Overview of the Book of Esther

Moore's Corner Church

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The overview of the week for this Sunday is the book of Esther. This is the last of the

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Old Testament historical books written around the 5th century BC. We do not know who the author is, but this book is unique in a couple ways.

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Number one, it's one of two books in the Bible that's named after a woman, the other one being

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Ruth. The other way it's unique. It's one of two books in the Bible that doesn't mention

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God at all, which is really unusual. The other book is

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Song of Solomon, but don't let that bother you because there is perhaps no other book in the

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Bible that so clearly demonstrates God's providential care for his people other than the book of Esther.

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So just a quick summary. Esther grew up in the land of Persia with her older cousin

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Mordecai, who basically raised her as if she were his own daughter.

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Esther becomes queen of the Persian empire and thwarts a genocide of her people.

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So she finds favor in the eyes of King Hasuerus who crowns her as his new queen, but at first she does not reveal to him her

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Jewish heritage. So without telling the whole story, the king has an official named

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Haman. And Haman is a descendant of the Amalekites who were the bitter enemies of Israel.

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So Haman, sort of like Hitler, wanted to exterminate the

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Jewish people. So on one occasion, Mordecai, because he was Jewish and he may have known

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Haman and how he felt, Mordecai refuses to bow down to Haman.

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He's, I'm a government official, you need to bow to me, Mordecai wouldn't do it. So because of that,

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Haman plots Mordecai's death and gets the king's permission to have all the

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Jews in the empire put to death. Of course, the king doesn't realize he's married to a

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Jew. So Haman builds a gallows on which to hang

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Mordecai. After finding all of this out, Esther reveals her identity to the king and then pleads with him.

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Long story short, Esther saves Mordecai and her people from certain death.

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And ironically, Haman ends up being killed on the very gallows he had built for Mordecai.

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So in conclusion, Mordecai and Esther then send letters throughout the provinces instituting an annual commemoration of the

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Jewish people's redemption and a holiday called Purim. And through it all,