ESTHER, primer

ESTHER

Fancy dinners both begin and end this story, and no less than eight other banquets play a role in the middle. Read this “feast for the eyes” to learn why Jewish people still celebrate the exciting party of Purim.


What Makes Esther Special
Esther is one of the best stories in the Bible. It has a plot full of twists and interesting characters. It is also a type of story in the Jewish tradition, depicting people who go through trials and triumphs in foreign courts. The hero of the story is a woman, Esther, which was unusual for the times in which the story was written. In this tale, she is able to hide her secret of being Jewish at the Persian court and risks her own life to save her people.

Why Was Esther Written?
It seems that Esther was written primarily to explain the Jewish festival of Purim celebrated in the month of Adar, which is in the mid-February/mid-March. Purim is a lively party where celebrants are encouraged to let themselves go in carefree enjoyment of the moment.

But behind the lively parties that fill the book of Esther, evil schemes, plots and design to annihilate the Jews lurk behind. The story of Esther highlights the crucial decision a young Jewish lady had to make: stay in the comfort of the King’s palace as his favored queen, or take the risk, approach the King without invitation and beg for mercy in behalf of her people. But Mordecai, Esther’s cousin posed this challenge to her “It could be that you were made queen for a time like this!” (v14b). Because of Esther’s bravery, the Jews were saved from annihilation.

ESTHER emphasizes the triumph of good over evil. And it is this triumph that the Jews celebrate during the festival of Purim.

Curiously, ESTHER is the only biblical book that does not mention God directly. But ESTHER shows that God was genuinely concerned about the plight of the Jews. The writer of ESTHER would like to show that God’s presence may be seen as the guiding force that makes Esther queen and protects the Jewish people. ESTHER beautifully reminds the reader that God places each one of us in crucial position in human history to be instrument of God’s saving act. If each one of us participates with God, then God’s deliverance will take effect.

Famous Verse: Esther 4:14b
“It could be that you were made queen for a time like this!” (CEV)