God's providence in the book of esther

The providence of god in his government of the world is a subject of deep importance to the christian, for by proper views thereof he will learn to see gods activities in the daily works of his hands. The intricate weavings of god s workings in history are sometimes better appreciated than investigated. Could it be that the absence of mentioning god is directly connected to the book s brilliant literary design. As most of us are probably aware, the book of esther in the bible is known for not mentioning god by name even once. The whole story is how it happened god the master puzzler putting every piece in its correct place. Literary clues to gods providence in the book of esthera. Israels history is filled with irony and tokens of gods providence. Since god himself moved the authors of scripture to write, one should expect to. She succeeds in preventing the threatening destruction of all her race by haman, who was set above all the princes. Embracing gods providence in esther, a tenlesson bible study.

In this message from the old testament book of esther, our understanding of god s providence is deepened as alistair begg explains the clarity, mystery, and security it brings. Esther with book summary versebyverse bible commentary. The book of esther is amazing in a number of respects. This is the word we will consider in the book of esther. We can see gods providence in the book, and in our lives. Though he is never mentioned in the book gods hand is clearly seen throughout. Here are two things to consider when looking at gods providence and will, with our decisions and will.

However, upon reading esther, it is pretty obvious that gods presence is felt and hinted at throughout the story. In the book of jonah, he used a storm to convince the fleeing prophet, jonah 1. The book of esther presents a powerful exhibition of gods providence. For traditional jewish commentators, the absence of gods name did not mean that god was absent from the book. I think it is his sense of humor, as well as a revelation that his providence sometimes works through unexpected circumstances and seeming coincidences. Maybe gods apparent absence is actually part of the book s very sophisticated way of talking about gods providence. Some of the smallest details mentioned in the book turn out to be indispensable links in the chain of events. Bible studies in the book of esther jesus plus nothing.

Finally, the book of esther may not mention god because the emphasis is on gods providence. I have a lot of christian apologist friends who struggle to go to church and struggle to read the bible. Another biblical theme in the book of esther is divine providence follows people god that use to serve his purposes, jonah 1. God sets esther on the throne as queen, saves mordecai from hamans.

This phrase has become synonymous with the divine providence and sovereignty of god and it originated from the book of esther and well see why in a bit. God has always promised to preserve the jewish people e. Literary clues to gods providence in the book of esther by. Haman is hanged and esther s cousin mordecai, the pious jew and hamans opponent, receives his position. We continuously see in the book of esther god s grace shown towards those who call on him.

Ive been listening to this free twovolume series on the book of esther featuring pastor alistair begg. The book of esther gives us a fascinating historical narrative of god s providential activity amongst a failed attempt to annihilate exiled jews in the persian empire. While there are many hidden intents of thought in the book of esther i affirm that the strongest theme in the book of the bible is that of god s providence. I dont think it was an oversight that god is not mentioned in the book of esther. Confidence in god in times of danger paperback october 15, 2011. Of course, the real hero of purim is the lord, the god of israel who will not allow his people to be.

In the book of esther, gods name is never mentioned, but you can clearly see the fingerprints of gods sovereignty throughout the book. Jul 23, 2017 esther is the secular book of the bible. Providence as seen in the book of esther though it was turned to the contrary, that the jews had rule over them that hated them. The end would have been much different if it is not for the lord who gave esther grace and favor in the eyes of the king when she walked into his inner court without being summoned, esther 5. And we know that in all things god works for the good of those who love him. Through esther s story we see a picture of what theologians call the providence of god, meaning that in some inscrutable and invisible way, god is moving all of history toward its final end in christ through the normal and ordinary course of human life, even without.

Providence as seen in the book of esther answers in. It is a joy to ponder them though, because in so doing, we come up against gods power, omniscience, and will. The book of esther doesnt have gods name in it, but it has gods fingerprints all over it. Esther the book of esther is one of the most beautiful stories in all literature. The book of esther gods name is not mentioned one time in the book of esther, however the biggest theme of the book is the belief in gods control over everything that happens to his people both in the history of the peopleasawhole the nation and in the lives of individual believers. The book covers a period of about 12 years, falling somewhere between the events recorded in the sixth and seventh chapters of ezra. Tracing the theology of a book that never mentions god by karen h. This shows that mordecai believes in gods providence, as there would seem to be no other way to understand this statement. The book of esther and gods providence jack wellman patheos. The esther story is one of the most realistic biblical accounts of gods providence precisely because god seems absent. Jane roach uses insightful commentary, application questions, testimonies, and hymns to walk readers through the compelling story, introduce characters, and identify god s. Could it be that the absence of mentioning god is directly connected to the books brilliant literary design. God is never directly mentioned through the whole book, but you can see his fingerprints all over the book, which makes for a great sunday school lesson on providence. You are probably aware that some persons have denied the inspiration of the book of esther because the name of god does not occur in it.

Maybe gods apparent absence is actually part of the books very sophisticated way of talking about gods providence. For example, when esther asks the jews to fast, we can assume this included prayer est. Embracing gods providence in esther, a tenlesson bible study jane roach on. Even after daniel was taken as a captive by the babylonians, god had caused the official to show favor and compassion to daniel dan 1. And 2 even when things look really out of control, god is in control and is never more than one step away from saving his people. It would harp on her lack of consideration for classic old testament doctrines such as covenant and circumcision and point out that ultimately she would never be quoted in the new testament, either. Jan 02, 2020 finally, the book of esther may not mention god because the emphasis is on gods providence.

Through the events in postexilic judaism we can see the hand of god providentially directing. This principle is both very simple and very complex. A story of the providence of god in a pagan land page 4 introduction to the book the book of esther is the only book in the bible that does not mention the name of god. A whole bunch of interesting things stuck out to me, so ill write about one of them today.

Gods providence in esther chosen people ministries. Jun 06, 20 in the book of esther, as much as in any other part of the word of god, and i had almost committed myself by saying more than anywhere else, the hand of providence is obviously to be seen. Gods providence in the book of esther 1616 words bartleby. In my eyes, the biggest theme in the book seems to be the belief in and the presence of gods control. Their enemies lay snares for them, which no human wisdom can enable them to escape. In the book of esther god used mordecai an ungodly man to rebuke esther into obedience. The answer is that they underpin the central message in this book, which is the providential care of god for his people. Consider the following occurrences which at face value appear to be inconsequential. The providence of god is his care of and provision he makes for his creatures, with his supervision and superintendence of them. Mordecais belief in the providence of god would certainly be based on an accurate understanding of the hebrew scriptures. Before god created the world, he had a plan, scheme, to save sinful mankind eph. We trust gods promises to work all things for good. This has astonished many readers but the reason for it is that he is not dealing with his earthly people in a direct and visible way in the events recorded in this book.

Providence is the way that god is directing the universe. The book of esther is one of only two books in the hebrew bible that never mention god the other is the song of songs. Warren wiersbe in fact writes, the book of esther is one of the greatest illustrations in the bible of romans 8. And yet, neither his name nor his words are found anywhere in the book.

The book of esther is almost entirely characterised by divine providence. The book of esther and gods providence jack wellman. Even in the most pagan corner of the world, god is ruling all things to the benefit of his people and to the glory of his name. I have received help and encouragement from this amazing book about the power of gods providence. Divine assistance, given destiny ambassadors god doing good providence, of god in circumstances acknowledging god guidance, god s promises of afflictions terminating in good comfort, when discouraged faults strength, divine problem solving a tough break up acceptance, of instruction beautiful love, nature of evil, victory over love for god. As an agagite, haman may well have used his position against the jews at the first provocation, whether it came from mordecai or not. Or is this interpretation seriously missing something. Hitlers attempts to exterminate the jews resulted in the modern nation of israel. Sermon on esther sermon outline discussing gods providence in the amazing story of esther, persias queen. Jan 30, 2017 it is a joy to ponder them though, because in so doing, we come up against gods power, omniscience, and will. It is the only book in the bible where gods name is not mentioned at all. An appreciation of providence is one of the benefits that come to growing christians when they read the book of esther.

Neither mordecai, esther, nor the feast of purim is mentioned. The fate of gods chosen people is at the very center of the story, but god seems to remain in the shadows. Divine providence in the book of esther ernstaugust bremicker. In his providence god brings the young jewess hadassah esther to the persian court. In the days of ahasuerus, king of persia, and in the days between the building of the temple and the wall around jerusalem, israel found themselves in a time of great peril. Remember what abraham said on top of mount moriah, when he and. Esther was the young woman among hundreds to find favor with the king to become queen. The book of esther was not written by esther but it is about esther, her hebrew name was hadassah. The word providence does not occur in the bible, but the doctrine is stated and illustrated as a major theme throughout scripture. The story of esther shows us that even though god is never mentioned in this book, there are so many coincidences in this book that it is clear, without saying it, that god is at work behind the scenes helping esther.

Bible studies in the book of esther esther chapter 6. Its also intriguing to me because esther takes place in the same time frame as ezra and nehemiah. The providence of god in postexilic judaism fanning the flame. As you probably know, it is the theme of the book of esther, which never mentions god directly. May 17, 2008 another biblical theme in the book of esther is divine providence follows people god that use to serve his purposes, jonah 1. The purpose of the book of esther is to see the providence of god even when his name is not mentioned. In this sixweek study, explore the subject of god s providence, walking verse by verse through the book of esther. In the end, well discover the hidden god of esther is so great, so powerful, that he can work without miracles through the ordinary events of billions of human lives through millennia of time to accomplish his eternal purposes and ancient promises. And so we have a web of gods providence weaved into the fabric of the story. The sleepless king and the providence of god by i gordon. The book of esther is the most truetolife biblical example of gods providence precisely because god seems absent. Even though the name of god is not mentioned in it, no book of the bible teaches his providence more forcefully.

Providence is the overall theme of this old testament book. A robust treatment of esther s defects would surely include the book s famed failure to mention the name of god or to recognize divine providence. While there are many hidden intents of thought in the book of esther i affirm that the strongest theme in the book of the bible is that of gods providence. The biblical book of esther presents a powerful exhibition of gods providence. With scripture memory, daily study, and group discussion questions, this resource is ideal. Of course, the real hero of purim is the lord, the god of israel who will not allow his people to be destroyed or his purpose to be thwarted. Esther is a book of the bible i very much enjoy, but its also an odd one. In this essay i will prove that gods sovereignty over his people is clearly established in the book of esther. The book of esther and god hidden and revealed lutheran. Some of the slightest details cited in the book turn out to be indispensable links in the chain of events. It shows us how the unseen god often works through human historynot by his miraculous intervention, karen jobes observes, but through completely ordinary events.

Divine providence in the book of esther ernstaugust. Although we do not find the name of god mentioned even once in the book of esther, throughout the book we are conscious of god working things together behind the scenes to accomplish his purposes. Using insightful commentary, application questions, testimonies, and hymns, jane roach walks readers through the compelling story of god s providence in the book of esther. In esthers story, gods involvement is implicit rather than explicit. And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for. The book of esther is the only book in the bible that does not mention god by name.

We continuously see in the book of esther gods grace shown towards those who call on him. We saw in the last study that everything is reaching an exciting climax and before the day is out, someone will be a goner. One of the great examples of this is the book of esther. In the book of esther, as much as in any other part of the word of god, and i had almost committed myself by saying more than anywhere else, the hand of providence is obviously to be seen. God masterfully orchestrates and weaves together every detail of our lives in jawdropping ways. He is moving it into tomorrowhe is moving it into the future by his providence. In esther s story, gods involvement is implicit rather than explicit. Apr 25, 2018 in the book of esther, gods name is never mentioned, but you can clearly see the fingerprints of gods sovereignty throughout the book. Why doesnt the book of esther directly mention god. A study of the book of esther chapter 2 study questions while esther has all the ingredients for a good story, what makes it even more fascinating is that it is a book of the bible, which means it is a book breathed by god.

Gods name is not mentioned one time in the book of esther, however the biggest theme of the book is the belief in gods control over everything that happens to his people both in the history of the peopleasawhole the nation and in the lives of individual believers. The unseen hand of providence bible study magazine. Queen vashti rebels the book of esther is the only book. There may be no clearer example of divine providence in the bible than the case of the jewish girl, esther, who became queen of persia and was gods. As most of us are probably aware, the book of esther in the bible is known for not mentioning god by. First, esther is a jewish woman whose father or mother died when she was young. It is the only book that does not mention the name of god. A study of god s providence in the book of esther carson, alexander on.