Readings for today: Esther 1-5
Esther is a fascinating book. It is the only book in the Bible that never explicitly mentions God. For that reason, it has been the subject of a lot of controversy over the years. Jews and Christians alike have wondered why it is included in the Bible. My own belief is that Esther is a book that must be read against the entire backdrop of the Old Testament. As such, it serves as a divinely inspired example of how God often works in real life. Behind the scenes. Often hidden yet still active. Making Himself known through His providence if not His presence.
Consider what we read today. The king throws a royal banquet. This is not just any party but a display of the king’s wealth and power and might. It is his way of demonstrating his absolute authority and control. All his officials and servants are required to attend along with his army and nobles from the various provinces making up his empire. They gather in one place, in the city of the king’s choosing, and are subjected to a massive display of the king’s greatness for 180 days! At the end of the 180 days, he throws a celebration, suspends all rules of decorum, and the entire assembly engages in an excessively gluttonous, drunken affair. The whole thing designed from beginning to end to establish the absolute nature of the king’s rule. It’s all a farce, of course. The king’s authority and power and control are all an illusion. One that is quickly illustrated by the refusal of his wife to follow his command to entertain his male guests. The king can’t control his own family and household much less all the different provinces of his empire.
Meanwhile, God is at work. He has prepared a young woman from an exiled, marginalized, and vulnerable ethnic group, orphaned and raised by her uncle, to become the next Persian queen. He works in and through the complex moral and cultural systems of the day to grant her favor with the overseer of the harem. She is given all the best cosmetics and food and special lodging. When she appears before the king, the courtiers marvel at her beauty and she is raised to her new position. God has moved her from the margins of society to the center of imperial power. He is positioning her to play a specific role in the salvation of her people.
All this is news to Esther, of course. She has no idea what God is up to. No idea as to God’s providential plan in her life. All she can see is the next step. Isn’t this true for all of us? This is why I love the Book of Esther so much. It resonates with how God often works in real life. He often remains hidden and behind the scenes. His plans are often only revealed in retrospect. And yet, as we take each faithful step, God uses us to accomplish His sovereign purposes and divine plan thereby demonstrating who really holds all the authority and power and control in our world.
Readings for tomorrow: No devotionals on Sundays