God, Our Hope: An Introduction and Overview of Esther

Esther 4:13–14 (ESV)

Then Mordecai told them to reply to Esther, “Do not think to yourself that in the king’s palace you will escape any more than all the other Jews. For if you keep silent at this time, relief and deliverance will rise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father’s house will perish. And who knows whether you have not come to the kingdom for such a time as this?”

Introduction

There is a lot going on in our world and your life. Where is God in all of this stuff? It seems that many of us live as if He doesn’t exist or is uninvolved and uninterested in the day to day happenings of our world and lives.

But is it true?

Is God distant?

Is God dead?

Is God uninterested and uninvolved?

Perversion, pain, persecution, and Death are everywhere. Christians are persecuted both at home and even more abroad.

What about God’s promises?

What about heaven?

What about joy, comfort, and holiness?

What about salvation?

Are these just figments of our imagination?

Even if they’re not, do they have any bearing on our lives?

Is there any answer to these questions?

Is there any hope in such madness and confusion?

That is a lot of questions. There is good news. We find answers to these questions within the Bible in general and the book of Esther in particular.

It is a book written about Jews under the dominion of Persia around 480 B.C.. The main protagonist of the story is a Jewish woman by the name of Esther, who along with her cousin Mordecai, face insurmountable odds and, by God’s gracious and hidden providence, are saved along with their fellow Jews.

This morning, I want to give an overview of the major theme of this book–hope. I want to answer this question: Who is your hope? To answer this question I want you to consider three aspects of hope as it appears in Esther and the rest of Scripture. Then I will apply what we find.

Body

1. Consider how hope is hidden.

Notice a couple interesting facts of this book.

To start, notice how the name of God is never mentioned.

Within the book of Esther we find:

obvious villains

imperfect heroes

useful idiots in power

lavish sexual perversion

murderous plots

and poetic justice.

However, you will not find a single mention of God.

In fact, on the surface, it tells a story like a late night television drama. It tells the story in such a way that mimics the day to day experience of many of God’s people today. God’s grand miraculous works of the past seem to not happen anymore.

But does the lack of explicit mention of God both in the book of Esther and in our lives mean that He is no longer there? No. He is every bit as present as He has always been. His providential working of all things continue even when unacknowledged or unnoticed.

As God’s existence is proclaimed without words in His creation, His presence is proclaimed without words in His providence. This proclamation without words is in the book of Esther and in our lives.

God, our hope, may seem hidden behind his mysterious and secret providence, but He is there.

Next, notice how the worship of God is never mentioned.

We find not a single mention of Old Covenant designated worship in the book of Esther. None of the classic feasts found in Exodus, Numbers, and Leviticus are mentioned. Even the heroes are never seen performing explicit acts of worship. They even hid their religious and ethnic heritage unless pressed. This behavior sharply contrast with others in similar situations like the prophet Daniel or Joseph. Even where you would expect mention of acts of worship like call for fasting by Esther, you don’t find a call for prayer (Esther 4:16). Years of captivity amongst foreign empires have made Israel and its heroes less distinct.

Does something similar happen to us? Yes. We who call ourselves Christian often unintentionally give into the spirit of the age and culture in which we find ourselves.

We rarely factor God into our thoughts, decisions, and actions.

We rarely give ourselves to daily private worship of God in prayer.

We often even treat the public worship of God as optional, so long as nothing else “better” comes up.

Yet, does this functional denial of God’s activity or existence in the lives of God’s people mean that God is not active in the world He has made and in the lives of His people?

No. He is still there. He is still at work. His activity may not be as glamorous or shocking as the dividing of the Red Sea or the resurrection of the Redeemer, but He is active and accomplishing His purposes.

That said, if you only look at the growth of the church that continues to this day, you are witnessing a miracle. Dead sinners are bing made living saints. Slaves to sin are being freed to follow Christ.

God, our Hope, may be hidden to us and others from time to time, but He is not gone.

You have considered how hope is hidden.

2. Consider how hope is heralded.

Ponder some of the subtle ways our hope is heralded in the book of Esther.

To begin with, ponder the name of Esther.

Like Daniel, Esther went by two names: Hadassah was her Hebrew birth name and Esther was her Persian court name. The name Esther probably refers to the Persian goddess Ishtar, the goddess of love and war. These themes do arise throughout the book.

However, when we consider the Hebrew meaning of Esther, God’s hidden presence is heralded. Esther in Hebrew means “I am hiding” or “I am hidden.” It is true that Esther conceals her Jewish identity throughout the book, yet someone of much more significance had concealed Himself from His wayward people, namely God Himself. Ponder the Words God gave to Moses before his death:

Deuteronomy 31:16–18 (ESV)

And the Lord said to Moses, “Behold, you are about to lie down with your fathers. Then this people will rise and whore after the foreign gods among them in the land that they are entering, and they will forsake me and break my covenant that I have made with them. Then my anger will be kindled against them in that day, and I will forsake them and hide my face from them, and they will be devoured. And many evils and troubles will come upon them, so that they will say in that day, ‘Have not these evils come upon us because our God is not among us?’ And I will surely hide my face in that day because of all the evil that they have done, because they have turned to other gods.

Does this promise of divine judgment mean the end for God’s people and the salvation He had promised to bring though them by the seed of the woman, Abraham, and David? No. God will preserve His people even through judgment. He will one day bring from them this Redeemer of both Jew and Gentile (Romans 1:16-17). As we shall see in Esther, in the face of a powerful and hateful enemy with a wicked plot, Israel comes out on top and God’s promise remains unbroken.

Next, ponder the catalogue of coincidences.

When we face a few beneficial coincidences, we may conclude that things just sometimes work out in our favor. However, the amount of such favorable coincidences in Esther suggests something else or someone else must be at work. If you were to survey the book Esther, you would observe no less than fourteen of these coincidences that end up actually being God’s favorable providence. For example:

You would observe the Persian queen, Vashti, just so happened to be dismissed before Haman, the bad guy, could rise to power and exterminate the Jews (Esther 1).

You would observe Esther, a Jewish woman, just so happened to be brought in as a candidate for the new queen when the search began.

You would observe Esther just so happened to gain favor in the eyes of the eunuch in charge and the king (Esther 2:9, 16-18).

You would observe Mordecai just so happened to be working in the king’s gate and learned of an assassination plot (Esther 2:19-23).

You would observe Mordecai’s name just so happened to be recorded in the king’s book of memorable deeds and there was an oversight to reward him properly at that time (Esther 2:23).

You would observe Haman just so happened to cast lots to see when to destroy Mordecai and the Jews. The lot just so happened fell on a date almost a year away, giving the Jews adequate time to prepare for that day, nearly a year (Esther 3:7; 4:1-10:3).

You would observe it just so happened that when Esther went into plead with the King, she found favor in his eyes again (Esther 5:2-3).

You would observe it just so happened that when Esther decided to put off her request for a day, that Haman passed by Mordecai again and decided to execute him swiftly instead of waiting eleven months (Esther 5:4-13).

You would observe it just so happened that while the builders made gallows to hang Mordecai, Haman seeks the king’s permission to hang Mordecai in the middle of the night (Esther 5:14).

You would observe it just so happened that just before Haman can make this request, the king was not able to sleep, has the book of memorable deeds read, and it was discovered that Mordecai had not recieved his reward (Esther 6:1-5).

You would observe it just so happened that the king failed to mention Mordecai by name when he asked Haman what type of honor a certain person should receive, allowing Haman to believe he will be honored and not Mordecai (Esther 6:6-13).

You would observe it just so happened that after Haman is humiliated in honoring Mordecai, he comes to Esther’s banquet and is called out for his wicked plan to kill her people (Esther 6:14-7:6).

You would observe it just so happened that when the king exited in anger, Haman began to beg Esther for his life, and it just so happened that the king returned at a moment where it appeared Haman was trying to assault the king’s wife (Esther 7:7-8).

You would observe it just just so happened that the eunuch pointed out the presence of the newly built gallows, providing the king with a way to swiftly execute Haman on the gallows he had built for Mordecai (Esther 7:9-10).

Any one of these coincidences alone might be interesting, but the sheer amount of them and their universally favorable direction toward God’s chosen people, suggests that the someone at work in the background is Israel’s God.

Now, ponder the regularity of reversals.

Not only are there so many coincidences that it suggests someone, God, is working unnamed in the background, but there are so many unexpected reversals of situations that suggest it too. If we were again to survey the book of Esther we would witness several of these grand reversals. For example:

We would witness the downfall of Vashti and the sudden rise of Esther (Esther 1-2).

We would witness Esther’s fear of death and her sudden favor from the king (Esther 4-5).

We would witness Haman’s joy at being invited to Esther’s banquet which quickly turned to disgrace (Esther 5-7).

We would witness Haman’s plan to destroy Mordecai and his having to parade him with honor around the city (Esther 5:9-6:13).

We would witness Haman’s building of gallows to hang Mordecai and his hanging upon them himself (Esther 5:9-14; Esther 7:7-10).

We would witness Mordecai’s planned demise at the hands of Haman and his eventual taking of Haman’s position and house (Esther 3; Esther 8:1-2).

We would witness the Israelites doomed to slaughter by royal edict and their overwhelming victory they had by the permission of the same royalty (Esther 3; Esther 8-10).

God is a God of reversal. He often saves His people in ways that counter human genius or expectation. God may not be mentioned by name in Esther, but clues of His redemptive activity appear on every page. The same can be said of our lives.

Moreover, ponder the declaration of Mordecai.

Mordecai’s declaration to Esther in response to her fear to confront the king with the immanent destruction of her people is probably the most clear expression of God’s activity and faithfulness to His promises within the book. Even then, it is only implied that forces beyond the human actors were at play in the preservation and deliverance of the Jews. Mordecai says:

Esther 4:13–14 (ESV)

“Do not think to yourself that in the king’s palace you will escape any more than all the other Jews. For if you keep silent at this time, relief and deliverance will rise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father’s house will perish. And who knows whether you have not come to the kingdom for such a time as this?”

Finally, ponder the clarity given to us elsewhere in Scripture.

When we ponder what the Scriptures teach as a whole, we find some truths and parallels that help us interpret Esther.

We find the reality of God’s promise.

God had promised protection, place, people, and a program of blessing to Abraham’s offspring (Genesis 12:1-3; 15:4-7; 17:1-8).

To enjoy these blessings obedience to the moral, ceremonial, and civil laws was required (Genesis 17:9-14; Deuteronomy 30:11-20).

That said, the promise of a serpent crushing, nation blessing, and ever reigning seed that would come from Eve, Abraham, and David was an unconditional and gracious promise (Matthew 1; Jeremiah 31:33; Hebrews 8). In spite of Israel’s sin and exile, the promised seed would still come from them.

God’s promise and faithfulness looms in the background of the book of Esther. Moreover, it shines in the end when God’s people remain and their enemies are destroyed.

We find the story of Joseph.

Joseph had been sold into slavery by his brothers. He resided in Egypt where he was falsely accused of sexual assault, placed in prison where rose to a position of authority, and eventually ascended to power as the man only second to Pharoah.

He, through unfortunate circumstances, is eventually put in a position to save many people from famine, including his father and brothers.

God’s is explicitly said to be the one governing the events to a good end. The parallels between the story of Joseph are striking. What is explicit in Joseph is implicit in Esther. God sovereignly reigns and guides history to good and perfects ends.

As Joseph himself says to his brothers, “As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive as they are today” (Genesis 50:20).

As Paul says, “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28).

3. Consider how hope is harmonized.

The hiding of hope and heralding of hope find harmony in the person and work of Christ. Christ is final Word from God and is the one all of the Scriptures bear witness too (John 1:1-18; Hebrews 1:1-4; Luke 24:27). Even the book that does not name God still bears witness to Him and the His Son who He sent.

There are some aspects of the story of Esther that draw our attention to Christ and His work. So, as we go through the book, I want to make sure you do not miss them.

Do not miss the seed of the serpent in Haman and the phony power of the world empire.

Since the fall, there have been two kinds of people: those who belong to the devil and those who belong to God in His Son (Genesis 3:15). This reality is put on display in the story of Esther. Haman and the fickle and foolish king represent the activity and rule of Satan.

Satan is proud and so are his subjects.

Satan is foolish and so are his subjects.

Satan is humiliated by God and so are His subjects.

Satan is defeated and so are His subjects.

All these things we see in the story of Esther.

Do not miss the types of Esther and Mordecai.

Sometimes a person, places, or institution in the Old Testament points a person, place, or institution in the New Testament. More often than not, the people on God’s side point in some fashion to Christ, but Christ is always better. This is the case with Esther and her older cousin Mordecai. It takes two flawed people like them to point to our perfect Redeemer, and, even then, they don’t match up to Him.

Esther points to Christ in her mediation on behalf of God’s covenant people.

Christ, unlike Esther, is our mediator not before a human king, but before God.

Mordecai points to Christ in his being vindicated and promoted in the end.

Mordecai only ascended to an earthly court of a pagan king. Christ is in God’s courtroom and has been given all authority on heaven and on earth (Matthew 28:18; Daniel 7:13-14). He was perfectly righteous, crucified, killed, and buried. However, His vindication came when on the third day He rose, after that ascended and sat at God’s right hand, and will return in glory to complete what He began.

Do not miss the hidden presence of God in Christ .

Jesus is the embodiment of both God’s hiddenness and presence. In Him and by Him the hidden God is revealed for He is God the Son incarnate (John 1:1-18). Moreover, He himself, according to His humanity, experienced God’s hiddenness and judgment on the cross. He experienced God’s presence in His resurrection, ascension, and session. Through Christ God is reconciling the world to Himself. And we may feel as if God is not present and hope is absent, but we have One we can always look to and find both God and hope. We have Jesus.

Do not miss the pattern of deliverance in Esther.

God saved his people through the representation of a royal and federal representative. Wherever the royal representative goes, so goes the people he, or she in this case, represents. In the grand narrative of history, there are two royal representatives of humanity.

One leads his people to death, hell, and judgment. The other leads His people to life, heaven, and justification. You either are represented by Adam or Christ. In Adam, all die. In Christ, all live. As Paul writes, “For as by [Adam’s] disobedience the many were made sinners, so by [Jesus’] obedience the many will be made righteous” (Romans 5:19). Esther in representing her people before Ahasuerus gained them temporary relief. Jesus in representing His people before God gained them eternal relief.

From the seed of the serpent in Haman and the phony power of the world empire, the types of Esther and Mordecai, hidden presence of God in Christ, and the patter of deliverance in Esther, we see God’s hiddenness and heralding harmonized in the person and work of Christ.

Conclusion/Application

You have considered how hope is hidden, heralded, and harmonized. Now we may answer the main question I posed at the beginning with clarity: Who is our Hope? The answer to this question is God in Christ is our Hope. This truth leads us to three applications.

Trust God in Christ when His presence seems buried.

God as we have seen doesn’t normally operate in overt and marvelous displays. More often than not, He is in the background working all things together for the good of His people. Even when you don’t feel God is present, you can look at the story of Esther and see that God is there, God is in control, and God is good. These truths are every bit as true today as they were in the days of Esther. In fact, you have even greater clarity and assurance than those who lived in the days of Esther.

God’s promised Savior, has come, lived, died, rose, ascended, sat, intercedes, and will return. You have immediate access to God through His Son Jesus Christ, who the story of Esther foreshadows and points toward. Therefore, do not lose heart. God is not dead. God is not uninvolved or uninterested. God is here among us now. He abides with us who have trusted in Christ everyday through the person and work of the Holy Spirit.

Trust God in Christ when His providence seems bad.

There are rough times in life. You may be going through one now. Even if you aren’t personally afflicted right now you know others who are. You also can see the many troubling things going on in our world. If God is in control as the Bible, particularly Esther, teaches, then what do we do in the face all the evil and problems in the world. It’s simple.

We acknowledge our limited perspective.

We look back to what God has done in the history of His people, especially the redemption He has accomplished in Christ.

We look forward to what God has promised. God has been, is, and will be faithful.

He still brings good out of the midst of every frowning providence. His “throne is still in the heavens and His kingdom still rules over all” (Psalm 103:19). Take heart child of God, your Father and your Redeemer have not and will not let go of you, nor can anyone pry you from their omnipotent grip (John 10:28-29).

Trust God in Christ when His promise seems bogus.

Maybe you know all the promises of God and they all seem bogus when you look at your life and the world around you. What should you do then? Again I say, take heart.

Esther thought she was doomed, but God was faithful. Many psalmists witness such apparent contradictions between the promises of God on the one hand and the particulars of living in a fallen world on the other. Yet, the end has not happened yet. God will one day settle His accounts.

We await our redeemer who will come on the clouds in great power in glory.

We await someone greater than Satan, Haman, Ahasuerus, Esther, Mordecai, Joseph, and Adam.

We await Jesus who came, died, rose, ascended, sits, and intercedes for us, and will return to judge His and our enemies and will deliver us from judgment to eternal life.

Christian, trust God in Christ when His presence seems buried, providence seems bad, and promise seems bogus. You will not regret it.

Unbeliever, without God in Christ there is no hope for you. All there is life, pain, death, and judgment. If you are not with God in Christ, then you are against Him. You will face a fate even worse than Haman in the book of Esther. God is able to kill the body and through the soul in hell forever. Today I offer you your only hope of salvation, Jesus Christ, God’s incarnate Son. Through Him, you may have salvation from sin, death, and Satan. Through, Him you may have hope in a hopeless world. Turn from your sins and trust in Jesus today. Trust God in Christ.

May God, help us all to trust Him. May we all come to know God, our hope.