Background Information
It is not certain who wrote the book of Esther, but generally, it is believed that it was written by Mordecai. The internal evidence of the book indicates that the writer was a Jew and had a full acquaintance with Persian customs and manners and of the court.
Highlights of Esther
Mordecai was a descendant of the deported captives from Judah and was now living in Susa, the capital of Elam; and it is his niece who plays the important role in the book. The book opens with a feast that lasts for six months and a divorce from the queen. The scene shifts to a young, ravishing girl who wins the king’s heart. The king falls in love with a girl slated to be killed by his own government; that is when we are introduced to Haman, a descendant of the Amalekites who were a Jew-hating race of people.
King Xerxes (Ahasuerus) takes a neutral role initially because he is manipulated by his ingenious prime minister. Esther and Mordecai appeal to God. Mordecai, with a rough camel’s-hair garment and disheveled hair, publicizes his protest to the ordered slaughter of the Jews with a tormented spirit. Now it is Esther’s turn to play the important role. After Esther gives two private banquets and there is a hanging ceremony, Prime Minister Haman is out of the picture, and it is Esther and Mordecai who are running the country. This paves the way in the future for the Jewish exiles to return and rebuild Jerusalem and the temple—all paid for by the government of Persia.
Keys to Open Esther
The ongoing conflict of anti-Semitism from the days of Esau down to the present time can be felt and experienced in this book. The book does not use the word “God,” but every page reveals the workings of God protecting the people of his covenant. God is at work shaping the outcome of all generations.
Survey of the Book
First, we have a drunken Persian party in which the king gets bad advice from his marriage counselors and a divorce ensues; then a young girl wins a beauty pageant; four years later she is the queen of the great Persian Empire. This rags-to-riches romance is breathtaking. She is not only beautiful but is sharp and gutsy.
Soon the anti-Semite Haman plans on killing all the Jews, and that is where Esther literally comes into the picture. From then on, she will play the dominant role. Her husband, King Xerxes, finally gets his act straight and calls off the massacre of the Jews. The hangman (Haman) is hanged and the two prominent characters will end up running the country and paving the way for Ezra and a contingency of priests and peasants to return to their homeland.
Inspirational Introduction
This book opens a window and lets us get a glimpse of the world after Babylonian captivity. We will explore the scheme to exterminate all the Jews who had survived the captivity. Three characters shape the plot. Mordecai will anchor the story. Haman will mastermind the massacre, and a young enchanting girl will emerge from the shadows to take on the title role.
Between Queen Vashti’s dismissal and Esther’s acceptance as the new queen, four years passed. Why did Xerxes wait so long? Historians say that during these four years he was off fighting, unsuccessfully trying to conquer Greece. The six-month conference described in chapter one was, most likely, a consultation to prepare for the invasion. I will be your tour guide as we examine the book.
Memorandum
Could it be that our God has his finger in the state of world affairs? Read the following Scriptures and then you will understand and base your faith on the word of God. The following quotes are from the New American Standard 1977.
- Dan 2:21 “It is He who changes the times and the epochs; He removes kings and establishes kings; He gives wisdom to wise men And knowledge to men of understanding.”
- Dan 4:17 “This sentence is by the decree of the angelic watchers And the decision is a command of the holy ones, In order that the living may know That the Most High is ruler over the realm of mankind, And bestows it on whom He wishes And sets over it the lowliest of men.”
- Psa 18:33 “He makes my feet like hinds’ feet, And sets me upon my high places.”
- Psa 68:6 “God makes a home for the lonely; He leads out the prisoners into prosperity, Only the rebellious dwell in a parched land.”
- Psa 75:7 “But God is the Judge; He puts down one, and exalts another.”
- Psa 107:41 “But He sets the needy securely on high away from affliction, And makes his families like a flock.”