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An Invitation to Esther

Words of Faith Final

An Invitation to Esther

Words of Faith 5-21-2021

Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy © 2008, 2021

Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com

Faith Fellowship Church - Melbourne, FL

www.faithfellowshipweb.com

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       A Scripture that is often quoted in Christian circles is 2 Tim. 3:16 stating that "all Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness."   We affirm that the entire Bible has a message from God, yet we often tend to reside in the safe and familiar Scriptures we have learned to love while avoiding others.   Some Christians even have particular neglect for the Hebrew Scriptures, which, interestingly our Lord Jesus treasured.  For this reason, an invitation to consider devotionally a lesser-known book from our Hebrew heritage is in order.

       The book of Esther has presented a problem for Christian believers as well as Jewish scholars for several reasons.  The main issue is that the book of Esther is one of two books in the Bible that does not mention the name of God.   While there may be some logical reasons for this, the book also displays a rather vengeful behavior against persecutors. The book of Esther also seems to lack any clear moral teaching regarding some very troubling ethical situations. 

      For these reasons, many have simply avoided Esther or dismissed it as simply a tract recounting the origin of a Jewish festival called Purim.  But if we take seriously that this account is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness, is there not perhaps more here for us?   Perhaps there are some powerful lessons to be learned in the ambiguities of Esther's story.

        I invite you to take a fresh devotional look at Esther.  Let us consider together what God might teach us-- rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness-- in a book inspired by God, but in which God is largely silent.  A book in which God's name is not mentioned, but in which He is clearly active. A book that relates to us a time in which decisions were difficult and decision-makers were human.  Can we relate to such a book?

        That we may learn what God has for us in the book of Esther, it is good to reflect on the way Scripture teaches us.  Sometimes the biblical narrative shows very human people.  These incidents are not given as examples of how we should act as people as much as they reveal how much we need God.  Biblical accounts do not necessarily teach us how we should act; in fact, they often show us how we should not act.  Just think of how Abraham passed off his wife as his sister (Gen. 12:10), or how Lot chose to live with the wicked people of Sodom (Gen. 19), or how David committed adultery with Bathsheba (1 Sam. 11).  On many occasions, we see the rebuke of God, but always, we see that God is at work even in things that are not in themselves "good."

         The story of Esther has an interesting parallel to the Book of Exodus in which the people of Israel are delivered from their enemies through the very prominent activity of God.  In Esther, however, God is at work but in ways that are much more subtle and we see the heroic activity of people as a central theme.  There is also a parallel in Esther to the story of Joseph, who rose to power in the house of Egypt to save his people.   However, in Esther, there are many more difficult questions regarding the ethics and activities of the heroine.

        A devotional study of Esther will grapple with several poignant questions.  Are there times when God is silent?  Times when His name is not heard?  Is God still at work even when politics have run amok?  What happens when we allow pride to rule in our lives?  Are there times when we must take destiny into our own hands?  Is God still at work even in such situations?  We know that sometimes bad things happen to good people, but what happens when good people do bad things for understandable reasons?  How do those once persecuted handle victory?  Intrigued?

 

     The CONTEXT - The book of Esther tells the dramatic story of a terrible plot against the Jewish people in Persia under the reign of King Xerxes.  Esther lived in the capital of the vast Medo-Persian empire, which incorporated the provinces of Media and Persia, as well as the previous empires of Assyria and Babylon.  This area includes modern Iraq and Iran. 

      Esther, a Jewess, was chosen by King Xerxes to be his queen. The story of how she saved her people takes place in the palace of the city of Susa.  Through the heroic efforts of Esther and her cousin, Mordecai, a great evil was averted and the Jews in Persia were saved from an ancient "final solution" that had been plotted by the Prime Minister, Haman. The Feast of Purim is established as an annual reminder of God's faithfulness on behalf of His people. 

      The story takes place after Zerubbabel had led the first group to return to Jerusalem after the end of the forced exile but before Ezra led a second group.  The majority of Jews in this time, about 473 BC, continued to live dispersed throughout the Mediterranean region and further east.  Esther gives us a look at life among the dispersed Jews and the struggles they faced. 

 

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© Jeffrey D. Hoy 2008, 2021

Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy - Faith Fellowship Church (EFCA)       

2820 Business Center Blvd.

Melbourne, Florida 32940 (321)-259-7200

Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com

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The Words of Faith devotion is published five days a week by E-mail, excluding Federal holidays. Please feel free to forward this devotion to a friend who might be blessed by this devotion. Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture is quoted from the New International Version (R) of The Holy Bible. Copyright (c) 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved. Words of Faith (c) 1997, 2010 Jeffrey D. Hoy. All rights reserved. Permission is granted to forward this copyrighted material or use portions of it with appropriate notation of the source for non-profit purposes.