The book of Esther is a strange book in that it is one of two books in the Bible where God is not mentioned by name. Many people have been bothered by that fact, and some have even questioned whether or not it should have been included in the canon of Scripture.
“…though the name of God be not in it [Esther], the finger of God is directing many minute events for the bringing about of his people’s deliverance.”
– Matthew Henry
God does not need to be mentioned, for His work is clear. We see His hand at work through all of the details of this fascinating story, starting immediately in Chapter 1 with King Ahasuerus’ outrageous party. This lavish event brought about the fall of Queen Vashti, setting the stage for a young, Jewish girl to become queen. Through Queen Esther, God provided the preservation of His people.
This drama will whisk us away to the Persian court of King Ahasuerus, sixty years after the first return of Jewish exiles to Jerusalem, and after the temple in Jerusalem was rebuilt. Esther takes place at the same historic time as the events in Ezra, which describes the first and second returns of the Jews from the exile in Babylon.
At this time, Ahasuerus is on the throne, and he is a powerful, wealthy king. He had inherited this wealth from his father Darius, and he was not shy in showing it off. This is where our study will begin.
The theme of the book of Esther is God’s providential care for His people.
Our hope is that after our study of Esther, Romans 8:28 will come alive for us. We pray that the truth that “all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose” will have more meaning to us and that we will be more aware of the providence of God in our lives. We long to be followers of Christ who are confident that even when God is silent, He is still working, with exact precision, for His glory and our good.
Join us as we learn more about the character of God through this inspiring book. May we see the working of God’s hand in our own lives and be inspired to love God greatly all the more.
Let’s study God’s Word together!
This blog post is part of our For Such a Time as This series.
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