Introduction to the Book of Esther: The Sovereignty of God in Action
The book of Esther is well-known among Christian women’s groups. But at the same time, it’s one that we often view superficially.
We fall into the error of referencing Esther and her story to encourage ourselves and boost our self-esteem. We grab phrases like “chosen to be queens,” “this is our time,” etc., and forget what’s most essential message of the book of Esther.
This is a book that narrates the story of an ordinary woman, like you and like me; but since it belongs to God’s Word, it’s not about us or about Esther, it’s about God.
The story of Esther’s life summarized in this God-inspired book goes beyond a human kingdom, a brave woman, or man’s ambition.
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In each lesson we’ll see that it’s a reflection of what it means to live under God’s power, authority, and sovereignty. This series continues in the following lessons:
- What is God’s sovereignty?
- Recognizing God’s Sovereignty (Esther 1:1-2:20)
- The conflict when I’m under God’s sovereignty (Esther 2:21-4:3)
- An appointed time for everything (Esther 4)
- Our actions and God’s purpose (Esther 5-7)
- Source of joy, truth, and rejoicing (Esther 8-10)
- My Life under God’s Sovereignty
In this introduction to the book of Esther, we’ll answer several questions that Jen Wilkin, in her book “Women of the Word,” describes as archaeological questions—those that help us understand the context and purpose of the book more clearly.
Context of the Book of Esther
The book of Esther belongs to the Historical Narrative genre, narrating the story of events related to the Jews exiled in Persia under King Ahasuerus’s reign.
The biblical text begins: “Now it took place in the days of Ahasuerus, the Ahasuerus who reigned from India to Ethiopia over 127 provinces” (Esther 1:1). Ahasuerus is the Hebrew name of this king, known in history books as Xerxes I.
His reign extended from 486-465 BC in the region of Susa. So it’s between these years that the events narrated in the book of Esther occurred.
I remember that in one of my Humanities classes at university, while studying this era, mention was made of Xerxes and his queen Esther as real characters in human history. This is important to remind us that God’s Word is true.
The narrative must have been written after the reign concluded, since we have all the events, their conclusion, and even mention of what happened afterward and a reference to the written history of the reign to corroborate the facts (Esther 10).
In lesson 6, we’ll see in more detail the feast of Purim, which results from the events narrated in the previous chapters. One of the book’s original purposes is to make known the background of this feast and its importance in Jewish history.
For us today, this narrative; which is more intense than any Netflix series, full of intrigue, mysteries, suspense, and much more; reveals God’s work amid all the details of life and His creation; it encourages us to rest and act amid God’s sovereignty.
Why is a book that doesn’t mention God part of the Bible?
I want to close this introduction with a curious fact: in this book there’s no mention of God whatsoever. We’ll see the practice of fasting, the meaning of being Jewish (God’s people), but we don’t hear God’s name.
As we’ll see in the upcoming lessons, God is present in everything. He governs over all and fulfills His will in everything.
Although we don’t see His name explicitly in this narrative, He continues being its author and agent.
For this reason we call the study: The Sovereignty of God in Action. His power and authority is real and is acting at all times, whether we’re conscious of it or not.
Whether we want to recognize it or not, God is acting out His purpose and maintains His government over everything.
This is the attribute of God we’ll pay most attention to during this study. Our goal is that we can recognize that God is sovereign and what this implies for our lives.
In the next lesson of this series, we’ll study what God’s omnipotence, sovereignty, and providence mean.
