The BOOK – Deliverance through Esther

In the midst of this famous chapter (Esther) in the world history occurs the beautiful and charming Bible story of Esther. Although God’s name is not mentioned in the book of Esther, every page is full of God, who hides himself behind every word. He has never let his people go in the past and he will never let them go in the future. He followed them in their captivity into Babylon. When the prophets were silent and the Temple closed, God was still standing guard. 

Esther is like David and Joseph. God had each one hidden away for his purpose. When the day came, he brought them to the front to work out his plan. God hid Joseph away in a dungeon in Egypt, but when he was ready, he placed him in the position of prime minister of that country. God always has someone in reserve to fulfil his purposes. Sometimes it is a man like Joseph, or Moses. Sometimes it is a woman like Hannah, or Esther, or Mary. Recall men in history such as Martin Luther and Billy Graham whom God seems to have prepared and kept for the hour. Two beautiful girls join hands in behalf of God’s people. They are Ruth and Esther. Ruth becomes the ancestors of the Deliverer of Israel and Esther saves the people so that the Deliverer might come. 

The events of this book center around three feasts.

·         Feast of King Ahasuerus (Esther 1-2)

·         Feast of Esther (Esther 7)

·         Feast of Purim (Esther 9)

King Ahasuerus was Xerxes, the Persian monarch (485-465 BC). When the king and princes were in the midst of their drunken revelry, the king called for Vashti so that he could show off her beauty. Vashti refused. This made the king a laughing stock. To defend himself, he deposed the queen (Esther 1:12-22).

The minute Ahasuerus saw Esther, he made her his queen. The little Jewish orphan girl, raised by her cousin Mordecai, was lifted to the Persian throne. She was his queen for 13 years. Esther’s marriage to Xerxes gave the Jews prestige at this court and made it possible for Nehemiah to rebuild Jerusalem (Nehemiah 2:1-8). 

In Esther 3-5, we read of the ascendancy of a man by the name of Haman. He was a wicked man whose day of triumph was short and whose joy endured but for a moment. When Haman appears in the book of Esther, he had just been exalted to the highest position under the King of Persia (Esther 3:1). The high honour turned his head. He swelled with vanity and was bitterly humiliated when Mordecai, who was sitting at the gate, did not do homage to him as to the king (Esther 3:2). The little fault of Mordecai was magnified into a capital offense. Mordecai, a Jew, could not give divine honour to a man. Haman became so enraged that he wanted to have a whole sale massacre of all the Jews in the Kingdom (Esther 3:6). Haman tried to prove to the king that all the Jews were disloyal subjects. He offered to pay the king a bribe (Esthet3:9). The king signed a royal decree that meant that every Jewish man, woman and child should be killed and all their property should be taken. You can compare this treatment with that used by the Nazi regime.  Imagine the fasting and praying and the weeping in sackcloth that took place among Jews (Esther 4:1-3).  Queen Esther saw it all and inquired of Mordecai what it meant. He gave her a copy of the King’s decrees that told the sad story. Then he added, “And who knows but that you have come to royal position for such a time as this?” (Esther 4:14).

There is one thing to do always. Do what is right and leave the rest to God. God prepares people for emergencies. Failure is not sin, faithlessness is. There is a time to act. Read what happened that night when the king could not sleep (Esther 6:1-11). How Haman was trapped (Esther 6:6). At that second banquet Esther pleaded for her own life. She had Haman on the spot. The king granted Esther’s wish. Haman was hung on the very scaffold he had prepared for Mordecai, and Mordecai was elevated to the place of honour next to the king. 

The book of Esther closes with the account of establishing the Feast of Purim and lifting Mordecai to the place made vacant by Haman (Esther 10:3). The Jewish porter became the second man, just under the king of Persia. The Feast of Purim was to be celebrated annually.  It is always inspired by the dramatic story of Esther. 

This book of Esther is an important link in a chain of events that tell of re-establishing the Hebrew nation in their own land in preparation of the coming of the Messiah into the world. The Jewish people had escaped extermination. It was God’s purpose that they should be preserved to bring forth the Saviour of the world. 

As you study the word of God, you will find that through the ages Satan has tried to destroy, first, God’s people, the Jews, then the Church, and even Christ himself. But God has thwarted his plans. “Even the gates of hell shall not prevail against his church” (Mathew 16:18).  At the same time you need to ask this question as why has God allowed me to live at this particular hour? To do what is right means that we must jeopardize our lives. Then we must face the issues and answer with this young queen – “And if I perish, I perish”. God bless you.