“For if thou altogether holdest thy peace at this time, then shall there enlargement and deliverance arise to the Jews from another place; but thou and thy father’s house shall be destroyed: and who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this?” (Esther 4:14)
Overview
[1] Esther, from Thru The Bible Radio with Dr. J. Vernon McGee ©, with free downloads Notes & Outlines (PDF), Complete 5-Year Study (MP3)
The Book of Esther in one sense is the most remarkable in the Bible, and that is because the name of God is not mentioned in this book at all. There is not even a divine title or pronoun that refers to God. Yet the heathen king is mentioned 192 times. Prayer is not mentioned—it wouldn’t be, since God is omitted. The Book of Esther is never quoted in the New Testament. There’s not even a casual reference to it. But the superstition of the heathen is mentioned, and lucky days, and we’ll be introduced into a pagan, heathen court of a great world monarch who ruled over the then–known world. This is indeed an unusual book. (Read the complete article)[2] Book of Esther, from gotquestions.org (this website is also available in Afrikaans, Arabic, Bengali, Burmese-Myanmar, Cebuano, Chinese - Simplified, Chinese – Traditional, Hausa, Hindi, Indonesian, Japanese, Khmer, Korean, Malaysian, Persian-Farsi, Portuguese, Quechua, Sesotho, Spanish, Swahili, Tagalog, Tamil, Thai, Urdu, Vietnamese, Zulu, and 70 other languages)
In Esther, we are given a behind-the-scenes look at the ongoing struggle of Satan against the purposes of God and especially against His promised Messiah. The entrance of Christ into the human race was predicated upon the existence of the Jewish race. Just as Haman plotted against the Jews in order to destroy them, so has Satan set himself against Christ and God’s people. Just as Haman is defeated on the gallows he built for Mordecai, so does Christ use the very weapon that his enemy devised to destroy Him and His spiritual seed. For the cross, by which Satan planned to destroy the Messiah, was the very means through which Christ “having canceled the written code, with its regulations, that was against us and that stood opposed to us; he took it away, nailing it to the cross. And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross” (Colossians 2:14-15). Just as Haman was hanged on the gallows he built for Mordecai, so the devil was crushed by the cross he erected to destroy Christ. (Read the complete article)[3] Esther, from Scofield Reference Notes (1917 Edition)
The significance of the Book of Esther is that it testifies to the secret watch care of Jehovah over dispersed Israel. The name of God does not once occur, but in no other book of the Bible is His providence more conspicuous. A mere remnant returned to Jerusalem. The mass of the nation preferred the easy and lucrative life under the Persian rule. But God did not forsake them. What He here does for Judah, He is surely doing for all the covenant people. The book is in seven parts:[4] Ezra, Nehemiah and Esther (with chart 3 Books, 2 Lands, 1 People), from Uplook Ministries
1. The Story of Vashti, 1:1-22.
2. Esther made queen, 2:1-23.
3. The conspiracy of Haman, 3:1-15.
4. The courage of Esther brings deliverance, 4:1-7:10.
5. The vengeance, 8:1-9:19.
6. The feast of Purim, 9:20-32.
7. Epilogue, 10:1-3.
The events recorded in Esther cover a period of 12 years (Ussher).
Further study (Be like the Bereans! Acts 17:11)
[1] Materials by David Malick
[2] Esther - Irony and Providence, by Donald E. Curtis
[3] Esther: A Study of Divine Providence, by Bob Deffinbaugh (with Indonesian translation)
- Introduction to Esther
- Miss Persia (Esther 1:1-2:18)
- Hanging Out at the Gate (Esther 2:19-3:15)
- Esther’s Dilemma and Decision (Esther 4:1-17)
- Sleepless in Susa (Esther 5:1-7:10)
- The Feast of Purim: A Jewish Mardi Gras (Esther 8:1—10:3)
- The Setting of Esther
- Esther: Act 1
- Esther: Act 2
- Esther: The Grand Finale
[1] Touch the World, Impact Eternity, Esther 4:14, by Bobby Earls, First Baptist Church, Center Point, Alabama
[2] Esther 7 God’s Surprising Sovereignty, by Ron Humphries, Scotland Baptist Church
[3] Divine Appointment II, by Daniel Waller
[4] Mary did you know? Esther 4:9–14, Luke 1:26–38, by Alan Wilkerson
[5] At the king’s gate Esther 6:12, by David A. Green
[6] Esther, by Peter Nathan, Vision Journal
[7] Anti-Semitism, by Martin R Kefoot
For other available sermons, please surf to Sermon / Preaching resources. Sermons are also available from South McGehee Baptist Church, McGehee, Arizona; Central Baptist Church, Lowesville; First Baptist Church, Mountain View, Missouri; Swift Creek Baptist Church; Word of Life Baptist Church, Pottsville, Philadelphia; Palm Springs Baptist Church, California; South Woods Baptist Church; Grove Baptist Church, Ulster; Dudley Baptist Church, United Kingdom; Independent Fundamental Baptist Sermons, Fundamental Christian Radio Broadcasts, Off-Site Audio Page and The Christian Radio Tuner
Notes: (1) This ministry does not necessarily endorse or share all the views and opinions expressed in the materials, resources or links mentioned in these posts. Please always refer to the Articles of Faith and Biblical distinctives of Baptists when you study these materials. (2) This lesson is part of the projected 300 plus lessons. From time to time, the lessons will be updated, revised, combined, formatted, and edited to comply with the VOA Simplified English word list. Later on, these lessons will be categorized, numbered sequentially, and made available as PDF downloads.
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