The Jews had light, and
gladness, and joy, and honour. 17And in every province, and in every
city, whithersoever the king’s commandment and his decree came, the Jews had
joy and gladness, a feast and a good day. And many of the people of the land
became Jews; for the fear of the Jews fell upon them — Esther
8:16-17
It
has all the ingredients of a block-buster movie, but this is no Hollywood creation.
The Book of Esther tells the very real story in the 5th Century BC of an
insidious plot to destroy the Jewish people. Ironically, this scheme was not
hatched by the overbearing Egyptians, war-like Assyrians, or despotic
Babylonians - it happened under the enlightened, cultured, tolerant Persian
empire. Of all Israel’s occupiers, the Persians should have been the least
likely empire to hatch such a plot - but, as the book tells us, not only was
this plot of Jewish destruction conceived, but it almost succeeded. The reason
it ultimately failed is because of the ‘God-factor.’ The Lord promised to
preserve the Jewish people as long as there are stars, the sun, and moon
(Jeremiah 31:35-37?). The Book of Esther is the gripping story of how He did
precisely that.
HEBREW NAME
The Hebrew name of Esther is ‘Hadassah,’ which means ‘myrtle’ (2:7).
Her Persian name is ‘Ester,’ meaning a star and ‘Esther’ is the Greek version.
AUTHOR
We do not know who the author of Esther is. While Mordechai,
Nehemiah, and Ezra have been nominated, it seems unlikely that they wrote the
book. The author was a Jew who had much knowledge about the royal history and
customs of Persia. He tells us things like nature of the Persian banquet
(1:6-8; 5:5); royal protocol (4:11; 8:11-18); details of the royal palace at
Shushan (1:5; 2:11, 21; 7:8), and court intrigue (2:21-23; 7:9).
PORTRAIT OF CHRIST
Christ is represented in Esther in some profound ways. He is an
advocate for the people, just as Esther did for her people. Both figures are
royalty and both risked their lives for the sake of their people.
THEME OF ESTHER
The providence of God in the affairs of His people. God is not
explicitly mentioned in this book, which some find problematic, though His name
appears as an acrostic in the Hebrew text. During the great crisis, this book
does not mention prayer, either, but it does speak of a total fast for 3 days
and 3 nights, known also as the ‘Esther fast.’
Yet the fingerprints of God is found everywhere in this book.
Through a series of ‘coincidences,’ it becomes obvious that God, and God alone,
foils the satanic plot to destroy the Jewish people, abrogate the Abrahamic
covenant, and destroy the Messianic lineage.
KEY VERSES IN ESTEHR
Then Mordecai commanded
to answer Esther, Think not with thyself that thou shalt escape in the king’s
house, more than all the Jews. 14For if thou altogether holdest thy
peace at this time, then shall there enlargement and deliverance arise to the
Jews from another place; but thou and thy father’s house shall be destroyed:
and who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this? —
Esther
4:13-14 (KJV)
CANONICITY OF ESTHER
While many of the books of the Bible are considered canonical,
without question, the same does not apply to the Book of Esther. At first, it
appears to be a fiction thriller yet it is loaded with factual details. Not
only is God and devotional life not mentioned, but the name of a heathen
king is frequently mentioned. There even appears to be a ‘spirit of revenge’ when
Esther asks for a second day be given so that the Jews can destroy their
enemies. Of all the Old Testament books, only Esther is not part of the Dead
Sea Scrolls.
Despite all this, the Book of Esther has a worthy place in the
canon of Scripture. First, it tells us about a holiday called ‘Purim’ which the
Jewish people celebrate to this day. Second, it highlights the problem of
anti-Semitism, the world’s oldest and most irrational hatred. Ultimately, it
shows how God providentially kept His promise to preserve the Jewish people
(Jeremiah 31:35-37) despite numerous attempts to destroy them. Satan and Haman
almost succeeded in their plan to annihilate the Jews, but God’s providence
wins the day.
SUMMARY OF ESTHER
The scene of the Book of Esther is the winter palace at Susa or
Shushan. Ahasuerus the king (also known as Xerxes) holds a banquet to display
his royal glory, though it could have been a drunken orgy. Vashti the queen
refuses to appear and so is deposed. A beauty contest is held to find a new queen.
Esther, an orphaned Jewish girl, is chosen to be the Queen of Persia.
An assassination plot is uncovered and foiled by Mordechai and the
king’s life is saved.
Meanwhile, Haman is the captain of the princes and desires honour;
Mordechai refuses to bow to him. When Haman discovers that he is a Jew, he
doesn’t just seek to destroy him - he wants to destroy all Jews. He casts lots
(purim) to determine when that day will be and, through deception and bribery
tricks Ahasuerus into signing a decree to the Jews destruction 11 months later.
The decree is irreversible.
Urged by Mordechai, Queen Esther takes the risk to reveal her
Jewishness and plead for the king to save her people. Approaching the king
without an invitation can be fatal, but thanks to the ‘Esther fast,’ the Queen
makes the approach anyone and the ‘golden sceptre’ is extended to her.
The Queen cleverly invites the king and Haman to 2 banquets. The
latter is delighted to be invited, but becomes sullen when he sees Mordechai.
So he cannot wait for 11 months and builds 20 meter high gallows to hand him on
immediately.
At the same time, the king suffers from insomnia, asks to read the
palace records, and discovers Mordechai had not been rewarded for thwarting the
earlier assassination plot. He wants Mordechai honoured and gets Haman to
fulfil his demand - the the latter’s chagrin.
At the 2nd banquet, Esther reveals Haman’s wicked plot and the
king orders him to be hung on the very gallows reserved for Mordechai. The
enemy of the Jews is dead.
But what about the irreversible decree to destroy the Jews? The
king issues another decree saying that the Jews can defend themselves on the
very day given for their destruction. On the appointed day, the Jews defeat
their enemies throughout the Persian empire. The next day is a celebration,
resulting in the annual Feast of Purim. Esther remains as Queen and Mordechai
is promoted to a position second only to the king.
Esther and Mordechai were people of destiny. They came on the
scene by divine design so that the Jewish people would be saved. This is the
power of divine providence: for such a time as this.
OUTLINE OF
ESTHER
Chapter
01: Vashti Deposed
Chapter
02: Esther Becomes Queen
Chapter
03: Haman’s Rise and Evil Decree to Destroy the Jews
Chapter 04: Mourning Over Haman’s
Plot
Chapter
05: Esther Intercedes
Chapter
06: Mordechai Belatedly Honoured
Chapter
07: Banquet of Esther and Hanging of Haman
Chapter 08: Ahasuerus’ decree for Jewish
self-defense; Vengeance
Chapter
09: Feast of Purim Instituted
Chapter
10: Mordechai Promoted; Epilogue
(Photo of Esther approaching the king, courtesy of blueletterbible.org)
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