Esther's Perspective on Providence

The book of Esther is unique in the canon of Hebrew and Christian scripture in that it is the only book that does not specifically mention God. While this fact long ago led to some debate regarding its place in the canon, most readers point to it as a beautiful example of God’s providence.

God’s providence can be defined as “a universally confident belief in God’s loving care and protection of the world.”[1] In the whole of human history, a small amount of this care and protection has come through miraculous expressions. Indeed, there are times God defied natural law to accomplish his will. However, the vast portion of God’s intervention has been “behind the scenes” in ways we cannot always perceive. This is what most people mean when they talk about God’s providence. He is quietly orchestrating his will without being overtly involved, as in miraculous ways.

Esther’s story shows us this providential work at its finest when Jewish maiden is the unlikely choice to become the new queen of Persia a short period before her people are threatened with extinction at the hands of the wicked official, Haman. A pivotal moment comes when Esther realizes she must act on behalf of her people, or all will be lost. From this point on, the queen fully invests herself into the future of her people.

Then Mordecai told them to reply to Esther, “Do not think to yourself that in the king's palace you will escape any more than all the other Jews. 14 For if you keep silent at this time, relief and deliverance will rise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father's house will perish. And who knows whether you have not come to the kingdom for such a time as this?” (Esther 4:13-14)

God could have stopped Haman at any moment in the story. Why do you suppose God chose to only operate providentially, maneuvering in the background, for Esther to be the instrument of salvation? Perhaps he chose to work this way because that is what Esther needed to reach her faith potential. What if God’s providence was his way of letting her take part in the story of his salvific work? Orchestrating crossroads where she must choose a path taught Esther to lean on the faith she had been taught in childhood, as well as develop the courage to do the right thing in all situations.

Perhaps that is one of the big reasons God continues to work providentially in our lives too. It is his way of letting us be part of the story of his work in our lives. As we face life’s crossroads with their trials, heartaches, joys, and blessings, we can trust that God is working to help us decide what path to take and that he will work all things together for the good (Rom. 8:28). Yet, by working “in the background” (so to speak) we are given opportunities to build trust in him and develop godly character as we conform to the image of Christ.

So, the next time you find yourself wishing God would intervene, keep in mind that he already is. He is working in the exact way he knows you need so that you become what he wants you to be.

[1] Barbara E. Bowe. Eerdman’s Bible Dictionary