As
we come to the end of this particular series of studies, the following
may be some of the things we may wish to consider further:
1. The Unusual
Nature of this Book
The Book of Esther stands out in one way particularly:
there is no mention of God in it. In that respect it is unique. If we
put that aside for the moment, we might ask, so what was the point of
including this book in the sacred canon of Scripture? The obvious answer
left to us is that it is a record of a remarkable deliverance of the
Jewish people during their time in exile. It is thus first of all a
reminder to the Jews that they should not take their existence for granted.
They came under serious threat, both then and at later times in history.
Yet, for reasons that may escape us, they are still God's special people.
He may have sent them into exile, but that doesn't mean He has written
them off. He had plans to bring His own Son from heaven into this nation
later in history. It is important therefore that they be preserved.
Is it conceivable therefore, that the God who appeared to move and speak
so many times in the life of Israel recorded in the Old Testament, would
fail to act when the enemy rises up against His people. We are thus
left with the conclusion that although the Lord is not mentioned in
this brief history, His hand was surely at work behind these events.
This is what we mean by ‘Providence' – the hidden hand of God working
behind the scenes. That is what this book is all about – the hidden
hand of God at work on behalf of His people.
2.
Personal Application
So
what should all this say to us? Various things!
a)
The Hidden Hand of God
First, it may be suggested, that we need to rest
in the fact, that although we may not see the hand of the Lord moving
in our circumstances, He is! Jesus said, “My Father is always
at his work” (Jn 5:17). Sometimes the Lord does incredible things that
leave us gasping (such as bringing a miraculous healing), but at other
times He may do things that appear so small that we quite probably miss
them (like disturbing a king's sleep). We should never despise the small
things that God does because they always have just the effect He wants
them to have and His purposes are furthered.
b)
The role we have to play
It is worth repeating here what we wrote in the Introduction:
In Phil 2:12,13 the apostle Paul wrote: “ continue to work out your
salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to
will and to act according to his good purpose .” In other words
we have a part to play while God is working out His purposes. God may
be working quietly behind the scenes but our part is just to get on
with life and be faithful to the Lord, obedient to all He has said so
far to us. As we do this, from time to time we will find ourselves out
of our depth, wondering how we can possibly survive what is happening.
It is at that point that we reveal our maturity and pray. Seeking God
may be the only thing left to us. We are foolish if we don't cry out.
Suddenly the circumstances change, but that doesn't always mean the
way is easy. It may still require us to move in faith and with courage.
We may still need to call out to God for wisdom (Jas 1:5), we may still
need to persevere and press in against the odds. We may even have to
be prepared to lay down our lives for others. This is the nature of
the life that we are called to, and the Book of Esther shows us a number
of facets of it. May we live it to His glory and if it means the salvation
of one or many that will be good!