Queen Esther was more than a beauty queen. She was a real star!

  Complete Esther Bible story for use with the Esther Bible story bag is below.

Purim, the day of Mordecai is celebrated by the Jewish community today. Purim means casting lots or throwing dice. When Haman was trying to decide which day the armies should destroy the Jews, he used a process similar to throwing dice. When God used Esther to save her people they celebrated with Purim, a celebration which has continued throughout the Jewish history.

Purim is wonderful celebration. It is celebrated on the 14th and 15th of Adar. But the actual day will change depending on the Sabbath. Many activities are part of the Purim Celebration including the reading of the book of Esther. 

Story bags are used as fascinating visuals to captivate the attention of your audience. No one is surprised when you turn the bag inside out, but when you do it again and again, they are baffled.  The mixture of prints and solids make this bag especially memorable. This story bag is used to illustrate that Esther was more than a beauty queen; she was a ‘star’. 

 

(Purple) Maybe she wore a beautiful, shiny purple robe. Or maybe she wore a crown with diamonds and rubies. But she wasn’t born into royalty. She was an orphaned, slave girl, raised by her cousin, Mordecai. The king was awe struck by her beauty and made her his new queen. Can you imagine what it must have been like to live in a palace as a real queen? How would you feel? Imagine all those beautiful clothes. All the servants to do everything for you! Wow!

 

While everything was going great for Esther inside the palace, things were not so great for her cousin Mordecai. The king made Haman second in command, second, only to the king himself. Haman loved the position and power he now possessed. He felt especially important when the people bowed to him. Everyone bowed, everyone except Mordecai.

 

(Red) Haman was furious. His temper blazed red hot every time he saw Mordecai. When they asked Mordecai why he didn’t bow to Haman, Mordecai explained, “I am a Jew. We are forbidden to bow to anyone except God”. It was one of the Ten Commandments. Even if he was far from his homeland, he still wanted to obey and serve God. Do you do the right thing when you are not at church or when your parents are not around? Haman wanted revenge. He plotted the destruction, not only of Mordecai, but every Jew in the entire kingdom. The king signed a decree giving Haman permission to destroy the Jews. Mordecai was overwhelmed when he saw the document.

 

(tan)  He tore his clothes and put on rough sackcloth as a sign of deep sadness. He began to pray. Not just a “lay me down to sleep” kind of prayer, but a deep, sincere prayer that cried out to heaven for God’s help. No one was allowed inside the palace gates wearing sackcloth, but Esther’s servants brought her the sad news. “Something is wrong with your cousin. He is in deep mourning.” Esther, the typical woman, sent him a new set of clothes. “Cheer up! Here’s a new outfit.”  But he refused the clothes. She knew something really had to be wrong when the clothes didn’t cheer him up. She told Hatach, her personal servant, to find out what was going on.

 

Mordecai explained Haman’s wicked plan to kill the Jews. He even sent a copy of the king’s decree so Esther could see it for herself. “Please tell Esther to ask the king to save our people.” But that was impossible! She couldn’t go to the king unless he requested her presence, without permission it could mean her death. The king had not requested her presence for 30 days. She was sure Mordecai would understand. Her life  was at stake.

 

(Clock) But Mordecai insisted, “ Don’t think just because you are in a palace you will escape. If you don’t say something, God will use someone else to rescue his people. But maybe, just maybe God has allowed you to be in the palace for such a time as this. Was this part of God’s plan?

 

Esther had a big decision to make. Was this God’s timing? Was she the one God would use? Then God would help her. Go tell Mordecai, “I and my maidens will fast for three days. I want you to fast with me. I will visit the king. It is against the law. I could die for breaking the law, but if I die, then I die. After three days, Esther put on her finest royal clothes and made her way to the inner court of the king’s house.

 

(Gold) When the king saw Esther, he extended his golden scepter toward her, which meant she could approach the king. Esther moved toward the king until she touched the top of the golden scepter. “What do you want Esther? I will give you anything you want up to half of my kingdom.”  “I want you and Haman to come to a banquet that I have prepared,” Esther replied. The king agreed. At the banquet again he asked, “What do you want Esther? I know you want something.”

 

She said, “I would like for you and Haman to come to a banquet that I have prepared for tomorrow. The king agreed. At the banquet, the king asked the third time, “Esther, I’ll give you anything you want, up to half of my kingdom. What do you want?” She said, Oh, King, please spare my life and the life of my people.” The king said, “Who is the man and where is the man that would dare try to kill you?”  Esther replied, “The enemy is none other than this wicked Haman.”

 

(star) Esther’s plan worked. The king executed Haman and the Jews were saved. There was a huge celebration called Purim. It is still celebrated by Jews today.  Esther’s name means star. Esther moved from being just another pretty face to become a real star. What made her a star? She realized she could do something that would make a difference to others. She realized that she had to do something, even if it cost her everything. She planned. She prepared. She prayed. She petitioned the king and a nation was saved. She was a light in a dark time in Jewish history.

 

We live in a dark time. A time when our society has forsaken the religious heritage that makes people great. The foundation of our society is eroding, but modern thinking says look the other way. Things really aren’t that bad, but this generation needs the Light of the World- JESUS.

(gold) Jesus promised that He was going to prepare a place for us. He said the streets are pure gold and He promised to reward you for all you do for Him. But what are you doing for Him?

 (Clock) It’s time to make a difference. It’s time to wake up, to stop hiding our light and to shine for Jesus. How do you do that? Be a person of integrity. Tell the truth. Be kind. Become a giver instead of a taker. Share your faith with others. Remember, you can complain because it is dark, or you can light a candle. Even a little light, lights up the dark.

(Tan) Esther put on sackcloth. She fasted and prayed. You don’t have to put on sackcloth, but you need to pray. Pray that God will deal with the hearts of the people in your neighborhood or your class at school. Pray that God will make your words effective.

(Red) Get red hot for Jesus. Be the kind of Christian that reflects the love of Jesus in all you say and do.

(Purple) Make Jesus the King and Lord of our life. That means He is our boss. We do what He says not what we want. We discover what He has said and what He wants us to do in the Bible. 

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Use these fascinating trick story bags to tell the Bible Story of Esther to your class!