The Book of Esther

1377 Words3 Pages

The Book of Esther is about a Jewish queen of Persia who exposed a plot to destroy her people and thus saved all the Jews in that country from destruction (Esther 3:11). The purpose of The Book of Esther is to display the work of God. The Book of Esther records the feast of Purim and it commemorates the great deliverance of the Jewish nation. In the process of analyzing The Book of Esther, the journey into the three worlds will be used. Overall this paper will discuss the fall and rise of the Jewish nation, the use of chiasm and a symbol that relates to The Book of Esther. In addition, this paper will examine the division between male and female and it will also reveal the work of God even though his name was never mentioned.
Literary World
The literary world of the Bible is simply the text itself, apart from anything outside the text. In The Book of Esther, the literary world is the overall story. The first section starts off with the king displaying his wealth. When those days were over, King Ahasuerus and Queen Vashti gave a banquet for all the greatest who were in the citadel of Susa. The banquet lasted seven days and on the seventh day the king commanded that his wife be brought before him. Vashti refused to display her beauty so her title as queen was nullified. After, the officials convinced the king to write an edict going throughout his entire vast realm, proclaiming that all the women will respect their husbands, from the least to the greatest (Esther 1:20).
It is still a mystery why Vashti refused to display her beauty. However, her disobedience initiated the search for a new queen. The search for a new queen is how the narrator introduces Mordecai and Esther. Mordecai was a Jew, who had been carried into exile from J...

... middle of paper ...

... kill and annihilate the armed men of any nationality or province who might attack them and their women and children and to plunder their goods” (Esther, 8:11).
In conclusion, The Book of Esther never mentioned the word “God.” However, his work was evident. It is taught that God has his hands in everything and that nothing happens without coming through him first. If that is true, then Vashti’s refusal to display her beauty was also a major part of God’s plan. Ultimately, had Queen Vashti not refused the king his request then the entire story would never have occurred the way it did. After the analysis of the three worlds, The Book of Esther could be applied to the teachings of today. There are good leaders who care for the welfare of other people; and there are definitely testimonies where God had to be working in the background just like in The Book of Esther.

Open Document