ESTHER. TOP 10 SIGNS YOU MAY NOT BE READING YOUR BIBLE ENOUGH --4 Catching the kids reading the Song of Solomon, you demand: "Who gave you this stuff?"

ESTHER

TOP 10 SIGNS YOU MAY NOT BE READING YOUR BIBLE ENOUGH

--4 Catching the kids reading the Song of Solomon, you demand: "Who gave you this stuff?"

--3 You think the minor prophets worked in the quarries.

--2 You keep falling for it every time when pastor tells you to turn to First Condominiums.

ESTHER

CHALLENGE:If you were one of the church fathers

tasked to assess the canonicity of the

book of Esther, what are some issues that

might hinder your canonizing this

book?

2. Titlea. One of two books in the Bible named

after a woman.

b. The name Esther is Persian, and means ‘star’; not found elsewhere in the Bible.

c. Her Hebrew name was Hadassah (2:7) - Myrtle

5) SETTING

5) SETTING: Susa

SETTING: Xerxes I

/Ahasueras

SETTING: Jewish Exiles

2) Purpose & Theme

a) General Purpose and Theme

i) God’s sovereignty and faithfulness (despite His being hidden) in protecting His people from being annihilated as a race.

2b) Other Themes

i) Providence: For such a time as this (4:14)

Literary Genre: Conflicting Historical Facts

iii)The Coincidences(1) Makes the story looks more like a literary invention than a historical reporting.

• By 'chance' she was born with exceeding beauty

• By 'chance' her parents were killed while she was young leaving her to be taken in by her cousin.

• By 'chance' the Queen was disposed by the rash decision of a King.

• By 'chance' the King was left feeling alone.

• By 'chance' Esther was carted off to the palace to become part of the Kingís harem.

• So begins the story of Esther, a story that reveals that all of life is under God's command.

2b) Other Themes

i) Providence: For such a time as this (4:14)ii) Feast of Purim (9:28)

(1)Purim derived from Assyrian puru meaning ‘lot’ (9:24) referring to the lots cast by Haman to determine the day decreed for the Jewish annihilation.

(2)One possible reason for the book was written to authenticate the origin of the Feast of Purim (celebrated in the month of Adar in February/March).

(a)“These days should be remembered and kept throughout every generation in every family, province, and city; and these days of Purim should never fall into disuse among the Jews, nor should the commemoration of these days cease among their descendents (Esther 9:28).

Purim Today

The primary commandment related to Purim is to hear the reading of the book of Esther. It is customary to boo, hiss, stamp feet and rattle gragers (noisemakers) whenever the name of Haman is mentioned in the service. The purpose of this custom is to "blot out the name of Haman."

Purim Today

Jews are also commanded to eat, drink and be merry. According to the Talmud, a person is required to drink until he cannot tell the difference between "cursed be Haman" and "blessed be Mordecai," though opinions differ as to exactly how drunk that is.

Purim Today

It is customary to hold carnival-like celebrations on Purim, to perform plays and parodies, and to hold beauty contests. People often wear masks.

MasqueradingDressing up in masks and costumes is one of the most entertaining customs of

the Purim holiday. Children in particular enjoy dressing up as the protagonists in the Book of Esther, including Queen Esther and Mordecai.

Costumes and masks are worn to disguise the wearers' identities. Mistaken identity plays an important role in The Book of Esther, as Esther hid her cultural origins from the king, Mordecai hid his knowledge of all the world's languages, and Haman was mistaken for Mordecai when he led Mordecai through the streets of the capital city.

The one who is truly hidden behind all the events of the Megillah is God. The Jewish Sages referred to His role as פנים hester panim, or "hiding of) הסתרthe Face", which is also hinted at in the Hebrew name for the Book of Esther, Megillat Esther—literally, "revelation of [that which is] hidden").

Purim Today

In addition, Jews are commanded to send out gifts of food or drink, and to make gifts to charity. A common treat at this time of year is hamentaschen (lit. Haman's pockets or ears). These triangular fruit-filled cookies are supposed to represent Haman's three-cornered hat or his triangular shaped ears.

8. Points of interest

a. Canonical Location

i. Placed last of 5 scrolls in Hebrew Canon: Ruth, Song of Songs, Ecclesiastes, Lamentations, Esther.

8. Points of interest

ii) There are several similarities with the Joseph story in the book of Genesis (2:3-4, 9, 21-23; 3:4; 4:14; 6:1, 8, 14; 8:6).

B) Things that are not mentioned in the book of Esther:

a) The name of the Lord.

b) Prayer.

c) Things that were normally of interest to the Jews...

9) Structure & Organization

a) 1:1—2:23 The Rise of Esther b) 3:1—3:15 Haman’s Plot to Destroy the Jews.c) 4:1—9:19 Esther’s Intervention

i) 4:1—17 Mordecai Persuaded Esther to Interveneii) 5:1—5: 8 Esther Risked Intervention

iii) 5:9—5:14 Haman’s Presumptions of Honor and Plans to

Exterminate Mordecaiiv) 6:1-14 Mordecai Honored

v) 7:1-10 Haman Exterminatedvi) 8:1—9:19 The Jews Delivered

d) 9:20–32 The Feast of Purim Establishede) 10:1–3 The Resulting Stature of Mordecai

3) OUTLINE

a) 1:1—2:23 The Rise of Esther

b) 3:1—3:15 Haman’s Plot to Destroy the Jews.

c) 4:1—9:19 Esther’s Intervention

d) 9:20–32 The Feast of Purim Established

e) 10:1–3 The Resulting Stature of Mordecai

4) LESSONS FROM THE BOOK OF ESTHER

a)From Mordecaii) The opportunities we have are more important

than the ones we wish we had. ii) We can trust God to weave

together the events of life for our best, even though we may not be able to see the overall pattern.

iii) The rewards for doing right are sometimes delayed, but they are guaranteed by God himself.

4) LESSONS FROM THE BOOK OF ESTHER

b) From Estheri) Serving God may entail risk to one’s

security. 

ii)“For such a time as this…” God has a purpose for the situations he places us in. 

iii)Courage, while often vital, cannot replace careful planning.

TOP 10 SIGNS YOU MAY NOT BE READING YOUR BIBLE ENOUGH

And the No. 1 sign you may not be reading your Bible enough:

1) The kids keep asking too many questions about your usual bedtime story: "Jonah the Shepherd Boy and His Ark of Many Colors."