When it was announced that the women’s Study Together ministry was going to be studying Esther, I decided to do it because Esther is one book of the Bible that shows how God used a woman in a great way. As we studied, I saw that this book was about God’s plan and power even more than it was about him using a woman. Although the name of God was never mentioned, we see his hand throughout the story. I realized as I studied the history of Esther that God was working long before Esther was even written.
In this Bible study, we learned the importance of studying the history and context of the book as well as getting to know the individuals in the story. As I spent time studying, I learned that Haman was an Amalekite, and Mordecai was a man of Benjamin, a son of Kish, a Jew. These two men had a history that went back to 1 Samuel when King Saul, a man of Benjamin, a son of Kish, tried wiping out the Amalekites but failed to do so. Because of this history, Haman had a hatred for the Jews and wanted to wipe them out, including Esther’s cousin, Mordecai.
God was aware of Haman’s plan and used Esther, a Jewish woman, giving her great favor with King Xerxes to save the Jewish people. Only God could orchestrate and put these circumstances into place! While studying the background and relationship between Haman and Mordecai, I realized that God’s plan is much bigger and better than what I have planned. He is always in control, even when I don’t see or feel him. His plan cannot be thwarted, not even by the most powerful and influential people in our lives. God’s plan trumped powerful Xerxes and influential Haman, and it trumps the powers in our lives well.
The book of Esther is one of those books that I look at differently now. It has caused me to see God differently, too. It speaks loudly of God’s character, providence, sovereignty, omniscience, and omnipresence. How kind of God to put this book in the Bible for us, reminding us that he is continuously working in our lives and is in total control even when we don’t understand what he is doing.
When I get fearful, discouraged, and overwhelmed with life, and I don’t see the outcome I’m looking for, I remember the book of Esther and thank God that he is in total control, orchestrating everything behind the scenes, all with his glory and my best interest at heart.
