Students of the bible know that fasting was done to draw closer to god and was accompanied by heartfelt prayers daniel 9. Beth moore esther its tough being a woman published by lifeway press. Among these women is a jewish orphan named esther, who was raised by her cousin or uncle, mordecai 2. With scripture memory, daily study, and group discussion questions, this resource is ideal for both individual and group study. The book demonstrates how god works in the lives of his people, both then. The book of esther tells the heroic tale of a jewish woman who risks everything to save her people from the threat of genocide. Interestingly, it appears john is telling us in john 5 that jesus celebrated purim so that is possibly another link between esther and christ. It is a syroarabian modification of the persian word satarah, which means a star. The 2 books of the bible that dont mention god overviewbible. Esther was a young jewish girl living in persia who became the queen of king xerxes 485465 b. I remembered reading once that god s name appears in esther in. Bible book number 17esther watchtower online library. Purim, rooted in the book of esther, celebrates the exceptional theme of secrecy and hiding. Satans work through the nephilim of which hamaan was a descendent was continuing, and thus satan was working to destroy the jewish nation and hinder the fulfillment of the promise of a redeemer.
How can a book which fails to mention not only the name of god, but also prayer, worship, the coming messiah, heaven, hell or faith, be included in. 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. Landscape the story of esther takes place during the reign of king xerxes i of persia, primarily in the kings palace in susa, the capital of the persian empire. The name of god is hidden several times in acrostics in the book of esther. The story of esther is a great testimony to gods might, protection and faithfulness to his people and also to the whole world. As far as the dramas in scripture are concerned, the book of esther is an anomaly. Mordecai and esther act in faith throughout the book. Still today, the book is read in its entirety in synagogues on the jewish feast of purim. The book of esther, like much of the bible, tells the story of gods involvement with his people. One distinguishing characteristic is that its the only biblical book that does not mention god by name. Hidden acrostics an acrostic is when the initial letter of each line spells out a word, and it can be used as a mechanism for including a hidden message.
Dear students of god s word, there is a study by professor e. This summary of the book of esther provides information about the title, author s, date of writing, chronology, theme, theology, outline, a brief overview, and the chapters of the book of esther. It is the only book in the bible that doesnt mention gods name. Gods name is not even mentioned once in the book of esther. I remembered reading once that gods name appears in esther in.
Satans work through the nephilim of which hamaan was a descendent was continuing, and. For example, when esther asks the jews to fast, we can assume this included prayer est. We dont know for sure if mordecai had gods promises to abraham and david in mind when he claimed that the jews would be delivered es 4. Aug 15, 2018 it is true that god is not mentioned at all in the book of esther, but then again it is. But like shakespeares plays, every page beers testimony to its author. It has been noted by many commentators that esther is the only book of the bible in which there does not appear the name of god, or any divine title, anywhere in the book. In esthers story, gods involvement is implicit rather than explicit. Levi lusko, lead pastor of fresh life church esther fleece allen calls believers to walk in the strength and hope of their godgiven identity and does so with great depth, compassion, and. Take, for instance, the time that king ahasuerus could not sleep and his servant just happened to read the records of the time that mordecai saved the kings life esther 6. The lord gave me that very book to read yesterday as i waited in our car for my wife to do attend to some administrative works. The book of esther has 167 verses there are 192 references to the king, kingdom, or name of ahasuerus.
Though gods name is not mentioned, all of the events the downfall of vashti and rise of esther, mordecais discovery of the assassination plot, the shortlived exaltation of haman, the insomnia of the king, the book read to the king reminding him of mordecais heroics and the exaltation of the jewish people reflect the providential. Friend, the name of god is not in the book of esther, but please see that only god can do what just happened. Address requests for additional permissions in writing to leadership and adult publishing. Finally, the book of esther may not mention god because the emphasis is on gods providence. Gods name in the book of esther by angus mac killop. Behind each scene you can see the shadow of the almighty directing from the wings.
Yet esther, of all the biblical books outside of the torah, is the only one that addresses the origin of a new festival. The book of esther is designed to show gods providential care of his people. The names are indeed unattested in persian texts as gods, however the talmud sanhedrin 61b and rashi both. Though the name of god is not mentioned, the hand of god, ruling and overruling the events for the preservation of his people, can be seen throughout. Gods justice calls you to inner courts and high places, and gives you favor in. He has also brought out the fact that the name jehovah is in the book of esther. Morde chai is teaching esther the most important lesson of leadership. The book of esther and purim secrecy and hiding god. The book of esther, also known in hebrew as the scroll megillah, is a book in the third section ketuvim, writings of the jewish tanakh the hebrew bible and in the christian old testament. Gods name in the book of esther his kingdom prophecy posted on december 25, 2011 by angus mackillop september 10, 2012 perhaps since sunday school, i had known the book of esther as being the only book in the bible in which the name of god is missing. Esther is the most secular of the biblical books, making no reference to gods name, to the temple, to prayer, or to distinctive jewish practices such as kashrut keeping kosher. She was a jewess named hadassah the myrtle, but when she entered the royal harem she received the name by which she henceforth became known esther 2. In this sixweek study, explore the subject of gods providence, walking verse by verse through the book of esther. Landscape the story of esther takes place during the reign of king xerxes i of persia, primarily in the king s palace in susa, the capital of the persian empire.
Despite all that, however, esther shows gods work in preparing for the coming of the messiah. The name purim, or lots, was likely given in a sense of irony, because haman, the enemy of the jews, had plotted to completely destroy them by casting the lot esther 9. The fate of gods chosen people is at the very center of the story, but god seems to remain in the shadows. In fact, gods name is not mentioned once, though his influence permeates the narrative. Still today, the book is read in its entirety in synagogues. It is one of the five scrolls megillot in the hebrew bible. The book takes its name from the beautiful, orphaned jewess. Perhaps since sunday school, i had known the book of esther as being the only book in the bible in which the name of god is missing. The hidden god of esther scroll of esther from the jewish museum near the dohany synagogue in budapest, hungary. Jan 02, 2020 so, even though gods name is not directly mentioned, esther is involved in a religious observance meant to supplicate gods mercy. But like shakespeare s plays, every page beer s testimony to its author. Jul 18, 2018 the book of esther is rather odd because it is the only book of the bible in which the name of god appears to be missing martin luther considered excluding it from the bible for this reason 1.
The book of esther, though divinely inspired scripture, doesnt mention god by any name or title. Gods justice clothes you with royal robes see esther 5. This fact has caused some to question its place in the biblical canon, but, in reality, the absence of gods name fits perfectly with the theme of the book. The most popular traditions are mordecai a major character in the book of esther, ezra, and nehemiah who would have been familiar with persian customs. Apart from the fact that gods name does not occur in esther 1 a quality the apocryphal book shares only with the song of solomon the purim story is used as a prime example of how god operates in a concealed manner to perform miracles on behalf of the. Dear students of gods word, there is a study by professor e. Martin luther favored eliminating it from the bible on this basis. Sep 19, 2017 purim, rooted in the book of esther, celebrates the exceptional theme of secrecy and hiding. There are those who want to say that the book of esther is neither inspired nor beneficial but is simply a beautiful legend. Gods grace in life of esther first presbyterian church of. All the evidence points to the book of esther as being part of the holy bible, inspired of god and beneficial. It is the only book in the bible that doesnt mention god s name.
But words from god would make a good foundation for those beliefs. For traditional jewish commentators, the absence of gods name did not mean that god was absent from the book. Nonetheless, in this short book consisting of just 167 verses, the median king is mentioned 192 times, his kingdom is referred to 26 times, and his. Esther used her god given position to save her fellow jews from a plot to exterminate them. Her failure to do so caused the king the become very angry angry to the point of divorcing her and seeking a new wife. Gods grace in life of esther first presbyterian church. The book of esther is rather odd because it is the only book of the bible in which the name of god appears to be missing martin luther considered excluding it from the bible for this reason 1. Despite all that, however, esther shows god s work in preparing for the coming of the messiah. Although gods name is never mentioned in the book of esther, his presence and power are evident as he orchestrates the details of this story. The book of esther does not specifically name its author. This has led some modern scholars to claim that the book was originally intended as a purely secular history. The divine name is hidden, but the secret is revealed in the acrostics. Ester is het enige bijbelboek waarin god niet expliciet genoemd wordt, zo wordt in protestantse kringen wel.
Levi lusko, lead pastor of fresh life church esther fleece allen calls believers to walk in the strength and hope of their god given identity and does so with great depth, compassion, and richness of biblical teaching that we find restorative. Satans work through the nephilim of which hamaan was a. The book of esther in hebrew is secular in nature, in that the name of god, the temple, and prayer are not mentioned. When we read the book of esther, we never read gods name. Unlike the many other books in the bible, throughout whole book of esther, the word god is not mentioned once. The image of god that appears in the national, canonical book. Why doesnt the book of esther directly mention god.
Even though the name of god is not mentioned in it, no book of the bible teaches his providence more forcefully. The only real criterion for the kings new wife is beauty. Even without directly mentioning god or his name, it provides us sterling. Now that israel has been released from captivity, haman s edict is the final major effort in the ot. Dec 25, 2011 gods name in the book of esther his kingdom prophecy posted on december 25, 2011 by angus mackillop september 10, 2012 perhaps since sunday school, i had known the book of esther as being the only book in the bible in which the name of god is missing. As a result of the use of acrostics, the name of god is indeed found. But the satanic spirit of amalek has not given up its vendetta against gods chosen people. The book covers a period of about 12 years, falling somewhere between the events recorded in the sixth and seventh chapters of ezra. In addition, the author showed gods involvement through an incredible string of coincidences. Esther a2 classic bible study guide 2 introduction the book of esther is a graphic narrative, which relates how god s people were preserved from ruin during the fifth century b. Gods name is never mentioned explicitl y in the book of esther but is hint ed at throughout. When god seems far away book of esther unlocking the bible. Esther used her godgiven position to save her fellow jews from a plot to exterminate them.
Mordecai is a man of integrity, and esther is a selfsacrificial heroine. Here are some reasons why gods name may not have been referenced in esther. Esther a2 classic bible study guide 2 introduction the book of esther is a graphic narrative, which relates how gods people were preserved from ruin during the fifth century b. How can a book which fails to mention not only the name of god, but also prayer, worship, the coming messiah, heaven, hell or faith, be included in the canon of the old testament. For the religion of the jews, god appears as a character in the national book, the hebrew bible. This is like a special funfact not many people notice about the book of esther. The book takes its name from the beautiful, orphaned jewess who became the queen of the persian king ahasuerus. It is true that god is not mentioned at all in the book of esther, but then again it is. The book of esther is one of the most beautiful stories in all literature. The book of esther, also known in hebrew as the scroll megillah, is a book in the third. Jul 23, 2017 though gods name is not mentioned, all of the events the downfall of vashti and rise of esther, mordecais discovery of the assassination plot, the shortlived exaltation of haman, the insomnia of the king, the book read to the king reminding him of mordecais heroics and the exaltation of the jewish people reflect the providential. The book of esther gets its name from the central character of the book. Jul 24, 2012 for example, the book of esther accurately describes the way persians honored a man.
Why is the name of god not mentioned in megillat esther. The book of esther is one of two biblical books that never mention god. Your new name is a beautiful tool to help us do just that. So, even though gods name is not directly mentioned, esther is involved in a religious observance meant to supplicate gods mercy. Using a word play with the name esther and the hebrew word for hide astir, the talmud connects the narrative of esther to the prophecy in deuteronomy. Bullinger, published in 1999, by the same title the name of jehovah in the book of esther, which has added information on this subject, the least being, that there is abundant proof that these acrostics are no more the mere work of man than are the acrostics in the other parts. Jun 18, 2019 the name purim, or lots, was likely given in a sense of irony, because haman, the enemy of the jews, had plotted to completely destroy them by casting the lot esther 9. We see how every aspect is perfectly timed, and every obstacle is moved aside by the hand of god. Permission is granted to store, print, and distribute this document for its intended use. Indeed, there is no direct reference to god at all.
Note that this was not a form of secret bible code but of literary composition. For the same reason we have the divine title the god of heaven as characterizing the book ezra nehemiah. The book of esther was likely written between 460 and 350 b. Hiervoor voert zij met name het volgende bewijsmateriaal aan. Bullinger points out that some hebrew scholars have found. Apart from the fact that gods name does not occur in esther 1 a quality the apocryphal book shares only with the song of solomon the purim story is used as a prime example of how god operates in a concealed manner to perform miracles on behalf of the jewish people.
The book of esther 6 powerful life lessons from the bible. The book of esther may not have gods name stated directly, but his involvement is felt in many ways throughout the story, especially when esther implored the people to seek help through fasting. The emphasis on the providence and the provision of god make this journal a musthave for anyone. The book of esther is one of only two books in the hebrew bible that never mention god the other is the song of songs.
Unlike the rest of the bible, however, this book shows gods work indirectly. However, the silences of gods word, like its utterance, are full of instruction, and e w bullinger has found much teaching in the absence of jehovahs name from this old testament book. Gods sovereignty in esther the first act of gods sovereignty in the book of esther, reading chronologically, is the fact that queen vashti refused to come into king xerxes presence. As the first to attack israel after their deliverance from egypt, the amalekites were viewed and the author of esther views them as the epitome of all the powers of the world arrayed against god s people see nu 24. Jul 17, 2014 friend, the name of god is not in the book of esther, but please see that only god can do what just happened. It can be seen arising in the inexplicable hatred of jews throughout the ages even from the church at times.
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