Esther, Research Paper
Old Testament Survey
Prof. Brian Moulton
Angela Bando
March 17, 2013
Esther
Subject/Theme of Esther: God will bless the people abundantly for the prayers
and good deeds of His elect people.
While there are many hidden intents of thought in the book of Esther I affirm that the strongest theme in the book of the Bible is that of God's providence.
We continuously see in the book of Esther God's grace shown towards those who call on Him. God sets Esther on the throne as queen, saves Mordecai from Haman’s anger and saves the entire nation of Israel from Haman.
All the same, we see the people fasting before God for three days, we see salvation in the nation of Israel as well as them praying and asking the Lord to save them from destruction. Not only does God save the people of Israel but he rewards their devotion and trust by empowering them to take retribution on those who wanted to see them annihilated. God’s grace and blessing exceeded everything Israel could have hoped for.
Any one that put their trust in the Lord would have foreseen Esther’s situation as dismal, where the people whose land they are living in are planning to wipe them out. Rather than despair, as a godless nation would have done, Israel put their trust in God and calling on His name they were saved from destruction.
How is God's Sovereignty Shown in Esther?
God's sovereignty is seen in numerous ways in Esther. His sovereignty and faithfulness dominate each chapter. God’s sovereignty is best summarized in Mordecai’s admonition to Esther: “And who knows whether you have not attained royalty for such a time as this?” (Esther 4:14). When at times things seemed out of control to Esther and Mordecai, they still trusted in God. They knew that He was at work through it all.
God worked through their dark days, their faithful obedience and their victories. The message is that God is sovereign even when life doesn’t make sense. “His
Prof. Brian Moulton
Angela Bando
March 17, 2013
Esther
Subject/Theme of Esther: God will bless the people abundantly for the prayers
and good deeds of His elect people.
While there are many hidden intents of thought in the book of Esther I affirm that the strongest theme in the book of the Bible is that of God's providence.
We continuously see in the book of Esther God's grace shown towards those who call on Him. God sets Esther on the throne as queen, saves Mordecai from Haman’s anger and saves the entire nation of Israel from Haman.
All the same, we see the people fasting before God for three days, we see salvation in the nation of Israel as well as them praying and asking the Lord to save them from destruction. Not only does God save the people of Israel but he rewards their devotion and trust by empowering them to take retribution on those who wanted to see them annihilated. God’s grace and blessing exceeded everything Israel could have hoped for.
Any one that put their trust in the Lord would have foreseen Esther’s situation as dismal, where the people whose land they are living in are planning to wipe them out. Rather than despair, as a godless nation would have done, Israel put their trust in God and calling on His name they were saved from destruction.
How is God's Sovereignty Shown in Esther?
God's sovereignty is seen in numerous ways in Esther. His sovereignty and faithfulness dominate each chapter. God’s sovereignty is best summarized in Mordecai’s admonition to Esther: “And who knows whether you have not attained royalty for such a time as this?” (Esther 4:14). When at times things seemed out of control to Esther and Mordecai, they still trusted in God. They knew that He was at work through it all.
God worked through their dark days, their faithful obedience and their victories. The message is that God is sovereign even when life doesn’t make sense. “His