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Suspense and divine intervention
I love a good mystery book with unexpected twists. I recently re-read Esther in the Bible and remembered what a compelling read it is!
The facts that played out are a great example of how God orchestrates things behind the scenes in the minutest details we could ever imagine. Also, the book has a brilliant plot of cliff-hangers, hilarious irony and a fitting ending of justice. For anyone not familiar with it, look it up in the Old Testament. It’s a short 10-chapter read. (The rest of this post will make a lot more sense if you’ve read it!)
The facts that played out are a great example of how God orchestrates things behind the scenes in the minutest details we could ever imagine. Also, the book has a brilliant plot of cliff-hangers, hilarious irony and a fitting ending of justice. For anyone not familiar with it, look it up in the Old Testament. It’s a short 10-chapter read. (The rest of this post will make a lot more sense if you’ve read it!)
Esther is set around 486-465 B.C. while the Jews are in exile in the Persian empire. I read a couple of commentaries to better understand the context and the times. Although this is no in-depth study, I’ve noted some thoughts, observations and takeaway applications from the book that I’ve found helpful.
Humility
Esther 2:20: Even though she became queen, Esther never shunned the advice of her guardian, Mordecai.
Similarly, Mordecai was eventually elevated and given official authority (10:3). Nonetheless, his new position didn’t go to his head at all. He didn't forget where God had brought him from and continued to fight for the welfare of his fellow Jews in the empire.
Divine Providence
Esther 2:21-23: God sets in motion the future deliverance of his people before the need for it even arises. This is so much like God who, in his love and compassion, has been doing this since the beginning of time. The first example of this are God’s words to Adam and Eve before they are put out of the Garden of Eden where He mentions details of His glorious future plan for the salvation of all mankind (Genesis 3:15) as soon as He finds out that they have sinned.
Integrity
Ch. 3: Mordecai refuses to bow down and show signs of worship to Haman. He stands for his godly principles in the face of a culture urging him to do the opposite.
Deceit
3:5-6, 8-9: Haman (the villain) takes a tiny bit of fact and twists and exaggerates it to such huge proportions using vague generalisations that he convinces the king to go along with a plan to annihilate a whole nation. Just an observation on the anatomy of lies and manipulation!
Also, king Xerxes blindly follows and trusts what Haman says without investigating (3:10). Even on an everyday level, it’s so important to remember the dangers of forming any plan of action based on secondary accounts and gossip. It would have saved the king so much trouble to have investigated firsthand if Haman’s claims were true, to have asked the basic, obvious questions which may have sounded foolish at the time and to have consulted his many advisors with whom he spoke for so many other matters.
Wise counsel
4:10-11: Esther at first wasn’t eager to stand up against Haman before the king - quite understandably, as it could have cost her her life! It takes some convincing and challenging words from Mordecai for her to dare to do the right thing. Consequently, she sees that God is with her and gives her success in her request to the king. She is emboldened to continue pressing for justice from him. In a way, it’s nice to know that even a queen’s first impulse was to chicken out of a difficult situation! The bigger application from Esther and Mordecai's exchange to me is that it’s paramount to have people in our lives to give us wise, godly counsel to challenge us to do what’s right when we feel weak.
Divine Intervention
6:3: Someone less humble than Mordecai may have been perplexed at not having been acknowledged by the king for saving his life. We are not told what Mordecai thought of this. But, God had a better plan on a much larger scale to bless not only Mordecai but all the Jews in Persia at the time. If Mordecai had been honoured by the king straightaway, the king would not have felt the need to honour him on the very day that Haman wanted to execute him.
God brought together so many tiny details to spare Mordecai’s life: Mordecai uncovered a plot against the king, the incident with his name was recorded in the book of the annals of the kings, king Xerxes forgot to formally acknowledge him, he couldn’t sleep on the very night that Mordecai’s execution was secretly being planned, due to his insomnia he happened to read the old incident where Mordecai had saved his life, Haman of all people was the one to have to bestow honour upon Mordecai. I think the last point also shows that God has a sense of humour!
God brought together so many tiny details to spare Mordecai’s life: Mordecai uncovered a plot against the king, the incident with his name was recorded in the book of the annals of the kings, king Xerxes forgot to formally acknowledge him, he couldn’t sleep on the very night that Mordecai’s execution was secretly being planned, due to his insomnia he happened to read the old incident where Mordecai had saved his life, Haman of all people was the one to have to bestow honour upon Mordecai. I think the last point also shows that God has a sense of humour!
The Battle is the Lord’s
Ch.8-9: The king’s edict for the destruction of the Jews could not be revoked by law. As a result, the Jews still had to face attack, but God granted them the king’s support and approval, and supernatural victory. Even the local Persian authorities helped them. I think this reflects real life with God on many levels. We still face troubles in this life, which, to our minds, may sometimes seem insurmountable, but God is with us in the midst of them and has crafted a victorious plan.
Overall, the story is an amazing account of how God used circumstances and worked in the minds of believers as well as unbelievers to bring about his plans for those who loved and followed him. It’s so humbling to remember that the same God is still very much at work, in front and behind the scenes, in the lives of people who trust him today.