The Book of Esther is the only book in the canon of Scripture that contains “zero” references to God. There are not even subtle or indirect references to him throughout the book.
The three alternative versions of the story—found in the Septuagint, the Alpha Text and writings of Josephus—all attempt to correct that omission by adding statements about God. Interestingly, in all versions, the basic story is the same.
However, the inspired version is the original “God-less” story. This should lead us to question why this is the case.
Esther equips the saints to be prepared for “every good work” (1 Timothy 3:17).
Esther also provides us with a historically situated strategy for dealing with ungodly governments. Mordecai is introduced as a descendant of those who received a copy of Jeremiah’s letter. Esther 2:6 is a citation of Jeremiah 29:1–2.
The broad guidelines found in Jeremiah 29:5–6 are illustrated in the actions of Mordecai and Esther throughout their story. Jeremiah goes on to encourage the exiles to pray to God for their foreign captors because their “peace” is interconnected (Jeremiah 29:7).
The Hebrew word “peace” (shâlôm) is used strategically within Esther to demonstrate how Mordecai transitioned from only seeking Esther’s “peace” (Esther 2:11) to sending letters of “peace” throughout the Persian empire (Esther 9:30; 10:3).
The author highlights Esther and Mordecai as model individuals who belong to the household of God and who leverage their status as good citizens to convince Xerxes they are “profitable” to his kingdom (Esther 7:4).
Literary Allusions in Esther by Ron Lindo Jr.
Many praise Esther for its sophisticated structure and argue the book is shaped as a chiasm. In my book Literary Allusions in Esther, I suggest this is not the case. Instead, the book is designed around five main themes, each related to Xerxes, king of Persia—Ahasuerus in Hebrew.
The themes are: “The King Performs an Act,” “Situational Complication,” “The King is Advised,” “The King Implements Advice,” and “A Solution is Provided.” The corresponding passages from Esther are shown in my book.
Brazos Theological Commentary on the Bible: Esther by Samuel Wells
This structure acknowledges a main theme. Esther and Mordecai are living in a society where Xerxes has absolute power. He is practically a “god.” Samuel Wells highlights this emphasis well in his Esther & Daniel volume in the Brazos Theological Commentary on the Bible series.
Still, despite Xerxes’ glory, he is unable to live up to his “god-like” stature. He is described as often drunk (Esther 1:10; 3:15, and elsewhere), consistently in need of counsel (Esther 1:13; 3:8–15, and elsewhere), and unknowledgeable of events happening around him (Esther 1:21–23; 6:1).
Evangelical Exegetical Commentary: Esther by Anthony Tomasino
As Anthony Tomasino explains in his Esther volume of the Evangelical Exegetical Commentary series, Xerxes is “consistently portrayed as a man who would rather let someone else do his thinking for him.”
Thus, one of the reasons God is left unnamed is because the author wants us to embrace the weight of living in such a godless culture. Esther and Mordecai’s ability to achieve success should encourage us to endure when we find ourselves living under similar conditions.
Tomasino’s Esther commentary is by far the most exhaustive and helpful commentary I have encountered. His commentary represents a very exhaustive examination of Esther designed to help pastors mine through every verse of Esther.
Smyth & Helwys Bible Commentary: Ruth and Esther by Kandy Queen-Sutherland
Second to Tomasino’s is Kandy Queen-Sutherland’s Ruth and Esther in the Smyth & Helwys series. It is more expensive than Tomasino’s but covers two biblical books. Overall, Queen-Sutherland’s commentary is more technical than Tomasino’s but just as exhaustive.
One unique aspect of Queen-Sutherland’s commentary is how it explains the contributions of Ruth and Esther to the theology of Scripture. Her comments on Ruth are blended into her analysis of Esther.
This would be a perfect commentary for a sermon or teaching series related to these two stories about important women in the Bible.
NIV Application Commentary: Esther by Karen Jobes
Karen Jobes’ Esther in the NIV Application Commentary series is very concise. She wonderfully integrates important aspects of Persian culture into her commentary. While Jobes does not explain every verse of Esther, she does explain how Esther is a historically accurate representation of Persian life and culture given the available evidence.
Because of the decree issued by Cyrus the Great in 538 B.C., all the exiled Jews were allowed to return to Judea and rebuild the temple.
Many thought this was the complete fulfillment of Jeremiah’s prophecy (Jeremiah 29:10), which led some to look down on the Jews who decided to remain in exile. However, Jeremiah’s prophecy is more complicated than simply commanding all the Jews to return to Jerusalem.
Every postexilic book deals with the issue of how God’s people can continue to live in covenant relationship with him from different perspectives. As Jobes highlights, “The book of Esther subtly addresses the question of covenant from the perspective of those who did not … return to Jerusalem.”
A ‘seed’ of faith
Mordecai and Esther are not described as “super” Jews, leaders like Ezra and Nehemiah, nor are they as outspoken as Daniel.
Instead, their religious practices can be seen only scantily. Esther and Mordecai hold on to their religion as loosely as they can, but still, they bring about the “salvation” of God’s people within the Persian empire. In fact, they also bring many more into the fold of faith (Esther 8:17).
By the end of the book, Xerxes is a better king than when he began to reign only because he relied on the wisdom of Mordecai (Esther 10:1–3).
Ultimately, the author wants us to understand even believers in dire circumstances with only a “seed” of faith still can bring God’s peace into godless environments.
Ron Lindo Jr. is assistant professor of Christian ministry at East Texas Baptist University. He received his Ph.D. from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary with a specialization in Old Testament studies. He is the author of Literary Allusions in Esther, and he wrote “Introduction to Esther” in The Hebrew Scriptures. He is an active member at Mobberly Baptist Church. The views expressed in this resource article are those of the author.
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