I'm currently working my way through the Reformed Expository Commentary's book on Esther and Ruth during my evening devotions. So far I've only plugged my way through half of Esther, which is explored first in the book, but even though I haven't finished, the commentary has proved invaluable to me.

I have always thought of Esther as this amazing woman of faith, someone I could admire, but never quite relate to. After all, she was a queen of Persia who put her life on the line to save her people from extermination! After working my way through the first 4 chapters, it is obvious that the author delves deep into the book and shows just how much Esther is like the rest of us.

She lived in a time where the Jews had returned to Jerusalem after exile, but her family had decided to stay in Susa, the capital of Persia, far away from their Jewish homeland, traditions, and temple. After being summoned to the king's court, she spent a year lavished in beauty treatments, only to find herself married to a heathen king. Mordecai told her to hide her Jewish heritage from everyone. She lost touch with her family for several years, where she was surrounded by Persian culture, living up life in the wealth of Susa. The only contact she had with Mordecai was sending her servant to him. She seemed to have forgotten the Lord and her own people. Then Mordecai asked her to reveal her identity and plead with the king to spare her people after Haman desired to condemn them to death. You can see how Esther is a ordinary person after all, with temptations and sins and shortcomings like the rest of us, as she struggles with fear approaching the king after a life of such comfort and pleasure.

Nowhere is God mentioned in all of this, a feature unique to the book of Esther. Yet you can easily see Him working behind the scenes, orchestrating Esther's life (and others') in this narrative to redeem His wayward people. God uses everyone for His purposes, not just the ones of great faith! How comforting is this to me when I struggle. In this time after Christ, where divine revelation had ceased, it is marvelous to plunge in this book and see that the Lord does obviously guide our lives, even if it is not always visible to us.