Esther is the story of God’s providential rescue of the Jews who lived in Sousa in the Persian Empire during the reign of Xerxes. The book is popular among Jews today and is read annually at the feast of Purim, a festival instituted to celebrate that great deliverance.
The story revolves around 4 main characters:
1) Xerxes – The arrogant, yet in many respects, weak king of the Persian Empire in 486-465 BC
2) Haman – the villain, non-Persian (possibly an Amalekite) who had been elevated to 2nd in command in the kingdom and had a deep hatred of the Jewish population
3) Mordecai – the Jewish hero of the story, a court official who uncovered a plot that saved Xerxes’ life. His refusal to bow to Haman set in motion the basic intrigue of the plot: Haman’s plan to annihilate all the Jews of the entire Persian Empire, a plan which ultimately backfired.
4) Esther (Hebrew: Hadassah) – A beautiful, young Jewish girl who had been orphaned and taken in and cared for by her older cousin, Mordecai. She gained the favor of Xerxes and became his queen. It was through her great courage and disregard of her own safety and life that she saved her people from annihilation.
ASSIGNMENT:
Read Esther (all 10 chapters).
Write down any questions you have for the text.
Once you have completed this assignment, note the questions that have been posted on the Discussion Board and jump in – adding more of your own, and/or responding to those already posted.
