Esther talked it over with hathach and then sent him back to mordecai with this message. This silence doesnt mean that god was inactive though. Herbert lockyer describes her as the woman who saved her nation from genocide. The book of esther is set far away from the promised land, on the opposite end of the world in the city of susa, the capital of the powerful persian empire c. The book of esther is the only one not found in the dead sea scrolls. This summary of the book of esther provides information about the title, authors, date of writing, chronology, theme, theology, outline, a brief overview, and the chapters of the book of esther.
Her name was hadassah, but you might know her by the name of esther, the one for whom the book in the bible is named. Esther 1 msg this is the story of something that bible. The authors knowledge of persian customs, the setting of the story in the city of susa and the. Chapter one chapter two chapter three chapter four chapter five chapter six chapter seven s. The greatest controversy revolves around the fact that nowhere in esther does the words god or lord appear. From the niv study bible, introductions to the books of the bible, esther. Well, i am greatly challenged, on some occasions, in all honesty, as you well know, to get through one verse. The book ends with mordecai as the kings chief minister. 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. The book of esther is a story that is truly relatable drama that just about everyone can find relatable. An introduction to the book of esther an argument of the book of esther selected bibliography of the book of esther j. More than that, esther is the only book in the bible which definitely does not mention god.
Although we do not know who wrote the book of esther, from internal evidence it is possible to make some inferences about the author. The book of esther is the only book in the bible that does not mention the name of god. The book records a story of courage, patriotism, and the providence of god. Book of esther overview insight for living ministries. But after haman was hanged, there was another dilemma that still posed a threat. This summary of the book of esther provides information about the title. Esther is, among the generality of jews, the best known of all the books of the bible p. Childs notes the typology which the writer uses in identifying haman and mordecai through genealogies when he writes, haman, the enemy of the jews, is portrayed as the son of hammedatha, the agagite 3.
Esther 1 the message msg 1 this is the story of something that happened in the time of xerxes, the xerxes who ruled from india to ethiopia127 provinces in all. These are all of the chapters of the book of esther. It belongs to the third section of the judaic canon, known as the ketuvim, or writings. H ere are 5 important lessons that i learned from the book of esther silence doesnt mean its not there. Esther 6 the message msg 6 12 that night the king couldnt sleep.
Esther is the only book in the bible not to mention the name of god. The book belongs to the socalled five scrolls hebr. He may not always do it in the way we think he should, but the book of esther shows that he is in control even when we dont see him. This is probably because god was awfully silent during this period as israels sin against him had reached its peak. The most popular traditions are mordecai a major character in the book of esther, ezra and nehemiah who would have been familiar with persian customs. None of this should be taken as meaning that the book has no theological.
When he learns of the edict against the jews, he encourages esther to confront the king. Also, that taking refuge in ones wealth while ignoring ones people, will be the downfall of a jew esther 4. The book of esther begins with the queen of king ahasuerusvashtisnubbing the kings request to meet with her. Men are encouraged, be faithful and wise like mordecai. He ordered the record book, the daybyday journal of events, to be brought and. Ive given hamans estate to esther and hes been hanged on the gallows because he attacked the jews. Not only is it, along with daniel, the only book of the bible to be set entirely outside of the promised land, it also shows no interest in that land. The message of the book of esther, a work of historical fiction written in the diaspora in the late persianearly hellenistic period fourth century b. Yet, though this is true in one sense, there is more to it than that. In fact, god is not directly mentioned by name in the book of esther. The religious message of esther is that god is with us even when he is hidden. The book of esther is one of the most fascinating books of the bible.
The book of esther in hebrew is secular in nature, in that the name of god, the temple, and prayer are not mentioned. Here is the story of esther through a summary of each of the 10 chapters. The story gives us six powerful lessons about courage. The dead sea scrolls contain fragments of each old testament book, with the. So go ahead now and write whatever you decide on behalf of the jews. Did you know that esther is mentioned more times in the bible than any other woman. Neither mordecai, esther, nor the feast of purim is mentioned elsewhere in scripture. The book of esther never mentions god by name, there is never the word prayer uttered, and the only spiritual discipline that is mentioned is fasting but that never says anything about prayer and fasting. Scripture that same day king xerxes gave queen esther the estate of. All the kings servants at the kings gate used to honor him by bowing down and kneeling before hamanthats what the king had commanded. Commentary on the book of esther by matthew henry old. In the third year of his reign he gave a banquet for all his officials and ministers. The author of the book of esther is unknown, though some attribute the work to mordecai.
Listen to chuck swindolls overview of esther in his audio message from the classic series. Did you know that the book bearing her name in the old testament does. The story is set after the exile and is part of the postexilic period of israelite history, when many jews were living away from the homeland of judah. This sermon looks at the lessons learn from esther s life esther esther 4. Esther bible story summary what christians want to know. Addition a has mordecai inform the king directly, whereas in 2. King xerxes ruled from his royal throne in the palace complex of susa. For the rest of it, king xerxes extensive accomplishments, along with a detailed account of the brilliance of mordecai, whom the king had promoted, thats all written in the chronicles of the kings of media. By any assessment, esther is a rather strange book to find in the bible.
The book of esther has a james bondish, tickingtimebomb plot. None of this should be taken as meaning that the book has no theological intentionon the contrary it has a developed theology, but it is a theology which operates precisely because it does not mention god directly. Esthers uncle, mordecai, appears first as an adoptive father, whose solicitude for esther leads him to the kings gate, where he foils a plot to assassinate the king. The cross there was a great dilemma in the book of esther. In the jewish bible, esther follows ecclesiastes and lamentations and is read on the festival of purim, which commemorates the rescue of the jews from hamans plottings. All the kings servants at the kings gate used to honor him by bowing down and kneeling. Esther 1 msg this is the story of something that bible gateway. They came across the story there about the time that mordecai had exposed the plot of bigthana and tereshthe two royal eunuchs who guarded the entrance and who had conspired to assassinate king xerxes. These are the words you will be thinking when you finish the message of esther by david g. Esther has also been a book of controversy for theologians. The prayers of esther and mordecai are especially noteworthy. The book of esther in the bible is a dramatic account which can give us. The jews debated this for centuries, even up to our own day. Firth, as it is one of the most well exit books on esther that i have had the privilege of reading.
Book of esther, book of the hebrew bible and the christian old testament. Esther 9 msg on the thirteenth day of the twelfth bible gateway. What is book of esther about and why should i care. And the shining of the grace in these three books is seen in the personal lives of these three people ezra, nehemiah, and esther. But the book of esther is the story of the victory of god in the midst of even impossible circumstances. Everyone who works for the king here, and even the people out in the provinces, knows that there is a single fate for every man or woman who approaches the king without being invited. Discover why this book was included in the old testament and.
Clicking on a chapter will show you the text of that chapter of esther in the bible the message bible. The message of the book of esther american christian ministries. 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. It was a man named haman who wanted to kill mordecai. In the hebrew bible the book of esther is placed in the third main part, that is the writings hebr. Esther was placed in a royal position, not by chance, but for a purpose. The book of esther does not specifically name its author. Jan 02, 2020 the book of esther may not directly mention god, yet it clearly reveals god at work.
Not only is it a great story with all the drama and. Mar 01, 2001 on march 9 we celebrate the festival of purim pronounced poorim to commemorate gods saving power as recorded in the book of esther. It is one of the five scrolls megillot in the hebrew bible. As a consequence, women may be told, be compliant and brave like esther. And this morning i made it through a whole chapter, and tonight well take a whole book. This book is parts of the evergrowing series called the bible speaks today, produced by ivp academic. King xerxes imposed tribute throughout the empire, to its distant shores. Oct 28, 2006 im not trying to say there is a hidden gospel somewhere, some apocryphal writings called the gospel of esther, but rather i believe that when you read the book of esther you can find the entire gospel, in fact, the great controversy is outlined in this incredible book and youll want to be following along a little bit so if you could go. Dont think that just because you live in the kings house youre the one jew who will get out of this alive. And all his acts of power and might, together with a full account of the greatness of mordecai, whom the king had promoted, are they not written in the book of the annals of. The only other one who knew her secret was her fathers nephew the one who raised her when she was orphaned.
An interpretation of the dream that relates its features to the plot of the book is given in f. With the church now a global faith, it finds itself located increasingly within countries that are unfamiliar with the christian tradition or even hostile to it. Esther bible book with full chapters the message bible. For traditional jewish commentators, the absence of gods name did not mean that god was absent from the book.
Matthew henry 18 october 1662 22 june 1714 was an english commentator on the bible, who published his works in 1706, sixvolume exposition of the old and new testaments 17081710 or complete commentary, provides an exhaustive verse by verse study of the bible, covering the whole of the old testament, and the gospels and acts in the new testament. The book of esther would also encourage them to worship the god of israel, though he is not mentioned by name in it ibid. The contemporary church around the world has much to learn from the book of esther concerning empire and living in exile. Now he needs to pick a new queen and eventually manages to select esther a comely, young secretly jewish woman who is a. Esther, just as she was, won the admiration of everyone who saw her. Tom constables expository notes on esther this is also available in the net. 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. The book of esther in the bible is a dramatic account which can give us insight into gods special and purposeful plan for our lives. A young jewish girl becomes queen of persia and happens to be in a position to counter a villainous plot to exterminate her people.
This is one book of the bible you could easily read while. The greek septuagint remedied this situation by adding six passages which include the name of god. Here are the four principles ive observed from the story of esther. Esther is read during the purim feast on 14th and 15th adar februarymarch. 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. The subversive message of the book of esther ynetnews. The global message of esther esther and the sovereign rule of god. Esther bible study will give you a threepart look at the book of the bible that bears her name, and at its title character. The book of esther is often scrutinized for the lack of any reference to god in it. Still, she became one of the most beloved queens and women of the bible. A chronological daily bible study of the old testament 7day sections with a summarycommentary, discussion questions, and a practical daily application.
Esther 10 the message msg 10 12 king xerxes imposed taxes from one end of his empire to the other. He ordered the record book, the daybyday journal of events, to be brought and read to him. Esthers word confirmed the tradition of purim and was written in the book. The message of esther the bible speaks today series. The gospel of esther pastor dougs weekly message amazing. Listen to this description in the five megilloth, a jewish commentary published by the soncino press. In the story of esther, youll meet a beautiful, young queen who risked her life to serve god and save her people.
The message is the bible paraphrased into contemporary english. The book of esther is one of only two books in the bible named for women. When he noticed queen esther standing in the court, he was pleased to. It is natural to read esther as a morality tale about cousins who stand in the gap to save a nation. Naturally, being a rather unstable fellow, ahasuerus firesslashdivorces her. The book of esther describes how this crisis was averted through the bravery of esther. His name is not written in the book, but his fingerprints, as we say, are all over it.
Esther, the bible text, book of esther women in the bible. An order written in the kings name and sealed with his signet ring is irrevocable. The book of esther reflects the situation of the diaspora, and one of the reasons it was produced was certainly to address the needs of the jewish community living outside palestine. Despite the shortcomings in life, esther was able to find a greater scope and save a nation.