The tension between gods hidden and revealed presence within the narrative of esther is typified by the entrance of the storys jewish heroes in 2. The book of esther serves as a reminder that we do not need to see god or read his name to know that he is there for he is not far from each one of us acts 17. Lessons from the name of god in the book of esther mark. Using a word play with the name esther and the hebrew word for hide astir, the talmud connects the narrative of esther to the prophecy in deuteronomy. The book of esther is one of two biblical books that never mention god. Hidden treasures in the book of esther the return of benjamin. Esther is far more than just a book about a queen and a scheming villain. The book of esther stands squarely against any such teaching of the right of one human being to override the conscience of another and against the law the seven wise men framed and king ahasuerus proclaimed for his empire. Why doesnt the book of esther directly mention god.
Bullinger, the name of jehovah in the book of esther 2nd ed 1891. Dear students of gods word, there is a study by professor e. Gods justice clothes you with royal robes see esther 5. Many of the serious messages of purim are encoded in word play and irony, and the book of esthers seemingly absent god is no exception. Watch our overview video on the book of esther, which breaks down the literary design of the book and its flow of thought. The hidden nature of the miracles of purim are the inspiration for the costumes worn on the holiday.
The book of esther, also known in hebrew as the scroll megillah, is a book in the third section ketuvim, writings of the jewish tanakh the hebrew bible and in the christian old testament. He that had rule over 127 provinces, had no rule over his own spirit. In hebrew, the word megillah shares the same root as the word reveal. It is only alluded to, hidden, waiting to be found. For the religion of the jews, god appears as a character in the national book, the. This is the more remarkable, since, in this short book of only 167 verses, the median king is mentioned 192 times, his kingdom is referred to 26 times, and his name 1. The book of esther and purim secrecy and hiding god. Though the book reveals him as overruling all, his name is hidden. Hidden treasures in the book of esther the return of. But many of the things that happen in the book could not be just luck. Hidden acrostics an acrostic is when the initial letter of each line spells out a word, and it can be used as a mechanism for including a hidden message. Purim, rooted in the book of esther, celebrates the exceptional theme of secrecy and hiding.
The absence of the name of god in the book of esther has for centuries caused many to doubt gods hand upon its main characters, esther and mordecai. It teaches us a powerful lesson about cause and effect that we can carry with us wherever we go. The name of god is hidden no less than eight times in acrostics in the text. The book of esther tells the heroic tale of a jewish woman who risks everything to save her people from the threat of genocide. While the hearers of the word would not understand the hidden references to the names of god uttered by menucan, queen esther, haman, the. Finally, the book of esther may not mention god because the emphasis is on gods providence. Despite all that, however, esther shows gods work in preparing for the coming of the messiah. Why in megillat esther is the name of god not mentioned even once, considering. While it doesnt appear directly in the text, there are evidently four instances of the tetragrammaton, the hebrew spelling of gods name, appearing in the form of an acrostic. This is the more remarkable, since, in this short book of only 167 verses, the median king is mentioned 192 times, his kingdom is referred to 26 times, and his name 1 ahasuerus is given 29 times. This holiday, based on the biblical book of esther, is an appointed time to remember the victory of the jewish people in persia over the wicked haman during the babylonian captivity. Although he has not come out and said it, god is the author of the purim story and the saviour of. Those who look for him can find him, lurking between the lines, giving the strange impulse to king xerxes to suddenly read the archives in the middle of the night, without which, the story would have ended very differently. Immigrants and foreigners in the bible the hebrew bible contains a variety of views about foreigners and their relationship to israel and to god, reflecting the fact that israel was in nearly constant contact with foreign peoples.
Take, for instance, the time that king ahasuerus could not sleep and his servant just happened to read the records of the time that mordecai saved the kings life esther 6. Mar 28, 2006 shalom mishpochah family, esther, the hidden one. When gods presence is hidden and gods presence is unseen, the nations hear the decree to destroy the jews in their vernaculars and scripts esther 3. In the natural, all was lost, but turnaround told a different story. But whether the passion or the policy of the king was served by this decree, gods providence made way for esther to the crown, and defeated hamans wicked project, even before it had entered into his heart, and he arrived at his power. God purposefully concealed his name to teach us that there are times that great miracles are camouflaged, waiting to be discovered. How can a book which fails to mention not only the name of god, but also prayer, worship, the coming messiah, heaven, hell or faith, be included in the canon of the old testament. We will celebrate the feast of purim on march 14, 2006. Gods grace in life of esther first presbyterian church.
Mar 12, 2019 the name of god is nowhere to be found explicitly in the book of esther. Although it is the only book of the bible from which gods name is absent, the storyline of esther draws attention to gods presence. Gods grace in life of esther first presbyterian church of. Her failure to do so caused the king the become very angry angry to the point of divorcing her and seeking a. In fact something hidden is a good subtitle for my story because as it unfolds youll see that there is much more hidden there than just. The hidden god of esther scroll of esther from the jewish museum near the dohany synagogue in budapest, hungary. The book of esther has 167 verses there are 192 references to the king, kingdom, or name of ahasuerus. Why is the name of god not mentioned in megillat esther. But even though he was hidden from them, god still was working for them behind the scenes. The book of esther is one of the most beautiful stories in all literature. Jun 24, 2016 watch our overview video on the book of esther, which breaks down the literary design of the book and its flow of thought. So, even though gods name is not directly mentioned, esther is involved in a religious observance meant to supplicate gods mercy. Bullinger, published in 1999, by the same title the name of jehovah in the book of esther, which has added information on this subject, the least being, that there is abundant proof that these acrostics are no more the mere work of man than are the acrostics in the other parts. He has also brought out the fact that the name jehovah is in the book of esther.
By contrast, the name esther comes from the root word meaning hidden. The book of esther, though divinely inspired scripture, doesnt mention god by any name or title. In the book of esther the tetragrammaton does not appear, but it is present, in hidden form, in four complex acrostics in hebrew. Esther is a book that points to the lord jesus christ. Unlike the many other books in the bible, throughout whole book of esther, the word god is not mentioned once. The name of god is nowhere to be found explicitly in the book of esther. Dear students of god s word, there is a study by professor e. Aug 06, 2016 god himself uses the hebrew word on which the name of esther is founded when he says to moses, haster astir which means hiding, i will hide deut. Aug 15, 2018 it is true that god is not mentioned at all in the book of esther, but then again it is. It is one of the five scrolls megillot in the hebrew bible.
Even though the name of god is not mentioned in it, no book of the bible teaches his providence more forcefully. Feb 28, 2018 god s justice clothes you with royal robes see esther 5. Mar 01, 2001 but even though he was hidden from them, god still was working for them behind the scenes. Still today, the book is read in its entirety in synagogues on the jewish feast of purim. It has been observed by many that no divine name or title is found in the book of esther. It is true that god is not mentioned at all in the book of esther, but then again it is. And this is further emphasized by some surprises hidden behind the text itself. Many suggest that the name esther is related to the hebrew word hester, which means hidden. It has been noted by many commentators that esther is the only book of the bible in which there does not appear the name of god, or any divine title, anywhere in the book. Actually gods name is in the book of esther hidden in 5. God s justice calls you to inner courts and high places, and gives you favor in the sight of those in power see esther.
Mar 18, 2011 it turns out that esther does contain the name, but only in coded form and only in the original hebrew manuscript. That way the name esther would have sounded like i am a hiding place or i am hidden. Esthers name comes from the hebrew word hester, which means hidden. In an acrostic, as in the sample above, the relevant letters or characters were written in bold or aligned. The omission of gods name illuminates the essence of this holiday. When we read the book of esther, we never read gods name. It is known for its ironic narrative and theological subtlety. In the entire book of esther, we do not see the name of god. Neither mordecai, esther, nor the feast of purim is mentioned. There are many surprises hidden in the book of esther, where things are not what they seem. Jan 02, 2020 so, even though gods name is not directly mentioned, esther is involved in a religious observance meant to supplicate gods mercy. Satans work through the nephilim of which hamaan was a descendent was continuing, and thus satan was working to destroy the jewish nation and hinder the fulfillment of the promise of a redeemer. All through the book of esther, we see god working behind the scenes to save the jewish nation. It relates the story of a hebrew woman in persia, born as hadassah but known as esther, who becomes queen of persia and thwarts a genocide.
Jun 16, 2015 the book of esther is an intriguing work in the old testament canon. Indeed, there is no direct reference to god at all. This is an interesting sermon for those who hold this view, but it isnt true. Interestingly, it appears john is telling us in john 5 that jesus celebrated purim so that is possibly another link between esther and christ. Lessons from the name of god in the book of esther mark tabata. An excellent study of this and the other codes hidden in esther can be found here in far more detail than i had in my own notes.
Gods sovereignty in esther the first act of gods sovereignty in the book of esther, reading chronologically, is the fact that queen vashti refused to come into king xerxes presence. The book of esther is one of only two books in the hebrew bible that never mention god the other is the song of songs. Gods justice calls you to inner courts and high places, and gives you favor in the sight of those in power see esther. In esther, god providentially uses two exiled israelites to rescue his. The book of esther and god hidden and revealed lutheran forum. In the book of esther we encounter some remarkable surprises. And in fact, the whole story of esther is a bit like a game of hide and seek first of all, you may have noticed that god himself is hiding in the book of esther he is not mentioned at all. The name of god is hidden several times in acrostics in the book of esther. The name of god is not mentioned in the entire book, an omission that has caused debate about its place in holy scripture.
The book of esther may not have gods name stated directly, but his involvement is felt in many ways throughout the story, especially when esther implored the people to seek help through fasting. Just as god is hidden in the book of esther, the people who anticipate gods work of redemption in the endtimes hide themselves in costumes to emphasize how he has chosen to work during these times. Thus you have yod, hey, vav, hey, gods name in an acronym. Mar 08, 2014 esthers name comes from the hebrew word hester, which means hidden. The book of esther and god hidden and revealed lutheran. I remembered reading once that god s name appears in esther in. Esthers name and gods now apparent presence appear when israel, now redeemed, is recognized as a nation. God has proved his existence to all that are truly seeking his face in providence. Esther, the jewish heroine of the biblical book that bears her name, bravely intervenes on behalf of her people to save them from destruction.
However, the silences of gods word, like its utterance, are full of instruction, and e w bullinger has found much teaching in the absence of jehovahs name from this old testament book. Take, for instance, the time that king ahasuerus could not sleep and his servant just happened to read the records of the. The hidden name of god in esther randy white ministries. This is like a special funfact not many people notice about the book of esther. A story of the providence of god in a pagan land page 4 introduction to the book the book of esther is the only book in the bible that does not mention the name of god. Jul 18, 2018 the name esther gives us another clue. While the hearers of the word would not understand the hidden references to the names of god uttered by menucan, queen esther, haman, the author and king ahasuerus, the reader would certainly have done so. God himself uses the hebrew word on which the name of esther is founded when he says to moses, haster astir which means hiding, i will hide deut. Gods name in the book of esther by angus mac killop. When a statement is made by mordecai who is a symbol of the holy spirit gods name is found as the first letter of the first few words of the scripture.
The book of esther is an intriguing work in the old testament canon. However, id like to point out a hidden code in esther that most people miss. God set in action social forces that, for the time being, frustrated the operation of that particular law of the medes and persians. It turns out that esther does contain the name, but only in coded form and only in the original hebrew manuscript. It is a variation of the name of the goddess astarte. Despite all that, however, esther shows god s work in preparing for the coming of the messiah. Furthering the link between repentance, gods concealed face, and purim, another medieval commentator, nachmanides, notes that the curse of gods concealed face in deuteronomyto which esther is most likely relatedis a burden of the sin of idolatry punishable by exile, not relieved until the jewish people demonstrate profound remorse. Gods name in the book of esther his kingdom prophecy posted on december 25, 2011 by angus mackillop september 10, 2012 perhaps since sunday school, i had known the book of esther as being the only book in the bible in which the name of god is missing. This, they insist, supports their view that god helps people in a hidden way.
Megillat esther book of esther, therefore, translates to mean. Gods name is not even mentioned once in the book of esther. These letters were distinguished in at least three ancient hebrew manuscripts in red. Why christians should celebrate purim fellowship church. It is the only book in the bible where god is hidden like this, but he is there. The vashtiesther story part one gods word to women. Apart from the fact that gods name does not occur in esther 1 a quality the apocryphal book shares only with the song of solomon the purim story is used as a prime example of how god operates in a concealed manner to perform miracles on behalf of the jewish people.
Students of the bible know that fasting was done to draw closer to god and was accompanied by heartfelt prayers daniel 9. I remembered reading once that gods name appears in esther in. The book covers a period of about 12 years, falling somewhere between the events recorded in the sixth and seventh chapters of ezra. The massorah contains a note calling attention to the acrostics of the names of god in esther, which are found four times in the book. This has led some modern scholars to claim that the book was originally intended as a purely secular history. By remaining hidden beneath the narratives surface and story, god, as a.
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