Old Testament Survey

Dr. Michael Warren

9/20/2008

Esther
A peasant who became a princess by going against the
culture and seeking a king’s heart rather than the riches of
his kingdom.

By Kaitlin Turner
Object of Presentation

The purpose of my slideshow

presentation is to explore the life of
Esther as presented in the Word of
God. Not only have I learned a great
deal about my favorite Bible character
through this project, but I hope you
learn something new as well!
Key Events in the Book of Esther

Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Chapter 10

King Xerxes Mordecai’s Esther waited Esther reveals Haman’s sons

issues decree refusal lead for God’s to the king that are hanged;
timing, hiding she is a Jew and The Jews
for a new Haman to tells him of
queen to plot the the fact that celebrate
Haman’s evil
she was a Jew victory in Susa
replace execution of plot
Vashti the Jews

Esther Esther fasted God Mordecai is Mordecai

undergoes and prepares appointed becomes
royal beauty to approach saved over second in
preparations the King for the Jews Haman’s command
and is chosen help estate under Xerxes
as queen
Esther
“Mordecai had a cousin named
Hadassah, whom he had brought
up because she had neither father
nor mother. This girl, who was
also known as Esther, was lovely
in form and features, and
Mordecai had taken her as his own
daughter when her father and
mother died.” Esther 2:7
King Xerxes (Ahasuerus)
King of Susa who
was a ruthless and
ambitious warrior.

Vashti, his queen,

was removed from
the palace after she
refused his summon.
Ahasareus’s Kingdom
The palace of Susa,
Persia was built with
splendor and
grandeur.

Feasts were held to

display the king’s
royal riches that
spanned hundreds of
days.
Mordecai

Esther’s cousin
who adopted her
and became her
sole guardian
God used Mordecai
and Esther to save
the Jews
The Decree
The book of Esther begins
with a problem. King
Ahasareus needs a new queen
to replace Vashti. Like in the
story of Cinderella, the king
summoned his officials to
search all of Susa for the most
beautiful virgins from which
he would choose his new
queen.

Mordecai told Esther she

must prepare to be taken to
the palace with the other
concubines. She shed
everything that would identify
her as a Jewish maiden
including her jewelry and
clothing.
After being taken to the
palace, Esther spent 12
months in preparation for
one night with King
Ahaserus.
She spent the first six
months of her stay in the
palace undergoing
“preparations” with oil of
myrrh. The second six
months followed the
same procedures except
with perfumes.
For Christians, this
symbolizes our daily
repentance, allowing
God to remove our
impurities and cleanse
our inward parts.
Beauty Treatments

The beauty treatment in Esther's day was a

physical treatment carried out with oils.
Oil in the old testament represented the
Holy Spirit.
Under the new testament the Holy Spirit still
prepares us to be beautiful in the sight of
God. However this is an inner beauty.
The Concubines and their Quarters
Scholars estimate there were from
400 to 1,460 women who were
preparing to be the new queen.
Chuck Swindoll said, “This was the
place to get high on seduction. This
is the place were women cultivated
the ability to use their charm to get
what they wanted-namely, the highest
office a woman could hold in the
kingdom.
This was the place where
women had available to them all the
jewelry, perfume, cosmetics, and
clothing needed to make them
physically attractive and alluring to
the lonely king. This was a place that
would make Nordstrom and Tiffany,
Saks Fifth Avenue, and Neiman
Marcus fad into insignificance. Yet it
is in this environment that Esther,
God’s lovely star, shines the
brightest.
Hegai’s Help

According to the Bible, Esther

stood out to Hegai, Xerxes’ chief
chamberlain.
“As a result of the king’s decree,
Esther, along with many other
young women, was brought to the
king’s harem at the fortress of
Susa and placed in Hegai’s care.
Hegai was very impressed with
Esther and treated her kindly.
He quickly ordered a special
menu for her and provided her
with beauty treatments. He also
assigned her seven maids
specially chosen from the king’s
palace, and he moved her and
her maids into the best place in
the harem.” Esther 2:8-9
A King’s Favor
Esther knew that Hegai was
highly trusted and loved by
Xerxes, so she asked for his
advice before going in to the
king’s chamber. She truly
wanted to please the king
with who she was and sought
to gain his favor. Finally,
after an entire year of
preparing for one night with
the king, Esther won not only
his favor, but that of everyone
who saw her.
Mordecai’s Mission
One day as Mordecai was on
duty at the palace, two of the
king’s eunuchs became angry at
King Xerxes and plotted to
assassinate him. However,
Mordecai heard about the plot
and passed the information on to
Queen Esther. She then told the
king about it and gave Mordecai
credit for the report. When and
investigation was made and
Mordecai’s story was found to be
true, the two men were hanged
on a gallows.
God planted Esther ‘for such a
time as this’ in the life of Persia’s
king Xerxes. God moved an
unknown Jewish orphan into a
palace and orchestrated the
unthinkable.
Haman’s Plot
King Xerses promoted
Haman to prime minister,
making him the most
powerful official in the
empire next to the king
himself. All of the kings’
officials would bow down
before Haman to show him
respect. But Mordecai
refused to bow down or show
him respect.
This enraged Haman and he
devised an evil plan to wipe
out the entire Jewish nation.
Esther’s Action
Mordecai told Esther that she
must go before the king and
intercede for her people. She
could either rise with strength to
accomplish the will of God or
simply focus on her self and slip
into the shadows of her rank
without purpose.
Mordecai warned her, “Do not
think for a moment that you will
escape there in the palace when
all the other Jews are killed. If
you keep quiet at a time like this,
deliverance for the Jews will
arise from some other place, but
you and your relatives will die.
What’s more, who can say but
that you have been elevated to
the palace for just such a time as
this?”
The Plan

Esther replied to
Mordecai to gather all
the Jews together and
tell them to fast and
pray for three days and
nights. Esther
promised that she and
her maids would do
the same and would
prepare to go before
the king.
A King’s Favor
In the time of Esther, no one
went before the king unasked.
The punishment for doing so
was death. However, Esther
courageously said, “If I
perish, I perish.”
Esther was careful to clothe
herself in the right garments
before she entered the king’s
presence and asked for his
favor.
When she finally appeared
before the king, he
remembered how Mordecai
had saved his life and granted
Esther’s request.
God’s Plan Completed
Haman was hanged and
Mordecai was appointed to
his position in the palace.
Esther gave the entire estate
of Haman to Mordecai and
the Jews celebrated their
rescue.
God displayed His
faithfulness through the life
or a Jewish orphan girl and
saved an entire nation.
Esther’s Beauty
According to rabbinic
tradition, Esther was
one of the four most
beautiful Jewish
women of all time(the
others were Sarah,
Rahab, and Abigail).
Some believe that
Xerxes married Esther
strictly for her stunning
good looks. Even if he
had, Xerxes kept
Esther because of her
heart. She sought to
love the heart of the
king, not the splendor
of his kingdom.
God’s Power
Even Hitler and the Nazi concentration
camp commanders feared the power of the
book of Esther. In fact, they banned it in
their death camps. One writer noted:
“Anti-Semites have always hated the book,
and the Nazis forbade its reading in the
crematoria and the concentration camps.
In the dark days before their deaths,
Jewish inmates of Auschwitz, Dachau,
Treblinka, and Bergen-Belsen wrote the
Book of Esther from memory and read it in
secret on Purim. Both they and their
brutal foes understood its message. This
unforgettable book teaches that Jewish
resistance to annihilation, then as now,
represents the service of God and devotion
to His cause. In every age, martyrs and
heroes, as well as ordinary men and
women, have seen in it not merely a record
of past deliverance but a prophecy of
future salvation.”
Evil still fears Esther’s story today-it
reveals divinity’s solution for humanity’s
confusion. Esther’s story is a prophecy of
future doom to satan’s plans.
Genre
Bible scholars have found the genre of the book of Esther hard to
define. The book is told from a narrative point of view and
contains genocide which many Jews relate to the Holocaust of
World War II. There are many different interpretations, but the
most popular characteristics of the book are as follows:
The story displays “novelistic elements” that parallel the book to
Greek novellas
Esther uses satire through the Persian
court that points to important social,
political, and theological matters.
Wisdom literature
Romance between a heroine and a king
Timeliness
Esther contains many parallels between the corrupt
and violent culture of Persia and today’s culture.
Although Christian tradition has been hostile toward
the book of Esther because it has been regarded by
some as uncanonical, the book told the story of her
life as an instrument used by God for ‘such a time as
this’.
Application
The story of Esther teaches us several lessons…
1. There is a preparation time
She allowed herself to be prepared for the task. God's preparation time can
sometimes be long and uneventful. Moses spent 40 years in the desert
looking after sheep before coming to deliver the Israelites. The refining of
our characters is very essential to God's plan for our life. God cannot use a
proud woman (or man).
2. We need the favour of God
Esther found favour with the King and so did Mordecai. Even Jesus grew in
favour with God and man (Luke 2:52). When you live a life pleasing to God,
by obeying His will you will find favour with Him. God will also give you
favour with people.
3. God works in His own time and season
Esther listened for and obeyed God’s timing. Maybe God has put it on your
heart to do something for Him. Don't just jump into it but wait for his time.
Joseph was in jail until it was God's time for him to be released. God will
move in His time when we remain faithful and alert to His leading.
4. Your background does not hinder your future with God
Esther was an orphan. God still exalted her and used her. Some of Jesus'
disciples were fishermen, tax collectors and one was a doctor. Our
background does not determine what God can do with us. Our faith does.
Truths from Esther
God still prepares us for His work today
1 Peter 3:3-4 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. (NKJV)
The beauty of Christ is seen in the fruit of
the spirit. A life touched by Christ will
show a godly character. True spiritual
maturity is measured by the fruit of the
spirit and not the gifts of the Holy Spirit.
Gifts are what God gives us, whereas the
fruit of the Holy Spirit is what we give to
God by yielding to the Holy Spirit and
allowing Him to touch our personality and
character.
A carnal Christian maybe able to manifest
the gifts of the Holy Spirit, but it takes a
person who has dedicated herself willingly
to the Lord to manifest the fruit of the
spirit.
We must love God with everything we are
This is how He uses us… just as Esther yielded
her own life to God’s plan

“Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one.

Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with
all your soul and with all your strength. These
commandments that I give you today are to be upon
your hearts. “ Deuteronomy 6:4-6
What we must understand is that Esther is just like us.
God is the same yesterday, today, and forever (Hebrews
13:8). Esther’s God is our God. Israel was His people,
and now we, as believers in Christ, are His people. How
God worked in Esther’s life is how God desires to work
in our lives. We may not be as good-looking as Esther,
we may never have won a beauty pageant, and we may
not be in a position of power, let alone a Queen of the
most powerful nation on earth. Yet, God oversees the
events of our lives just as He did the events in Esther’s
life.
Psalm 139:16 says, "And in Your book were all written,
the days that were ordained for me, when as yet there
was not one of them." From even before we were
conceived in our mother’s womb, God had a plan for
our lives. He knew hw He would gift us, what
opportunities we would have or lack, and all of the
details of each and every day of our lives.
Esther was humble enough to listen to Mordecai, courageous
enough to risk her life for the sake of her fellow Jews, and
obedient enough to God to influence the king as she knew she
could. She exercised her ability to choose in partnership with the
providential hand of God. Thus, she is known the world over as
the woman who had the courage to do what was right at her God-
appointed time. We need to want to be used, and we need to be
looking for God’s sovereign hand to see where and how we are to
serve Him.

“For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus

for good works, which God prepared beforehand so
that we would walk in them." Ephesians 2:10
God has good works prepared for each of
us to do. He wants to use us.
In fact, as 2 Chronicles 16:9 says, "For
the eyes of the LORD move to and fro
throughout the earth that He may
strongly support those whose heart is
completely His." The question is whether
or not we are usable vessels.
Esther’s life was not mere coincidence or
fate. It was coordinating with the God
who orchestrated it from the very
beginning.
God has made us all “for such a time as
this.”
Esther in today’s world
Darlene Conner, talented music teacher at Dallas Christian School wrote a children’s song entitled
“Esther was a She-ro” It is sung to the tune of a familiar children’s song.
Es-ther was a beau-ti-ful girl. The second song is from the popular Veggie Tales animated
She made King Xer-xes head go whirl.
Mor-de-cai would not bow down. version of Esther and is called “The Battle is Not Ours”
He made Ha-man's head to pound.
He-ro, He-ro, Es-ther was a he-ro..
He-ro, He-ro, Es-ther was a SHE-RO!!
The battle is not ours.
We look to God above,
Es-ther had cour-age and faith-ful-ness. For He will guide us safely through
She would have to meet the test.
She knew the king could be mad at her, And guard us with His love.
But he held out his gold scep-ter.
He-ro, He-ro, Es-ther was a he-ro..
He-ro, He-ro, Es-ther was a SHE-RO!! I will not be afraid.
Listen now and learn from me; I will not run and hide,
Es-ther loved God's fam-i-ly. For there is nothing I can't face
She stood strong when things were bad.
Her peo-ple went from sad to glad. When God is at my side.
No, there is nothing I can't face
He-ro, He-ro, Es-ther was a he-ro..
He-ro, He-ro, Es-ther was a SHE-RO!!! When God is at my side.
We must be loy-al to God you see,
And honest we must al-ways be. The battle is not ours.
We must stand up for our God. We look to God above,
He does such an awe-some job.
For He will guide us safely through
He-ro, He-ro. We must be a he-ro. And guard us with His love.
He-ro, He-ro, Maybe be a SHE-RO !!
Sermons
These two messages are by Chuck Missler, Christian author, Bible teacher,
and founder of the Koinonia House ministry. In them, Missler explores
coded words in the Bible called ‘macrocodes’ or ‘types’ and their role in
the book of Esther.
The name Esther means ‘hidden', Martin Luther argues that the book
should be removed from the canon of scripture and one of his main reasons
was that the book doesn't even mention the name of the Lord, but Luther
was wrong because Esther does mention the name of God it's just encoded
in the text. The Bible is full of different codes from equidistant letter
sequences to macrocodes, the Word of God has depth which can never be
fathomed, the interesting point about some of the codes is that encoded
words are always found in passages where the plain text bears some
relevance to the encoded word, a phenomenon which is unique to the
Bible. The Hebrew name for Jesus, Y'shua is found in the Old testament
over 5,500 times including all major messianic prophecies and even to the
extent in Isaiah 53 encoded in the text is 'Yshua is my name'. Incredible!
Another interesting point is the title Pilate wrote and placed on the cross
above the Lord 'Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews' where in Hebrew the
first letter of each word spells 'YHWH' the unutterable name of God that
He revealed to Moses..
Notes – Women’s Lives in the time
of Esther
Ezra demanded that worship of the fertility gods be abandoned; only
Yahweh would be worshipped. Worship of the forces of Nature and fertility
had been strongest in the northern agricultural provinces, and the dispersal
of these people by the Assyrian conquerors led to a decline in the popularity
of the fertility religions.
The problem for women was that religion was now centered on a god
whose essence was power and majesty. This deity was a genderless spirit
force, neither male nor female. But because power and strength were seen
in human terms as male attributes, the deity was increasingly described in
male terms.
Poetic images of Yahweh had previously contained female
references, likening Yahweh to a mother and suggesting that Yahweh’s
love was as deep as a mother’s. These images were increasingly overlooked
in favor of male images of Yahweh.
Sin was now linked with impurity, and with imagery that was demeaning to
women, for example the reference in Ezekiel 37:17 to menstruation. When
wickedness was presented in human form, it was female, for example
Zechariah 5:7-11.
Nehemiah demanded that all foreign-born wives who had returned to
Jerusalem with their Jewish husbands should be divorced. The purpose of
this edict was to emphasize and purify Jewish identity. Women were judged
on their clan background rather than on their personal merits, which
undermined respect for women as human beings.
The social reforms of Ezra and Nehemiah were accepted by the people, but
not without protest. For example, the stories of Ruth and of Esther, written
in this period, make particular points about women, that: they were
powerful in their own right, and not to be treated as property and they were
as capable of being God’s instruments as men were, and sometimes, as in
the case of Esther, even more so.
Links

http://gardenofpraise.com/bibl21s.htm
Great site w/games and coloring sheets

http://www.soniclight.com/constable/notes/pdf/e
In-depth notes on the book of Esther
http://www.scoes.org/esther.htm
Poems written about Esther
Questions
1. What preparation did Esther go through to become Queen? Twelve
months of inner and outer beauty preparations.

2. What preparation does God take us through? He cleanses us from our

sin and removes any impurities in our life if we ask Him for forgiveness.

3. What is the importance of God's timing in our life? God’s ways are
higher than our ways and He knows what is best for us. There may be
times when our selfish motives try to get in the way of God’s will for us,
but we must yield to His perfect timing!

4. How can God turn bad situations in your life around? Just like in the
story of Esther, God turned Haman’s evil plans into a beautiful rescue
that glorified Him. God can use trials to grow us into the child He has
created us to be and He will work all things together for the good of those
who love Him.

5. What effect did Esther's background have on God's plan for her life?
Being the only Jewish woman in the palace, she was set-apart. But God
had a greater purpose because He used her hidden identity to save her
people in the end.
Sources
Tenney, Tommy. Finding Favor with the King : Preparing for Your Moment in
His Presence. New York: Bethany House, 2004.
Piper, John. Desiring God : Meditations of a Christian Hedonist. Sisters:
Multnomah, 2003
Sermon Index. 2 Oct. 2008 <http://www.sermonindex.net>.
McGeough, Kevin. "Esther the Hero: Going beyond "Wisdom" in Heroic
Narratives." Catholic Biblical Quarterly 70.1 (Jan. 2008): 44-65. Academic
Search Premier. EBSCO. [Library name], [City], [State abbreviation]. 16 Oct.
2008
<http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&AN=29968885
&site=ehost-live>.
Wootton, Janet. "For Such a Time as This The Timeliness of the Book of
Esther." International Congregational Journal 6.2 (Summer2007 2007): 21-30.
Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. [Library name], [City], [State
abbreviation]. 16 Oct. 2008
<http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&AN=26215332
&site=ehost-live>.
Background music: www.jennyphillips.com “Daughter of a King”