Esther

This is a wonderful story. It continues the same subject as the two books that come before it. The subject is God's protection. He protects his people. And the three books are about this. But they emphasise different things.

God's protection:

• on a journey. We read about this in Ezra (8:22-23, 31).
• in the city. We read about this in Nehemiah (4:9, 14, 17, 20).
• in a foreign land. We read about this in Esther.

Not all people liked the book. Martin Luther was one of them. He did not think that it should be part of the Bible. But it does have an important message. It encourages us. And it can help people in any age of history. The book of Esther has two purposes:

• To teach a truth. God controls his world. He controls the affairs of his children too. The true story of Esther shows us the meaning of Romans 8:28. (Read Esther 4:14 especially.)
• To explain a feast (special meal). God saved his people in a wonderful way. The book of Esther tells us about this. And every year, the Jews remember this time. The name of the Feast is Purim (9:19, 26-28).

Esther's time in history is between Ezra 6 and 7. We can divide the book into three parts.

Events Prove that God is in control (Chapters 1-2)

The story begins with Vashti. She refused to obey her husband, the king. His name was Ahasuerus. (Another name for him is Xerxes. He ruled from 484-464 BC – Before Christ.) Nobody could blame Vashti for refusing to obey. All who were at the king's party were men. And they had been drinking a lot of alcohol. So, the king was wrong to call for her.

However, God used this unfair demand. The king decided to have another wife. And he chose Esther, who was a Jew. This was essential for the Lord's purposes. God needed a Jew, one of his own people. He needed a Jew to be the king's friend. This was because the king did not know God.

This little book of Esther has some good studies about different people. One of them is Mordecai. Notice some of his qualities:

• sympathy and kindness (2:7. He accepted Esther as his daughter when her parents died. And this could not have been easy.)
• continued protection (2:11).
• great wisdom. He was sure that Esther should not tell everyone that she was a Jew (2:10). Another time, he told Esther about a plot against the king. And he let Esther tell the king about the plot (2:21-23). This was wise. It would please the king. He would feel more loyal to Esther. And he would love her more.

All these events are just the introduction. They show that God is in control. He is in control all the time. He has a purpose in all that happens.

Results Show that God is Fair (Chapters 3-8)

Now the real story begins. The main person in these chapters was Haman. He was a most important man. He was the chief official in all of the country called Persia. But he was a jealous and foolish man. He was proud and selfish too (3:2. Read 5:9, 11 and 12 too). Mordecai would not kneel when Haman went by. People gossiped about this and Haman heard about it (3:3-4).

Notice three things that are in these chapters:

Haman's plot (3). Haman now hated all Jews. Mordecai respected leaders. But worship belongs to God only. So, he would not kneel down to Haman. And this was why Haman wanted all Jews to die.

Mordecai's plan (4). Esther was in the palace. She was the king's wife. And Mordecai saw a reason for all that was happening (4:14). There are practical and spiritual matters here:

• Take care of the details (4:8). Esther has a copy of the king's command. So, she has proof of the terrible plot.
• Have understanding (4:14: ‘…for such a time as this’). Mordecai urged Esther to act. He wanted her to see that God was controlling events. God planned that she should be in the palace. But Esther had to believe this too. We, too, should believe that God controls everything in our lives. And this includes the ‘ordinary’ affairs of every day.
• Have faith (4:16). Esther asked all Jews not to eat (to fast). And she would do the same for three days and three nights. This was so that they could pray. Our friends’ prayers are very important. They bring comfort. And they help in times of serious trouble. But Esther must still trust in God only.
• Be brave (4:16: ‘If I die, I die’). If Mordecai's plan failed, the result would be serious. Esther would die. But she still went to the king. And this was very brave. She should never do this, unless the king invited her. It was completely against tradition. It was against palace practice too.

Esther's appeal (5-8). Notice how Esther dealt with the problem. She was careful and calm. She acted in a proper way. The matter was urgent. But she did not act in a rush.

God was in control. He made the king accept her (5:2). God stopped the king from going to sleep too (6:1)! So the king asked for the state records. Someone would read them to him. Perhaps they would help him to go to sleep! The records told how Mordecai saved the king's life. So he knew that Mordecai was a loyal Jew. And the king realized that Mordecai had not received a reward.

Things happened fast after this. The king saw that Haman was evil. The unfair plot was Haman's idea. And it was against all Jews (7:3-6). Haman also planned to kill Mordecai in a cruel way. But the king's officials killed Haman instead. Sometimes people have evil plots. They want to spoil the lives of other people. But God can use their plots to punish them.

The People Remember God's Goodness (Chapters 9-10)

God saved and protected his people. They should never forget something so wonderful. And this was the reason for the Feast of Purim (9:17-19). It is easy for us to forget all that God has done for us.

The last part of the book of Esther shows Mordecai. He is a man of God. We see this in his relationships with God's people (10:3). Everyone:

• accepted him and respected him very much
• benefited from his care.

The Bible tells us about another chief minister. He was also a Jew in a foreign land. And he was like Mordecai. His name was Joseph. (We can read his story in Genesis 37−50.) Wherever we are, we should bring honour to God. We can do this by the way that we live. We can do it by our words and actions too. We should also serve other people.