The Book of Esther

After the Babylonian Empire was defeated and replaced by the Persians, the center of government for the Jewish exiles transferred to Persia. The setting for the story of Esther is the city of Susa, the Persian capital. Esther became queen of Persia in 478 BC.


The importance of the role of Queen Esther comes not only because of how she helped save her people from destruction, but also because she brought them security and respect in a foreign land.


The book has two purposes. 1. It was written to show how God protects and rescued the Jewish people for annihilation through the courage of Queen Esther. It was also written to provide a historical background for the Jewish feast of Purim, a celebration that has lasted through the generations. Purim celebrates how God rescued and preserved the Jewish people in Persia, much like the Passover Feast recalls the Israelites great escape from Egypt.


Esther provides a character study of the five main persons involved in the story: 1. Xerxes, the Persian king; 2. Haman, Xerxe's prime minister; 3. Vashti, who was the queen before Esther; 4. Esther, the beautiful Jewish orphan who became queen of the Persian Empire; and 5. Mordecai, Esther's righteous cousin who adopted and raised her as his daughter. Esther, of course, is the heroine of the story. Haman helps to hinder and prevent Haman's evil plot from being carried out. In the end, Mordecai is promoted to Haman's former position. The key figure behind the events in this book is Mordecai because his godly influence guided Queen Esther.


God's care, provision and control over circumstances are clearly shown throughout the entire book.


Five special features characterize the book of Esther. 1. It is one of two books in the Bible named after a woman. The other book is Ruth. 2. The book begins and ends with a celebration feast, and it records a total of ten feasts, or banquets. Much of the books drama unfolds during and surrounding these events. 3. Esther is the last of the five scrolls in the third part of the Hebrew Bible. 4. Though the book mentions a three-day fast, there are no direct references to God, worship or prayer. 5. Though God's name appears nowhere in Esther, His care, provision and control are evident everywhere. There is not a more powerful picture in all the Bible of God's hand in preserving the Jewish people despite the demonic hatred of their enemies.


Haman's hatred for the Jews and his plot to completely destroy all Jews in the Persian Empire is an Old Testament type of the New Testament antichrist, who will try to destroy all Jews and Christians at the end of history.