Salvation In Esther

The ladies of the church are studying Esther. As a result, I've done a little delving into the book, myself. Esther's name given to her by her parents was Hadassah. The name given to her by the Gentiles when she became queen was Esther. The Gentiles called her some form of 'Ishtar' or 'Astarte', but in Hebrew and Aramaic it came out as Ester. (In English, for some reason, it is spelled Esther.)

The Talmud finds Esther's name alluded to in the Tanach (Jewish Bible) in the verse "astir panai," which means, "I will hide My face...." (Deuteronomy 31:18). So many would say her name means 'hide' or 'hidden' as opposed to 'star'.

Hadassah, on the other hand, means 'myrtle', which is a rather plain-looking plant, but when its leaves are bruised and crushed they give forth a very sweet fragrance. Can you see where this is headed?

Very often, Salvation lies hidden. Seek, and you shall find it. With Esther, Hadassah was 'hidden'. As we study Esther, we realize that she hid her identity in order to allow God's 'salvation' to come to the Jews.

Our Savior, Yeshua, was bruised and crushed for our sake so that we, too, could find the sweet and savory - Salvation.