The book of Esther

Beth Moore has hit the DVD trail this fall with a new teaching on Esther. I hear that it is popular. I've not seen the study, but I thought I'd throw in my study and work on Esther for those who are interested to learn even more about Esther. I'll be posting on going notes over the next few weeks. So here is part 1.

Background to the book of Esther

The people of Israel are in desperate straights. Decades before they had been sent into exile because of their rebellion against God. It was the punishment that God had promised them in the book of Deuteronomy. He told them that all kinds of curses would come on them if they did not follow his ways and then toward the end of telling them all that would happen to them he said these words, Then the LORD will scatter you among all nations, from one end of the earth to the other. There you will worship other gods-gods of wood and stone, which neither you nor your fathers have known. Among those nations you will find no repose, no resting place for the sole of your foot. There the LORD will give you an anxious mind, eyes weary with longing, and a despairing heart. You will live in constant suspense, filled with dread both night and day, never sure of your life. In the morning you will say, "If only it were evening!" and in the evening, "If only it were morning!"-because of the terror that will fill your hearts and the sights that your eyes will see. Deut. 28.64-67 NIV Now the years had passed and a larger group of people had returned to the land of Israel—but the hopes they had for a great Exodus like the one from Egypt hadn’t happened. It was a long journey back to Israel, but in this journey there was no manna, no rocks giving water, no great miracles. The building of the temple came not at the command of God, but the command of a pagan king who wanted it built not for God’s purposes but for his political purposes. Because of all of this the people had a question—are we still God’s people, are we still his chosen one, are we still to live by the covenant?

And as they asked those questions back in Israel, those who had stayed behind, those who had chosen not to make the journey asked the question with even greater anxiety. After all, they were not even sitting in the land where God said he lived and hung out with his people. They were far from that land. Did God care out them? Were they still part of his covenant even though they didn’t live in the covenant place? But perhaps most of all, would they survive in this place? Or would the intrigues, the dangers, with no God to protect them get the better of them so that they would cease to exist as a people?

To a people who are struggling with such questions comes the story or Esther that will one day become the book of Esther. One of the most surprising things about this book is that it is filled with humor. It is in many ways a modern day sitcom. Next time we'll look at some of the humor of Esther.