Esther and Mordecai lived in Persia (modern Iran) at a time when God’s relationship with his people had been sorely tested by their idolatrous behavior for which they were sent into exile. We can read the theological message of God’s providence in Esther only by reading the book within its larger context of the biblical canon-and, therefore, within its context in redemptive history. This is not to say that God does not continue to work miracles it’s just that miracles are not the normal, ordinary way God engages in human affairs. Through Esther’s story we see a picture of what theologians call the providence of God, meaning that in some inscrutable and invisible way, God is moving all of history toward its final end in Christ through the normal and ordinary course of human life, even without the intervention of a miracle. In the book of Esther, God tells us a story in which he is hidden from view. Once we understand its theological message, the absence of God is not only appropriate, but is the genius of the book from which flows great hope and encouragement for us today.Ĭhristian theology is based on the actions of God in history, as he progressively revealed himself, first through the covenant with Abraham and his descendants (Gen 12:2–3, 15) and then centuries later ultimately through the incarnation of Jesus Christ (John 1:18 Heb 1:1–2). ![]() Nevertheless, the book of Esther is undeniably in the canon of Scripture of both the synagogue and the church, and therefore, in a sense, God is telling us this story in which he is not explicitly mentioned. It may, therefore, seem odd to speak of the theology of the book of Esther. It also doesn’t mention the law, the temple, or any of the practices of ancient Israelite religion (with the possible exception of fasting in 4:16). Tracing the Theology of a Book that Never Mentions God
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