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Blood on the Book
- 11/02/07
- 27
All Scripture is breathed out by God…
In my personal devotions I’ve recently begun a study of Esther. Since it is a short book and one that is entirely narrative, I do not anticipate being in the book for long—probably just about one day per chapter. Esther is probably best known among Christians as being a book of the Bible that never mentions God, either explicitly or even implicitly. But though His name is never mentioned, His hand is all over the book. His name does not need to be mentioned for us to see Him in, over and behind the story. His providence and His care for His people is as clear in Esther as it would be if His name was mentioned throughout.
Yet it’s still easy to miss God in the story. The evidence of this is in how little attention we give to this book. It is rarely spoken of and rarely preached. I don’t know if, through all my years of going to church, I’ve ever heard a sermon that looked primarily to Esther. But there is a reason that Esther is in the Bible. Like each of the other sixty five books, its author is God—the God who is unafraid to leave His name out of this story.
A few weeks ago I spent a few days staying at the home of my aunt and uncle. They live in the countryside, far from any major urban center. They embrace country living, growing vegetables on their farm, allowing a giant, furry, stinky dog to roam and protect the property, and keeping a small collection of potent firearms. While not a seasoned hunter, my uncle does enjoy heading out into his property to chase down the occasional deer. One evening he and I sat outside while he grilled some steaks and he told of how he killed a deer on his property the year before. After killing it, he knew that he would need to figure out how to butcher the thing. So he loaded it onto a little tractor and drove it up to his barn. There he hoisted it up so it hung from a rafter, and he set to work.
Thankfully, he had had the foresight to get a copy of a book that gave step-by-step instructions on how to properly butcher the deer and prepare the meat. As he described the butchering process, he disappeared into the house for a moment and returned with the book. I began to flip through it, turning past chapters on how to butcher cows, pigs, sheep, rabbits, raccoons and chickens. It wasn’t hard to tell when I came to the portion on butchering a deer—those pages were covered in blood. Obviously my uncle had kept this book with him through the butchering process and had turned to it often. There were bloody fingerprints on the edges and drops of blood smeared across the pages. It looked well-used. Apparently it served as a good guide because my uncle managed to properly butcher the deer and prepare it for eating. The week we were there he was preparing a pit in which he could smoke the meat from the next deer that found itself in his crosshairs.
I thought about that book later and thought about the difference between the pages that are covered with blood and those that are still pristine (and which will no doubt remain that way until a hapless sheep happens to wander through my uncle’s property during hunting season). I thought of that book as I began my study of Esther, pondering the difference between the pages that show evidence of use and those that do not. There are some pages in my Bible that are covered in blood, so to speak. They are pages that I use to proclaim or defend my faith; they are pages with verses that uplift and inspire; they are the pages with verses that people like to adapt as their “life verses.” I turn to these pages often and love to learn from them.
But then there is Esther. I’ve rarely turned to the book at all. There is no blood on the pages of Esther, at least in my Bible. There is little evidence that I have learned from those pages and that I use them to bolster my faith. There is little evidence that I have used those pages to teach me more about the God I serve. But even from this brief study (in which I’m being guided by the commentary of Iain Duguid) I’m learning again that God didn’t put any unnecessary chapters or any empty narratives in His book. After all, this is the God who says, “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work.” Even Esther, the book that does not mention God, is given for teaching, reproof, correction and for training in righteousness. It exists to make me competent and equipped to live in the way God wants me to live.
I’ve become convicted that I can’t leave Esther until there is some blood on those pages.
Published in 2008, this book
This is a guide that calls men,
This review of the bestselling
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Comments (27)
"Like each of the other sixty five books, its author is God—the God who is unafraid to leave His name out of this story."
I love this quote. Appreciated the message. There are quite a few pristine places in my Bible yet.
Esther's a great example of how everything, no matter how childish, cheesy, seemingly insignificant, etc....., was given for a purpose.
If it hadn't been for my daughters Veggie Tales movies I might never have known the beauty of Esther. Of course Bob and Larry were just my introduction....
If it hadn’t been for my daughters Veggie Tales movies I might never have known the beauty of Esther.
I can't say I've ever seen the Veggie Tales version. I'm guessing it doesn't involve eunuchs or harems...
nor hanging... it's the island of perpetual tickling that Haman must endure. Kind of undermines a serious attitude the Bible in my opinion. Anyway, our church is going through this in Sunday School these days (our elder has Duguid's commentary as well). Dever has an overview sermon on the book that I want to listen to after the study: http://content.christianity.com/1/17807/1_17807_SurpriseTheMessageofEsther.ALL.mp3
Something that was pointed out by one of my seminary professors: in the Hebrew Bible, Esther and Daniel both appear together. They’re in the third section (The Writings) right before Ezra and Nehemiah. Both Esther and Daniel ask the question “What should characterize God’s people in exile?” and answer with “Faithfulness unto death.”
You can always read the "extended" version of Esther that's in the apocrypha. It's not canon, but it does mention God. If I recall correctly (from my "Wisdom Literature" religion class many, many years ago), it's like someone took the book of Esther and filled in more details and made the spiritual aspects of the story more obvious.
Re: comment about VeggieTales. Yes, I believe our Christian culture tends to glamourize the the story of Esther, making her into a completely pristine heroine, when in fact she made some poor choices. Yet, it is a valuable lesson to recognize that God uses sinful men and women to effect His providence.
Neat insight, Tim. Thanks for sharing that with us.
Yes, I believe our Christian culture tends to glamourize the the story of Esther, making her into a completely pristine heroine, when in fact she made some poor choices.
That's one thing I've definitely been learning. Esther seems to have been a compromiser--a woman who was eager to remain under the radar, allowing her faith to take a back seat to her social position...at least early in the story.
I love Mordecai's amazing words to Esther, "...and who knows but that you have come to royal position for such a time as this."
"For such a time as this"! Recall similar words in Genesis - Joseph was sent ahead by God to save his family from famine, "for such a time as this".
I believe that you and I have been placed on earth today for a time like this. There is great purpose in our lives, like in Esthers, to move forward with God's plan.
It is up to us to use our lives fully to God's purpose, and to raise him up in our world today. Indeed, today is "for such a time as this"!
You can always read the “extended” version of Esther that’s in the apocrypha. It’s not canon, but it does mention God. If I recall correctly (from my “Wisdom Literature” religion class many, many years ago), it’s like someone took the book of Esther and filled in more details and made the spiritual aspects of the story more obvious.
Or, as I like to call it, the Director's Cut. :) God figures heavily in the six disputed chapters. A cut-and-paste from chapter 13:
8 But Mardochai besought the Lord, remembering all his works, 9 And said: O Lord, Lord, almighty king, for all things are in thy power, and there is none that can resist thy will, if thou determine to save Israel. 10 Thou hast made heaven and earth, and all things that are under the cope of heaven.
11 Thou art Lord of all, and there is none that can resist thy majesty. 12 Thou knowest all things, and thou knowest that it was not out of pride and contempt, or any desire of glory, that I refused to worship the proud Aman, 13 (For I would willingly and readily for the salvation of Israel have kissed even the steps of his feet,) 14 But I feared lest I should transfer the honour of my God to a man, and lest I should adore any one except my God. 15 And now, O Lord, O king, O God of Abraham, have mercy on thy people, because our enemies resolve to destroy us, and extinguish thy inheritance.
16 Despise not thy portion, which thou hast redeemed for thyself out of Egypt. 17 Hear my supplication, and be merciful to thy lot and inheritance, and turn our mourning into joy, that we may live and praise thy name, O Lord, and shut not the mouths of them that sing to thee. 18 And all Israel with like mind and supplication cried to the Lord, because they saw certain death hanging over their heads.
Whether they're infallible or not, the deuterocanonical parts can illuminate the rest of the book. Verses 13 and 14 of this passage, taken together, give a different cast to Mordechai's actions in earlier chapters.
I've been studying Esther with several students. Seems the key is in the genealogies that link it to the age old battle between Israel and the Amalekites, bound up in the promises of God. Amazing stuff.
My notes are on my blog or at http://gazeonglory.blogspot.com/2007/08/esther.html
It's great studying it with male students cos there is an assumption that it's a book for girls - absurd when all scripture is for all of us!
First, this is one great benefit of expository preaching, and second, this is why Carson's "For the Love of God" volumes are the devotional guides I use: Volume 1 one year, Volume 2, the next, back and forth each year. Confronted with the whole Bible.
Finally this
"We actually believe that the biblical text is a living and breathing Word. For the first year or so of our existence as a church, I preached through the Book of Leviticus, verse by verse. Yes, that’s right. Menstrual blood, goat sacrifice, and no shellfish, please. Every verse. Now if you at this moment are smiling or laughing or thinking that is crazy, what have you just said about the biblical text? Do you have a canon within a canon? Either you believe that God speaks through his entire text, or you stick within the evangelically approved texts that are tamed down enough for the local congregation. We have no desire to tame the texts. We want to let it out of its cage and we want to see it prowl around in our lives, devouring us and spitting out the bones. We don’t want to be detached, methodical scientists who stand over the subject and apply the proper rules, methods, and procedures so that we can achieve favorable results. The modern impulse is always to reduce it to its simple principles and clever maxims. To continually insist that with enough work, it will all make sense and line up. Life doesn’t always line up. We love the Scriptures and we want them to sweep us off our feet. In the new world, much of what is currently considered preaching and study will be rendered totally irrelevant. The Bible is not a nice book. It is not a clean book. It is not a guide to proper behavior It does not even seem to care whether it is relevant or not. The Bible is a revolutionary manifesto that could get you killed in many parts of the world. It is living, it is breathing, and it demands that we surrender to it unconditionally so that it can transform us...By the way, I’m getting ready to preach through Numbers. Have you read 5:11-31? Oh man."
- Mr. Nooma himself, Rob Bell. Well said.
Tim: Interesting points. Of course, yes, God's providential hand is all over that story, protecting His remnant people. It reminds me of Ruth: a short book that doesn't get much attention, but shows how God extends His grace to the several-generations-removed grandson of a faithful gentile woman, and through that grandson, ultimately blesses the furthest corners of the earth when His Son completes His work on the Cross.
Hi Tim,
You're doing exactly what I'm doing for my devotional study just now! Duguid's commentary is first class, I'm sure you'll get a lot out of it, just as I have. Enjoy!
I thought Duguid's commentary was excellent! It was very helpful to me in seeing God's hand throughout the story. And it really helped explain the Mordecai/Haman hatred ... and made a lot of helpful applications.
Tim,
Your writing is so engaging and the spiritual grist so profitable that I can't wait for your book to come out. If it is anything like your posts, I hope it is only the first in many more to come. Thanks.
Duguid’s commentary is first class, I’m sure you’ll get a lot out of it, just as I have.
I quite agree. He's done a great job of using the book as a launching point to examine our own hearts, especially in light of the flaws of this story's characters...
What a terrific analogy! This entry will get return visits!
Don't mind me--I'm just testing something.
(a) I remember hearing a notable sermon once on Ch6v1 "On THAT night could not the king sleep...." ; the sovereignty and providence of God controlling all things, symptomatic of the whole book really, similar to comment above on ch4v14
(b) Duguid's books on Abraham (Living in the gap between promise and reality) and Isaac/Jacob (Living in the grip of relentless grace) are good too!
Your entry reminded me of my grandma's cookbook. I immediately turn to the pages with food smudges and flour on them. That's where the good recipes are found. It's where memories of my grandma are brought back to life. May my Bible be filled with as much if not more proof of use. May my children see where I turned in times of tears and turmoil and joy.
And again. Just ignore me.
Tim, Tim Keller preached four excellent sermons on Esther in April and May of this year. They are available at:
http://sermons.redeemer.com/store
Hey there, friend -
Our family just finished reading Esther, one chapter a day, after dinner. We had some good discussions around that book and, hopefully, left some "blood" on the pages.
We need to get together soon, maybe even get you inside our walls here at The Banner?
:-)
I'll send you an email.
Steve
Tim,
Just wanted to go on the public record to say your 'blood on the book' concept is one of your best ever, in my opinion. That God isn't afraid to leave his name out of the Ruth narrative is also an inspired insight.
You'll be writing like Mark Buchanan before you know it...
Mark@DR
I remember hearing a notable sermon once on Ch6v1 “On THAT night could not the king sleep....” ; the sovereignty and providence of God controlling all things, symptomatic of the whole book really, similar to comment above on ch4v14
I spent some time in that chapter today. The big takeaway for me was really quite simple: God is involved even in the seemingly innocent matters. The king couldn't sleep, so he got up. When he got up, he called for the book of the chronicles to be read. When he called for the book, they read the portion about Mordecai. And then Haman just happened to come in. And so on. All of these little events were so obviously orchestrated by God. And so, too, are the little events in my life.