Esther - Introduction
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The events described in the book of Esther had an immediate and beneficial effect on the Jews living throughout the Persian Empire: the story of Esther assured them that even though they had not returned to Judah, God would still look out for them wherever they were. It was because of Esther that the Jewish festival of Purim was established (Esther 9:18–32), a festival celebrated each year to commemorate God’s great deliverance of the Jews in Esther’s time. During the festival, which continues to be observed by faithful Jews today, the entire book of Esther is read out loud. Because of this, the story of Esther is as familiar to the average Jew today as any other part of the Old Testament.
Christians also can read the book of Esther with great thanksgiving, for it describes how God preserved the Jewish line from which the Savior was to come. Just as God foiled Herod’s plot to kill the infant Jesus (Matthew 2:1316), so, through Esther, God foiled Haman’s plot to exterminate the Jews. This is a cause for thanksgiving indeed.
As clearly as any book in the Bible, the book of Esther reveals to us the providential overruling of God in every circumstance of life. He is with us in every trial we face, and if we cast ourselves upon Him, He will see us through it. Just as He was with the Jews in the Old Testament, so He is with us today. He who watches over Israel (and over us) will neither slumber nor sleep (Psalm 121:4).