And so we come to Esther. The only book in the Bible not to mention God or prayer.
Xerxes’ feast
Esther 1:1-8
Vashti’s rebellion
Esther 1:9-12
Her dethronement
Esther 1:13-22
New queen sought
Esther 2:1-4
Esther brought to Shushan
Esther 2:5, 7-11
Esther made queen
Esther 2:12-17
Feast in honour of Esther
Esther 2:18-20
Mordecai save the king’s life
Esther 2:21-23
Haman’s plot
Esther 3:1-7
Haman gains the king’s support
Esther 3:8-11
The book of Esther is much loved by Jews today. It tells a story about faithfulness during a time of oppression and discrimination, when the very future of Israel was in doubt. The reason it is not explicit about God is because of the situation it comes from - the very heart of the Persian empire.
This is a story about the peccadilloes of a powerful and spoilt man, Xerxes King of Persia. He has every luxury he could wish for, his slightest whim is law, and a clever courtier can twist him round a little finger. Haman is such a person - an ambitious and conceited man, who cannot tolerate the fact that there is a group of people in the empire who have another loyalty.
Even though a Jewish girl has been selected to be Xerxes’ consort, Haman believes he can persuade the king to eliminate all Jews. There are echoes of Daniel, refusing to bow the knee to Darius, and the trap that jealous courtiers sprung on him. But Jews seem even more underground in this story, and we wonder whether there is space for God to work a saving miracle.
Xerxes’ feast
Esther 1:1-8
Vashti’s rebellion
Esther 1:9-12
Her dethronement
Esther 1:13-22
New queen sought
Esther 2:1-4
Esther brought to Shushan
Esther 2:5, 7-11
Esther made queen
Esther 2:12-17
Feast in honour of Esther
Esther 2:18-20
Mordecai save the king’s life
Esther 2:21-23
Haman’s plot
Esther 3:1-7
Haman gains the king’s support
Esther 3:8-11
The book of Esther is much loved by Jews today. It tells a story about faithfulness during a time of oppression and discrimination, when the very future of Israel was in doubt. The reason it is not explicit about God is because of the situation it comes from - the very heart of the Persian empire.
This is a story about the peccadilloes of a powerful and spoilt man, Xerxes King of Persia. He has every luxury he could wish for, his slightest whim is law, and a clever courtier can twist him round a little finger. Haman is such a person - an ambitious and conceited man, who cannot tolerate the fact that there is a group of people in the empire who have another loyalty.
Even though a Jewish girl has been selected to be Xerxes’ consort, Haman believes he can persuade the king to eliminate all Jews. There are echoes of Daniel, refusing to bow the knee to Darius, and the trap that jealous courtiers sprung on him. But Jews seem even more underground in this story, and we wonder whether there is space for God to work a saving miracle.
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