Tell me about the book of esther

God sovereignly used an orphaned, timid foreigner, esther, to thwart the heinous plan through her presence in the right place at the right time with the right face. Good news translation go and get all the jews in susa together. He may not always do it in the way we think he should, but the book of esther shows that he is in control even when we dont see him. Esther bible study chapter 5 prayer and the power of the. Whether you are looking for a keynote speaker or someone to add a little extra energy to your event, look no further. The book of esther tells a story of the deliverance of the jewish people. In the narrative, ahasuerus seeks a new wife after his queen, vashti, refuses to obey him, and esther is chosen for her beauty. The coincidences, the amazing reversals, and the poetic justice that led to the deliverance of the jews in persia all proclaim the presence of god. Ethical dilemma in the book of esther this paper will summarize the book of esther, chapters 110, from the life application study bible. The book of esther describes the jewish heroine esther, who saved the jewish people in persia from annihilation during the reign of king xerxes i ahasuerus of persia, who ruled from 486 to 465 bc. Naturally, being a rather unstable fellow, ahasuerus firesslashdivorces her. Neither mordecai, esther, nor the feast of purim is mentioned. Esther 7, new living translation nlt the bible app.

Esther was a jewish woman who was selected by the king to replace his queen. It also reveals deep and abiding spiritual truths about gods power to deliver us from danger and oppression, even when despotic rulers plan to do evil to gods people. The book of esther may not directly mention god, yet it clearly reveals god at work. Woven into gods plans are the most minute details of human history.

The lesson here is that gods timing is always immaculate and the book of esther reminds the reader of this and esthers place on the throne at this exact time would save the jews from extermination. When it was esthers turn to go before the king, he immediately found her the most attractive and beautiful of all woman and placed the royal crown on her head. Esther summary esther is written during the period of the captivity. I think we are going to find that esther is a book rich in content for us about god and his plan. If i have found favor with you, o king, and if it pleases your majesty, grant me my lifethis is my petition, and the life of my peoplethis is my request.

As the days of feasting draw to a close, he summons his wife, vashti, to show off her beauty by appearing wearing only her crown. The book of esther presents us, as teachers, with an incredible opportunity to tell a dramatic and captivating story. The book of esther is a dramatic account of gods special and purposeful plan for our lives. Esther was soft and there seemed to be zero accountability, zero ownership and zero discipline on the wifes part. In fact, god is not directly mentioned by name in the book of esther. Today we are beginning a new studya new expository sermon serieson the book of esther. With the jewish holiday of purim right around the corner, it occurs to me that the central text of this holiday, the book of esther, has. The contents may be somewhat graphic or difficult to read, but these are stories from around the world, things women have experienced and often leave. As a motivational speaker, esther shares the message of connection and hope. Esther 3 new international version niv hamans plot to destroy the jews. Bible studies in the book of esther esther chapter 5.

The unknown author of the book of esther was most likely a jew very familiar with the royal persian court. His name is not written in the book, but his fingerprints, as we say, are all over it. On this second occasion, while they were drinking wine, the. Book of esther overview insight for living ministries. Esther is described in the book of esther as a jewish queen of the persian king ahasuerus. It is a short story similar to the book of ruth, starting in the palace of shushan susa, one out of the three capitals of the persian empire.

The book of esther is one of only two books in the bible named for women. Esther bible story summary what christians want to know. Mordecai, however, didnt tell the king about a major detailesthers jewish heritage. As scripture reveals, esther is a jewish woman living in persia and reared by her cousin mordecai. The story told in the book of esther takes place during the rule of ahasuerus, who amongst others has been identified as the 5thcentury persian king xerxes i. A story of the providence of god in a pagan land page 4 introduction to the book the book of esther is the only book in the bible that does not mention the name of god. The book of esther, also known in hebrew as the scroll, is a book in the third section of the jewish tanakh and in the christian old testament. The book of esther describes how the jewish holiday of purim came to be. Gods name is not even mentioned once in the book of esther. Esthers beauty won her hegais favor and she was given special attention. The book of esther begins with the queen of king ahasuerusvashtisnubbing the kings request to meet with her. We saw in the last study that queen esther had, after some initial resistance, obeyed mordecai and made the decision to go to the king without being summoned. Esther is the heroine of the book and vashti needs to be removed to make room for her. Childs notes the typology which the writer uses in identifying haman and mordecai through genealogies when he writes, haman, the enemy of the jews, is portrayed as the son of hammedatha, the agagite 3.

Esther then ask the jews to fast about this for three days and three nights esther 4. The book of esther would also encourage them to worship the god of israel, though he is not mentioned by name in it ibid. Although we do not know who wrote the book of esther, from internal evidence it is possible to make some inferences about the author and the date of composition. Can you tell me about esther in the old testament answers. The book purports to explain how the feast of purim came to be celebrated by the jews.

The author is unknown, but some biblical scholars conclude that it was mordecai, himself, who wrote the book of esther. In the story of esther, youll meet a beautiful, young queen who risked her life to serve god and save her people. Esther is written during the period of the captivity. The story forms the core of the jewish festival of purim, during which it is read aloud twice. I imagine esther as a dropdead gorgeous woman with. His eyes behold, his eyelids test the children of men.

The book of esther opens with a description of an enormous 180day party thrown by king achashverosh in his 3rd year as king of the persian empire, ruling over 127 provinces. Part of her mission is to challenge the cultural stigma that surrounds cancer in her community. Now he needs to pick a new queen and eventually manages to select esthera comely, young secretly jewish woman who is a part of his harem. Esther, the beautiful jewish wife of the persian king ahasuerus xerxes i. We are shown a persian emperor, ahasuerus loosely based on xerxes, 485464 b. Score a books total score is based on multiple factors, including the number of people who have voted for it and how highly those voters ranked the book. Watch our overview video on the book of esther, which breaks down the. The book of esther is unique in that it is one of the only two books in the bible named for women the other, of course, is ruth. It is clear that the author was a jew, both from his emphasis on the origin of a jewish festival and from the jewish nationalism that permeates the story.

A survey of the content of the book of esther theme. Its one of the most beautiful books in the bible and so full of great takeaways for the modern christian woman today. The book of esther 6 powerful life lessons from the bible. This book is also the reason why the jewish people created the jewish festivity of purim, which is celebrated annually amongst all jewish people in the world. Unlike the many other books in the bible, throughout whole book of esther, the word god is not mentioned once. Read below for some more fun and interesting facts on the book of esther. Esther was the heroine and central figure in the book of esther, which is now recognised by biblical scholars to have been a secondcenturybce jewish novel. There was a plot to commit genocide against jews living in persia. Esthers decree was written down in the official records, and is still celebrated by the jews today. Christopher ash on teaching esther the gospel coalition. At the second party, esther tells the king that haman wishes to. The book of esther was likely written between 467 and 350 b. The detailed descriptions of court life and traditions. If you want to experiment sexually dont get married or at least tell the guy youre marrying you want an open relationship.

Thus, in times of exile, the book of esther is especially treasured. Thus, seeing vashti as a tragic figure interferes with the jewish readers enjoyment of vashtis fall. The image of vashti as a jewshaming libertine justifies the replacement of vashti by esther, and allows the reader to root for esther and enjoy vashti. The book of esther is a story about a girl chosen to be queen and stopped the plot to destroy all the jews living in persia. The book of esther described part of the jewish diaspora that stayed behind in persia and did not return to jerusalem during the restoration. The story of esther reads like a movie plot, with a beautiful queen risking her life to prevent genocide. She was brave and good the noble esther even risked her own death when she defended israel against haman. We tend to want to make judgments and draw conclusions about the motives and morality of the characters.

These books are all relatively short and are part of ketuvim the writings portion of. The book of esther describes the jewish heroine esther and is the source of the. No other woman in biblical history has had such direct and farreaching influence on the religious practices of her people. It relates the story of a hebrew woman in persia, born as hadassah but known as esther, who becomes queen of persia and thwarts a genocide of her people. Esther perel is recognized as one of todays most insightful and provocative voices on personal and professional relationships. Fiction books about and centered around queen esther and her story. The bible tells and advice the women to reference their husband according to. He told esther about the conspiracy, and she reported it to xerxes, giving. T he story of esther reads like a novel and is full of great spiritual lessons. This is like a special funfact not many people notice about the book of esther. It is a collection of author esther zufelts poems with the aim of releasing individuals, specifically women, who have been victims of sexual abuse. The book of esther tells a compelling story, dramatic and exciting, with clearly defined heroes and villains.

Bring together all the jews in susa and tell them to go without eating for my sake. She averts the plot against her people and has the royal decree of extermination reversed against hamman and the enemies of the jews. The book of esther tells a story of conspiracy and genocide that was eventually thwarted by a jewish queen of persia. What spiritual lessons can we learn from this book. As scripture reveals, esther is a jewish woman living in persia and. The kings chief adviser, haman, is offended by esthers cousin and guardian, mordecai, and gets permission from the king to have all the jews in the kingdom killed. Even though you may not see god in your daily circumstances, trust him and follow his plan.

Additionally, this paper will discuss the ethical issues within the book of esther and the outcomes of the ethical decisions made by esther, king xerxes i, haman, and mordecai. Esther 3 hamans plot to destroy the jews bible gateway. The book of esther, by king xerxes i, haman, and mordecai. The story gives us six powerful lessons about courage, divine timing and gods love supreme. Introduction esther was a jew from the tribe of benjamin who grew up as an exile in persia. Esther was careful however to not tell anyone her nationality, as mordecai had warned her not to. The name esther means star and is a derivation of the root name of the goddess ishtar. This is one of the reasons our sages tell us9 that, in the messianic era, the book of esther will have a special significance, even more so than the other books of scripture.