Sæktu forritiðBehind the Scenes – The Esther StorySýnishorn
The story begins with King Xerxes, the ruler of the Persian empire, hosting an extravagant banquet at his palace in Susa. At the end of the party, Xerxes summons his wife, Queen Vashti, to show her off to his buddies. His plan, however, doesn’t go down well - Queen Vashti spurns her husband’s invitation.
Perhaps that wasn’t wisest course of action as the offended Xerxes decides to give Vashti the boot and find himself a new wife. And that’s when we’re introduced to the protagonist of our drama, Esther.
Esther is one among the young, beautiful women who assemble in the palace to be part of the king’s harem.
A bit about her background: Esther was an orphaned Jewish girl who was raised by her cousin Mordecai, who was, of course, also a Jew.
Esther, eventually, becomes the king’s favorite and is crowned Queen of Persia.
With that quick summary of chapters 1 and 2 of Esther, we are introduced to three of the four main characters of this drama – King Xerxes, Esther and, her cousin, Mordecai. But, you know who is not mentioned in Chapters 1 or 2 of Esther? And now comes the moment for everyone’s favorite Sunday School answer: God. Nowhere in the book of Esther is God mentioned.
The omission of God from the book, however, is not a slip-up. Is it possible the author of Esther (who is anonymous) intentionally leaves God out of the picture as a challenge for the reader to seek God and find God when He seems to be absent?
Even in Chapters 1 and 2 we see God’s fingerprints all over the seemingly-odd circumstances. How does an orphaned Jewish girl become the queen of a Persian kingdom? Some may put it down to a random occurrence. But God doesn’t do coincidence. God doesn’t do random. God doesn’t do happenstance.
God may not seem to be in the picture. But He is always working behind the scenes.
Father God, In those moments when I can’t see You, help me hold on to the truth that You are always present. You never leave nor forsake me. You work all things out for the good of those who love You, who are called according to Your purpose. Amen
About this Plan
Esther’s legacy is of a strong woman who risked her life to save her people. While that is undoubtedly true, there’s so much more to the story. Esther is a book where we, as readers, are invited to look behind the scenes. While Queen Esther is at the foreground of the drama, this Bible plan focuses on what may not be explicitly mentioned in the book.
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