Book of Esther

Words.

Our words.

Jesus the Word.

And now, we look at God's word.

There are quite a few different names for God's word in the Bible: decrees, precepts, statutes, commands, instructions and the Holy Scriptures.

Whenever I think about God's word, the passage that comes to mind is Hebrews 4:12.

¹² For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.

God's word is not dead but alive. It is not passive but active. It pierces deep into your most inner being and reveals your thoughts and feelings. Even the hardest, unbelieving and most sinful heart cannot withstand the piercing power of God's word.

As I make my way slowly through the Bible, I'll be posting these guides (?) to accompany you as you read God's word. I don't expect them to include everything or be perfect, but they will be full of my findings. As you read them, I hope they will kickstart a desire to know God more through his word and encourage you to read the books of the Bible that don't get a lot of love because they seem confusing.

Did you know the book of Esther only has ten chapters? If you read one chapter a day, you could finish reading it in a little over a week!

Important Information

Author

The book of Esther doesn't say who the author of is, but the Jewish Talmud (Oral Torah believed to be given to Moses and passed down through generations) says it was written by 'the men of the Great Synagogue'. Josephus, a Jewish historian and Clement of Alexandria, an early church father, think that Mordecai wrote the book himself. A Jew who lived under Persian rule likely wrote it, as they were familiar with the Persian court system.

Audience

The book of Esther doesn't say who it is for, but based on what we discussed above, we can assume it was for a Jewish audience.

Date of Composition

There is a wide range of opinions on when the writing occurred - most modern commentaries believe it was composed in the fourth or even third century BC (Michael Fox, Jon Levenson, Frederic Bush). An outlier is Joyce Baldwin, who believes it was composed in the latter of the fifth or early in the fourth century BC.

Structure/Style

The book of Esther should be read in its entirety as it 'makes its point as a whole unit'. It is full of irony, satire and humour.

Genre

Biblical Narrative

Ancient writers often use different conventions when recounting history, so though we may feel like storytelling is not truthful or accurate, it is an appropriate way to tell biblical truth.

'Some of the questions we have and "problems" we see with the book of Esther arise because we value historical accuracy and precision where the author valued poetic licence for the purpose of interpretation.' (pp. 34)

An Overview of Esther

It all began when King Xerxes asked Queen Vashti to come before him during a banquet, and she refused. He was so angry that he decreed that she could never enter his presence again. He held a search for a new queen, a young and beautiful woman who was worthy of this title.

Esther was a young and beautiful Jewish woman. Raised by her cousin Mordecai, she was brought to the citadel in Susa to prepare to meet the King. After twelve months of beauty treatments, Esther won the King's favour and became Queen.

One day when Mordecai was sitting at the King's Gate, he overheard a plot by two of the King's officers to assassinate the King. His good deed was recorded in the book of annals by the King.

Later, an Agagite named Haman was honoured by the King. Everyone knelt before him but Mordecai. Haman became angry and came up with a plan to destroy all the Jews after learning Mordecai was a Jew. Haman used his favour with the King and made a decree to kill all the Jews. Once the King made a royal decree, he could not undo it.

From here on, a series of events occurred that changed the course of this story. The destruction and mourning of the Jews turned into their deliverance as God's people and celebration! I won't say too much more, but if you want to know what happened next, you'll have to read it yourself :P

My Reflections

It was my first time reading the Book of Esther, and it was why I chose to read it. I don't know if you can resonate with this, but whenever I read the Old Testament, I don't know what to do with it. I don't know if I truly understand what it says. I don't know if I am correctly applying it in light of Jesus' death and resurrection. While I may not feel sure about this now, I hope one day I will be. Until then, here are some of my half-baked thoughts.

Is God absent?

Interestingly, this book does not mention God, not even once. It might make Him seem distant and indifferent, especially to His people who are about to be annihilated, but that is far from the truth. Though they cannot see it, His hand is all over their story, from the beginning to the end.

As I read this book, there were many moments where people just happened to be at the right place at the right time. How did Mordecai just happen to be sitting at the King's Gate when two of the King's officers conspired to kill the King? How did the King just happen to read the book of annals the night before Haman tried to kill Mordecai? And how did the King just happen to see Haman falling onto Esther? These moments are too perfect to be just coincidences. As you place them together, you can see that God has always been present, even in his supposed absence.

Will God deliver His people?

At this time, God's people were living under the rule of a foreign king in a foreign land. King Xerxes had decreed to kill all of God's people, from the youngest to the oldest.

It seems like a reasonable question to ask. Was God abandoning his people? Would they perish at the hands of these foreigners? If you read to the end, you'll know that God does deliver His people, and their mourning turns to celebration. Not only is God present in His supposed absence, but He is also at work for his people.

One of my favourite lines from the commentary written by Jones is this: 'The author is suggesting that beneath the surface of even seemingly insignificant human decision and events, an unseen and uncontrollable power is at work that can be neither explained nor thwarted.' (pp. 39)

It reminds me of Romans 8:28, which tells us that God works for the good of those who love him.

²⁸ And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

If the Jewish people experienced God's deliverance from Haman, then how much more do we experience God's deliverance from our bondage to sin through His son Jesus. The uncontrollable joy they experience when they celebrate the annual festival of Purim is how we should feel about Easter Sunday when we celebrate Jesus' resurrection, if not more.

Resources

• Esther (NIV Application Commentary)* by Karen H. Jones

*Note: this is an affiliate link which means if you like the book and make a purchase, I will receive a small commission.