In the whole book of Esther the name of God is never spoken once. There is not even a word about idolatry, because the Jews in Persia were doing rather well: they assimilated, settled in, and remembered God only when the threat of annihilation hung over them. That silence opens a sermon about a queen who, even after Haman’s death, still has to plead with the king in tears for her people (Esther 8), because in Persia a law once issued could not be revoked. God used a woman who was far from ideal, and his help was not a payment for her merits. Listen if days come when nothing is as it should be and it is hard to believe that someone is still watching over it.
When Everything Changes
The Absent One
God is invisible-we know that, but sometimes we also fail to see His hand at work in our daily lives and wonder if He truly rules this world. The Book of Esther is the only book in the Bible in which the word “God” does not appear, and yet it is hard not to notice that everything that happens there is under His control. It is a remarkable book describing very ordinary and imperfect people who, despite their shortcomings, played an important role in God’s plans. This is possible for us, too.
View the whole series
8 sermons
