Esther: The Book Of Psalms

Esther
The person I chose to write about is Esther. Her birth name was Hadassah and she was born (492 B.C.–c. 460 B.C.). Esther was born in Jerusalem and raised primarily by her uncle Mordecai. Although Esther was born a Jewish exile she later went on to become the queen of Persia. Esther became queen when the king Xerxes banished his first wife for not “revealing” herself to him during his time of feast. When Esther is chosen she is only fourteen but the king is taken by her beauty. Upon becoming queen Esther is advised by her uncle to hide the fact that she is Jewish from her new husband. Esther’s greatest accomplishment is saving the Jewish race from being annihilated. Haman (the prime minister) secretly ordered a decree that would slaughter

the Jews and also strip them of their possessions. Haman essentially sought revenge on Esther’s uncle Mordecai because he felt he did not bestow the proper level of respect upon him. When Mordecai learns of the plans he pleads to Esther that she must stop this from happening. “God chose her to save her people.” Esther ultimately revels the truth to her husband and saves the Jews. Her primary contemporaries were Mordecai, Xerxes, and Haman. Esther’s legacy lives on in The Book of Esther, but also through the two day Jewish festival of Purim. Purim celebrates Esther and Mordecai’s courageous acts that lead to the Jews being saved.

Psalms

1.

The book of Psalms is a collection of prayers, poems and hymns. Ultimately Psalms can be categorized under three main literary genres: laments, praise hymns, and thanksgiving psalms. Laments which the majority of psalms falls under are meant to be used in broad fashion rather than to relate to one set situation. Praise hymns are to praise God and all of his Glory. Last, thanksgiving psalms are to thank God for responding to our needs. In addition there is a natural breakdown of the Psalms into five main sections. Psalms was written over many centuries by many different people with King David being the main contributor. In addition to David we see the following contribute: Moses, Heman the Ezrahite, Ethan the Ezrahite, Solomon, Asaph, and the sons of Korah. Upon examination we find the oldest psalm (90) and the latest (137) are sometime apart. The latest being around 586 to 538 B.C. It is concluded that some person (albeit unknown) must have started the compilation around 537 B.C. Psalms is the longest book in the Bible, it includes 150 individual psalms. Key topics include God, his creations, war, wisdom, justice, worship, judgement, and sin. Some Major events that take place in Psalms include : The glory of God and the dominion of man, Praising God for His works and words, Psalm of the Good Shepherd, Psalm of the Great Shepherd, Psalm of the Chief Shepherd, The wedding Psalm, Psalm of life and the Psalm of

creation.

Dead Sea

The Dead Sea more than likely originated around two million years ago.

It is located in the Jordan Rift valley between the African plate and the Arabian plate, with Jordan to the east and Israel and Palestine to the west. One thing that makes the Dead Sea even more interesting is that it is earth’s lowest elevation on land. It is one of the saltiest bodies of water ever discovered. The Jordan River is the Dead Sea’s major source for water. The Biblical reference to the “Dead Sea” is salt sea, sea of Arabah, or the Eastern Sea. According to the Bible King David used the Dead Sea for refuge. Dwellings near the Dead Sea are recorded in the Bible as having taken place before the Israelites came to Cannan. Also the cities mentioned in the Book of Genesis that were destroyed during the time of Abraham are somewhere on the southeastern shore. Furthermore, “In Ezekiel 47:8-9 there is a specific prophecy that the sea will "... be healed and made fresh", becoming a normal lake capable of supporting marine life. A similar prophecy is stated in Zechariah 14:8, which says that "Living waters will go out from Jerusalem, half of them to the eastern sea (likely the Dead Sea) and half to the western sea (the Mediterranean)..." The Dead Sea today is a supplier of a multitude of products. The Egyptians use asphalt from the area to aid in mummification process. Also, potash to make fertilizers come from the Dead Sea, and the salt and minerals are often used to make make-up products. The medical

field also uses the Dead Sea for research and treatment of a wide variety of illnesses.