Where Is God in the Book of Esther? Discovering Hidden Divine Providence

Many ask, where is God mentioned in the Book of Esther? In fact, God’s Name is hidden throughout the entire scroll. It is concealed in the name of the king, in the verse “Relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place” (Esther 4:14), and of course in the clearly revealed Divine providence woven into every detail of the story.

For example, when Haman comes to King Achashverosh to request harm to Mordechai, he is unexpectedly asked, “What should be done for the man whom the king desires to honor?” Haman is convinced that Achashverosh is referring to him, while Achashverosh is actually thinking of Mordechai, the very Jew whose destruction Haman has come to seek.

A Sleepless Night and a Forgotten Reward

Why does Achashverosh suddenly remember Mordechai? Because “by chance” his sleep was disturbed that night, and he asked to hear the Book of Chronicles read to him. And what was recorded in that book? A surprising “coincidence” in which Mordechai had saved the king from two of his guards who sought to assassinate him, and astonishingly, Mordechai had never been rewarded at the time.

Haman cannot grasp what is happening. He offers the king advice on how to honor “himself,” and every detail of that advice is carried out on Mordechai. Haman himself is sent to dress Mordechai in royal garments, to lead him through the streets of the city on the king’s horse, and to proclaim aloud, “Thus shall be done to the man whom the king desires to honor.”

So who is the true King who desired to honor Mordechai, if not the Holy One, blessed be He?

The Gallows Turned Upside Down

Haman prepared a gallows fifty cubits high, about twenty five meters, in order to hang Mordechai upon it. And after a series of unexpected “coincidences” that connected like pieces of a puzzle, Haman himself was hanged on the very gallows he had prepared for Mordechai.

This is a work of mastery, in which every detail is bound to another detail, all leading to the outcome planned by God. We all know this secret, but do we truly remember it?

Where Is God in Our Headlines?

People today open newspapers, read the news, listen to the radio, and argue among themselves about the decisions of the presidents and prime ministers around the world. Where is God in this entire picture?

He is hidden in the scroll of our lives.

Who knows? Perhaps one day a new “Book of Esther” will be written about our own era, and Jews of the future will not understand how we failed to see the precise Divine guidance in every detail that led toward the complete redemption.

Our sages said about the end of days, if we delay returning in repentance: “The Holy One, blessed be He, sets over them a king whose decrees are as harsh as Haman’s, and Israel repents and returns to the good path” (Sanhedrin 97b). If we delay, the Haman who once was will return again.

Remembering the Hidden Truth

This is the secret that everyone knows, but only a few remember: God orchestrates the events of the world, all that appears to us as “nature.” The wheels of history are moving toward our redemption.

If only we remember God and lift our eyes toward Him, instead of focusing on the events and the figures on the chessboard, we will not need all the painful twists and concealment. In an instant, everything will be turned upside down. The masks will be removed. Then the Creator, blessed be He, will be revealed in all His splendor and glory, and we will all merit light, joy, gladness, and honor.

Happy Purim.