Bible 101: Lesson 15

Esther

The only book of the Bible that never mentions God, Esther is named for the heroine, a young woman who was in the right place at the right time to save her people from genocide. An orphan, Esther has been raised by her cousin, Mordecai. He places her into the harem of the Persian king, Xerxes, and she wins his admiration to become queen.

At this point we meet the evil character, Haman. He represents all the people in history who have ever tried to wipe out God, or His people, from the face of the earth. It is amazing to think that God, the source of all goodness and blessing and joy, at times becomes the excuse for unimaginable cruelty, atrocity and evil.

But the book of Esther teaches us that God is always present and active, whether He is acknowledged or not. No attempt to wipe out the evidence and reminders of God will ever succeed, even when millions of people are killed in the attempt. God reigns supreme, and His people who honor and serve and worship Him will always be scattered over the earth until the time of the end. He has the last word.

Contains no messianic prophecies.