Stars: ★★★★★ (Study This Book)
Premise
This book examines the book of Esther in detail. It walks through why Esther invited the king and Haman to dinner not once but twice and explains why the book of Esther continues for several chapters after the apparent end of the story when Haman dies.
Loved
- The Initial Exploration of the Questions
One of my favorite aspects of this book (and The Exodus You Almost Passed Over) is that the author starts the books with questions that I have always had but did not have enough cultural context to answer. Why did Esther invite the king to dinner instead of asking for what she needed? Why did she invite Haman?
He then asks questions that I didn’t even know to ask, including why the book continues on after the apparent conclusion of the story. Why is the celebration called Purim? Why did Mordecai throw a parade at the wrong time? Why did Esther throw herself at the king’s feet after he had apparently given her what she wanted.
I love that the book helps me learn to ask better questions so that I can find deeper answers.
- The Verses Recited During Purim Celebration
The author walks through the verses that Jewish congregations recite during celebration of Purim. They seem to be random selections from the story to be highlighted in such a way. The answers to the way that God worked through these verses to save His people is fascinating.
- Judah and Benjamin
The last chapter of the book explains how the vocabular in Esther harkens back to vocabulary used in only one other story in the Bible: that of Jacob, Judah, and Benjamin. The author explains how these two tribes were linked from the very beginning of the story and the ways in which Esther not only continues that bond but also strengthens it.
The author leaves with hints about deeper connections within in the stories, and those hints
Didn’t Love
The author mentioned multiple times a forthcoming book that would dive deeper into the Judah-Benjamin relationship. It looks like that book is not yet published, and I was so disappointed. I look forward to reading it when it comes out.
Lessons Learned
- There is so much more to the Bible than we can understand, especially from our 21 century, Western perspective. This book provided depth and insight to stories that I have read for decades. It is so important to keep learning all we can about the many lessons and layers in the Bible.
- God truly desires the discipleship of all, including those we as humans believe are too far gone. When I read the story of the Exodus, Pharaoh seems evil to me, beyond redemption, mostly because I already know how the story ends. I have never considered that maybe there could have been a different ending, had Pharaoh chosen God over his pride.