In the book of esther this information is casually presented as unimportant, but comes up later in the story. Friend, the name of god is not in the book of esther, but please see that only god can do what just happened. May 25, 2011 however, the king did not know she was a jew. God set in action social forces that, for the time being, frustrated the operation of that particular law of the medes and persians. His presence permeates much of the story, as though he were behind the scenes coordinating coincidences and circumstances to make his will happen. Through the grace of god, the author has identified at least 80 divine interventions and reversals in the book of esther in the bible.
The book of esther is almost certainly not true, in part because it contains too many historical errors and inconsistencies. The prayers of esther and mordecai are especially noteworthy. It invites you to see how god can and does work in the real mess and. The place of the book of esther in the christian bible jstor.
For traditional jewish commentators, the absence of gods name did not mean that god was absent from the book. The bible book of esther is a dramatic account which can give us insight into god s special and purposeful plan for our lives. In the narrative, ahasuerus seeks a new wife after his queen, vashti, refuses to obey him, and esther is chosen for her beauty. In this way, the book offers a stance of profound faith michael v. The greek septuagint remedied this situation by adding six passages which include the name of god. John calvin did not include the book in his biblical commentaries and only referenced it once in the institutes see 4. Unlike the many other books in the bible, throughout whole book of esther, the word god is not mentioned once. Summary of the book of esther genuine leather bible. Mordecai is said to be son of kish of the tribe of benjamin esther 2. It is one of the five scrolls megillot in the hebrew bible. Apr 28, 2018 the book of esther overview walkthrough. In this sixweek study, explore the subject of gods providence, walking verse by verse through the book of esther. The book of esther records the institution of the feast of purim and the obligation of its perpetual observation.
The book of esther, where god has not permitted his name nor any reference to prayer to appear, is not an exception to this. It is up to mordecais niece esther to win the affection of the king, unmask. The biblical book of esther is a secularized elamite myth of ishtar esther and her consort marduk mordecai, who sacrificed to the god hammon, or amon haman. The author really makes this story come alive for the 21 century by carefully connecting the original context with life in our cultural moment. Far from being secular, esther pushes us to look at our own lives and consider how god might be actively working behind the scenes, even in the face of great threat or tragedy, to accomplish his good and perfect purposes. Their names were carshena, shethar, admatha, tarshish, meres, marsena, and. John dunne highlights the faithfulness of god by contrasting it with faithless characters whose. The book of esther is one of two biblical books that never mention god. The lesson here is that gods timing is always immaculate and the book of esther reminds the reader of this and esthers place on the throne at this exact time would save the jews from extermination. This is like a special funfact not many people notice about the book of esther.
Esther is the only book in the bible that the name of god is not mentioned directly. The book of esther is the only one not found in the dead sea scrolls. Martin luther favored eliminating it from the bible on this basis. Jan 02, 2020 the book of esther may not directly mention god, yet it clearly reveals god at work. Highlights from the book of esther watchtower online library. The book of esther is a 20 movie starring jen lilley as queen esther and joel smallbone as king xerxes. Mordecai learned of a plot to kill the king and made it known to esther who passed the news to the king. Yet, as we read the megillah, some people ask whether the story is historically accurate. The holiday of purim celebrates the story told in the biblical book of esther. But there is also another hero in this short story.
Five things about esther that nobody talks about jews. According to most scholars, the name esther is derived from the mesopotamian goddess ishtar andor the persian word stara, star the book of daniel provides accounts of jews in exile being assigned names relating to babylonian gods and mordecai is understood to mean servant of marduk, a babylonian god. Sufficient reason existed for the omission in the days of esther, which had never existed before and which has never existed since, and for the obscuring of the name of israels god. Jun 18, 2019 the book of esther is one of only two books in the bible named for women. The true story of a girl returning to god where is my home full. Book of esther, in the hebrew bible and the christian old testament. In this sixweek study, explore the subject of god s providence, walking verse by verse through the book of esther.
Book of esther on sale now on dvd at walmart and all christian bookstores. Gods name is not even mentioned once in the book of esther. People love a jewish peasant girl rising to the rank of queen and eventually saving her entire people. The vashtiesther story part one gods word to women. God masterfully orchestrates and weaves together every detail of our lives in jawdropping ways. In the bible book dedicated to esther name of my beautiful 6yo neice, the sole carrier of my fluttering heart, whose pure joy is palpable the woman whose intuit belief that god s will will prevail, there is surprisingly little focus around esther s personal contrivances. The purpose of the book of esther is to display the providence of god, especially in regard to his chosen people, israel. He used someone who, due to gender, culture, and circumstance, was powerless and invisible and made her the pivotal, formidable heroine. Now in shushan the palace there was a certain jew, whose name was mordechai who had been carried away from jerusalem with the captivity which had been carried away with jeconiah king of judah, whom nebuchadnezzar the king of babylon had carried away esther 2.
The secular character of the book of esther the divine name is never mentioned and its strong nationalistic overtones made its admission into the biblical canon highly questionable for both jews and christians. This book is also the reason why the jewish people created the jewish festivity of purim, which is celebrated annually amongst all jewish people in the world. The book of esther may not directly mention god, yet it clearly reveals god at work. Even the bible story admits that esther ishtar was not the real name of the elamitejewish queen. With scripture memory, daily study, and group discussion questions, this resource is ideal for both individual and group study. As the first to attack israel after their deliverance from egypt, the amalekites were viewed and the author of esther views them as the epitome of all the powers of the world arrayed against god s people see nu 24. Gods absence is also best in light of the historical context. The book of esther stands squarely against any such teaching of the right of one human being to override the conscience of another and against the law the seven wise men framed and king ahasuerus proclaimed for his empire. And in fact, the whole story of esther is a bit like a game of hide and seek first of all, you may have noticed that god himself is hiding in the book of esther he is not mentioned at all.
The book of esther in hebrew is secular in nature, in that the name of god, the temple, and prayer are not mentioned. It has been noted by many commentators that esther is the only book of the bible in which there does not appear the name of god, or any divine title, anywhere in the book. Now that israel has been released from captivity, hamans edict is the final major effort in the ot. The author makes far too many assumptions and seems to come at the story of esther with an agenda, in part that esther is the villain the unfaithful young woman who has abandoned god and embraces the king and his way of life. The book of esther is one of only two books in the hebrew bible that never mention god the other is the song of songs. These were not targums translations in the true sense but like the greek esther are retellings of events and include additional legends relating to purim. The only real criterion for the kings new wife is beauty. It is the only book in the bible where god is hidden like this, but he is there. God is not mentioned even once in the whole book of esther. The book of esther is the last historical narrative in the old testament. Yet, the sovereignty of god is demonstrated in this book perhaps more than any other. Here are some weird things you didnt know about queen esther. Jun 09, 20 the book of esther occupies a controversial place in the bible.
The book of daniel provides accounts of jews in exile being assigned names relating to babylonian gods and mordecai is understood to mean servant of marduk, a babylonian god. The book of esther, also known in hebrew as the scroll megillah, is a book in the third section ketuvim, writings of the jewish tanakh the hebrew bible and in the christian old testament. Esther is described in the book of esther as a jewish queen of the persian king ahasuerus. Jul 17, 2014 friend, the name of god is not in the book of esther, but please see that only god can do what just happened. Learn how the story of queen esther, mordecai and their people impacts you. In 2012, a graphic adaptation of the book of esther was illustrated by j. The book of esther, also known in hebrew as the scroll megillah, is a book in the third. Its one of the most beautiful books in the bible and so full of great takeaways for the modern christian woman today. True, not in the ordinary reading of the hebrew text, but it occurs in acrostics. Esther is one of only two books of the bible named after a woman.
In the story of esther, youll meet a beautiful, young queen who risked her life to serve god and save her people. Esther then ask the jews to fast about this for three days and three nights esther 4. He shows how the book of esther is relevant in real life. Queen vashti deposed this is what happened during the time of xerxes, the xerxes who ruled over 127 provinces stretching from india to cush. The deliverance is recorded in the bible book of esther.
But the name of god is not found in the book of esther though the word god is not found in esther, it is everywhere inferred. Dec 04, 2019 esther s husband, king xerxes, is mostly referred to as the king in the book of esther, and it takes place largely after his conquering and soldiering days are over. The hebrew book of esther had a religious and social value to the jews during the time of greek and roman antisemitism, though the hebrew short story did not directly mention gods intervention in historyand even god himself is not named. Ultimately, the reversals in the book of esther point us forward to the greatest reversal of all when god used the death of his only son to bring about the salvation of all his people. The book of esther is one of only two books in the bible named for women. Historians have long questioned the historicity of the events described in esther. An ordinary woman who god raised up to be a persian queen for a purpose she never. The events of the book of esther took place about 2,500 years ago during the reign of king ahasuerus of persia and media. Esther 810 the victory that comes from living for god. The book of esther says mordechai was exiled from judah with king jeconiah. God, in fact, is not mentioned, esther is portrayed as assimilated to persian. Yahweh was never mentioned, because the jews of elam worshipped marduk, not yahweh. The most curious thing about the book of esther is that god is never. With scripture memory, daily study, and group discussion questions, this resource is ideal.
His name is not written in the book, but his fingerprints, as we say, are all over it. But, you say, the name of god is not mentioned in the whole book of esther. It is only this great reversal that is able to bring us hope even when we dont understand where god is or what he is doing. Gods sovereignty in esther the first act of gods sovereignty in the book of esther, reading chronologically, is the fact that queen vashti refused to come into king xerxes presence. Her failure to do so caused the king the become very angry angry to the point of divorcing her and seeking a. See more ideas about queen esther, book of esther and bible. In the bible book dedicated to esther name of my beautiful 6yo neice, the sole carrier of my fluttering heart, whose pure joy is palpable the woman whose intuit belief that gods will will prevail, there is surprisingly little focus around esthers personal contrivances.
The author really makes this story come alive for the 21 century by carefully connecting the original context with life in. This series is an overview of the entire bible, piece by piece. In esther, god providentially uses two exiled israelites to rescue his. At that time king xerxes reigned from his royal throne in the citadel of susa, and in the third year of his reign he gave a banquet for all his. The kings chief adviser, haman, is offended by esthers cousin and guardian, mordecai, and gets permission from the king to have all the jews in the kingdom killed. It relates the story of a hebrew woman in persia, born as hadassah but known as esther, who becomes queen of persia and thwarts a genocide. Mar 21, 2016 the holiday of purim celebrates the story told in the biblical book of esther. The bibles queen esther has had a recent surge in popularity, even outside of purim. Esther is the only book in the bible not to mention the name of god. Mar 01, 2001 it has been noted by many commentators that esther is the only book of the bible in which there does not appear the name of god, or any divine title, anywhere in the book. Esthers story is a powerful reminder that god can bring about new life, redemption, and freedom, even when it seems an impossible feat.
In the midst of all of this moral chaos as one scholar notes, the texts invites you to see how god can and does work in the real mess of moral ambiguity of human history to accomplish his divine purposes in the same way that god god was was working working in in esther esther situation. The book of esther 6 powerful life lessons from the bible. Jun 24, 2016 watch our overview video on the book of esther, which breaks down the literary design of the book and its flow of thought. According to most scholars, the name esther is derived from the mesopotamian goddess ishtar andor the persian word stara, star.
The coincidences, the amazing reversals, and the poetic justice that led to the deliverance of the jews in persia all proclaim the presence of god. The story of esther, where sacred and secular history meet focus. Watch our overview video on the book of esther, which breaks down the literary design of the book and its flow of thought. Esther is the 17th book of gods word, and it is describing events that take place right at the end of ot history. Mordecai would not bow down and worship haman because he was a jew bound by law to give such worship to jehovah god alone esther 3. As we consider this book, our first thought is of the beautiful jewish girl who became queen of persia and heroically pled for her peoples lives. The story gives us six powerful lessons about courage, divine. This is a great short, readable, and accessible introduction to the book of esther. According to the book of esther, esther was a young virgin chosen by king xerxes to replace his first wife, vashti, in the third year of his reign. The book of esther occupies a controversial place in the bible.
Apparently in response to the conspicuous absence of any reference to god in the book, the redactors editors of its greek translation in the septuagint interspersed many additional. When god seems far away book of esther unlocking the bible. So king xerxes spoke with the wise men who understood the laws. The book of esther was likely written between 460 and 350 b. Written by an elderly jewish man named mordecai, the book of esther covers a period of some 18 years during the reign of the persian king ahasuerus, or xerxes i. Book of esther overview insight for living ministries. The god of the heavens can deliver his chosen people out of any desperate situation. It seems to have been included in the hebrew bible because it appealed. Finally, a work on esther that identifies the true hero of the story. Even the bible story admits that estherishtar was not the real name of the elamitejewish queen. Waldman and appeared in volume one of the graphic canon, edited by russ kick and published by seven stories press.