Book of Esther
Introduction
One lesson we will learn and I hope believe for ourselves is that one person can make a difference. Esther is among many biblical characters that stood alone and saw things changed for the nation of Israel. Can you name any others? How about Moses, Rahab, David, Daniel, Isaiah and so many others?
Another lesson I pray we acquire is that we must learn to work in harmony with each other. In John 17:11 and 17:21 Jesus prayed that His disciples, present and future, would be one with God the Father and Son and with each other. Esther and Mordecai are a perfect example of what can happen when God’s children work together.
As I read one article after the other about Esther, it occurred to me that Purim, the holiday which Jews celebrate in memory of Esther’s success at overcoming Haman, is a type of Christmas. Purim celebrates a savior from God who gave herself to save the Jews. Jesus was born to save the House of Israel first. Esther gave up all she had for the nation of Israel, although not up to her life. Jesus gave His all, including His life for the Jews. Esther prepared to meet her nation’s nemesis with fasting, and it is to be assumed, prayer. Jesus prayed and fasted 40 days before He went out to face the devil in the desert. All faithful Jews celebrate Purim with song, dance, and the exchange of gifts in memory of what Esther accomplished. All faithful Christians celebrate the birth of our Savior, Jesus, in the same way to remember that without Him, there would be no life for any of us. The Book of Esther is read during the Purim celebration. The story of the birth of Jesus is often read at church or home during Christmas. (This is just my personal observation and not a truth to preach as doctrine.)
The Book of Esther was written shortly after 465 B.C. No one knows for sure who the author was, but speculation says it’s probably Mordecai or Ezra who wrote it. They believe this because of the familiarity of the author with Persian laws, customs and words. Mordecai was a Benjamite, son of Jair, and cousin to Esther. After Esther’s parents died, Mordecai adopted her as his daughter and raised her in an atmosphere of worship to God.
Mordecai was a member of the Great Sanhedrin, the highest court of Torah law, which sat in the king’s gate where important legal and business transactions were made. He spoke all 70 languages of the nations of the sons of Noah. This fact becomes important to the story in that it was his knowledge of the language the eunuchs, Bigthan and Teresh, spoke that revealed the plot against King Ahasuerus. The importance of this knowledge will become evident as we study in chapter 6.
When Esther was born, her parents named her Hadassah. After the death of Hadassah’s parents, her older cousin, Mordecai, took her and raised her as his daughter. Hadassah is a Hebrew name. When the king was looking for a new bride, Hadassah was renamed Esther by Mordecai. He warned her to use her new name and to never reveal that she was a Jew.
As with the boys in Daniel who were renamed for Babylonian gods, it is possible the name Esther is derived from the Babylonian goddess Ishtar.
One of the controversies about the Book of Esther is the lack of reference to the name of God. It has been called a secular book because of that. I don’t buy it. Although God’s name does not appear in its variants within the pages of Esther, it is definitely implied throughout. Fasting is a Jewish custom that was and is used to bring people closer to God, and is a way to gain God’s favor in a matter. Also Mordecai’s refusal to bow to any other (Haman) even at the risk of death indicates his strong love and connection to the One True God.
Another reason for the controversy is that it is the only scriptural text written completely outside the land of Israel. It was written, I think by Mordecai, a Jew living in Persia and serving a Persian king. For some people, this reduces Esther to a dramatic narrative or story and should not be included in the Bible. Again, I don’t buy it. I believe that everything confined within the walls of the Bible are there by the will of God through the ministry of the Holy Spirit. I believe Esther is important for its historical content. The Book of Esther shows the Jew what Purim is and why they celebrate is and always will.
As one of the highest officials of the Sanhedrin, Mordecai would have trained Esther in the faith. He would have taught her the Tenach (Jewish Bible) and the Law. I believe she was trained to be a covenant daughter of God and that she prayed and worshipped Him regularly, even as Mordecai did.
The Book of Esther was written about a lovely Jewess living in Persia. It is a study in how God creatively finds ways to save His chosen race. From the time they were called out in covenant with God, even to this day, there have been plots to eliminate the Jews from the earth. But God always calls forth a man or woman to use for His purpose of preserving the nation. Esther knew that she was right with God as she had never worshipped any false god or idol. As such, she had every right to call on Him during her times of preparation. She may have been fearful when she went forth into the king’s presence, but she was brave knowing God was with her.
Esther’s wisdom in dealing with the situations as they arose far outweighed her beauty. In other words, she wasn’t just another pretty face. She had spiritual and moral substance. Her love for her people was deep and she was willing to face the possibility of death to stop Haman’s dastardly plan to annihilate the Jewish nation. His hate for Mordecai fueled the fire of his anger.
One character in the Book of Esther who is often overlooked is Queen Vashti.
There are two diametrically opposed schools of thought about Vashti. The first group believes Vashti was a heroine in her own right. It says that, when the king ordered his 7 eunuchs who were taking care of him at this six-month long festival to go and order Vashti to appear before his male guests, she refused. Why? It is widely believed that after half a year of partying and a solid week of drinking night and day, Ahasuerus expected Vashti to appear in the nude, wearing only her crown, to display her perfect beauty before his guests. She chose modesty and refused to come.
The other opinion says she was just having a mood and wasn’t going to leave her own guests just to cater to her drunken husband’s whim.
