Esther Part One Dive
SO MUCH MORE THAN A PRINCESS STORY
Some say the Book of Esther is a ‘chick flick’, one for the girls. It’s all about a princess and one massive beauty pageant where the winner gets the ultimate crown and becomes queen. Of course, the most beautiful of them all, Esther, wins and then she saves not just the day but the whole Jewish nation. Typical chick flick! But is this book really that shallow?
The first step to take when you read Esther is to remove any obstacles, any previous biases and preconceived thoughts and read it like it should be read: a book of a man and his young relative who dared to defend their people in a land that was not their own. This book is just like Daniel, it’s an instruction manual for those living in exile. This is the story of two such people: Mordecai and Esther.
E 2:5-7 Now there was in the citadel of Susa a Jews of the tribe of Benjamin, named Mordecai son of Jair, the son of Shimel, the son of Kish, who had been carried into exile from Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, amongst those taken captive with Jehoiachin king of Judah. Mordecai had a cousin named Hadassah, whom he had brought up because she had neither father nor mother. This young woman, who was also known as Esther, had a lovely figure and was beautiful. Mordecai had taken her as his own daughter when her father and mother died.
What an introduction! Now, TYB, notice the key points. Just like we mentioned in the Snapshot video, this book should be placed, we think, in between Ezra and Nehemiah. Some Jews had returned to Jerusalem, but most remained in the place they were exiled. Mordecai is from the tribe of Benjamin, the same tribe as King Saul and Paul from later in the New Testament (Philippians 3:4-6), from the Kingdom of Judah. His family was carried into exile by Nebuchadnezzar–check out 2 Kings 24-25 and also Daniel 2 to fit this into the biblical story. In the timeline of history, this story is about 60-80 years after the initial edict by King Cyrus to build the temple (539BC). King Xerxes was in power about 485-465 BC. Nehemiah began to build the walls in 444BC.
FAITH IN THE QUIET
There is so much to this incredible book but one thing that completely baffles me is why God is not mentioned at all! Not once. You could really get angry at God if you were Esther and Mordecai. I mean, this is a big moment in history and the fate of the nation of Israel is at stake here. Is God off focusing on the temple and walls being built in Jerusalem or is He concerned still with His people scattered around the nations?
God clearly shows throughout the text that He is, and it’s not ‘parting the Red Sea’ this time, nor speaking boldly through a prophet like He did in the past. No, this time He is in the still, quiet counsel of the people in the story. This takes faith, more faith, I think, than when the sea parts or the prophet speaks. The faith of Mordecai and Esther to be bold in the favour of God without these big miracles and big moments is just incredible and challenging to me. Do I need the big miracles and big prophetic words before I am convinced that God is in control?
As you read the Book of Esther, you cannot miss the strong emphasis of the author that God of all nations was divinely in control of all that is happening. Remember we are in Persia, still in exile, we are not in Jerusalem (God’s city) so in the first chapter, as the author sets the scene, you are meant to worry. Will God take care of His people in Persia? But the author communicates it so strongly that you cannot help but see that God is the God of all nations. No matter where you find yourself, He is in control! The coincidences are too many, too often, too big and too obvious to be humans tripping over themselves and just falling into the right decisions. They are God-guided ‘God-incidences’ as we like to call them at TYB.
GOD-INCIDENCES
Let me show you some God-incidences in this book that help you see that God is not missing in this story. He’s not screaming through a prophet, He’s not obviously parting the Red Sea, but He is very present!
E 2:8 Esther just so happened to be in the right place when Vashti is removed.
E 2:21 Mordecai just so happened to be at the King’s gate when the two officers plotted against the King.
E 6:1 The King’s chronicles just so happened to open to the part where Mordecai exposed the assassination plot.
E 6:4 Haman just so happened to enter the outer court as the King was reading about Mordecai when Haman wanted to talk to the king about impaling Mordecai.
There are so many God-incidences in the text, highlight them as you go!
FAITH IN UNCERTAINTY
This book challenges me, I am one of those people that won’t make a decision without really feeling the ‘yes’ of God over my path, direction and steps. I find comfort when God speaks through a prophetic word, I find comfort when He performs a miracle that shows me the right way to go. But Esther didn’t need that to enter a foreign King’s palace and believe that there was a reason why she had to be Queen. At the beginning, when she entered the palace, there was no threat to the Jewish people. She entered without having any idea why God had placed her there. Maybe that’s you right now and you’re in Chapters 1 and 2, with no idea why God has placed you in the job you are in, or the country you are in. But wait, Chapter 4 is coming! I can imagine Esther in the twelve months of preparation to be Queen, questioning why God had put her in the palace. We, as the audience, know the reason: Haman and Chapter 3 was about to happen. But she didn’t find out what was happening until she has to send her eunuch and female attendants to Mordecai in Chapter 4 to find out what is wrong with him–she had no idea what is going on!
E 4:5 Then Esther summoned Hathak, one of the king’s eunuchs assigned to her, and ordered him to find out what was troubling Mordecai and why.
It wasn’t until Chapter 4, the pinnacle moment, when Esther had the revelation of why she was where she was. And she had Mordecai to promptly remind her (or threaten her!) when she had doubts and lacked the faith to do what God was calling her to do.
E 4:13 Do not think that because you are in the king’s house you alone of all the Jews will escape. For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father’s family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?
I love this verse. Can you hear the threatening nature of Mordecai’s guidance? It’s pretty strong. But I love the sense of ‘who knows’, the sense of ‘maybe’ in Mordecai’s statement. The statement isn’t confident that God was going to use her, it has a slight hesitation, but it calls something forth in Esther that was not there before.
Would you go before a King that could kill you (I mean he just deposed Vashti on one mistake and made an edict to kill the Jewish people!)? Don’t get all romantic here, this could go either way! Would you step out in faith on a ‘who knows maybe you are called for such a time as this?’
Esther’ response is amazing: she tells him to fast for her because she is going to put her life on the line and save her people–read it in Chapter 4:15-16. This is the moment that Esther changes from an obedient girl to the true heroine of the story. Read of her boldness and confidence from that point on, it’s just incredible.
How amazing is this book? This story shows us that, at times, it’s not the massive Mufasa-shaped cloud that speaks to us and gives us God-guided direction, as much as that is what I want every time I take a step. It takes more faith to live by the understanding and guidance in the God-incidences of life. The moments when you know that you have to step through the door without the fanfare, without the prophet of God announcing the door is opening, just the quiet, no-fuss faith-step of obedience to the godly counsel over your life.
So today, step out in faith like Esther and Mordecai, who saved their people with confidence in God, not because He parted the Red Sea or spoke clearly through a prophet but because they had faith that He was in control even in the enemy’s land. Have a great time in the book that is so much more than a princess story!
recommended
An Introduction to the Old Testament
Esther part One
Job part Two