Esther: The Shadows of Providence
The Book of Esther Session 1
Introduction: The King Dethrones the Queen
(Esther 1:1-12)

“Esther, as compared to the rest of the Old Testament, is like falling from heaven to earth.” – Heinrich Ewald

Introduction
Esther is an obscure book to many. It is a story of human love, palace intrigue, and the glory days of the Persian Empire. A Jewish maiden, elevated to the Throne of Persia as queen, is used by God to preserve His people against a Hitler-like annihilation… The Book of Esther commemorates the deliverance celebrated, to this day—the Feast of Purim. It is, in the end, an account of God’s providence in the people of Israel.
Puzzles
• No mention of the name of God;
• No reference to worship or faith;
• No prediction of the Messiah;
• No mention of heaven or hell…nothing “religious” about it.
• It is a gripping tale, but why is it here in the Bible? Is it a revelation of God’s providence? Martin Luther believed it should not be part of the Canon!
• Esther = means “Something Hidden”(!)
• [The name of YHWH is hidden inside the text in several ways…]
Paul reveals that the historic incidents that happened to Israel are intended as types for us:
Romans 15:4 (NKJV), “For whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that we through the patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope.”
Examples include:
– Feasts of Israel = prophetic implications (Passover, Firstfruits, etc.);
– Days of Noah;
– Abraham’s Offering of Isaac;
– Jonah, three days…
The story behind the story: Ourselves.
Bible = To know God; to know ourselves!
Time Period
Chronologically, it antedates the Book of Nehemiah by about 30 years. Esther makes possible Nehemiah. It was Esther’s marriage to the King of Persia that ultimately leads to the rebuilding of Jerusalem.
These are historical events: not just a story to highlight a moral imperative. It deals with an escape from annihilation after their return from Babylonian captivity and enables the chain of events that led to the Messiah five centuries later.
The book takes place in the Persian period (539-331 b.c.), after many Israelites had returned from the Exile to the land of Palestine to rebuild the temple. Most Israelite captives, however, chose not to return to their homeland. They should have done so for Isaiah and Jeremiah had urged the yet-to-be-exiled nation to come out of Babylon after 70 years (Isa 48:20; Jer 29:10 50:8; 51:6) and return to the place where the Lord could bless them under the promises (Deut 28).

The events in the Book of Esther extend over a decade:
- From 483 b.c., Xerxes’ 3rd year; Esther 1:3
- to 473 b.c., the end of Xerxes’ 12th year; Esther 3:7
The events in this book occurred between those recorded in Ezra 6 & 7.
Festival of Purim
We are going to learn about the origins of the festival of Purim. Purim is a celebration of deliverance. In contrast to Hanukkah, another festival of deliverance in which the achievement of religious liberty is celebrated, and the preservation of Israel is remembered. Purim commemorates the preservation of the Jewish people.
Outline
I. Affairs in the court and the Dethronement of Vashti - Chapter 1
II. The search for the new Queen - Chapter 2
III. The feud between Haman and Mordecai - Chapter 3
IV. Mordecai’s plan - Chapter 4
V. Pride goes before the fall - Chapter 5
VI. Haman’s humiliation - Chapter 6
VII. Haman’s downfall - Chapter 7
VIII. Esther’s petition - Chapter 8
IX. The day of vengeance - Chapter 9
X. The observance of Purim - Chapter 10

READ (All) Esther 1:1-12

A QUEEN IS DEPOSED
King Ahasuerus (Xerxes) holds a grand feast.
1) (Esther 1:1-2) King Ahasuerus and his domain.
[1] Now it came to pass in the days of Ahasuerus (this was the Ahasuerus who reigned over one hundred and twenty-seven provinces, from India to Ethiopia),

a) It came to pass in the days of Ahasuerus: This king Ahasuerus is well known to history, though more commonly under the name Xerxes. He inherited the vast Persian Empire from his father, Darius I (who is mentioned in passages such as Ezra 4:24, 5:5-7, 6:1-15; Daniel 6:1 and 6:25; Haggai 1:15 and 2:10).
i) Does having great wealth or power assure people that they will live a life of meaning and purpose?
ii) “…Ahasuerus”: His Persian name was Khshayarsha, which in Hebrew becomes Ahasuerus, and in the Greek language, Xerxes. His father was Darius I, and his grandfather was Cyrus the Great.
iii) Ahasuerus - This is a title, like Pharaoh or Caesar.
b) “…Ethiopia” [Cush]: A term for the upper Nile region, which included present-day southern Egypt, all of Sudan, and northern Ethiopia.

c) The fact of the existence of this king and circumstance is extremely well attested; archaeologists have discovered the ruins of the very palace where these events happened.

[2] in those days when King Ahasuerus sat on the throne of his kingdom, which was in Shushan the citadel,

d) In those days when King Ahasuerus sat on the throne of his kingdom: At this time (approximately 483 B.C.), Ahasuerus was planning for a doomed invasion of Greece, which would take place several years later. At this time the city of Athens was in its classical glory and in Greece they were celebrating the 79th Olympic games.
i) Have you ever looked back on life and had regrets about some of the decisions you made? What is a healthy way to process your regrets?

ii) At this time, the Persian Empire was the largest the world had ever seen. It covered what we call today Turkey, Iraq, Iran, Pakistan, Jordan, Lebanon, and Israel; and also, parts of modern day Egypt, Sudan, Libya, and Arabia.

iii) Also at this time Ezra had returned to Jerusalem after it had been conquered by the Babylonians. The temple had been rebuilt some 30 years before, although more simply and without the glory of Solomon’s temple.

iv) In 40 years, under the successor of Ahasuerus (Artaxerxes Longimanus I), Nehemiah would return to Jerusalem to rebuild the walls of the previously conquered city.

2) (Esther 1:3-9) Three royal feasts.

[3] That in the third year of his reign he made a feast for all his officials and servants; the powers of Persia and Media, the nobles, and the princes of the provinces being before him;

a) He made a feast for all his officials and servants: The first feast was for all the government officials, where Ahasuerus showed off the glory and splendor of the riches of his kingdom. This feast lasted for 180 days and probably had as many as 15,000 people in attendance.
i) His drinking parties were well known. Xerxes did have an irrational temper, occasionally exhibiting fits of rage (Esther 1:12; 7:10). He did have a palace in Susa and a large harem there.

Proverbs 23:29-33 (NKJV), “Who has woe? Who has sorrow? Who has contentions? Who has complaints? Who has wounds without cause? Who has redness of eyes? Those who linger long at the wine, Those who go in search of mixed wine. Do not look on the wine when it is red, When it sparkles in the cup, When it swirls around smoothly; At the last it bites like a serpent, And stings like a viper. Your eyes will see strange things, And your heart will utter perverse things. Yes, you will be like one who lies down in the midst of the sea, Or like one who lies at the top of the mast, saying: “They have struck me, but I was not hurt; They have beaten me, but I did not feel it. When shall I awake, that I may seek another drink?”
ii) What value do drinking parties add to life?

[4-5] when he showed the riches of his glorious kingdom and the splendor of his excellent majesty for many days, one hundred and eighty days in all. And when these days were completed, the king made a feast lasting seven days for all the people who were present in Shushan the citadel, from great to small, in the court of the garden of the king’s palace.

b) The king made a feast lasting seven days for all the people who were present in Shushan the citadel: The second feast was for the citizens of the capital city, Shushan and it lasted for seven days.

i) The basic reason for these feasts was, of course, pride. The king wanted to impress his subjects with a great display of his own wealth and power and majesty and generosity. This is typical of the way that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and those who are great exercise authority over them (Matthew 20:25). There is little doubt that Ahasuerus paid for this feast out of the public treasury.
ii) Why does God resist the proud? (James 4:6)

Matthew 20:25-26 (NKJV), “But Jesus called them to Himself and said, ‘You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and those who are great exercise authority over them.’ Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you, let him be your servant.”

[6-7] There were white and blue linen curtains fastened with cords of fine linen and purple on silver rods and marble pillars; and the couches were of gold and silver on a mosaic pavement of alabaster, turquoise, and white and black marble. And they served drinks in golden vessels, each vessel being different from the other, with royal wine in abundance, according to the generosity of the king.

c) There were white and blue linen curtains: In the ancient Hebrew, the white material is literally described as “white stuff.” This may be evidence that Esther was written with a man’s eye for decorating detail, not a woman’s.
[8] In accordance with the law, the drinking was not compulsory; for so the king had ordered all the officers of his household, that they should do according to each man’s pleasure.

d) In accordance with the law, the drinking was not compulsory: Among some of the ancients, each guest was obliged to have a drink with the current round, or else leave the party. At this second feast, the king command that each man could drink as he pleased.
i) Name some things that people do out of peer-pressure. How does this affect a person’s self-esteem.
Proverbs 23:20-21 (NKJV), “Do not mix with winebibbers, or with gluttonous eaters of meat; for the drunkard and the glutton will come to poverty, and drowsiness will clothe a man with rags.”

[9] Queen Vashti also made a feast for the women in the royal palace which belonged to King Ahasuerus.

e) Queen Vashti also made a feast for the women: The third feast, just like the kings feast, was for the women in the royal palace, and was conducted by the wife of king Ahasuerus, Queen Vashti.

1 John 2:15 (NKJV), “Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.”

i) What is about the world system that makes us think that we are better?

ii) The name “Vashti” means “beautiful woman.” (Vashti is identified as a granddaughter of Nebuchadnezzer in some Rabbinic sources.)

Queen Vashti is deposed.
3) (Esther 1:10-11) King Ahasuerus demands that Vashti display her beauty before the guests at the feast.

[10-11] On the seventh day, when the heart of the king was merry with wine, he commanded Mehuman, Biztha, Harbona, Bigtha, Abagtha, Zethar, and Carcas, seven eunuchs who served in the presence of King Ahasuerus, to bring Queen Vashti before the king, wearing her royal crown, in order to show her beauty to the people and the officials, for she was beautiful to behold.

a) When the heart of the king was merry with wine: The clear implication is that Ahasuerus was drunk.

b) To bring Queen Vashti before the king, wearing her royal crown: According to Jewish tradition, this request came from an argument among the men at the feast as to which country had the most beautiful women. Ahasuerus decided to settle the issue by putting his wife the queen on public display.
Proverbs 20:1 (NKJV), “Wine is a mocker, strong drink is a brawler, and whoever is led astray by it is not wise.”

c) For she was beautiful to behold: It is not specifically said, but the implication is that Vashti was expected to display herself in an immodest way.
1 Peter 3:3-4 (NKJV), “Do not let your adornment be merely outward- arranging the hair, wearing gold, or putting on fine apparel – rather let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God.”

i) The way you dress reflects your heart and says something about your attitude.

1 Timothy 2:9 (NKJV), “In like manner also, that the women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with propriety and moderation, not with braided hair or gold or pearls or costly clothing.”
ii) What are some things to consider as you pick your clothes?

4) (Esther 1:12) Queen Vashti refuses to appear before the drunken guests of the feast.

[12] But Queen Vashti refused to come at the king’s command brought by his eunuchs; therefore the king was furious, and his anger burned within him.

a) But Queen Vashti refused to come: Though Vashti was by no means a follower of the true God, she had enough wisdom and modesty to know that this was something she should not do.

i) The Bible says that wives have a special responsibility to submit to their husbands (wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord; Ephesians 5:22). Yet it does not mean that a wife must obey her husband if he commands her to sin. Every command to submit on a human level is conditioned by the higher obligation to obey God before man.

ii) Jewish traditions say that her refusal had nothing to do with modesty. These stories say that she was ready to appear before the banqueters completely unclothed, except that God smote her with leprosy just as she received the request (an obviously fanciful tradition).

b) Therefore the king was furious, and his anger burned: Queen Vashti was therefore in a very dangerous situation. It does not seem that she put herself in this situation, because it seems that she was not even at this banquet.

i) Sadly, many women today put themselves in dangerous places, especially where alcohol is involved, showing a severe lack of wisdom. Nevertheless, it certainly gives no justification to the sin of men against an unwise woman in such a situation.
ii) Why does anybody put themselves in dangerous situations, especially involving alcohol?