Esther For Such A Time As This A Study of God’s Providence H. Carl Shank Esther: For Such A Time As This A Study of God’s Providence Copyright © 2017 by H. Carl Shank. All rights reserved. ISBN 978-1-387-16894-1 Permission is given to photocopy any portion of this book for ministry purposes. Photocopy must include copyright credits as stated above. Scripture references are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version, NIV, © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by The Zondervan Corporation, as well as the ESV Bible, © 2001 by Crossway, a ministry of Good News Publishers. All references used by permission from the publishers. All rights reserved. First printing Summer 2017 Printed in the United States of America 2 About the Author In addition to his M.Div. and Th.M. (systematics) work, H. Carl Shank has been a youth, associate, solo, staff and lead pastor in over forty years of church ministry, pastoring beginning and established congregations in Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia and New York state. His passion for leadership development has resulted in mentoring numerous pastors, teaching in a number of local Bible institutes as well as serving as an adjunct faculty member of The King’s College, and training InterVarsity leaders on the East Coast. Carl has been regularly sought out for his acknowledged gifts of discernment and wisdom in dealing with church issues. He had been serving as the Executive Pastor of Pequea Church south of Lancaster, PA, as well as a church health consultant through NCDAmerica. He is recently retired. Besides numerous seminars and church related articles, his written contributions include “Qoheleth’s World and Life View As Seen in His Recurring Phrases,” Westminster Theological Journal, 37 (1974), 57-73, More of Christ, Mack Publishing, 1973, A Faith Journey: Steps of Faith from Here to God, 2009 (www.blurb.com), The Two- Talent Church: Truths for Health and Growth, Upfront and Indepth: Deeper Devotional Studies on Psalm 119, Making Christianity Work: Letters and Lessons on Leadership, Theology and the Church, Living Life God’s Way: Reflections from the Psalms, Study Guide and Leader’s Guide, Romans: The Glory of God As Seen in the Righteousness of God, and Jonah: A Reluctant Messenger, A Needy People, and God’s Amazing Grace, most available from Amazon and other booksellers. Carl is married to his wonderful wife, Nancy, and has three grown, married children, Stephen, Jeremy and Heidi. He lives in the Marietta, PA area and can be reached for consulting, seminars or leadership and mentoring development at [email protected] www.carlshankconsulting.com 3 4 preface hat does the story of Esther, a Jewish girl and a Jewish story, have to do with Christians and the Christian faith? Isn’t this Old Testament account just for Jews? WWhy is the story in the Bible except to promote a Jewish feast and holiday (Purim) that Christians largely ignore? As Joyce Baldwin notes, “It has often been pointed out that the name of God does not occur in the book of Esther. A superficial reaction to this omission is to question the book’s inclusion in the Bible. The great Reformation expositors, Luther and Calvin, left no commentaries on Esther, and those who write the history of the Old Testament period rarely refer to this book. This is because its claim to be a factual report of events tends to be treated with scepticism. Why then should Christians study it today?”1 To many people, the story of Esther and the saving of the then Jewish people is one of ancient political intrigue, a play with historical roots, but an extended tragedy that resolves itself much through the efforts of a Jewish girl. Esther happened to be a Jewish girl with a good figure and outstanding beauty. Through a series of chance happenings, according to some, she was chosen to be the queen of a wicked Persian emperor. Then you have the coincidences of her guardian Mordecai being at the right places at the right times, the wicked Haman being promoted to second in command, the plot to exterminate the scattered Jews and then their deliverance. It “just so happened” that way in ancient Persia. We live in a time where “coincidences” are all around us. We hear the phrases from many, “It just so happened,” or “As luck would have 5 it.” Rarely do we hear how God is involved in the happenings of our daily lives. And if He is, it is a “Deist” God who has some time in the past just wound up the world and retreated from its oversight, leaving it to spin, sometimes out of control, to whatever end we choose. I would contend that the story of Esther was not inserted into the Bible just because of Jewish desires to have a celebration time of their Jewishness. I would contend, as many Christian commentators have noted, that God and his providence are written all through the events of Esther. Nothing, good or bad, happened by chance, by accident, by luck of the draw. In application to our own day, I would also contend that the same sovereign God of providence is actively and powerfully at work. Nothing happens by chance or just the machinations of our so-called free will. There is much to learn and digest from the story of Esther. Let us once again learn to pray and trust the sovereign God, as did the early believers in the initial progress of the gospel — “Sovereign Lord, who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and everything in them . for truly in this city there were gathered together against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel, to do whatever your hand and your plan had predestined to take place.” (Acts 4:24-28) Carl Shank 2017 Notes 1. Joyce G. Baldwin, Esther, Tyndale Old Testament Commentary, IVP, 1984, quoted in the New Bible Commentary, by Gordon J. Wenham (Editor), J. Alec Motyer (Editor), Donald A. Carson (Editor), R. T. France (Editor), IVP, 1994. 6 Facts About Esther “This is what happened during the time of Xerxes, the Xerxes who ruled over 127 provinces stretching from India to Cush.” (Esther 1:1 NIV) ike Ezra and Nehemiah, Esther lived among the scattered Jews (called the diaspora) of the Persian Empire after Cyrus (550 – 529 bc) and Darius 1 (521 – 486 bc) had conquered Land organized much of the lands under their rule. Xerxes I (called Ahasuerus by the Jews) (485 – 465 bc) is now the king. The story opens with Xerxes giving a 180 day extravaganza for his nobles and officials and then a seven day culminating banquet in Susa (modern day Shusˉh in SW Iran). The history can be accurately traced, even though written documents of the period are wanting. Esther was the ward of Mordecai, “a Jew in Susa the citadel, the son of Jair, son of Shimei, son of Kish, a Benjaminite, who had been carried away from Jerusalem among the captives carried away with Jeconiah king of Judah, whom Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had carried away. He was bringing up Hadassah, that is Esther, the daughter of his uncle, for she had neither father nor mother. The young woman had a beautiful figure and was lovely to look at, and when her father and her mother died, Mordecai took her as his own daughter.” (Esther 2:5–7) Mordecai kept tabs on Esther when she was recruited to be part of the king’s harem (2:8, 9). Esther was favored by the king and became the queen. Mordecai uncovered a conspiracy to assassinate King Xerxes (2:21f), and told Esther who reported it to the king, giving the credit 7 to Mordecai. Haman later enters the scene as second in command to Xerxes (chapter 3), and enraged that Mordecai would not bow down to him, designed a way to destroy him and all the Jews of the period (3:8, 9). Mordecai finds out about the decree and persuades Esther to intercede with the king for the lives of her people, the Jews. Esther plans a banquet where the king and Haman would be present to uncover Haman’s evil plot. During this time, the king could not sleep and reads the book of the chronicles about how Mordecai earlier had saved his life (chapter 6). The King honors Mordecai and uses embarrassed and surprised Haman to do so. Esther at the banquet reveals Haman’s plot against the Jews. The king is enraged, and Haman is hanged (chapter 7). The edict against the Jews is rescinded by the king issuing another decree that the Jews could fight and defend themselves against Haman’s decree and plan (chapter 8). The Jews on the day that they were to be annihilated end up defensively conquering those who came against them in the empire. They designated the day of their victory a day of feasting and joy, called Purim (chapter 9). Mordecai was raised to second in command, held in high esteem by his fellow Jews (chapter 10). Purim was established as a yearly requirement among the Jews. Esther has been traditionally seen as a “historical novel,” though modern thinking has it as a Jewish play establishing the background and ritual of Jewish Purim.1 Whatever the linguistic notes may say, there is enough Persian history available to verify that this story is true history. There was an Esther, a Mordecai, a Haman, and a King Xerxes. Extra biblical resources confirm much of the book’s references as historical.2 For modern day Jews, the story of Esther remains as a divine encouragement that God is not dead or silent.