Why Isn't God Mentioned in the Book of Esther?

As you read through the book of Esther, you may notice something surprising: God is never directly mentioned in this book of the Bible. Today, Benjamin Shaw offers insights on what we can learn from this unexpected reality.

NATHAN W. BINGHAM: I'm joined by Reformation Bible College's professor of Old Testament, Dr. Ben Shaw. Dr. Shaw, why doesn't the book of Esther mention God?

DR. BEN SHAW: Well, in a certain sense, none of us really knows why it doesn't. But I think the problem is because we have a whole book"now, it's not a very long book, but we have a whole book"where the name of God does not appear. And so, people wonder, well, should that book even be in the Bible because God isn't mentioned? And I would say that there are a number of other places in the Scriptures, particularly in Old Testament stories, where God is not mentioned. Genesis 37, for example, where we read about Joseph and his dreams and then his brothers selling him into slavery. God isn't mentioned at all in that chapter. First Samuel 27, where David decides that Saul's eventually going to kill him, and so he goes and lives with the Philistines. That's another chapter that doesn't mention God.

But I think the point is, and particularly with Esther, that God is at work behind the scenes. We don't, and I would say most of our experience, we don't see God working in obvious kinds of ways. We don't see plagues on the Egyptians. We don't see Elijah and Elisha. And we don't see Jesus feeding the five thousand. And yet God is nevertheless at work. And all of those coincidences in the book of Esther are intended to teach us that whether we see Him or not, God is at work behind the scenes, orchestrating everything, putting together His plan, according to His purposes. And we just need to rest in that. We don't see"for example, Mordecai. Mordecai doesn't seem to get particularly worked up about anything. And I think it's because he has a deep faith that recognizes that God is at work and will somehow redeem this situation.