasuerus went to lure those attending the feast (v. 6, 7).  Probably this was not like your most recent back yard barbecue!

NOTE: Ahasuerus’ goal in all this was to sell his plans to the people.  The Persian custom was to entertain and do business at the same time, just as a salesman might take a prospective client out to an expensive dinner. “A proud man himself, he knew how to appeal to the pride in others.”[vii]

3.  The focus of this feast was alcohol.  The Septuagint translation here confirms that this was a potos, a drinking party.[viii]  What was the extent of the wine Ahasuerus provided, and what was the Persian drinking law (v. 8)?