Jesus in the Old Testament is a series of posts that will offer my readers a chance to consider pictures or shadows of Jesus in the Old Testament. As mentioned in the introduction to this series, some may be obvious, some may be not so obvious, and some may simply be a facet of the Lord those reading may not have considered previously.

I hope as we venture through this series, we will see the Lord in many wonderful pictures throughout the Old Testament.

It is an amazing fact, that though God is in the background in the book of Esther, His fingerprints are all over it. To think that a Persian king, with a rebellious wife would save a tiny nation from a powerful and favored statesman by a stiff necked man and his orphaned cousin is a bit ludicrous, but such is the wisdom of God.

At no time in the narrative is it obvious that Ahasuerus was called to provide protection for the Jews, or that the king was destined to become a protector of God’s people. The danger the Jewish nation faced was far greater, more powerful and for most of the book, hidden from those who would be impacted by Haman’s plans.

Though Ahasuerus became a savior for the Jewish nation, the similarity with Jesus somewhat ends there. Yes, the king of Persia saved the nation, but it appears it was due to manipulation by Queen Esther, and her cousin Mordecai, and not a focused intent by the king to do justice!

Nowhere can we find any place in the gospels that Jesus was manipulated, nor did He become a Savior for the Jewish people out of ignorance. He understood of the dangers of the situation the Jewish people were under, and He had a solution that only He could provide.

Ahasuerus eventually hung Haman, the enemy of the Jews, on a stake, a precursor the the cross. Haman, the enemy of the Jews, died for his own sins. Amazingly, the King provided rights to the Jewish people to fend off any resistance from the Persian populace.

Esther 8:11 …the king allowed the Jews who were in every city to gather and defend their lives, to destroy, to kill, and to annihilate any armed force ….

The king allowed the Jews to defend themselves against his own people, his own Persian populace!

Jesus eventually hung on a cross as the greatest friend the Jewish people could have hoped for. Though they saw Jesus as an enemy, He died for their sins, and out of this unjust suffering, provided the right to become the sons of God, able to stand against any resistance of the true enemy of their souls.

Ephesians 6:13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm.

Yes, Jesus is the Savior of the Jews but of course His salvific effects spread far and wide, even to our lives beyond the border of Israel. He is the Savior of the Jews, but He is also the Savior of the world.

John 4:42 They said to the woman, “It is no longer because of what you said that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this is indeed the Savior of the world.”

Trust Him.

He is the King of Kings, over and above any Persian monarch that may have been manipulated to be a deliverer. He is so much more!

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