The dramatic story of Esther includes a clueless brute of a king; a devious, bloodthirsty Haman; a nation of Jews under threat of extermination. Mordecai, defiant and determined. Esther, gorgeous and gutsy.
Haman is the villain of the story. And Mordecai, an exiled Jew, really got under his skin. Esther 2:7 says, “Mordecai had a cousin…whom he had brought up.” Esther “had a lovely figure and was beautiful.” And God? Where is God in the story?
You know, the book of Esther is one of the two books in the Bible that never mention the name of God. But a gold nugget lies in the substratum of the Esther story – quiet providence. Providence is the term theologians use to describe God’s continuous control over history. He is regal, he is royal, and—this is essential—he is right here. And he is right here for you.
