The Chapters – Quick Access
Basics
BOOK: Esther
Description: historical book telling of God’s preservation when a threat of extermination of the Jews arises in the period of their exile.
Author: unknown
Date written: probably about 470BC
Chapters: 10
Brief Synopsis
- Gets its name from the heroine, Esther who becomes queen and eventual savior of the Jews
- Cousin Mordecai hears of a plot against the king (it is recorded – see later)
- Senior court official, Haman, plans to have all the Jews killed
- Mordecai informs Esther of this asking her to intervene
- Using her diplomatic skills she reveals to the king the plot to kill her people
- Haman is hanged, Mordecai promoted and the Jews saved
Outline
Ch.1,2 The Feasts of Xerxes
Ch.1 Vashti DeposedCh.2 Esther Made Queen
Ch.2-7 The Feasts of Esther
Ch.2 Mordecai Uncovers a PlotCh.3 Haman’s PlotCh.4 Mordecai Persuades Esther to HelpCh.5 Esther’s First Banquet: Her Request to the KingCh.5,6 A Sleepless Night with interesting resultsCh.7 Esther’s Second Banquet: Haman Hanged
Ch.8-10 The Feasts of Purim
Ch.8 The King’s Edict in Behalf of the JewsCh.9 The Institution of PurimCh.10 The Promotion of Mordecai
Why Read Esther
Apart from the fact that it is part of the canon of scripture, the book of Esther records events that occur in the Persian kingdom involving the Jews who still lived there. As noted in the historical background below, when many returned to the Promised land after the exile, many others stayed on in Babylon, which became the Persian empire after Babylon fell.
The events are largely around the king, Xerxes, who is clearly powerful, proud and highly egotistical and hasty in decision making. The king banishes his queen and a Jewish girl, Esther becomes queen. Sounding rather like a Shakespeare play, there is a ‘goodie’ in the background – Mordecai, guardian of Esther, and a ‘badie’, Haman, who plots to kill Mordecai and all the other Jews in the land. This potential genocide is stopped by Esther’s intervention in difficult circumstances as the unfolding plot reveals. The salvation of the Jews is subsequently celebrated annually by the feast of Purim. Although God is not mentioned throughout there are strong indications that His hidden hand was at work in the background helping bring about the salvation of the Jews.
Historical Background
- Xerxes (otherwise known as Ahasuerus) reigned 486-465/64 over the powerful kingdom of the Medes & Persians.
- We are told this story starts in the third year of his reign, i.e. 483BC (103 years after Nebuchadnezzar had taken the Jews into captivity and 54 years after Zerubbabel had returned but 25 years before Ezra returned.)
- We must assume that Esther’s family and the other Jews mentioned in this book, must have chosen to stay in Babylon, which had now fallen in 539.
Basic Chapter CONTENTS
- 1: Queen Vashti Deposed
- 2: Esther Made Queen & a Plot is Revealed
- 3: Haman’s Plot to Destroy the Jews
- 4: Mordecai Persuades Esther to Help
- 5: Esther’s Requests to the King
- 6: Mordecai is Honored
- 7: Esther Pleads & Haman Dies
- 8: Edicts on Behalf of the Jews
- 9: Jewish Triumph & instigating Purim
- 10: The Greatness of Mordecai
Concluding Comments
- The story is a simple one of potential genocide of the Jews.
- Through the faithfulness of two Jews in exile the Jews were saved from a plot to exterminate them. The difficulty was dealing with a powerful despot and scheming plotter and catching the king at the right moment.
- Although God is not mentioned in the book, one wonders if it were He who kept the king awake at night so he would check the records and end thinking well of Mordecai.
- This is the origin of the feast of Purim.