If Esther were an independent book, the reviews would be mixed. Some, due to its “godless” brutality and vengeance, deny its canonicity alongside that of apocryphal works. Others, due to its preservation of Israel under foreign rule, claim it as the undeniable, sovereign “background” working of YHWH on behalf of his people. But what if between these views lies a media via? What if there is a view where Esther is upheld canonically without blindly accepting it as a “positive” book for Israel?
Through a redemptive-historical lens, this study will contend that the overall message and interpretation of the book of Esther is clouded by a “YHWH-less Israelite Nationalism.” This more “negative” reading of Esther is not to dismiss or de-canonize the book nor to deny God’s mysterious, providential working. Rather, this reading will highlight the actions of the Israelites in the story as they cling almost exclusively to the nationalistic aspects of the covenants.
One of the strongest cases for this reading of Esther that will be examined comes from Esther 9 with the implementation of the Feast of Purim. Compared to the other Israelite celebrations, Purim sits as an anomaly. Every other festival and feast day in the Old Testament is established by the LORD, in the Torah, with a specific, Sabbath-rest emphasis. But Purim is established by Mordecai, in exile, under tumultuous circumstances and in celebration of vengeance. Purim seems to epitomize Israelite nationalism at the exclusion of YHWH. Additionally, with no mention of God, the temple, or the Torah, Esther shows us an Israel that has concern for ethnic self-preservation with little regard to covenant fidelity and apart from a relationship with YHWH. In many ways, this is Israel at their worst and most selfish.
By the end of the study, there will be at least three major implications drawn: 1) The study will present Purim as an “Anti-feast” compared to the other feasts and festivals of Israel; 2) The study will encourage a rereading of Esther in light of the redemptive historical narrative, displaying Israel’s need for a renewed identity under a new covenant; 3) The study will reach more broadly to assert that forms of nationalism apart from faith, the covenant, and the God of the covenant are human preservation tactics that may be effective in saving worldly kingdoms, but fall short of promoting and advancing the Kingdom of God.