The bible - Book of Esther

1. The Bible- Book of Esther – 22nd
January 2017
“IfI have foundfavor withyou, O king,and ifit pleases your majesty,grant me my life - this is my
petition,andthe lifeof my people- this is my request.” (Esther 7:3).
The Book of Esther doesnotspecificallyname itsauthor.The mostpopulartraditionsare Mordecai (a
majorcharacter in the Bookof Esther),Ezra and Nehemiah(whowouldhave beenfamiliarwithPersian
customs). The Bookof Estherwas likelywrittenbetween460and 350 B.C. The purpose of the Bookof
Estheris to displaythe providence of God,especiallyinregardtoHis chosenpeople,Israel.The Bookof
Estherrecords the institutionof the Feastof Purimandthe obligationof itsperpetual observation.The
Bookof Estherwas readat the Feastof Purimto commemorate the greatdeliverance of the Jewish
nationbroughtaboutby God throughEsther.Jewstodaystill readEsther duringPurim.
The Book of Esther can be dividedintothree mainsections. Chapters1:1-2:18 – Esther replacesVashti;
Chapters 2:19-7:10 – Mordecai overcomesHaman; Chapters8:1-10:3 – Israel survivesHaman’sattempt
to destroythem.The noble Estherriskedherowndeathasshe realizedwhatwasat stake.She willingly
didwhat couldhave beenadeadlymaneuverandtookonthe second-in-commandof herhusband‘s
kingdom,Haman.She provedawise andmost worthyopponent,all the while remaininghumbleand
respectful of the positionof herhusband-king.
Esther'sstory ismuch like the storyof Josephin Genesis41.Both storiesinvolveforeignmonarchswho
control the destinyof the Jews.Both accountsshow the heroismof Israeliteindividualswhoprovidethe
meansforthe salvationof theirpeopleandnation.The handof God isevident,inthatwhatappearsto
be a badsituationisindeedverymuchunderthe control of the AlmightyGod,whoultimatelyhasthe
goodof the people atheart.At the centerof thisstory isthe ongoingdivisionbetweenthe Jewsandthe
Amalakites,whichwasrecordedtohave beguninthe Bookof Exodus.Haman’sgoal isthe final effort
recordedinthe OldTestamentperiodof the complete eradicationof the Jews.Hisplanseventuallyend
up withhisowndemise,andthe elevationof hisenemyMordecai tohisownposition,aswell asthe
salvationof the Jews.
Feastingisa majortheme of thisbook:there are tenrecordedbanquets,andmanyof the eventswere
planned,plotted,orexposedatthese banquets.Althoughthe name of Godisnevermentionedinthis
book,itis apparentthat the Jewsof SusasoughtHis interventionwhentheyfastedandprayedforthree
daysas we can read in Esther 4:16, “Go,gather together all the Jews whoare inSusa, andfast for me.
Do not eat or drinkfor three days,nightor day.I andmy attendantswill fast as you do.When thisis
done, I will go to the king,even thoughit is againstthe law.And ifI perish,I perish.” In spite of the
fact that the lawallowingtheirdestructionwaswrittenaccordingtothe lawsof the Medesand Persians,
renderingitunchangeable,the waywasclearedfortheirprayerstobe answered.Estherriskedherlife
by goingnotonce uninvitedbeforethe kingbuttwice (Esther4:1-2; 8:3). She wasnot contentwiththe
destructionof Haman;she was intentonsavingherpeople.The institutionof the Feastof Purimis
writtenandpreservedforall tosee andis still observedtoday.God'schosenpeople,withoutanydirect
mentionof Hisname,were grantedastay of executionthroughthe wisdomandhumilityof Esther.
In Esther,we are givenabehind-the-sceneslookatthe ongoingstruggle of Satanagainstthe purposes
of God andespeciallyagainstHispromisedMessiah.The entrance of Christintothe humanrace was
predicateduponthe existence of the Jewishrace.JustasHaman plottedagainstthe Jews inorderto
destroythem,sohas Satanset himself againstChristandGod’speople.JustasHamanis defeatedon

2. the gallowshe builtforMordecai,sodoesChristuse the veryweaponthat hisenemydevisedtodestroy
Him andHis spiritual seed.Forthe cross,bywhichSatanplannedtodestroythe Messiah,wasthe very
meansthroughwhichChrist“havingcanceledthe writtencode,withitsregulations,thatwasagainstus
and that stoodopposedtous;he tookit away,nailingittothe cross. Andhavingdisarmedthe powers
and authorities,he made apublicspectacle of them, triumphingoverthembythe cross” as we can read
fromColossians2:14-15 “…havingcanceledthecharge of our legal indebtedness,whichstood against
us andcondemned us; he hastaken it away,nailingitto the cross. 15
And havingdisarmedthe powers
and authorities,hemade a publicspectacle of them,triumphingover them by the cross.” Justas
Haman was hangedonthe gallowshe builtforMordecai,sothe devil wascrushedbythe crosshe
erectedtodestroy Christ.
The Book of Esther showsthe choice we make betweenseeingthe handof God inour circumstancesin
life andseeingthingsasmerelycoincidence.Godisthe sovereignRulerof the universeandwe canbe
assuredthat Hisplanswill notbe movedby the actionsof mere evil men. We canlearnfrom Jeremiah
29:11, “For I know the plansI havefor you,” declares the LORD, “planstoprosper you and notto harm
you,plansto giveyou hope anda future.”
Estherprovedto have a godlyand teachable spirit thatalsoshowedgreatstrengthandwilling
obedience.Esther’shumilitywasmarkedlydifferentfromthose aroundher,andthiscausedherto be
elevatedintothe positionof queen.She showsusthatremainingrespectfulandhumble,evenin
difficultif nothumanlyimpossible circumstances, andoften setsusupto be the vessel of untold
blessingforbothourselvesandothers. Therefore we needtotake care. We woulddowell toemulate
Esther’sgodlyattitudesinall areasof life,butespeciallyintrials. Notonce isthere acomplaintor bad
attitude exposedinthe writing.Manytimeswe readshe wonthe "favor"of those aroundher.Such
favoris whatultimatelysavedherpeople.We canbe grantedsuch favoras we acceptevenunfair
persecutionandfollowEsther’sexampleof maintainingapositiveattitude,coupledwithhumilityand
the determinationtoleanonGod…and certainlynotonourselves. WhoknowsbutthatGod putus in
such a position,forjustsucha time as this?
Key Verses:
Esther 2:15 - Nowwhenthe time came for Estherto go to the king,she askedfornothingotherthan
whatHegai,the king'seunuchwhowas incharge of the harem, suggested.
Esther 4:14 - For if youremainsilentatthistime,relief anddeliverance will arisefromanotherplace,
but youand yourfather'sfamilywill perish.Andwhoknowsbutthatyouhave come to the royal
positionforsucha time as this.
Esther 6:13 - Since Mordecai,before whomyourdownfallhasbegun,isof Jewishorigin,youcannot
standagainsthim - you will surelycome toruin!