ESTHER: The Beauty and The Beast
TLC/SM Spring Study 1999
Literary Aspects of Esther
The Style
The author pays particular attention to the detail of the banquets and attendant circumstances. Yet his artistry does not reduce the account to a fiction level, for truth has its own artistry as does fiction.
The Structure
Exposition: the account of Esther's succession of Vashti as Xerxes' queen and the simultaneous rise of her cousin and protector Mordecai as he uncovers an assassination plot against Xerxes the king.
Challenge: the promotion of Haman and his subsequent hatred toward Mordecai for his failure to honor him as Xerxes had commanded.Complication: the extension of Haman's hatred for Mordecai to the Israelites and his plot to exterminate them.Climax: the showdown between Haman and Mordecai (and Esther) in which Haman is the loser.Denouement: the victory of the Israelites over their enemies, followed by the institution of a national holiday, Purim, to commemorate the event.Parallel Events
Some of the parallel events are:· Xerxes' banquet for nobles and Vashti's banquet for women
· Mordecai advised by Esther (4:17) and Haman by Zeresh (5:14)
· Haman's head covered (6:12, 7:8)
· Esther twice has the scepter extended to her
· Esther twice keeps her nationality hid from the king
· Mordecai sends two letters to his countrymen
· The number 7 is also frequently employed (1:5; 10; 14; 16; 2:9; 16).
The repetition gives rhythm to the work and tightens up loose ends
Other Features
Poetic Justice (9:25)
Irony (6:4-12): Haman bows to Judahite, not having made a Judahite bow to him
Pride (5:12)
Dramatic Reversal in Fortunes: Vashti's fall & Esther's rise; Mordecai's entire life & Haman
Contrast: Vashti for one act of disobedience is removed from queenship, yet Esther approaches twice without summons. Mordecai who first disobeys the king rides on the king's horse, but Haman who first pleased the king
is then executed.
Initial Questions
Initial Questions
1. Why would Christians want to shy away from the study of this book?
2. What comparisons can you make between the genocide here and the holocaust?
3. Why does Haman wish to extinguish the Judahites?
4. How has the church contributed to / aggravated the problem of anti-Semitism?
5. How can you work together Romans 9-11 and Esther?
6. What about Luke 6:26 and the present situation of the church?
7. What assurance does the book give to Christians?
