+ DAILY PRAYER +
Haman is Promoted After these things King Ahasuerus promoted Haman son of Hammedatha the Agagite, and he exalted him and set ?his position? above all the officials who were with him. 2 And all of the king’s servants who were at the gate of the king were kneeling and bowing down to Haman; for so the king had commanded concerning him, but Mordecai did not kneel and bow down….
In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Hear my prayer, O Lord; give ear to my pleas for mercy!
In your faithfulness answer me, in your righteousness!
Evening and morning and at noon I utter my complaint and moan,
and he hears my voice.
Cast your burden on the Lord, and he will sustain you;
He will never permit the righteous to be moved.
Psalm 94:8-15
Psa 94:8 Understand, O dullest of the people!
Fools, when will you be wise?
Psa 94:9 He who planted the ear, does he not hear?
He who formed the eye, does he not see?
Psa 94:10 He who disciplines the nations,
does he not rebuke? He who teaches man knowledge—
Psa 94:11 the LORD—knows the thoughts of man,
that they are but a breath.
Psa 94:12 Blessed is the man whom you discipline, O LORD,
and whom you teach out of your law,
Psa 94:13 to give him rest from days of trouble,
until a pit is dug for the wicked.
Psa 94:14 For the LORD will not forsake his people;
he will not abandon his heritage;
Psa 94:15 for justice will return to the righteous,
and all the upright in heart will follow it.
Reading for Friday August 9th Esther 3-4
Haman is Promoted
3 After these things King Ahasuerus promoted Haman son of Hammedatha the Agagite, and he exalted him and set ?his position? above all the officials who were with him. 2 And all of the king’s servants who were at the gate of the king were kneeling and bowing down to Haman; for so the king had commanded concerning him, but Mordecai did not kneel and bow down. 3 And the king’s servants who were at the gate of the king said to Mordecai, “Why are you transgressing the command of the king?” 4 They spoke to him day after day, but he did not listen to them, and they informed Haman to see if ?Mordecai’s resolve would prevail?; for he had told them that he was a Jew. 5 And Haman saw that Mordecai was not kneeling and bowing down to him, and he was filled with wrath. 6 But ?he considered it beneath him? to lay hands on Mordecai only, for they told him of Mordecai’s people, and Haman sought to destroy all the Jews, the people of Mordecai, who were in the kingdom of Ahasuerus.
7 In the first month, that is, the month of Nisan, in the twelfth year of King Ahasurus, he cast pur—that is, the lot—before the presence of Haman ?for the day and for the month?, until the twelfth month, that is, the month of Adar. 8 And Haman said to King Ahasuerus, “There is a certain people scattered and separated among the peoples in all of the provinces of your kingdom; their laws are different from every other people, and they do not ?observe? the laws of the king; it is not appropriate for the king to tolerate them. 9 If it pleases the king, let a decree be issued to destroy them, and I will pay ten thousand talents of silver to those who do the job, to bring to the treasury of the king.” 10 So the king removed his signet ring from his hand and gave it to Haman son of Hammedatha the Agagite, the enemy of the Jews. 11 And the king said to Haman, “The money is given to you and to the people to do with it ?as you see fit?.
12 And the king’s secretaries were called in the first month on the thirteenth day, and a decree was issued, according to all that Haman commanded, to the satraps of the king and to the governors who were over all the provinces, and to the officials of all the people, to each province according to its own script and to all people according to their own language; it was written in the name of King Ahasuerus and was sealed with the king’s ring. 13 Letters were sent by couriers to all the provinces of the king to destroy, to kill, and to annihilate all the Jews, ?both young and old?, women and children, on one day, the thirteenth day of the month, that is Adar, and to plunder their goods. 14 A copy of the edict was presented as law in every province making it known to all the people to be ready for that day. 15 The couriers went out quickly by order of the king, and the law was issued in the citadel of Susa. The king and Haman sat down to drink; and the city of Susa was bewildered.
Mordecai Tells Esther of Haman’s Plot
4 Mordecai learned all that had been done and he tore his clothes and put on sackcloth and ashes. And he went through the middle of the city and cried out a loud and bitter cry; 2 he went up to the entrance of the gate of the king, for he could not go to the gate of the king in sackcloth. 3 In every province each place where the king’s edict and his law came, there was great mourning for the Jews with fasting, crying, wailing, and sackcloth; and ashes were spread out as a bed for them.
4 And Esther’s maids and her eunuchs came and they told her, and the queen was deeply distressed; she sent garments to clothe Mordecai so that he might remove his sackcloth—but he did not accept them. 5 Then Esther called Hathach from the king’s eunuchs ?who regularly attended to her?, and she ordered him to go to Mordecai to learn what was happening and why. 6 So Hathach went out to Mordecai, to the public square of the city, which was in front of the gate of the king, 7 and Mordecai told him all that had happened to him, and the exact amount of money that Haman has promised to pay to the treasury of the king for the destruction of the Jews. 8 And he gave him a copy of the edict of the law that had been issued in Susa for their destruction to show Esther, and to inform her, and to charge her to go to the king and make supplication to him and entreat before him for her people.
9 And Hathach went back and told Esther the words of Mordecai. 10 And Esther spoke to Hathach and ?she gave him a message for Mordecai?: 11 “All the king’s servants and the people of the king’s provinces know that if any man or woman who goes to the king to the inner courtyard, who is not called, he has one law, to be killed, except if the king extends to him the gold scepter so that he may live. I have not been called to come to the king ?for thirty days?.” 12 And they told Mordecai the words of Esther. 13 Then Mordecai told them to reply to Esther: “Do not think that your life will be saved in the palace of the king more than all the Jews. 14 For if indeed you keep silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place, and you and the family of your father will perish. Who knows? Perhaps you have come to a royal position for a time such as this.” 15 Esther replied to Mordecai: 16 “Go, gather all the Jews that are found in Susa and fast for me; do not eat or drink for three days, both night and day. I and my young girls will fast likewise, and then I will go to the king, which is not according to the law; if I perish, I perish. 17 And Mordecai went away and he did everything that Esther commanded him.
Lord’s Prayer
Daily Prayer
Lord Jesus, You have joined us to Yourself in Holy Baptism and made our bodies a temple of Your Holy Spirit. May the fruit of the Spirit be born in our bodies as we show forth in the world Your love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control, for against such things there is no law; for You live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
Concluding Prayer
Heavenly Father, send Your Holy Spirit into our hearts to direct and rule us to do Your will, to comfort us in all our afflictions, to defend us from all error, and to lead us into all truth; through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.
