The events of the book of Esther took place while the Jews where living in Persia after the Babylonian exile. The story is remarkable and instructive. One commentator has said, "Readers who are satisfied that they know what Esther means would be well advised to examine it again in search of other dimensions." Jon Lavenson, Bible scholar, states, "It is the story of the assent of a woman, an orphan in exile, to the most powerful woman, perhaps the most powerful person, in the empire and arguably the world."
"The author's central purpose was to record the institution of the annual festival of Purim and to keep alive for later generations the memory of the great and providential deliverance of the Jewish people during the reign of Xerxes. The book accounts for both initiation of that observance and the obligation for its perpetual commemoration." (NIV Study Bible, pg 802.) This commemoration has continued through modern history. This is a story of redemption akin to the story of Joseph in Egypt.
God accomplishes this all through an orphaned woman, living in exile on the margins of society. Esther and her actions teach many things that stand the test of time. Her account portrays a broader perspective if read through eyes to see.
"When you see the book of Esther, it is the book of Ishtar. It is the book of Asherah. It is the book of Hadassah. It is the book of Esther who has these two names, her Jewish name, and her Babylonian or Persian name. By functioning in this role of redemption, she is in some ways fulfilling her divine counterpart. Esther is just another powerful example how God works that deliverance. And it means something that he works it through a woman." Dr. Ariel Silver, https://followhim.co/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/31-Ariel-Silver-ESTHER-followHIM-Podcast-SHOW-NOTES-ENGLISH.pdf
"The God-fearing defiant women of the Exodus, and also Rahab, are models of how Israel should behave in adversity and the reward they can expect. Yael the apparently powerless tent-dweller is the archetype of those who conquer their powerful adversaries by faith and determination. Later, when once again there was no king, Esther became the model for the behavior and salvation of Jews in the diaspora, and Judith, like the much earlier Yael, rose to destroy the enemy of Israel. The women who were saviors of Israel, like the boy David who slew Goliath, all demonstrate the ability of the small and marginal to win by their will and the power of God." Frymer-Kensky, Tikva. Reading the Women of the Bible (p. 335). Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.
"An outstanding feature of this book—one that has given rise to considerable discussion—is the complete absence of any explicit reference to God, worship, prayer, or sacrifice. This “secularity” has produced many detractors who have judged the book to be of little religious value. However, it appears that the author has deliberately refrained from mentioning God or any religious activity as a literary device to heighten the fact that it is God who controls and directs all the seemingly insignificant coincidences that make up the plot and issue in deliverance for the Jews. God’s sovereign rule is assumed at every point, an assumption made all the more effective by the total absence of reference to him. It becomes clear to the careful reader that Israel’s Great King exercises his providential and sovereign control over all the vicissitudes of his beleaguered covenant people." NIV Study Bible, page 804
"There is another side to the story, God being hidden in this text, he is present. And I hope that our discussion has demonstrated the ways in which God was present in Esther's life, was present in Mordecai's life, was present in this text and in this story. But many people have suggested that the hiddenness of God, that figure is obscured slightly so that we can see what we might call the female divine. And I think our most comfortable corollary is a heavenly mother. I think it's worth mentioning that she really functions in much the way that Esther does. She's both hidden and she's revealed. There's not a lot that is said about her, her role remains a bit obscured, and yet we also affirm and reaffirm her presence. And we recognize that divinity is incomplete without her." Dr. Ariel Silver, https://followhim.co/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/31-Ariel-Silver-ESTHER-followHIM-Podcast-SHOW-NOTES-ENGLISH.pdf
We are given the opportunity to watch Esther come to understand her purpose and grow into what it required of her. Often, we struggle with purpose day-to-day. Esther's story provides a guidepost for the growth we seek even in the midst of challenging and painful times.
"[Biblical authors] mostly perceive exile as something to be endured, something to be survived, something for which we hope for a resolution. We don't really want this to endure longer than it has to. In the book of Esther, she sees it as an opportunity, even in the face of a really severe life-threatening situation where a decree against their lives has been placed, but she sees exile as an opportunity to develop capacities, to grow. And this is the other really interesting, one of the many other interesting things about this text is that the female character of Esther across the span of these 10 chapters changes, she evolves, she develops, she progresses. It's a heroine story. What they call a Bildungsroman, coming of age story. She comes into her own and as her purpose becomes more clear, her power and her knowledge and her understanding also grows, her capacity to act and to do things that are going to work toward her salvation personally, and toward the salvation of her people." Dr. Ariel Silver, https://followhim.co/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/31-Ariel-Silver-ESTHER-followHIM-Podcast-SHOW-NOTES-ENGLISH.pdf
