“A copy of the edict to be issued as law in every province was published to all the peoples so that they should be ready for this day. The couriers went out impelled by the king’s command while the decree was issued at the citadel in Susa; and while the king and Haman sat down to drink, the city of Susa was in confusion” (Esth 3:15).
Historically, the book of Esther has not been very popular within the Hebrew canon, for several reasons. First, the book never mentions God. Second, the hero of the book, Esther, hides and seemingly compromises her Jewish identity along with its laws and customs in order to marry a pagan king. Third, no copies of the book were found among the Dead Sea Scrolls.
The book of Esther stands as a powerful testimony that, despite attempts to kill the King and His people, a Jewish man will prevail, and all weeping will miraculously be transformed into rejoicing.
In my opinion, there is another reason for its neglect: the book is never quoted, cited, or alluded to in the New Testament (or so we’ve been told). As a result, many believers in Yeshua assume that the book has little relevance for the Messianic faith.
However, the abundance of allusions to other Scripture—most notably to Genesis—demonstrates that the author of Esther was a first-class exegete and an extraordinary theologian. He ties Haman’s hatred for the Jews to the conflict between Esau and Jacob over God’s promise-blessing to the seed of Abraham, through whom God would bless Israel and the entire world (see Gen 27:29; Num 24:7–9, 14, 17–20).
And despite popular opinion regarding its absence from the New Testament, Matthew’s strategic allusion to Esther 3:15 shows that this apostle understood its Messianic theology. When King Herod heard from the magi that the King of the Jews had been born, we are told that all of Jerusalem “was troubled” (Matt 2:3). The only other place in Scripture where this word is used to describe an entire city is the Greek translation of Esther.
It is worth considering how remarkably “Haman-like” Herod actually was. Just like Haman, his animosity for the newborn King led to the murder of innocent children (Matt 2:16), accompanied by cries of bitter mourning (Matt 2:18; see Esth 4:3).
But the clincher in Herod’s connection to Haman is his ethnic identity. Like Haman, Herod was a descendant of Esau—an Edomite (see Josephus, Antiquities 14:8)—who participated in Haman’s Satanic battle to destroy the seed of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, thereby attempting to extinguish the light of Israel and the hope of the world.
The neglect of Esther, in my view, testifies to our failure to seriously engage this book as Scripture that remains deeply relevant for God’s people today—especially as long as there continue to be Hamans and Herods who are bent on destroying the Jews as part of a Satanic strategy to nullify God’s promises and portray Him as a liar. The book of Esther stands as a powerful testimony that, despite attempts to kill the King and His people, a Jewish man will prevail, and all weeping will miraculously be transformed into rejoicing.
“Then Mordecai went out from the presence of the king in royal robes of blue and white, with a large crown of gold and a garment of fine linen and purple; and the city of Susa shouted and rejoiced” (Esth 8:15).
