Lessons from the Life of Esther

The Book of Esther

The Providence of God

Introduction

When the Bible seeks to present God’s reign as universal, it uses examples of how He maintains a strong influence over great empires. The events of the book of Daniel are set in a vast domain ruled over by incredibly powerful men such as Nebuchadnezzar, Darius and Cyrus, yet the message of the book is summed up in the phrase, “…  that the living may know that the Most High rules the kingdom of men.” (Daniel 4:17).  This is repeated several times. For example, Nebuchadnezzar was disciplined for a period: “...  you shall be driven from among men, and your dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field. You shall be made to eat grass like an ox, and you shall be wet with the dew of heaven, and seven periods of time shall pass over you, till you know that the Most High rules the kingdom of men and gives it to whom he will” (Daniel 4:25). This is rephrased in 4.26 when Nebuchadnezzar is told that his discipline would cease after he came to understand something of the sovereignty of God: “... your kingdom shall be confirmed for you from the time that you know that Heaven rules”.

In the book of Esther we are again in the same great empire, albeit about a century later in its history. The King is Xerxes I (Xerxes is the Greek equivalent of the Persian khsyayʾrsha which is written in Hebrew Ahasuerus). Xerxes inherited the very extensive empire from his father, Darius I. It comprised of one hundred and twenty seven provinces “from India to Ethiopia” (Esther 1:1). At this time there were still many Jews living in exile. Similar to the book of Daniel, Esther is written as a book of encouragement, the lesson being, ‘you are far from home, but God has not forgotten you’ and it repeats Daniel’s message, which is ‘God reigns even when it doesn’t look like it’. To the untrained eye the book of Esther looks like a book of coincidences, but with God there are no coincidences.

God’s First Move – Esther’s Elevation

In the capital of this vast empire, Vashti the queen had offended the king, and was to be replaced. Out of the large number of young women available, Esther was among those that were chosen to be presented to the king. But first, along with many others, she had to be dressed, educated and adorned to be fit to be presented at court. Just as Daniel’s attitude and behaviour brought him into favour with Nebuchadnezzar’s officers, Esther’s beauty, personality and poise brought her into favour with the royal attendants that were caring for the candidates, and she was given all the assistance that could be offered to prepare her for an audience with the king.

God is sovereign and will lift up whom He will and this time it is to be a young Jewish woman to be queen. Early in the book it is anticipated that Xerxes, a Gentile, will be required by God’s sovereign will to elevate God’s choice to a place of influence, and this he does. On instructions from her cousin Mordecai, who had taken the young girl under his protection, she did not, at least at that time, reveal that she was Jewish. But like Miriam, Deborah, and Ruth, this young woman is identified as one who will emerge as a heroine for her people. The mystery of the book is that God is only present implicitly, but not explicitly. By that we mean that He is not mentioned at any time, although we are aware of His unseen hand. Throughout the narrative the will of God is understood to be the force behind events. Although the Hebrew people were oppressed and anti-Semitism was evident, God brought a Jewish woman into the royal court to become queen. Just as Joseph was introduced to the court of the Pharaoh and Daniel to the court of Nebuchadnezzar, Esther came to the court of Xerxes for a similar purpose.

Joseph’s leadership meant food for his famine-stricken family and their eventual prosperity.

Daniel’s leadership led to a new status of acceptance of Jews in Babylonia.

Esther’s leadership would yield similar results.

The common element in all three is that it was God who brought about these results.

The other major character in the book is, of course, Mordecai, Esther’s cousin: “Now there was a Jew in Susa the citadel whose name was Mordecai, the son of Jair, son of Shimei, son of Kish, a Benjaminite, who had been carried away from Jerusalem among the captives carried away with Jeconiah king of Judah, whom Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had carried away” (Esther 2:5–6). The relationship of Mordecai to Esther is given. “He was bringing up Hadassah, that is Esther, the daughter of his uncle, for she had neither father nor mother. The young woman had a beautiful figure and was lovely to look at, and when her father and her mother died, Mordecai took her as his own daughter” (Esther 2:7).  For those who had been orphaned, adoption in the extended family was widely practiced among the Jewish community.

God’s Second Move – Mordecai’s Discovery

Mordecai was probably an official at court, sitting in ‘the king’s gate’. Some suggest that it was Esther, now in a position of influence, who had Mordecai promoted.  In a secular record of the same period there is made mention of an accountant who carried out an inspection tour for the king and who had a similar name. Whether it was this Mordecai we are unsure. Nevertheless it is clear that he had access to an area of the palace complex where he would be able to carry out his duties and also be aware of much that took place in higher society. It was in these surroundings that he learned of a plot. Two of the king’s officers, Bigthan and Teresh, conspired to assassinate the king. Mordecai told Esther and she told the king, giving credit to Mordecai for the information. However, the Targums suggest that Mordecai’s discovery of the plot was by God’s design, not by Mordecai’s wisdom. The assassins were caught and punished but Mordecai, in the will of God, received no reward. But it did bring both Esther and Mordecai into the good grace of the king, although at that time it seemed as if Esther’s cousin was overlooked – a bit like Joseph in prison, forgotten by the one he had helped. But God does not forget, although He does expect Mordecai, like Joseph, to exercise patience. The key fact is that the episode was recorded in a book. As the narrative unfolds we will see Xerxes, a man of great power, required to be compliant to the will of God.

More from Esther next time