Who is Esther, the heroine of the book named after her? The Book of Esther is the only book in the Bible, in which God is not addressed or even referred to! Why is that? Although Queen Esther requests that the Jews fast before she requests an audience of the king (Esther 4:16), and fasting implies prayer, the only prayer, per se, that is mentioned is the queen petitioning the king (Esther 5:6-8; 7:2-3). Is this important, and, if so, how does it fit into the context of the book, as that pertains to the fact that the Lord, God of Israel, is never mentioned or referred to? Nevertheless, his unseen and unmentioned presence is unmistakably there, with Esther and Mordecai, throughout the record that the text unveils to the reader?
To begin with, the book tells us that the king’s commandment and decree soon became known throughout his kingdom and Esther was brought into the palace at Shushan, together with many other young women in the kingdom. So, Esther and all the young virgins chosen for the king were delivered into the custody of Hegai, the king’s eunuch, who was the official in authority over the king’s harem (Esther 2:8).
It seems that Esther was quickly able to gain favor with Hegai. We are told that he preferred her and her seven maidens, who attended her, above all the other virgins under his authority (Esther 2:9), just as the Lord had brought young Daniel in the favor of Ashpenaz, the prince of the eunuchs (Daniel 1:9). Although the author of the Book of Esther doesn’t say how she came into Hegai’s favor, which, in itself, is interesting, the context of the book seems to demand the presence of the hand of God in this matter too.
Finally, we are told that Esther hadn’t revealed to anyone that she was a Jew, a daughter of Israel, because Mordecai had commanded her that she should keep her national identity secret (Esther 2:10). In doing so, Esther had to also hide the fact that she worshiped the God of Israel! So, no mention of the God of Israel is found in the Book of Esther, because Esther, at the command of Mordecai, hid her national identity. Thus, with her nationality hidden, so, too, would the great God, whom the nations feared, including Persia, be hidden. Persia’s fear of the God of Israel is understood in the fact that, when the king released Ezra, he commanded him to do all that was necessary to please his God, so his wrath wouldn’t be against the king’s realm or that of his sons (cp. Ezra 7:23). What was going on, and why did Mordecai believe it was necessary to keep Esther’ nationality a secret?
Politics and conspiracy, which is a tool of the politically minded, loom large, in the word of God, when there is a lack of faith or when faith is weak. I am reminded of the works of Judas and Peter at this point. Judas believed Jesus was the Messiah, but Jesus wasn’t acting like the messiah that Judas envisioned. Therefore, he thought he could force Jesus to rise up against Rome, if his life was threatened. Judas was wrong, and his zeal to be a mover and a shaker in the politics of the Kingdom of God was misplaced. As for Peter, he thought to keep his identity secret, until he could understand how Jesus’ trial would go. Presumably, he needed such information, so he could muster up support to get Jesus released. He also believed Jesus was the Messiah, but, like Judas, he had little faith in the power of his Messiah. Neither Judas nor Peter trusted that all things spoken of the Messiah were in the hands of Jesus, their Lord.
Is it wrong to put Mordecai and Esther in the same place as Judas and Peter? I don’t think so! For example, consider what Daniel had done from the very beginning: “…Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself” (Daniel 1:8). Because of Daniel’s faithfulness before the Lord, he became known to all as one who trusted in the Lord, God of Israel and depended upon him for his protection (cp. Daniel 6; especially verses – 5, 10 and 16). On the other hand, how could Esther have kept her national identity secret, if she remained kosher in her diet, during the year she prepared herself for the king (cp. Esther 2:9-12 & Daniel 1:8-10), or in the four years after she became queen (Esther 2:16-17 and 3:7)?
One could defend Esther’s behavior, as one who didn’t have a choice, for even the Law of Moses allows for a maiden’s responsibility to obey the commandment of her father, and even excuses wrongdoing, when she is coerced by a man, and is unable to obtain help from others. Nevertheless, Esther did submit herself to premarital intercourse, and participated in an adulterous affair with a man who was married to another. Moreover, this was done with a heathen, which is condemned as rebellion in the books of Ezra and Nehemiah!
It is difficult to understand both Mordecai’s and Esther’s behavior in light of that of Daniel, who seems to have been placed in a similar position that they were in. Yet, he testified of his relationship with the Lord. No matter what else can be said of these things, I suppose what is supremely evident in the Book of Esther is the mercy of the Lord that he rains down upon his people, even when they, mistakenly or under grace, push away their knowledge of him (cp. Romans 1:28). At the end of the day, however, I suppose it is a matter of the heart, like Peter. He denied his Lord, in an effort to save him, bad theology, but a good heart!
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