in Esther
Esther 9:1-10:3: The Deliverance of God’s People
This whole series in Esther began as a study of the providence of God, Nick reminds us, and now, at the story’s climax, we see how thoroughly God has brought his purposes to pass, through...
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Esther 8: Saving God’s people
Haman is defeated, but the work of saving God’s people isn’t over yet, Nick says, comparing the feeling to the long ending of The Lord of the Rings that always seems to drag on. Esther...
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Esther 7: ‘Hoist With His Own Petard’
Nick draws an unlikely comparison between the providence of Esther and the rules Chuck Jones set himself for drawing Wile E. Coyote cartoons: the villain is always undone by his own devices. Haman’s plot finally...
in Esther
Esther 6: The Surprising Ways of God’s Providence
Christians are often guilty of a headline mentality about providence, Nick says: judging whether God’s plan is on track by how the news looks that week. He works through the almost comic chapter where a...
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Esther 5: The Humble and the Proud
Pride goes before destruction, but humility comes before honor, Nick says, quoting Proverbs 16 as he opens Esther 5. After the tense exchange between Esther and Mordecai in chapter 4, this chapter plays out exactly...
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Esther 4:1-17: Coming to a crossroads
Why do we so often need hard times before we get serious with God? Nick leans on C.S. Lewis’s image of pain as God’s megaphone to a deaf world, as Esther faces the decision that...
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Esther 2:19-3:15: Plots Uncovered
Mordecai does the right thing, uncovering a plot to assassinate the king, and gets nothing for it. Haman’s malice is promoted instead. Nick draws an uncomfortable parallel with the apostle Paul’s own thankless labours, before...
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Esther 2:12-19: Esther Becomes Queens
God’s ways are not our ways, Nick says, borrowing from Isaiah 55:8, as he works through Esther’s rise to become queen. It’s every girl’s storybook dream, he notes, but Esther’s own version of it is...
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Esther 2:1-11: Choosing a New Queen
We already know how Esther’s story ends, Nick says, which is exactly what makes rereading it so rewarding: apparently random events turn out to be essential parts of God’s unfolding plot. He opens the account...
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Esther 1:10-22: Queen Vashti is Removed
The book of Esther is ultimately about how God preserved the bloodline of the Messiah by stopping a genocide against his people, Nick reminds us, before turning to the almost comic account of a king...
in Esther
Esther 1:1-9: Introduction to Esther
Why preach through Esther? Because it’s God’s Word, Nick says, but also because the book is a masterclass in providence, showing how God brings his good purposes to pass even when his people are downtrodden...