# Esther

## Metadata
- Author: [[Charles R. Swindoll]]
- Full Title: Esther
- Category: #books
## Highlights
- All the way through my study of Esther, I have been reminded again and again of that twenty-fifth verse from Proverbs 31: Strength and dignity are her clothing, And she smiles at the future. What a beautiful and certainly accurate description of Esther. ([Location 140](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B0091W3FBE&location=140))
- As the late Ray Stedman describes it: For many this little book is a puzzle, for it seems to be out of place in the Bible. There is no mention in it of the name of God; there is no reference to worship or to faith; there is no prediction of the Messiah; there is no mention of heaven or hell—in short, there is nothing religious about it, at least on the surface. It is a gripping tale, but one might rather expect to find it in the pages of the Reader’s Digest than the Bible. ([Location 144](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B0091W3FBE&location=144))
- Though God may at times seem distant, and though He is invisible to us, He is always invincible. This is the main lesson of the Book of Esther. Though absent by name from the pages of this particular book of Jewish history, God is present in every scene and in the movement of every event, until He ultimately and finally brings everything to a marvelous climax as He proves Himself Lord of His people, the Jews. ([Location 173](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B0091W3FBE&location=173))
- First, God has a mind, which Paul describes as “unsearchable judgments.” It defies the human mind to find the depths of the mind of God—they are “unsearchable.” A scholar may spend years studying another human being—his life, his writings, his work—and ultimately have a deep understanding of that person. We can plumb the depths of another’s mind. But we cannot begin to scratch the surface of the unsearchable judgments of God. ([Location 184](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B0091W3FBE&location=184))
- Furthermore, God has a will. But make no mistake about it, His ways are “unfathomable.” No human being can predict or plumb the depths of God’s will. Try though we may, we cannot unravel the tapestry of His plan. Not fully. Not as long as we’re earthbound. ([Location 198](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B0091W3FBE&location=198))
- As A. W. Tozer once wrote so carefully: That God can be known by the soul in tender personal experience while remaining infinitely aloof from the curious eyes of reason constitutes a paradox. . . .3 ([Location 201](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B0091W3FBE&location=201))
- If we come toward God with sheer reason, we will find ourselves resisted, kept at a distance, at a loss to understand His unfathomable ways. But if we come with an open heart, in faith, we will find that He is waiting with open arms, ready to accept, to receive, and to fill us with power. ([Location 204](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B0091W3FBE&location=204))
- When I think of the power of God, I usually think in terms of “sovereign control.” To me, those two words say it best. God is in sovereign control, not only of the events in Paul’s day, but in the events of our own day. In the midst of those very circumstances that today have you baffled, wondering what you’re going to do, or even how you’re going to go on, you can rest assured that God’s power and sovereign control are already at work. God never knows frustration. He never has to scratch His head, wondering what in the world He’s going to do next with people like us, or with the nations of this world. ([Location 206](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B0091W3FBE&location=206))
- We live our lives under the careful, loving, gracious, albeit sovereign, hand of our God. And the movements of time and history tick off according to His reckoning, exactly as He ordained. ([Location 234](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B0091W3FBE&location=234))
- Providence. We toss the word around. But have you ever analyzed it? It comes from the Latin, providentia. Pro means “before” or “ahead of time”; videntia is from videre, meaning “to see,” from which we get our word “video.” ([Location 243](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B0091W3FBE&location=243))
- Put them together, and you have “seeing ahead of time,” which is what Almighty God does. He sees the events of life ahead of time—something which we of course can never do. ([Location 246](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B0091W3FBE&location=246))
- God is not mentioned once in the Book of Esther. In fact, it is the only book in the sixty-six books of the Bible where God is not named. No prayer is offered to the name of God. No one says, “God is here!” ([Location 259](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B0091W3FBE&location=259))
- I love the way Matthew Henry put it: But, though the name of God be not in it [Esther], the finger of God is directing many minute events for the bringing about of his people’s deliverance.”6 ([Location 263](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B0091W3FBE&location=263))
- At the time Esther’s story begins, Ahasuerus was only in the third year of his twenty-one-year reign (485–465 B.C.). He was a very powerful king. From Susa, his capital, he ruled the vast Persian empire, “from India to Ethiopia, over 127 provinces.” There was no more powerful man on earth at that time than the Persian King Ahasuerus. ([Location 277](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B0091W3FBE&location=277))
- Although we don’t know a great deal about Queen Vashti, we do know that she was a strong-minded, independent-thinking woman who was not afraid to go against the wishes of her husband, the king. Ultimately, it is her strong-mindedness that begins the conflict in the story . . . but more about that later. ([Location 285](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B0091W3FBE&location=285))
- he occupied the next-to-the-highest position in the kingdom, ([Location 289](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B0091W3FBE&location=289))
- The Book of Esther, then, is a slice of history from the life of the Jews living in exile in Persia. This remarkable story is proof that God did not forget them. ([Location 309](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B0091W3FBE&location=309))
- “Esther,” which is this young woman’s Persian name, means “star.” This seems appropriate, since she is truly the star of the show, the heroine of the story. The immortal, invisible, all-wise hand of God is working behind the scenes, hidden from human eyes. Only such a gracious and all-knowing Being would have His hand on some forgotten orphan, a little girl who had lost her mother and father. ([Location 317](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B0091W3FBE&location=317))
- There is a beautiful message here for anyone who has ever experienced brokenness, for anyone who has ever been crushed by life, for anyone who has ever felt that his past is so discolored, so disjointed, so fractured that there is no way in the world God can make reason and meaning out of it. We are going to learn some unforgettable lessons from Esther. ([Location 322](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B0091W3FBE&location=322))
- Next, let’s glance at Haman. This guy hates Mordecai not just because he’s a Jew, but because Mordecai will not bow down to him. ([Location 344](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B0091W3FBE&location=344))
- I’ve heard some people claim that they can’t believe in the sovereignty of God because such a thing makes you passive. Frankly, I don’t see it! Not if it stays balanced and biblically oriented. If anything, the sovereignty of God makes me active. It drives me before Him as I plead, “Lord, involve me in the process, if it pleases You. Activate me in Your action plan. I’m available. Speak through me. Use me.” ([Location 362](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B0091W3FBE&location=362))
- Do you stand beside the bedside of your little girl and boy, praying: Lord, raise her up to be courageous, like Esther; cultivate in him the heart of a Mordecai. Speak Your message through their lips. Carry out your great plan through the life of this precious child of mine? ([Location 376](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B0091W3FBE&location=376))
- When I come to this book that never mentions God, I see Him all the more profoundly and eloquently portrayed throughout it. It’s there in invisible ink. Just like life. ([Location 450](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B0091W3FBE&location=450))
- Be still . . . deliberately pause and discover that God is God. Stop reaching back into your own treasure of security. Stop trying to pull the strings yourself. Stop manipulating people and situations. Stop making excuses for your irresponsibilities. Stop ignoring reality. Stop rationalizing your way through life. Stop all that! ([Location 465](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B0091W3FBE&location=465))
- Initially: Be quiet. ([Location 467](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B0091W3FBE&location=467))
- Ultimately: Be convinced. Say to the Lord God, “I am convinced that You are at work amid the gallows of my life. I can see them in the dawn of the morning sunrise, but I know You’re at work! I cannot change the events, but I know You are there in the midst of them. Rescue me. I come to You through Christ. I come to You alone. I am quiet, and, finally, I am convinced.” ([Location 469](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B0091W3FBE&location=469))
- James Hastings captures the essence of the Book of Esther in these words: “This Book of Esther does not say much about God, but His presence broods over it all, and is the real spring that moves the movers that are seen.”9 ([Location 472](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B0091W3FBE&location=472))
- God moves in a mysterious way, His wonders to perform; He plants His footsteps in the sea, And rides upon the storm. Deep in unfathomable mines Of never failing skill, He treasures up His bright designs, And works His sovereign will. Judge not the Lord by feeble sense, But trust Him for His grace, Behind a frowning providence, He hides a smiling face.10 ([Location 486](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B0091W3FBE&location=486))
- I like the way Edward Everett Hale addresses this point: I am only one, But still I am one. I cannot do everything; but still I can do something; and because I cannot do everything I will not refuse to do the something that I can do.28 ([Location 1380](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B0091W3FBE&location=1380))
- When I read God’s Word, I don’t find that many stories about great crusades and city-wide revivals and mass meetings where God’s attention rested on an entire country or a whole community. More often, I find individual men and women who made a difference, who set the pace or cut a wide swath or stood in the gap and changed their times. From Genesis to Revelation, we see God’s hand on the lives of individuals who thought and said and did what was right—regardless—and as a result, history was made. ([Location 1406](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B0091W3FBE&location=1406))
- Hardship forces us to grab hands with one another and pull up closer together. Suffering never ruined a nation! Hardship doesn’t fracture families. Affluence does! But not suffering. Not hardship. It pushes everybody to the same level with the same goal: survival. ([Location 1474](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B0091W3FBE&location=1474))
- Because we live in a day of hearsay, when few people pass along information that is precise and reliable. Do you? Are you careful about what you say? Do you have the facts? Do you offer proof that the information you are conveying is correct? While there are occasions when it’s appropriate to pass along needed and serious information to the right sources, I’m finding more than ever a growing preoccupation with rumor and slander. Half truths and innuendos become juicy morsels in the mouths of unreliable gossips. There is no way to measure the number of people who have been hurt by rumor and exaggeration and hearsay. Perhaps you have suffered this yourself. ([Location 1495](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B0091W3FBE&location=1495))
- It’s easy to be brave when we’re protected and secure, when we have nothing to risk. ([Location 1528](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B0091W3FBE&location=1528))
- If Esther obeyed Mordecai, she stood to risk everything, including her life. ([Location 1529](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B0091W3FBE&location=1529))
- Encouraging the cultivation of character is exactly what wise parents do, nudging, urging their children toward maturity. As a parent, you have occasions in your life, brief vignettes, little windows of time, where you can step forward and help your children to understand the value of being brave. As they grow up and those hands-on occasions change to a more distant relationship, you must call upon your children to stand for what they believe, even if they must stand alone—and then trust them to do it without your presence alongside. ([Location 1534](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B0091W3FBE&location=1534))
- Winston Churchill was a master at wording such rallying remarks. In a speech to his beleaguered nation in the House of Commons, June 18, 1940, he said, Let us brace ourselves to our duties, and so bear ourselves that if the British Empire and its Commonwealth last for a thousand years, men will still say, “This was their finest hour.” ([Location 1550](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B0091W3FBE&location=1550))
- And not quite four months later, in possibly the darkest hour of the war for Great Britain, he said, “Death and sorrow will be the companions of our journey, hardship our garment; constancy our valor and our only shield. We must be united, we must be undaunted, we must be inflexible.” ([Location 1554](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B0091W3FBE&location=1554))
- Eugene Peterson, in his fine book, Five Smooth Stones for Pastoral Work, states, Wherever there is a people of God there are enemies of God. . . . A realization that there is, in fact, an enemy forces a reassessment of priorities. . . . The moment Haman surfaced, Esther began to move from being a beauty queen to becoming a Jewish saint, from being an empty-headed sex symbol to being a passionate intercessor, from the busy-indolent life in the harem to the high-risk venture of speaking for and identifying with God’s people.31 ([Location 1579](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B0091W3FBE&location=1579))
- Two primary principles emerge from this passage. While they may be easy to read, they aren’t easy to apply—but I dare you! First: Not until we believe one person can make a difference will we be willing to risk. ([Location 1622](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B0091W3FBE&location=1622))
- Second: Only when we move from the safe harbor of theory to the risky world of reality do we actually make a difference. ([Location 1631](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B0091W3FBE&location=1631))
- We evangelicals are great on evangelical theory, great on theological theory, great on moral theory. But we are not rewarded for our theories. It’s the deed! The deed! We’re rewarded for the deed. ([Location 1647](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B0091W3FBE&location=1647))
- This is as good a time as any to state that one of the great themes of Christianity is triumphant hope. Not just hope as in a distant, vague dream, but triumphant hope, the kind of hope where all things end right. In the midst of the struggles and the storms and the sufferings of life, we can advance our thoughts beyond today and see relief . . . triumph . . . victory. Because, in the end, God does indeed win. ([Location 3282](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B0091W3FBE&location=3282))
- The first principle: When God wins, the people He uses are often unexpected. ([Location 3325](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B0091W3FBE&location=3325))
- This opens the door to the second principle: When God wins, the qualities He upholds are usually unpretentious. ([Location 3345](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B0091W3FBE&location=3345))
- This brings us to our third principle: When God wins, the message He honors is a universal message. ([Location 3398](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B0091W3FBE&location=3398))