ESTHER

WHO:   King Xerxes/Ahasuerus, Queen Vashti, Mordecai, Esther, Haman

WHAT:   Story of courage and deliverance of the Jews and the preservation of the Messianic line

WHEN:

Creation    Abraham   Moses    Judges   United        Divided    Exile   Restoration   Time of Christ
                                        Kingdom       Kingdom
____|__________|________|_________|________|_____________|_________|__________|_______________|______
                                                                          |       |
                                                                           Esther

WHERE:   The city of Susa, capital of the Persian Kingdom   (see maps below)

WHY:   To show the meaning of the feast of Purim each year

In Esther's time

As it appears today

• Esther is the only book in the Scripture which does not mention God's name.

• Hadassah is Esther's Hebrew name.

• All the letters of the Hebrew alphabet are found in Esther 3:13.

• The Hebrew word Mishteh, meaning "banquet," occurs 20 times in Esther (which is equal to the total of ALL the other times it is found in the rest of the Bible).

• The longest verse in the Bible appears in Esther. It has 43 words in Hebrew (and approximately 90 words in the English translation). It appears in Esther 8:9.

• According to Dr. David L. Brown's Iraq in the Bible, which has recently circulated the Internet:

  Israel is the nation most often mentioned in the Bible. But, do you know which nation is second? It is Iraq! However, that is not the name that is used in the Bible. The names used in the Bible are Babylon, Land of Shinar, and Mesopotamia. The word Mesopotamia means between the two rivers, more exactly between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers. The name Iraq means country with deep roots. Indeed Iraq is a country with deep roots and is a very significant country in the Bible.

  The first world Empire was in Iraq. Daniel 1:1-2 & 2:36-38

  The events of the book of Esther took place in Iraq.

  No other nation, except Israel, has more history and prophecy associated with it than Iraq.

• Purim will occur on the following days of our present-day calendar. Remember that all Jewish holidays begin at sundown on the day before the date specified:

  • March 18, 2003 (Jewish Year 5763)
  • March 7, 2004 (Jewish Year 5764)
  • March 25, 2005 (Jewish Year 5765)
  • March 14, 2006 (Jewish Year 5766)
  • March 4, 2007 (Jewish Year 5767)

Women IN God's Service

Esther - background
Ladies Bible Class Lesson, 9 Sep - 14 Oct 2003
West-Ark Church of Christ, Fort Smith, Arkansas

contents | lesson one