A Simple Man’S Study of Esther

By Chuck Robertson

This book is a study of the Book of Esther in the Old Testament. It is written for the laymen, young and old. A Simple Mans Study of Esther shows how God was working during the Persian Empire for his chosen people. We also see how he is working today for his chosen people. Esther was a young Jewish girl who became queen, and today, sinners become princes and princesses.

• Language: English
• Publisher: WestBow Press
• Release date: Jul 13, 2017
• ISBN: 9781512792423

Chuck Robertson

Chuck Robertson became a Christian while a senior in high school. A year or so after graduating he became involved with a youth ministry in his community. While working in this ministry he was drafted by the Selective Service to go into the army. Being a conscientious objector he went to work in No. California for the California Forestry. While there he became active in a church in the local town teaching the youth in the church and in other churches. When he returned home in So. California he drifted away from the Lord and his studies and ministry. Eventuality he rededicated his life to God and began his studies and teaching again.

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Copyright © 2017 Chuck Robertson.

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ISBN: 978-1-5127-9243-0 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-5127-9242-3 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2017910376

WestBow Press rev. date: 07/13/2017

CONTENTS

Acknowledgments

Introduction

Background

Chapter 1:      Out With The Old

Chapter 2:      From Rags To Riches

Chapter 3:      Old Feuds Never Die

Chapter 4:      From Pigtails To Lipstick

Chapter 5:      Walk By Faith, Not By Sight

Chapter 6:      Pride Before The Fall

Chapter 7:      Out Of The Frying Pan, Into The Fire

Chapter 8:      Everything’s Coming Up Roses

Chapter 9:      Out Of The Jaws Of Defeat

Chapter 10:    The Best Is Yet To Come

Postscript

Study Answers (Partial)

Bibliography

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

I would like to thank Shelly Ducky Harvey for asking me to write out for her the small group study I was doing. Without her, I would not have tried to write it at all. I also owe a big thank you to Liz Thompson for all of her time, patience, and willingness to suffer through reading the very rough drafts of this book. I want to give my thanks to my friend Dan Sanchez who has been a big encouragement to me and has put much time and effort into seeing this book published.

INTRODUCTION

With this book I will try to give you an understanding of God’s Word, to show you how it applies to you and how it is important for your spiritual growth. The study is broken up into two sections. The first is the exegesis study. This is what I call the literal, factual study. It deals with the author’s story in the everyday world. It tells what the author intended his original readers to hear and understand. To help with this I have included a short background to let you know who they were and what the world was like at that time.

The second part is the hermeneutics study. Hermeneutics is the part of the study where we look at the scriptures we have just read for their spiritual application. How do they apply to you, what are the applications to your spiritual life and growth? This study is not perfect and can be very confusing.

I suggest that you not start a study of the Scriptures with hermeneutics, but do the exegesis study first. When we attempt to study scriptures with hermeneutics first we must be careful. It is very important to understand that if you think you are perceiving something, it must agree with the whole of Scripture; it can never stand on its own. Many who have done this have mistakenly misinterpreted the Bible—some have even started new churches and misled many. What follows is nothing more than what I see in the Book of Esther. I offer it as an example and with the hopes that it will encourage you to seek the Holy Spirit’s help to understand all the things that God has put in his Word.

I recommend that you read the section of Scripture to be studied in its entirety at least once and then re-read each chapter just before reading the corresponding section of this book. If you have more than one translation, New American Standard, NIV, New King James, try reading the Scripture once in each to help give you a better understanding.

BACKGROUND

Persia

The Persia-Media Empire began with Media being the stronger, dominant power, thus it was the Media-Persia Empire (Daniel 6:8). Around 560 BC, Cyrus the Great, who was a vassal, a governor, in the empire, ruling over Persia and some Elamite territories, came to the throne. Babylon was still the major power but getting weaker. With the help of Babylon, Cyrus overpowered the Media king and took control of the entire empire.

Cyrus began expanding his empire and, sensing the dissatisfaction and unrest in Babylon with King Nabonidus, led his troops against Babylon. With help of some of the Babylonian people and troops, Cyrus conquered Nabonidus and Persia became the major power in the known world in 538 BC.

After Cyrus died, his throne was taken by Cambyses, 530–522 BC. After a brief (one year) rule by Gaumata, Darius I came to power. Darius, though he was an able warrior, was unable to defeat Greece. He picked up the work of organizing and establishing the central government of the empire begun by Cyrus and he is credited with the majority of it.

Unlike the Assyrians and the Babylonians who would lead into exile the people they conquered, the Persia-Media kings did just the opposite. Cyrus allowed the peoples in the lands he conquered to stay and those who were there because of having been exiled previously were allowed to return to their homelands. Even more, he returned to them their gods, idols, and instruments of worship and told them to rebuild their temples. The Jews benefitted from this greatly, though it took a while. (See Ezra & Nehemiah and 2 Chronicles 36:22; Ezra 1:1-3; Isaiah 45:1–4)

Darius ruled from 522–486 BC. Part of the organizing he did was to divide the kingdom into satraps, provinces, and appointed governors over each, supplying them with soldiers and other aides. Darius was also a very good builder and undertook many projects. Besides building palaces, he also started to dig a canal through the Suez. An inscription by King Darius I, was found on a stele of pink granite by Charles de Lesseps in 1866 telling of the efforts of the king as well as parts of the excavation. (www.uh.edu/engines/epi 1257)

Xerxes ascended to the throne after his father Darius died in 486 BC. He ruled from 486–465 BC. Among the things he is remembered for is his ability to build. He excelled his father as an architect. As a warrior he wasn’t quite as good as his father. While a viceroy at Babylon under his father, he quelled several rebellions in Egypt, Babylon, and others. He also was known to be a cruel despot. As punishment for the uprising in Babylon, he destroyed the fortification built by Nebuchadnezzar, destroyed the Esagila temple dedicated to the god Marduc and melted the eight-hundred-pound statue of Marduc. After that, the Babylonians were intermingled with the Assyrians and lost their identity.

After he took the throne, at the urging and advice of his wise men and counselors, Xerxes’s first three years were used to plan an attack on Greece to avenge his father’s death and to expand his empire. It is here where the book of Esther begins.

Esther, the Book

The author of the Book of Esther is unknown. Some think that Mordecai wrote it, while others say it was written by men of the Great Synagogue (whatever that is). Neither opinion has much, if any, evidence to support it as best as I can see. Most think it was written by a Jew living in Susa at the time of the events related in the book. It is also widely thought that the author served in or had routine access to the palace and was knowledgeable of Persian customs.

The date of its writing is also unsure. The earliest would be around 460 BC and most say it was definitely before the fall of the Persia-Media Empire in 400 BC. To help give you an idea of where the events of Esther fit in the time of the Persia-Media Empire, they would be placed between the sixth and seventh chapters of the Book of Ezra. We know that the story takes place from 483–473 BC.

The most debated issue concerning the Book of Esther is whether or not it relates actual historical events or not. Many reject any historical basis and say that some of the events, such as the 180-day banquet, could not really have occurred. However, the Jewish observance of the Feast of Purim has to have an actual event from which it was started. There are also questions about some of the details of the palace customs. Archaeological findings in the later half of the 1900s (archaeological findings in the early half were poorly documented and much was stolen or missed) have dispelled many questions either by plaques and inscriptions found or the actual object having been found. Most, if not all, of the statements in question, such as Mordecai’s age and length of time in Susa, aren’t simple to answer.

Another doubt raised is whether a Jew such as Mordecai could hold such a high position in the Persian Empire. The answer is a definite yes. There have been found documents of the period naming high-ranking Jews in the government. Not to mention the obvious one, Daniel who held a high-ranking position first with Nebuchadnezzar and then Darius I. Should the Book of Esther be in the Bible? This is a much-debated question, now and in the past. It seems that it has been included in the Jewish canon for a very long time. It is included on the oldest list of the Jewish canon, yet even as late as the third and fourth century AD it was