The Die that was Cast – A Picture of Christ in the Book of Esther

A Series of Musings on the Book of Esther - Part One

If I asked you what the book of Esther is all about, what would you say? 

You might say that its the story of a rather incredible girl, who selflessly pleaded for her people at the risk of her life —  and you would be right. 

Or you might say that it is another tale in a collection of tales that tells us how God repeatedly saved and protected His chosen people, the Jews - and you would be right. 

You might say that it is a God-breathed scripture that is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness - and, once again, you would be right. 

But have you also seen in Esther the pictures of Christ and what He accomplished for us on the cross?

Hidden within this historical story is a prelude, an illustration, a picture of the work that our Lord would accomplish on the cross hundreds of years later. This is perhaps the single most important purpose of the book of Esther and, in fact, of all of scripture. In John v.39, Jesus said to the Jews, “You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about Me.” 

Every part of scripture is meant to show us our Lord and to help us to better know Him and the work He did on our behalf. Today, I want to share with you just one example of that in the book of Esther. I hope and pray that it will both bless you and challenge you to search the scriptures in order to discover for yourself the hidden witness they give of Him.

A Summary of the Story of Esther

As we begin to read through the book of Esther we quickly find that a plot is forming against the people of God. A character named Haman, elevated to a place of authority – second in command to the king himself – has a grudge against Esther’s cousin, Mordecai because he will not bow down and worship him. But Haman has a problem, he can not just kill Mordecai because he fears the people of Mordecai – the Jews. 

To make a long story short (though I would highly encourage you to read the longer version for yourself), Haman comes up with a plan to kill, not only Mordecai, but the entire Jewish population in a single day. He cast lots to determine on which day they should be annihilated and then, by telling half-truths to King Ahasuerus, he gets him to agree to his plot.

Just like that the fate of the Jews seems to be sealed. 

But then God’s miraculous means of rescue steps onto the scene – Queen Esther. To whom Mordecai says, “who knows whether you have not come to the kingdom for such a time as this?” (Esther iv.14, esv) Esther makes an appeal to King Ahasuerus and Haman’s plot begins to unravel. Haman is executed and the day on which the Jews were supposed to be annihilated becomes instead a day when they annihilate their enemies.

“Mordecai recorded these things and sent letters to all the Jews who were in all the provinces of King Ahasuerus, both near and far, obliging them to keep the fourteenth day of the month of Adar and also the fifteenth day of the same, year by year, as the days on which the Jews got relief from their enemies, and as the month that had been turned for them from sorrow into gladness and from mourning into a holiday; that they should make them days of feasting and gladness, days for sending gifts of food to one another and gifts to the poor.” (Esther ix. 20-22, esv)

Finding the Connection

If you don't see how this story has anything to do with Christ and His work on the cross, let me give you a clue that might help. Or rather, allow me to show you the clue that is already in the story just waiting to be found. 

It is hidden in a short and seemingly insignificant fact: Haman cast lots to determine on which day the Jews should be annihilated. 

That may sound like a rather trivial piece of information, however, at the end of the story we find that “they called these days Purim, after the term Pur.” (Esther ix.26, esv) “For Haman the Agagite, the son of Hammedatha, the enemy of all the Jews, had plotted against the Jews to destroy them, and had cast Pur (that is, cast lots), to crush and to destroy them.” (Esther ix.24, esv) 

Apparently, the fact that Haman had cast lots was of enough importance for the the celebration of what God had done to be named after that fact! But what should it mean to us?

Well, where else in scripture do we hear of lots being cast?

We can find a couple different references in God's word to the casting of lots, but I want to draw your attention to a verse in Matthew. Here, we find lots being cast at the very foot of the cross of our Saviour. 

“Then they crucified Him, and divided His garments, casting lots, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet: “They divided My garments among them, and for My clothing they cast lots.” (Matthew xxvii. 35, nkjv)

Now we have to wonder, is this merely a coincidence or is it a brilliantly devised clue? 

To answer that question it is helpful to first gain an understanding of what a lot is and what it meant to cast lots.

 What is Casting Lots?

The practice of casting lots was a way of determining a matter by chance. The lot itself could be any of a number of objects, from straws to pebbles, depending on what was available at the time. 

An example of this practice that would be familiar to you and I would be drawing straws. The classic case of the man who gets the short straw being left to do the, usually unpleasant, task which first gave rise to the straws being drawn. Another modern-day example of casting lots would be the rolling of dice.

You may be familiar with the saying, “the die is cast”. Which, according to the Cambridge English Dictionary, is said ‘when a situation is certain to develop in a particular way because decisions have been taken that cannot be changed.’ In other words, once ‘the die is cast’ the situation is past the point of no return. 

It is quite interesting that this saying ties into our discussion on casting lots while simultaneously describing the situation that Esther faced. When, in chapter viii, King Ahasuerus explains to her and Mordecai that whatever is written in the king’s name and sealed with the king’s signet ring cannot be withdrawn. We see then, that the Jew’s annihilation was, humanly speaking, a sure thing. 

When Haman had gotten the king’s permission, signed his name and stamped the seal with his signet ring, the edict to annihilate the Jews became irrevocable. It was a done deal. It had gone past the point of no return. Yet it was not King Ahasuarus’ word that had the final say but God’s.

“With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” (Matthew xix. 26, nkjv)

Getting Back to the Cross

On one hand then we have Esther and the rest of the Jews in an impossible-for-men-to-solve situation, on the other hand your probably still trying to figure out how this relates to Christ and the cross. 

Well, it happened that while the first edict could not be withdrawn a second could be sent out. Thus, Esther and Mordecai, with King Ahasuarus’ permission, set to work to draw up a second edict. An edict which declared that, on the day when the Jews were attacked by their enemies, they could rise up to fight and kill all who were against them. 

With this second edict in place, God interceded even further on behalf of the Jews. He put fear of them into the hearts of the rest of the people, so that the people were afraid to come against them and many, including the officials, governors, and royal agents, actually helped them in their plight. Thus, the outcome of the fourteenth day of the month of Adar was entirely different than what Haman had intended it to be.

How does this situation show us the cross? Well, there was another ‘impossible-for-men-to-solve situation’ that had to do with our sin and the wages of it - death. We, like the Jews, were destined for annihilation but ours was to be more than just a physical death. 

As we have seen, there was another day on which lots were cast. It was at the foot of a cross on which hung an innocent man— an innocent man who was also the Son of God. The enemy intended to annihilate Jesus and to destroy the people of God because they would not worship him. It was to be done in a single day. Half-truths were presented to accuse Him and the enemy stood triumphant, assured that his plot could not fail.

As Jesus hung, bloody and dying on the cross, it truly did seem as though the die had been cast. But God is not restricted by human laws nor is He to be defeated by death. The cross that was meant for our and His destruction was turned by God into the single greatest victory that the world has ever seen. 

Rather than a reason for sorrow, the cross became the good news and glad tidings of God to men. Rather than a day for the destruction of God’s Son, and thus His people, it became a day on which God’s enemies and ours were destroyed. God turned the cause of the mourning of the women who knelt at the foot of the cross, just a few feet from the soldiers who were casting lots for his garments, into a reason for celebration.

“And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, by cancelling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This He set aside, nailing it to the cross.  He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in [Christ].” (Colossians ii.13-15 esv)

In Christ

quiana