Now that we've finished reading and reflecting on the book of Esther, let's take a step back to see how it fits into the storyline of the whole Bible. In particular, we'll focus on God's crucial promises to Abraham (who was known as Abram at that time). We find these promises near the beginning of the Bible's storyline (Genesis 12:2-3, 7):

″I will make you into a great nation,
and I will bless you;
I will make your name great,
and you will be a blessing.
I will bless those who bless you,
and whoever curses you I will curse;
and all peoples on earth
will be blessed through you.″
. . .

The Lord appeared to Abram and said, ″To your offspring I will give this land.″

We can summarise God's promises using an acronym: LOB. This is how they are fulfilled in the book of Esther.

Land. In the book of Esther, the Jews are outside the Promised Land, although some have returned already during the reigns of Kings Cyrus and Darius.

Offspring. Although they are outside the Promised Land, God continues to protect His people. Haman's edict threatens to wipe out the Jews across the Persian Empire, which was the whole of the known world at that time. Yet God's people must be preserved for the arrival of Jesus on earth, since He will be descended from Abraham and the Jews. So God intervenes decisively through Esther.

Blessing. By preserving and blessing the Jews, God will bless all the peoples of the world through them (Genesis 12:3). Through Jesus, a Jew, all are blessed, including us Christians today. The flipside of blessings are curses: ″Whoever curses you I will curse″ (v. 3). In the book of Esther, those who attack God's people are cursed by God. Part of the reason that the Jews take no spoil is because they are carrying out God's judgment.

It is important to know how the book of Esther fits into the wider storyline of the Bible. God acts in the book of Esther so that His promises to Abraham will stand. He is a faithful God who keeps His covenant (Deuteronomy 7:9). Praise God that all of his promises find their ″Yes″ in Jesus Christ!