THE NAME OF “YHVH” IN ESTHER.
It has been observed by many that no Divine Name or Title is found in the book of Esther.
God had declared (Deut. 31:16-18) that if His People forsook Him, He would hide His face from them. Though the book reveals Him as overruling all, His Name is hidden. It is there for His People to see, not for His enemies to see or hear.
Satan was at work, using Haman to blot out the Nation, as once before he had used Pharaoh for the same purpose. Jehovah’s counsel must stand. His promise of Messiah, the coming “Seed” of the woman (Gen. 3:15), must not fail. Therefore He must overrule all for the preservation of His People, and of the line by which that “Seed” was to come into the world. His working was secret and hidden: hence, the name of “YHVH” is hidden secretly four times in this book. God hid His name in the text.
THE FOUR ACROSTICS.
The following phenomena are noticed in examining the four Acrostics which form the name “Jehovah”: That the author has hidden the name of God in the text in five places. He has used an acrostic to do so. An acrostic takes one letter from a series of words to spell out a secret code word.
The problem for the English reader is that the acrostics occur in Hebrew, and are difficult to reproduce in English. Here is a bit of a paraphrase of the key verses to show how it was done.
1) In Esther 1:20, the first acrostic spells the Lord‘s name backwards. “Due Respect Our Ladies shall give to their husbands both great and small.” It is this discussion that eventually results in Esther replacing Vashti as queen.
2) In Esther 5:4, the second acrostic gives us the Lord’s name spelled in the normal way. “Let Our Royal Dinner this day be graced by the king and Haman.” This speech begins Esther’s clever plot to ensnare Haman, and put the king in such a state of curiosity and anticipation that he is eager to grant her wish.
3) In Esther 5:13, the third acrostic has the Lord’s name spelled backwards with the last letter of a series of words. “Yet I am saD, foR nO avaiL is all this to me.” Haman’s bitter words when Mordecai refuses to bow in his presence–words that lead to the construction of the gallows on which he himself will be executed!
4) In Esther 7:7, the fourth acrostic presents the name of the Lord in the normal way once more–again using the last letter of the words rather than the first. “He saw that there was eviL tO feaR determineD against him by the king.” Haman’s sense of doom marks this comment by the story-teller.
5) In Esther 7:5, the “I AM” name of God is found. The Hebrew word could be rendered with the English letters EHYH (pronounced hayah).
The Lord told Moses that this was His name (Exod. 3:14-15). In this last acrostic, the “I AM” name of God is spelled forward, using the final letters of a series of words. “WherE dwelletH the-enemY that-daretH presume in his heart to do this thing?” Little did this heathen king know, in his question he has uttered the name of the God who has been active all along protecting His people from evil.
This is a complex design, far beyond mere coincidence. (There is actually an ancient manuscript of the Hebrew Bible that highlights the key letters in God’s hidden name.) It is a creative way of illustrating an important truth. Many years before, the Lord had warned Moses that when Israel drifted away from Him He was going to hide His face from them (Deut. 31:16-18). Here the author reminds us that though God is hidden He is still active in sovereign grace on behalf of His children. God may not have been revealing His presence among His people as of old, but He was still acting to fulfill His promises to them.
In Summary
1. In each case the four words forming the Acrostic are consecutive. 2. In each case (except the first) the form a sentence complete in itself. 3. There are no other such Acrostics in the whole book. 4 In their construction there are not two alike, but each one is arranged in a manner quite different from the other three. 5. Each is uttered by a different speaker.
- First by Memucan (Esther 1:20);
- Second by Esther (Esther 5:4); Forwards
- Third by Haman (Esther 5:13); Backwards
- Fourth by the inspired writer (Esther 7:7).
Lesson for us Today
- See the themes of Prophecy, Passover and Atonement in a book where God is Hidden.
- Look at Ruth and Esther to understand the church of Yeshua’s relationship to Israel today.
- We are like the Remnant faithfully temple building – awaiting the Elijah and the Messiah. Our fate is joined to Israel’s fate, and to God’s faithfulness to all His covenants.
- Let us like Esther, boldly approach the Throne of Grace and plead their case before the God of all.
