Day 230

Esther 1:1–3:15; 1 Corinthians 11:17-34; Psalm 35:17-28; Proverbs 21:19-20

WE CONCLUDED THE book of Nehemiah yesterday, but we have not concluded the stories from exile —which brought us to the book of Esther today. Although short in length, the story is high in drama and intrigue.

Esther tells of a young Hebrew girl named Hadassah, who was orphaned while in exile in Persia and subsequently taken in and raised as a daughter by her cousin Mordecai, who was of the tribe of Benjamin. Exiled Hebrews often took on localized names, and Hadassah was given the name Esther, which translates as “star” or “morning star” in Jewish tradition.

Esther was stunningly beautiful in appearance and possessed a quiet character. When King Xerxes —called Ahasuerus in some translations —sought to find a replacement for the banished queen Vashti, he chose Esther (although she kept her ethnicity a secret). This choice proved monumentally providential.

Around the same time, a man named Haman rose to prominence before the king. Haman was a descendant of King Agag of Amalek. The Hebrews and Amalekites had been hostile to one another, dating all the way back to their origins —Jacob and Esau. The prophet Samuel had executed King Agag after King Saul defeated the Amalekites in battle.

Haman’s hatred of the Jews reignited when Mordecai would not bow before him, the king’s highest official, in honor, and Haman devised a plan to annihilate every Jew in the Persian Empire.

On one side of the king was the beautiful Jewish queen Esther, and on the other side was the high official Haman, who intended to wipe the Jews from the earth. Great struggle and tension play out in this book to a dramatic and redemptive conclusion.

The book of Esther is the basis for the Festival of Purim for the Jewish people, which was established by Mordecai in this book (Esther 9:20-23). The story took place during the same general period of history that we’ve been reading about in Nehemiah and the previous books that describe the Diaspora (exile).

There are many parallels in the book of Esther that apply to our lives today: that God will always show up; that circumstance doesn’t always dictate the outcome of things; and that everyone has an important role to play, because God brings people into the picture for specific times and specific missions to get major things done in His Kingdom. This can be as large as Queen Esther saving God’s people from destruction or as personal as God sending you to rescue your next-door neighbor. We are all here “for just such a time as this” (Esther 4:14). Enjoy the book of Esther with that in mind.

PRAYER:

O LORD, you know all about this. Do not stay silent. Do not abandon me now, O Lord. Wake up! Rise to my defense! Take up my case, my God and my Lord. Declare me not guilty, O LORD my God, for you give justice.