THE FIRST PART: A BIRD’S-EYE VIEW OF THE OLD TESTAMENT
From Captivity to the Return
Message One
Esther
Scripture Reading: Esth. 2:4,15-17; 4:3,16; 6:1-2; 8:3-5, 10-11; 9:25-28; 10:3; Gen. 12:1-3; 22:17-18; 1 Kings 8:46-53
I. The book of Esther supplies a vivid record of how the hiding God of Israel secretly took care of His oppressed elect in their dispersion and openly saved His persecuted elect in their captivity—Esth. 2:1-18; 8:3-14:
A. The crucial point of this book is that the very God who chose Israel, the descendants of Abraham, as His elect, after He gave them into captivity to the Gentile nations, became a hidden God to them to take care of them secretly and save them openly while acting in secrecy—2:1-18; 8:3-14:
1. The intrinsic revelation of the history according to the record from Joshua to Esther is to unveil to us how the eternal economy of God was carried out by His elect on the earth:
a. On the one hand, God used the Gentile nations as tools to discipline His people—Jer. 30:11.
b. On the other hand, the hiding God was with the people of Israel, caring for them—v. 11.
c. Eventually, God used the Medo-Persian Empire to overthrow the Babylonian Empire; cyrus, the king of Persia, was even called God’s shepherd, one who would fulfill His desire, and His anointed, one who would serve God’s purpose—Isa. 44:28; 45:1-4.
2. While the people of Israel were in dispersion and captivity, God was taking care of them in a hidden way, and at the right time He came in openly to save them; even when the captives of Israel were in the lowest situation, at the bottom, Christ was among them, suffering with them—Zech. 1:7-17.
B. Because of Israel’s failure and God’s judgment, the line of the genealogy of Christ became very thin, but in God’s sovereignty that line was never broken—2 Kings 25:21, footnote 1.
C. Apparently God would not do anything for His people, for He is a God who hides Himself (Isa. 45:15); this is why in the book of Esther God is not referred to by any of His divine titles—Esth. 4:3, 16.
D. We need to realize that God is living and real, but He is hiding; He is a God who hides Himself—Isa. 45:15.
II. The secret care of the hiding God for His oppressed elect in their dispersion as seen in Esther—Esth. 1:10-19; 2:4, 15-17:
A. The hiding God established a top king in the Gentile world in prosperity, power, and glory over a great empire extending from India to Ethiopia—1:1-2.
B. The hiding God caused the top king to depose his queen because of her disobedience to his word at his great banquet with his high officials—vv. 3-22.
C. In His secret care the hiding God raised up Esther, a Jewish orphan virgin, to be crowned by the top king as his queen—2:1-18.
III. The open salvation of the hiding God in secrecy to His persecuted elect in their captivity as seen in Mordecai—3:12-15; 4:3, 16; 6:1-2; 8:3-5, 10-11; 9:25-28; 10:3:
A. Haman’s plot to destroy all the Jews in Medo-Persiashould—3:1-5:
1. An Agagite by the name of Haman being promoted to the highest seat above all the princes who were with the king—3:1-4.
2. Haman being filled with rage and plotting not only to kill Mordecai but also to destroy all the Jews throughout the empire—vv. 5-15.
B. Mordecai’s confrontation of Haman’s plot through Esther’s close and intimate contact with the king—2 Kings 25:21, footnote 1:
1. When all the Jews and Esther heard of what Haman intended to do and learned that the king had even issued a decree to carry out Haman’s intention, they fasted—4:3, 16.
2. The king being unable to sleep and finding the report of how Mordecai had saved him—6:1.
3. Esther pointing out to the king that Haman was the wicked adversary and enemy who conspired to kill all the Jews—7:1-8:2.
C. In 8:3 through 10:3 we see the open, triumphant victory of the Jews over their enemies—the open salvation of their hiding God to rescue them from their persecutors:
1. The king issuing a decree through Mordecai—8:3-14.
2. The Jews having light, gladness, joy, and honor—vv. 15-17.
3. The Jews destroying all their enemies throughout the empire—9:1-16.
4. The triumphant Jews appointing and establishing the Days of Purim —vv. 17-32.
5. Mordecai becoming second to king Ahasuerus and great among the Jews—10:1-3.
IV. The account in the book of Esther is crucial in relation to the following matters—Gen. 12:1-3; 22:17-18; 1 Kings. 8:46-53:
A. For the fulfillment of God’s calling of Abraham for a land, a seed (a people), and a blessing to all the nations—Gen. 12:1-3; 22:17-18.
B. For the fulfillment of the promise of God given through Moses that after God gave Israel into captivity, He would still take care of them—Deut. 4:27-31.
C. For the fulfillment of the prayer of Solomon on the day of the dedication of the temple that God would take care of His elect in their captivity—1 Kings. 8:46-53.
D. For the keeping of the line of the genealogy of Christ through the survival of Israel in their captivity that Christ might be brought into the human race—Esth. 1:1, footnote 1.
E. To keep a people for the possessing of the Holy Land as a base for Christ to come back to establish His kingdom on earth—2 Kings 25:21, footnote 1.
Ministry Excerpts:
THE SECRET CARE AND THE OPEN SALVATION OF
THE HIDING GOD IN ISRAEL’S CAPTIVITY
The writer of the book of Esther was most probably Mordecai (Esth. 9:20, 23). As Esther’s cousin, he was the one who raised her.
The contents of this book cover a period of at least ten years during the reign of Ahasuerus (486-465 B.C.).
The book of Esther gives us a vivid record of how the hiding God of Israel took care secretly of His oppressed elect in their dispersion and saved openly His persecuted elect in their captivity.
The crucial point of Esther is that the very God who chose Israel, the descendants of Abraham, as His elect, after He gave them into captivity to the Gentile nations, became a hidden God to them to take care of them secretly and save them openly in secrecy (Isa. 45:15). This is the reason that this book does not mention the name of God even at occasions when the name of God should be mentioned (Esth. 4:3, 16). Because this book shows us a hidden God, it does not mention the name of God.
The book of Esther has two sections: (1) the secret care of the hiding God for His oppressed elect in their dispersion (chs. 1—2) and (2) the open salvation of the hiding God in secrecy to His persecuted elect in their captivity (chs. 3—10).
Esther is a sweet book, covering, as its central subject, the secret care and the open salvation of the hiding God in Israel’s captivity. God is omnipresent and also omnipotent, yet He is hiding. Nobody knows where He is.
The people of Israel had been scattered, dispersed, in their captivity. They probably told the Gentiles among whom they were living that their God was Jehovah. Gentiles, especially the rulers, might have said to the Israelites, “Where is your Jehovah? Is your Jehovah real and living? If He is, why are you here in captivity as slaves?” During the years of the captivity, God was hiding, and He is still hiding. Even today, in the church age, God is hiding Himself. Both for the children of Israel and for us today, it seems that there is no God in this universe. We need to realize that God is living and real, but He is hiding. He is a God who hides Himself (Isa. 45:15).
Because God’s people became degraded and rotten, God disciplined and punished them by handing them over as slaves to the Gentile nations. Yet in His severity there is mercy (Rom. 11:22). While the people of Israel were in dispersion and captivity, God was taking care of them in a hidden way, and at the right time He came in openly to save them. Even when the captives of Israel were in the lowest situation, at the bottom, Christ was among them, suffering with them (Zech. 1:7-17).
On the one hand, God used the Gentile nations as tools to discipline His people. On the other hand, the hiding God was with the people of Israel, caring for them. Eventually, God used the Medo-Persian Empire to overthrow the Babylonian Empire. Cyrus, the king of Persia, was even called God’s shepherd, one who would fulfill His desire (Isa. 44:28), and His anointed, one who would serve God’s purpose.
UNVEILING THE SECRET CARE OF THE HIDING GOD FOR
HIS OPPRESSED ELECT AS SEEN IN ESTHER
Chapters one and two unveil the secret care of the hiding God for His oppressed elect as seen in Esther.
Establishing a Top King in the Gentile World
First, the hiding God established a top king in the Gentile world in prosperity, power, and glory over a great empire extending from India to Ethiopia (1:1-2).
Causing the King to Depose His Queen
Next, the hiding God caused the top king to depose his queen because of her disobedience to his word at his great banquet with his high officials (vv. 3-22). The king commanded that the queen come before him wearing the royal crown in order that he might present her to those attending the banquet. However, the queen refused to come at the king’s command. As a result of her disobedience the queen was deposed, and the position of queen became vacant.
Raising up Esther to be Crowned as the Queen
Finally, in His secret care the hiding God raised up Esther, a Jewish orphan virgin, to be crowned by the top king as his queen (2:1-18). Esther saved the king from being assassinated, telling the king in Mordecai’s name of those who planned to assassinate him (vv. 19-23).
Our God is omnipresent, omnipotent, merciful, and full of forgiveness. Although He is such a God, He is also the hiding God. Because our God is a hiding God, others may check with us and ask, “Where is your God? Where is His kingdom?” When we are questioned in such a manner, we may want to answer in this way: “My God is hidden. I cannot see Him, and you cannot see Him either. But you need to realize that sooner or later my hidden God will come in to do something on my behalf and to deal with those who do not believe in Him.”
I can testify concerning this from my experience. More than forty-five years ago, I, along with several other co-workers, was arrested and imprisoned by a small Chinese army that betrayed China and worked for the Japanese military police. The entire Christian community in that city was shocked, because they knew that we could very easily be executed like other Chinese who had fallen into the hands of the Japanese invading army. We did not know what to expect, but the hiding God intervened in a wonderful way using a particular person as an Esther.
The wife of the captain of the Chinese army under the Japanese military police had been the wife of a schoolmate of mine who had died of tuberculosis. When he was dying, his wife asked me to visit him, and I did so and had an intimate conversation with him. He eventually died, and some time later she remarried. After I was arrested and imprisoned, a medical doctor who was meeting both with us and with other Christians heard about my situation. He then went to speak to the woman who had married the captain of that Chinese army. The two were close friends, and the doctor who was meeting with us told the woman that I and several others had been imprisoned and that she should ask her husband to release us. She spoke to her husband about us that very day. He loved her and was willing to fulfill her request.
That night he appeared to judge our case. We were taken from our cells and stood before him to be judged. I was the first one to be examined by him. He looked at me, asked me my name, and told me that everything was all right and that I was free to go home peacefully. He said the same thing to the others who had been arrested with me. At the time none of us knew what had taken place behind the scene. Later I realized that, in His secret wisdom, the hiding God had prepared an Esther for us. He had raised up a Chinese widow to become the wife of the man who would judge our case. Just as the king of Persia listened to Esther and did what she said out of his love for her, so this man listened to his wife and released us from prison. This surely was due to the care of the hiding God.
Today we need to realize that the omnipotent God whom we are serving is still hiding Himself, especially when He is helping us. We cannot see Him, and apparently He is not doing anything for us. Actually, He is with us all the time and, in a hidden way, He is doing many things for us. (Life-study of Esther, msg. 1)
THE OPEN SALVATION OF THE HIDING GOD IN SECRECY TO HIS PERSECUTED ELECT IN THEIR CAPTIVITY AS SEEN IN MORDECAL
In this message we will cover chapters three through ten.
These chapters are concerned with the open salvation of the hiding God in secrecy to His persecuted elect in their captivity as seen in Mordecai.
Haman’s Plot to Destroy All the Jews
In chapter three we see Haman’s plot to destroy all the Jews in Medo-Persia.
The Agagites were enemies of God. God charged Saul to slay all the Agagites, but he failed to do this and thereby offended God.
An Agagite by the name of Haman was promoted (no doubt at the instigation of Satan, the adversary of God) to the highest seat above all the princes who were with the king. The king commanded all his servants to bow down and pay homage to Haman, but Mordecai did not bow down or pay homage because of his Jewish belief in the unique God (vv. 1-4). He believed in one God and refused to bow down to anyone other than God.
Haman was filled with rage and plotted not only to kill Mordecai, the one who refused to pay him homage, but also to destroy all the Jews throughout the empire. He had the king send a decree to each province of his empire to destroy all the Jews, both young and old, children and women, in one day, the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, and to plunder their spoil (vv. 5-15). Haman’s evil intention was to destroy all the Jews and to take away their wealth.
Mordecai’s Confrontation of Haman’s Plot
In 4:1 through 8:2 we have an account of Mordecai’s confrontation of Haman’s plot through Esther’s close and intimate contact with the king.
When all the Jews and Esther heard of what Haman intended to do and learned that the king had even issued a decree to carry out Haman’s intention, they fasted (4:3, 16). Although they fasted for their supplication to God, contrary to what we would expect, in verse 16 there is no mention of the name of God. While Esther and all the Jews were fasting, Haman, under the plot with his wife and friends, made a gallows on which to hang Mordecai (5:9-14).
The king could not sleep, so he gave orders to have the book of the records of the chronicles brought, and they were read before him (6:1). The king found in the records the report of how Mordecai had saved him from being assassinated by two of his eunuchs, and he decided to bestow honor and dignity on Mordecai. While the king was considering this, Haman came into the court to ask the king about hanging Mordecai (vv. 2-6). The king was thinking about honoring Mordecai, and Haman was thinking about hanging him. When the king asked Haman what should be done for the man whom the king desires to honor, Haman answered, “Let a royal robe be brought, one which the king has worn, and a horse on which the king has ridden and on whose head a royal crown has been set. And let the robe and the horse be delivered into the hand of one of the king’s most noble princes; and let them array the man whom the king desires to honor and make him ride on horseback through the street of the city; and let them proclaim before him, Thus shall it be done for the man whom the king desires to honor” (vv. 8-9). At this juncture, the king commanded Haman to put on Mordecai a royal robe which the king had worn, make Mordecai ride through the street of the city on a horse on which the king had ridden, and proclaim before Mordecai, “Thus shall it be done for the man whom the king desires to honor” (vv. 10-11). After Haman did this, he hurried to his house, mourning and with his head covered (v. 12).
At her feast with the king and Haman, Esther the queen pointed out that Haman was the wicked adversary and enemy who conspired to kill all the Jews. The king immediately sentenced Haman to death and commanded his men to hang Haman on the gallows which he had prepared for Mordecai. On that day the king gave the house of Haman, the enemy of the Jews, to Esther the queen and took off his signet ring, which he had taken from Haman, and gave it to Mordecai, making him the second man to the king in the whole empire (7:1—8:2). (Life-study of Esther, msg. 2)
The Open, Triumphant Victory of the Jews Over Their Enemies
In 8:3 through 10:3 we see the open, triumphant victory of the Jews over their enemies—the open salvation of their hiding God to rescue them from their persecutors.
The King Issuing a Decree Through Mordecai
The king issued through Mordecai a decree to authorize the Jews to destroy all their enemies throughout his empire from India to Ethiopia, one hundred twenty-seven provinces (8:3-14).
The Jews Having Light, Gladness, Joy, and Honor
Mordecai went forth from the presence of the king in royal robes of blue and white and with a large crown of gold and a garment of fine linen and purple. The city of Susa the capital shouted and rejoiced, and the Jews had light, gladness, joy, and honor. Throughout every province and every city, wherever the king’s decree came, the Jews had gladness, joy, a feast, and a good day. Many from among the peoples of the land (the heathen) became Jews, for the fear of the Jews had fallen on them (vv. 15-17).
The Jews Destroying All Their Enemies throughout the Empire
The Jews destroyed all their enemies throughout the empire under the reign of King Ahasuerus in the influence of Esther the queen with Mordecai as the second to the king (9:1-16). All the princes of the provinces, the satraps, the governors, and those who did the king’s business helped the Jews because of the fear of Mordecai, who was great in the king’s house and whose fame went forth throughout all the provinces and who became greater and greater (vv. 1-4). In Susa the capital in two days the Jews destroyed eight hundred of their enemies and they hanged Haman’s ten sons upon the gallows (vv. 5-15). In the provinces the Jews assembled and destroyed seventy-five thousand of those who hated them, thus having rest from their enemies (v. 16).
The Triumphant Jews Appointing and Establishing the Days of Purim
The triumphant Jews appointed and established the fourteenth and fifteenth days of the month Adar as the Purim to celebrate their triumphant victory over their enemies (vv. 17-32). In this way the feast of Purim was established among the Jews for the remembrance and celebration of the two days during which they destroyed their enemies throughout the great empire of Persia. These days were to be days of feasting and rejoicing and of sending portions to one another and gifts to the poor (vv. 17-19, 22). These days were to be remembered and kept throughout every generation, every family, every province, and every city, and the remembrance of them was not to fade from their seed (vv. 26-28). The appointment and the establishment of the Purim was confirmed by Queen Esther and Mordecai the Jew in writing with all authority (vv. 29-32).
Mordecai Becoming Second to King and Great Among the Jews
Mordecai became second to King Ahasuerus and great among the Jews and well-regarded by the multitude of his brothers, one who sought the good of his people and who spoke for the welfare of all his seed, that is, all the children of Israel (10:1-3).
A CRUCIAL HIDDEN POINT
Fulfillment of God’s Calling to Abraham for a Land, a Seed,
and the Blessing to All the Nations
The story of the book of Esther is a crucial hidden point for the fulfillment of God’s calling to Abraham for a land, a seed (a people), and the blessing to all the nations (Gen. 12:1-3; 22:17-18).
Fulfillment of the Promise Through Moses
The story of this book is also for the fulfillment of the promise through Moses that after God gave Israel into captivity, He would still take care of them (Deut. 4:27-31).
Fulfillment of the Prayer of Solomon on the Day of the Dedication of the Temple
In addition, the story of the book of Esther is for the fulfillment of the prayer of Solomon on the day of the dedication of the temple that God would take care of His elect in their captivity (1 Kings 8:46-53).
Keeping the Lineage of the Genealogy of Christ
Moreover, the story recorded in the book of Esther is also for the keeping of the lineage of the genealogy of Christ through the survival of Israel in their captivity that Christ might be brought into the human race. If all the Jews had been destroyed, there would have been no lineage of Christ’s genealogy for Christ to be brought into humanity.
Keeping a People for the Possessing of the Holy Land
Finally, the story of the book of Esther is to keep a people for the possessing of the holy land for the coming kingdom of Christ. The people of God’s elect who returned from captivity were small in number, yet they occupied and possessed at least a small portion of the earth, the holy land. This was significant because the earth had been usurped by Satan, and there seemed to be nothing left for the God of heaven and earth. However, God brought back a small number of His people to possess the holy land as a base for Christ to come back to establish His kingdom on earth. (Life-study of Esther, msg. 2)
God Giving up the People of Israel to Captivity
and Promising to Bring Them Back from Captivity
However, after Israel entered into the good land, they were not faithful to God. The people of Israel failed God and eventually were divided into the kingdom of Judah and the kingdom of Israel. The kingdom of Israel became apostate; they forsook God and set up other worship centers in addition to the unique center at Jerusalem. The kingdom of Israel was captured by the Assyrians, and later the kingdom of Judah was captured by the Babylonians. At that time the city of Jerusalem was captured and was not returned to Israel until 1967.
At the end of 2 Chronicles, in God’s eyes the condition and situation of Israel were miserable. The land was usurped and taken over by pagans, and the people of Israel were given by God as captives to the heathens. Furthermore, the temple was burned and the wall of Jerusalem was torn down. The entire good land, the so-called holy land, was devastated.
When Jeremiah saw all this, sitting on the top of Mount Zion and looking down at Jerusalem, he lamented bitterly. All the leading ones and all the noble ones of his countrymen had been taken away to captivity in Babylon, and only the poorest of the people were left to keep the land. It is no wonder that Jeremiah lamented. Eventually, he himself was taken captive to Egypt and there he was put to death. What a pitiful situation!
Such a condition lasted for seventy years, as Jeremiah himself had prophesied. While Jeremiah was lamenting, God came in to comfort him with the word that the captivity would not be forever but would last only seventy years (Jer. 25:11). God assured him that the miserable situation of his country and his people, of the temple and the city, would last for just seventy years. Some of the captured ones, such as Daniel, would still be alive at the expiration of the seventy years. When Zerubbabel led the first return from Babylon to Jerusalem, Daniel was still alive there in Babylon. Therefore, God comforted Jeremiah by assuring him that just as He gave the people up to captivity, He would also bring them back from their captivity. God would bring them back, not as captives but as triumphant warriors.
The Return from Captivity Through the Secret Preserving Care of the Hiding God
Following 1 and 2 Chronicles, we have the books of Ezra, Nehemiah, and Esther. The book of Ezra is concerned with the return to Jerusalem to rebuild the temple, and the book of Nehemiah is concerned with the repair, the rebuilding, of the city. The book of Esther shows us how the omnipresent and omnipotent God became the hiding God in protecting His captured elect, who were scattered in their captivity.
Apparently God would not do anything for His people, for He is a God who hides Himself (Isa. 45:15). This is why in the book of Esther God is not referred to by any of His divine titles. In this book there is no explicit mention of God; the word God is not even used. Yet this book shows us that God is present in a hidden way, exercising His sovereignty in the wisest manner to preserve His elect. Because of this, His elect under the persecution in their captivity could survive and multiply, in order that one day they might be brought by God to their fathers’ land.
The first group returned under Zerubbabel, a descendant of David, of the royal family. He was appointed the governor of Judah by Cyrus the king. The second group returned under Ezra, a priest and a scribe. As we have pointed out, this return was made possible through the secret preserving care of the hiding God in their captivity.
God let His people be captured and then scattered in their captivity. He also let the holy land be usurped and occupied, and He left the city of Jerusalem to lie waste. Seemingly the omnipotent and omnipresent God was not doing anything for the people of Israel. Actually He was protecting and preserving them in a hidden way.
The situation is the same today regarding the Middle East. The decision concerning Israel does not rest with the politicians and statesmen but with the hidden God. One day the omnipresent and omnipotent God will appear as the Son of Man, who will come back to take possession of the earth. He will place His right foot on the sea and His left on the land (Rev. 10:1-2), indicating that He has come to take possession of the earth and the sea. This One who is coming back to the earth is Jesus Christ, the God-man. When He comes, other God-men—the overcomers—will be with Him.
The History of the People of Israel Being a Type,
Typifying the New Testament Believers as God’s Elect
We need to remember that all the history of the people of Israel is a type, typifying the New Testament believers as God’s elect. Israel, therefore, is a type of the church. The church was established by the Lord as the Head through His apostles in the first century. Yet by the end of the first century the church became degraded. This means that the church was captured.
Even among us, individually, whoever is defeated in the spiritual life has been captured. He will remain in captivity until he repents. Through his repentance he will be brought back. If we are captured, we are captured away from the enjoyment of Christ. But our repentance brings us back to Him, back to the enjoyment of Christ.
Today we are in a situation that is typified by the situation at Ezra’s time. Some of us have come back already, and others are still on the way.
Believing in This Hiding God
We all need to be clear concerning three situations: the world situation, the situation of Christianity, and our situation in the Lord’s recovery. The worldly empires are the usurpers, and Christianity is our opposer. We in the Lord’s recovery should not consider ourselves as nothing. We know the world situation, we know the situation of Christianity, and we know the hidden God.
I have the full peace that we are in the hand of the omnipresent and omnipotent yet hiding God, who is exercising His wise sovereignty to protect us, keep us, and save us. We do not need to worry about who will oppose us or who will persecute us. We have to believe in this hiding God. He is wise and He is sovereign. He can do everything under His wise sovereignty. (Life-study of Ezra, msg. 1)