Ep. 213. Esther 1-3 | A New Queen

EPISODE 213

A NEW QUEEN: ESTHER 1-3

I'll keep this one short and sweet. God put Joseph in Egypt as a forerunner to bring about the rescue of his people. Moses was put in leadership to deliver the people of God. Daniel was sent to Babylon ahead of the rest of Judah to provide protection for God's people. Now, Esther was put in place to be a redeemer for the people of God. And without putting too fine a point on it, Jesus was sent ahead to bring about rescue, deliverance, protection, and redemption. It is an absolutely beautiful picture of the grace of God.

Second, pay attention to the dates in this book. I used to think this entire story took place in the span of a single year, but let’s examine that. Esther 1:3 tells us this story begins in the 3rd year of the reign of the King. It isn't until the tenth month of his 7th year that Esther found favor in the sight of the King (see 2:16). It was four years and three months later when Haman made a plan against the Jews in the first month of the 12th year (see 3:7). So we see in the first three chapters somewhere between eight and nine years pass. I find it helpful to keep these sorts of things in mind to understand the story's timeline better. It is interesting to consider that Esther had been a queen for over four years before God used her to rescue the people. Joseph had been in place for at least nine years (in service of the king) but in Egypt for at least 22 years. Moses was in place for nearly 40 years. Daniel for 13.

ADDITIONAL READING: NONE