Esther. 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). Read the entire Scripture account of the life of Queen Esther in the Bible verses below and use the articles and videos to understand the meaning of this teachable event in the Bible: I think the primary reason Esther is there is to show the hand of God in preserving the line of His Messiah. Note well that Esther “was not called,” she was not deemed worthy of being passive in the presence of the appropriately paranoid impotent potentate. The books of Ruth and Esther recount two of the most memorable stories in all of Scripture: Ruth, a displaced widow in search of a new home and loving husband, and Esther, a courageous queen intent on saving her people from imminent ... Since the religious theme of the Scroll is that God watches over the world, the obvious question is: why is God’s name not mentioned even once throughout Megillat Eshter? Required fields are marked *. Found insideIn God Behind the Scenes, Wayne K. Barkhuizen helps us trace the unseen hand of God throughout the Esther narrative, while pointing out how the book is still relevant today. mention of the name of God (with the exception of the annex to the book of Esther which we shall discuss), nor of any prayer, or of any application of the Jewish law. [Esther 8:8] and that the King’s decree against the recalcitrant Queen Vashti by the de jure omnipotent King could not be overturned, even by the by the King himself. A fifth lesson from the Book of Esther is … This view is rebutted, that the author of this book must have been a believer in God, and its reader would become more believing in Him. This second edition of An Introduction to the Old Testament integrates and interacts with recent developments in Old Testament scholarship. No one speaks independently but the human King; so the real King, God the Creator, speaks silently. Esther is the Scroll’s round character who undergoes development in the Scroll that bears her name. Thus, we see the people calling out to God and Him delivering the people in response to their devotion. The Book of Esther focuses on a ten year period (483-473 B.C.) I … This is the more remarkable, since, in this short book of only 167 verses, the Median King is mentioned 192 times, his kingdom is referred to 26 times, and his name 1 "Ahasuerus" is given 29 times. Now, God may not be mentioned, but when people fast it assumes that God is paying attention (fasting is terribly impractical if there is not a God). We Discover Our Spiritual Gifts When We’re In Fellowship. In the book of Exodus, for example, we read about God working through Moses to part the Red Sea, and to turn a shepherd’s rod into a serpent. Of course, it could simply be that Esther, who had previously come to the place of saying 'if I perish I perish' was not afraid and was abandoned to the will and timing of God. In fact, Judaism does not prohibit writing the Name of God per se; but it prohibits only erasing or defacing a Name of God. 3. Who are the characters and what are their names? 1. Esther grows into religious maturity by being active, by being a moral agent, and by taking a dangerous risk. the Jews, must be annihilated. He ruled from India to Ethiopia, the precise range of Aramaic documents, the lingua franca of the Achaenamid empire, for which Persian was used for private, religious purposes. For the religion of the Jews, God appears as a character in the national Book, the Hebrew Bible. That’s another chapter that doesn’t mention God. In later Hebrew, this originally imperfect form assumed the sense of a future tense. The hero of the Symposium party, Socrates, wins the day by speaking about true agape love, holding down his wine, and rejecting the advances of the knave general, Alcibiades. 15:29, and Mordecai told Esther that if she is not willing to be an active player and moral agent, Israel’s aid will come from another place, [Esther 4:14], she and her household will not survive—because as noted above the human King’s commands, including his command to kill all of the Jews, cannot by pagan law be rescinded—but that God’s care for the Judeans will nonetheless not be abandoned. The human aristocracy of the Greek or Persian pagans demanded humility from the masses, expressed literarily by the passivity that is imposed by the inept human King upon his chaotic, multi-national empire that appeared from afar to be powerful but upon close look was out of control. So whether God is ever mentioned or not, this book contains a pivotal story in the march toward the coming of Jesus. If you haven’t already, you should definitely read Esther in the Bible. [Esther 3:9] By portraying Israel as “other,” the nation whose Laws demand that one treat others with dignity, Israel is subversive of every hierarchy, tyranny, and aristocracy. See Esther 1:19, 3:9, and 5:4-5, ‘im ‘al ha-meleh tov. The only book in the Bible that doesn’t mention God. While the hearers of the Word would not understand the hidden references to the names of God uttered by Menucan, Queen Esther, Haman, the author and King Ahasuerus, the reader would certainly have done so. And we don’t see Jesus feeding the five thousand. Esther was an orphaned Jewish girl who was raised by her first cousin named Mordechai. She is recognized by the Jewish people as a prophet and a heroine because she saved the Jewish people from destruction by influencing the King to stop an anti-Semitic decree made by a court official named Haman. An Outreach of Ligonier © document.write(new Date().getFullYear()). Genesis 37, for example, where we read about Joseph and his dreams and then his brothers selling him into slavery. Why does the book of Esther never mention “God” by name? And to seal his maniacal deal, Haman pays the King for the right to stage a pogrom. 6. Perhaps since Sunday School, I had known the Book of Esther as being the only book in the Bible in which the name of God is missing. The monarchical diction honors protocol and one singular person, Ahashuerus the king. Curiously, God is not mentioned in this volume of Scripture and there is no indication that God was involved in any way in helping Esther and Mordecai save the Jews of Persia from the … Purpose of Writing: The purpose of the Book of Esther is to display the providence of God, especially in regard to His chosen people, Israel. The Book of Esther records the institution of the Feast of Purim and the obligation of its perpetual observation. From questions of textual criticism to the history of rabbinic interpretation to speculation on the modern form of commentary, this collection is sure to contain something for everyone interested in the book of Esther. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Jewish … Through this 10-week study, readers will discover how Esther, a book that does not mention God directly, implicitly points to our Lord Jesus Christ. Part of the Flourish Bible Study Series. Though God's name is not mentioned in this book, we see the invisible move of God that caused a series of events to take place that led to Haman's plot to kill Mordecai and a scheme to kill all the Jews unearthed.When Esther the Queen heard ... Realizing that Haman does not suffer from modesty, but is obsessed with ambition, the King asks Haman what his wildest wish would be. in the Persian Empire during the reign of Ahasuerus, also known as Xerxes. And all of those coincidences in the book of Esther are intended to teach us that whether we see Him or not, God is at work behind the scenes, orchestrating everything, putting together His plan, according to His purposes. “I will go to the king, even though it is against the law. Esther is the only book of the Bible where the name of God is not mentioned. Next we need to know that one of the forms of verse which Judaism used a lot in the Bible is known as an “Acrostic”. There are no direct words from God. In this amoral pagan setting, great men are petty and morally small; Mordecai’s and Esther’s acts of faith do not resonate within these pagan cultures, so pious Jewish gestures are described as meaningless motions at best and as defiant non-conformity at worst. " If you have ever felt this way, welcome to the book of Esther. "The God of Great Reversals" was written to shed light on the Gospel story woven throughout the only book of the Bible that never mentions God's name. The Dead Sea sectarians were religiously very strict, theologically very stark, simple, absolute, and extreme. Can we learn anything about prayer from … The name of God is not mentioned anywhere in the whole book of Esther; and yet, God’s providence is seen throughout the whole book. We here see, even before Haman makes his murderous claim, that it is indeed worth it to have citizens who keep the law like Mordecai the Jew. 5. In the Esther Scroll, paganism does not allow for religious discourse so God’s name is unmentionable in pagan settings. Michael Rydelnik, professor of Jewish studies at Moody Bible Institute, goes beyond the media images for an in depth, biblically grounded look at the "crisis that never ends"--the conflict between the Israelis and the Arabs. But I think the point is, and particularly with Esther, that God is at work behind the scenes. 4.Where does the narrative begin and where does the narrative end? As in the case of Jonah (see: Is Jonah a Historical Account or an Allegory? The Persians thought as tyrant rulers in administrative terms—how to control the masses; the Jews/Judeans believed in an ethical ethnic identity, which is preserved in the city, the original meaning of medina, a place of localized law, or din in Arabic, Aramaic, as well as Hebrew—in order to nurture a sense of autonomous moral agency in every Jew. The Jew drinks with a benediction, praising the Creator for creating the fruit of the vine, and showing how one may be both joyous and pious. In an acrostic, as in the sample above, the relevant letters or characters were written in bold or aligned, so they stood out clearly on the scroll. An academic study that suggests the Old Testament was written to be read as a work that reveals direct messianic prophecies. Why in Megillat Esther is the name of God not mentioned even once, considering that it was the hand of God that altered a near catastrophe for the Jewish people living in Persia? Mordecai doesn’t seem to get particularly worked up about anything. And Haman’s hubris overtakes his malevolent cunning; he would wear the royal robe, ride the royal steed, don the royal crown, and be so proclaimed as the friend of the Throne in public. The deliciously caustic irony is that the Law the human King advances, a Law that once given, cannot be changed, is precisely the Law of the Jews given by the God Who does not change and Who in this Scroll does not appear. These are six blocks of text, conventionally labeled A through F, found in all known Greek versions of He does almost nothing without wine, and what he does focuses upon gainful winnings and pleasuring himself. Author Jo Carruthers introduces the most significant adaptations of this story of Jewish life in the Persian Empire; a tale about averted genocide, a heroic queen and the machinations of court politics. The book of Esther is set in Persia, where many Jews had been taken by Nebuchadnezzar when he conquered Israel. And we just need to rest in that. Sign up for Angel for Shabbat Newsletters, Institute Update, and much, much more, Learn more about the Institute for Jewish Ideas and Ideals and our valuable work. This is why the author of this volume, Dr. Mark Roberts enthusiastically encourages Christian communicators to explore these somewhat obscure Old Testament texts. 4. Sign up below for our newsletters and receive a pdf of Conversations, Issue 12: Reclaiming Orthodox Judaism. is to celebrate the providence of God, especially in regard to His chosen people, Israel. Please support our IDEAS campaign and be our partners in creating a dynamic and compassionate Orthodoxy. Wells). Haman’s “critique” of the Jews, mean-spirited as it is, ironically, is correct. 4:2, 13:1, and the Epilogue to Hammurapi would have that Code, written in stone, not to be effaced or changed.] The author of the book of Esther was never identified. The devout reader can see God at work in Esther, but unlike the books of Exodus, Joshua, Judges, Samuel, and Kings, he is not explicitly told exactly what God is … God’s name, Y-H-W-H, meaning “He [=God] is in a state of continuous and eternal being,” is not mentioned in the Esther Scroll. However, at several points in the narrative, the author alludes to God’s hand in the events. [Esther Rabba 3:13] Read the end of the verse, and mQeddushin 1:1. Queen Vashti refuses and is … HTML tags allowed in your comment:
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