It Just So Happened

The canonicity of the book of Esther has always been in question. The primary reason is because God is never mentioned in the narrative. Even though God is never mentioned in the book of Esther, the author cleverly disguises the presence of God with literary sarcasm and kismet.

The narrative begins when king Ahasuerus has a banquet. After several drinks he demands that his wife Vashti come out and display her beauty to the other men. It just happened that Vashti refused (1.11-12). The king decided to dispose of his wife and seek another wife. It just so happened that Esther was very beautiful (2.7). Esther’s beauty did not go unnoticed, King Ahasuerus thought her so beautiful that he made Esther queen.

One day Esther’s uncle, Mordecai just happened to be sitting at the king’s gate, when he “learned” that two of the king’s eunuchs were conspiring to kill the king (2.21-23). Mordecai told Esther of the plot and she told the king and it was written in the records.

The king happened to appoint Haman the Agagite as his second in command. The Agagites and the Jews had a long and dark history. The Agagites were the first nation to attack God’s newly formed covenant people. God had promised to erase their memory from the earth (Ex. 17.8-16). Perhaps this bad history is what prevented Mordecai from paying the proper respect to Haman (3.2). From that day, Haman made it his personal ambition to have Mordecai and all the Jews of the empire killed.

Haman’s self-worth had begun to grow. He had been promoted, he alone had been asked to dine with the king and queen, and everyone was paying him great respect, that is, except for Mordecai. Haman had gallows constructed to put Mordecai to death. The next day he would dine with the king and request that Mordecai be hung. But it just so happened that the king could not sleep that night and decided to review the records. He learned that Mordecai had uncovered the conspiracy. About that time, Haman just happened to come into the king’s presence to demand that Mordecai be put to death. The king asked Haman, “what should be done to the man who delights the king?” Haman thinking that he was the man said the man should wear the king’s crown, robe, and he should be allowed to ride the king’s horse. The king told Haman to see that such an honor was bestowed upon Mordecai.

Esther finally told the king of the plot to kill the Jews. As the king was deciding the fate of Haman, it just so happened that Harbona, one of the king’s attendants, looked out the window and saw the gallows that Haman had constructed to kill Mordecai (7.9-10). Haman’s instrument of death literally killed him. Mordecai was exonerated and all the Jews of the land were spared. Perhaps there is good reason why the ancient readers accepted Esther. God’s work can be seen even when his name is not!