THE BOOK OF ESTHER, WHAT IT TEACHES US, SUMMARY, REFLECTION
History of Esther, the book of Esther (Reflection on the book of Esther), summary of the chapters
Esther’s story reads like a movie plot, with a beautiful queen risking her life to prevent genocide. What lessons can we learn from the book of Esther?
THE BOOK OF ESTHER: ESTHER’S BACKGROUND, HER STORY
The story of Esther in the Persian empire
Esther’s story takes place in the Persian Empire during the reign of Ahasuerus, known more familiarly by the Greek form of his name, Xerxes I. He was the son of Darius the Great and reigned from 486 to 465 B.C. C. he ruled over a vast empire that stretched from India to Ethiopia (Esther 1:1).
Esther was a descendant of the tribe of Benjamin, which had been part of the kingdom of Judah. Her ancestors were among the Jews who had been taken captive to Babylon almost 100 years earlier. There were many Jews who did not return to Jerusalem when possible, preferring to continue living where they had settled around the Persian Empire.
The book of Esther, the story of a woman who is part of the liberation of the Jewish people
After the death of Esther’s parents, she was raised by Mordecai, an older cousin (Esther 2:7), who served in the palace of the Persian ruler.
The popularity of the Esther story is great. Consider this description in The Five Megilloth, a Jewish commentary published by Soncino Press: “Esther is, among the Jews in general, the best known of all the books of the Bible” (p. 193).
The book of Esther, compelling, dramatic and exciting story
There are many reasons for this popularity. The Book of Esther tells a compelling, dramatic, and exciting story, with clearly defined heroes and villains. It also reveals deep and abiding spiritual truths about God’s power to deliver us from danger and oppression, even when despotic rulers plan to do evil to God’s people.
Although the name of God or a direct reference to the divine does not appear in the entire story of the book of Esther, yet the presence of God and the deliverance of His people are clearly felt and implied throughout this story.
THE MEANING OF THE TWO NAMES OF ESTHER THAT ARE MENTIONED IN THE BOOK
Meaning of name Hadasa
Esther’s Hebrew name was Hadassa, which means myrtle. Esther 2:7 is the only mention of this name in the Bible, although myrtle is mentioned several times.
Meaning of name Esther
“Esther is a Persian name meaning ‘Star.’ Like the name of her cousin Mordecai of hers, Esther’s name was related to that of a local deity, the goddess Ishtar. Jews in ancient times used to have two names when they lived in distant regions of Israel. One would be his secular name, a name understandable in his adopted culture, and the other would be his sacred name given in Hebrew” (NKJV Study Bible, note on Esther 2:7).
WHO WROTE THE BOOK OF ESTHER?
The author of the book of Esther is not given, although some attribute the work to Mordecai.
“The text itself does not indicate either the author or the date of composition. Jewish authorities record a tradition (as old as Josephus and repeated by Ibn Ezra) that Mordecai was the author of the book. . .
“Whoever the author was, he shows such intimate knowledge of Persian customs and the historical situation of the fifth century that he may well have lived in Persia and been an eyewitness to the recorded events” (Gleason L. Archer Jr., A Review of the Introduction to the Old Testament, 1974, pp. 417, 419).
THE BOOK OF ESTHER, SUMMARY
Chapter 1 sets the scene at the Persian court. The king was offended when his wife Vashti refused to appear before him when she ordered her to. There was a great party at that time, and everyone was merry with wine (Esther 1:10-11).
When the queen failed to appear, the king, urged on by his advisers, removed her as his queen. They then advised him to find a new queen by searching for the most beautiful virgins in the land. The king would then select one to become his queen.
Queen Esther
Chapter 2 introduces one of the women chosen for this competition, a beautiful Jewish girl named Hadassa. Her name was changed to Esther when she was taken to the king’s court.
Esther was favored by all who saw her, especially the king (verses 15-17). The king selected Esther to be his new queen, but Mordecai advised her not to reveal the fact that she was Jewish, because Jews were still suspect throughout the Persian Empire.
Shortly after she became queen, Esther 2:21-23 records an apparently unrelated incident. Two men conspired to kill the king, but Mordecai found out about the plot and had Esther reveal it to the king. The two men were hanged, and the incident was recorded in the king’s personal history. This incident turns out to have a lot to do with the rest of the story.
The evil Haman in the story of the book of Esther
Chapter 3 introduces us to Haman, the villain of the story in the book of Esther, who became the second in command of the empire.
Haman was an arrogant man and he demanded that everyone bow down to him. They all did, except Mordecai (verse 2). This infuriated Haman so much that he got the king to issue an edict that all the Jews in the land be destroyed (verses 8-15).
Mordecai asks Esther for help. Was this the moment prepared for Esther?
In chapter 4, Mordecai implored Esther to intervene on behalf of her people or they would all be killed. Esther reminded Mordecai that anyone who appeared before the king without being called, even the queen, would be subject to death. The only exception to this would be if the king extended mercy by holding out the golden scepter (verses 10-12).
Mordecai then uttered the most famous phrase from the book of Esther when he said: “For if you are absolutely silent at this time, respite and deliverance will come from somewhere else for the Jews; but you and your father’s house will perish. And who knows if by this hour have you come to the kingdom?” (Esther 4:14)
According to the book of Esther, she risked her life for her people.
Esther then agreed to risk her life for her people. She asked Mordecai to make her people fast for her success, and she risked her life by going to the king for help (verses 15-16).
Chapter 5 tells us that the king not only held out the golden scepter to save her life, but also said that he would grant whatever Esther asked for, even half the kingdom (verses 2-3). She invited the king and Haman to a banquet that day.
At that banquet, she told the king that she would inform him of her wish at another banquet the next day, and again asked that Haman be invited to hear her request (verses 7-8).
HAMAN AND MORDECAI IN THE BOOK OF ESTHER
Chapter 6 again brings to our attention the incident of the conspiracy to kill the king in chapter 2. The king could not sleep that night and asked to have his story read to him. It seems that he simply “overheard” the part about the plot to take his life and how Mordecai had saved his life. He asked what had been done to reward Mordecai. His servants replied that nothing had been done.
Who should be outside waiting to see the king that morning but evil Haman, who was plotting to kill Mordecai? So when the king called Haman in, the two men had totally opposite plans in mind.
The king asked Haman what should be done with someone the king wanted to honor. Of course, in his pride, Haman thought the king was talking about him. So he said that such a person should be treated as royalty and honored by a high official announcing: “So shall it be done to the man whose honor the king desires!” (verse 9).
Imagine Haman’s surprise when the king assigned him to honor his archenemy Mordecai (verses 10-12)!
Chapter 7 recounts the events of the second banquet that Esther had requested, where she would make known what she wanted from the king. He revealed her plot to destroy her and her people, then dramatically named the mastermind: “This wicked Haman!” (verse 6).
The king was so shocked and outraged by this turn of events that he had to leave the room to calm down. But when he returned, he saw that Haman had fallen on the bed where Esther was, begging her to spare his life (verses 7-8).
The king accused Haman of attempting to assault his wife, the queen, and ordered him to be hanged on the same gallows that Haman had built to kill Mordecai (verse 10).
Purim holiday, celebration for the rejoicing of the Jews for their liberation
Chapters 8 through 10 relate the rejoicing of the Jews at their deliverance and the celebration that was set for the 14th day of the month of Adar to commemorate this great event. It has been celebrated by Jews ever since as a great day of deliverance and is known as the Holiday of Purim.
Purim derives its name from the word pur, which means luck, as in casting lots. Haman had cast lots to find the best day to destroy the Jews (3:7).
LESSONS FROM THE BOOK OF ESTHER
What the story of the book of Esther teaches us
The book of Esther a story of God’s intervention and deliverance
Many other lessons can be learned from the character and growth of the heroine of the story.
CHARACTERISTICS OF ESTHER IN THE BIBLE
Ester won everyone’s favor, overcame her fears and devised a plan of action
“’Of all the Biblical heroines,’ one scholar has observed, ‘Esther has enjoyed the greatest popularity among writers, artists, and musicians, representing feminine modesty, courage, and self-sacrifice’” ( A Complete Literary Guide to the Bible , 1993, p. p. 222).
Esther’s beauty and pleasant personality won over the king, and not only that, but “Esther gained favor with all who saw her” (Esther 2:15).
Through the crisis that threatened her town, Esther overcame her fear and devised a plan of action…