Introduction to the book of Esther:
The book of Esther is unique in that it is one of the only two books in the Bible named for women (the other, of course, is Ruth).
Author: unknown
The book gives no hint of who wrote it, but whoever it was knew the Persian culture well. The account has all the marks of a person who was there because he described the events as an eyewitness. And he was probably a Jew.
The book could have been written sometime after 465 B.C.
Like Song of Solomon, Obadiah, and Nahum, the New Testament does not make any reference to the book of Esther.
Neither the word for God nor the name Yahweh (Lord), occurs in the book of Esther.
Even though the name of God is nowhere mentioned in the book, His sovereignty, divine guidance, and care are evident throughout the story.
Esther and Exodus both chronicle how vigorously foreign powers tried to eliminate the Jewish race and how God sovereignly preserved His people in accordance with His covenant promise to Abraham.
The book of Esther explains how the festival of Purim originated. Purim was to be an annual remembrance of how God delivered His people from death, similar to their deliverance during the exodus from Egypt.
Esther 1:1-2 NLT
Introduction
1 These events happened in the days of King Xerxes, who reigned over 127 provinces stretching from India to Ethiopia. 2 At that time Xerxes ruled his empire from his royal throne at the fortress of Susa.
Examine the Scriptures
Esther 1:1-2 NLT
Introduction
1 These events happened in the days of King Xerxes,
Xerxes is the Greek name.
The Hebrew name for Xerxes is Ahasuerus.
Xerxes was a cruel king who ruled with tyrannical force.
Xerxes was known for his drinking, lavish banquets, harsh temper, and sexual appetite.
During Xerxes’ reign, the Persian Empire was near its peak.
The empire was very wealthy.
who reigned over 127 provinces stretching from India to Ethiopia.
This included Xerxes’ conquest of Egypt.
2 At that time Xerxes ruled his empire from his royal throne at the fortress of Susa.
Refer to a map of the Persian Empire at the time of Ezra.
Much of the story takes place at Shushan (Susa), the winter capital of Persia.
Other capital cities are Babylon, Ecbatana, and Persepolis.
The events of the book cover a 10-year portion (483-473 B.C.) of the reign of Xerxes I (486 – 465 B.C.).
The events occurred between those recorded in the sixth and seventh chapters of Ezra.
Background to this story of Esther.
The Jewish tribes of Benjamin and Judah had been conquered and taken into captivity by Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon. Several decades later, the Medo-Persian Empire overwhelmed Babylon and inherited the Jewish captives who had assimilated into their Babylonian (now Persian), homeland.
Jeremiah 29:10 NLT (approximate dates of Jeremiah’s prophecies are 627–570 B.C.),
10 This is what the Lord says: “You will be in Babylon for seventy years. But then I will come and do for you all the good things I have promised, and I will bring you home again.
The Persian king allowed a large contingent of Jews to return to Jerusalem
Ezra 1:1-3 NLT
Cyrus Allows the Exiles to Return
1 In the first year of King Cyrus of Persia, the Lord fulfilled the prophecy he had given through Jeremiah. He stirred the heart of Cyrus to put this proclamation in writing and to send it throughout his kingdom:
2 “This is what King Cyrus of Persia says:
“The Lord, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth. He has appointed me to build him a Temple at Jerusalem, which is in Judah. 3 Any of you who are his people may go to Jerusalem in Judah to rebuild this Temple of the Lord, the God of Israel, who lives in Jerusalem. And may your God be with you!
Ezra 2:64-67 NLT
64 So a total of 42,360 people returned to Judah, 65 in addition to 7,337 servants and 200 singers, both men and women. 66 They took with them 736 horses, 245 mules, 67 435 camels, and 6,720 donkeys.
The Persian king allowed a large contingent of Jews to return to Jerusalem
but many Jews stayed in Persia.
Missed opportunities
Isaiah and Jeremiah had urged the yet to be exiled nation to come out of Babylon.
Jeremiah 29:10-14 NLT
10 This is what the Lord says: “You will be in Babylon for seventy years. But then I will come and do for you all the good things I have promised, and I will bring you home again. 11 For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. 12 In those days when you pray, I will listen. 13 If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me. 14 I will be found by you,” says the Lord. “I will end your captivity and restore your fortunes. I will gather you out of the nations where I sent you and will bring you home again to your own land.”
It was God’s plan for the Jews to leave Babylon (Persia).
Jeremiah 50:8 NLT
8 “But now, flee from Babylon!
Leave the land of the Babylonians.
Like male goats at the head of the flock,
lead my people home again.
Jeremiah 51:6 NLT
6 Flee from Babylon! Save yourselves!
Don’t get trapped in her punishment!
It is the Lord’s time for vengeance;
he will repay her in full.
Isaiah 48:20 NLT (approximate dates of Isaiah’s prophecies are 740–681 B.C.),
20 Yet even now, be free from your captivity!
Leave Babylon and the Babylonians.
Sing out this message!
Shout it to the ends of the earth!
The Lord has redeemed his servants,
the people of Israel.
The Persian king allowed a large contingent of Jews to return to Jerusalem
but many Jews stayed in Persia.
(Mordecai’s parents would have stayed)
This story takes place about 56 years after the first exiles returned to Jerusalem.
So it was that a Jewish man named Mordecai had worked his way into a low-level job in the king’s court.
Esther 2:19 NLT … Mordecai had become a palace official.
Esther 2:19 ESV and NIV … Mordecai was sitting at the king’s gate.
Mordecai became assimilated into the Persian culture much like Lot became assimilated into the culture of Sodom.
Genesis 19:1 NLT
Sodom and Gomorrah Destroyed
19:1 That evening the two angels came to the entrance of the city of Sodom. Lot was sitting there, and when he saw them, he stood up to meet them. Then he welcomed them and bowed with his face to the ground.
The Return of the Exiles
The return of the exiles is a gradual process spanning the following century. The Jewish exiles from Judah return to Jerusalem in a time span spread over 92 years between 537BC and 445BC.
The return of the exiles to Judah and the rebuilding of Jerusalem were carried out in three waves. The first return was around 538 B.C. under the leadership of a man named Zerubbabel. It was during this period that the people of Israel built the second Temple.
About eighty years later, a second group, under the priestly leadership of Ezra, returned to the land. Spiritual and religious reformation occurred at that time.
Finally, under the leadership of Nehemiah, a king’s cupbearer, many more returned. Nehemiah’s focus was to repair Jerusalem’s walls and gates.
