Yeshua in the Writings: Esther
I’ve always been fascinated by the Book of Esther. It’s a story that feels like it could have been written for today—full of political intrigue, unexpected reversals, and a heroine who has to decide whether to risk everything for the sake of her people. What I love most about it, though, is how Yeshua is hidden in its pages. Just like God's name is never mentioned, yet His presence is unmistakable. Yeshua is there, woven into the very fabric of the story.
The Ecclesiastic King
Inside a little blue-gray bungalow on Alexander Street in Clay Center, Nebraska, around 1986 or so, Ann read her daughter the story of King Solomon in 1 Kings 3:1-15 when he asked God for wisdom. She read, starting in verse 5, while her daughter sat in her pajamas, holding her favorite stuffed polar bear.
“In Gibeon the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream at night; and God said, “Ask what you wish Me to give you.”
Solomon’s Prayer
6 Then Solomon said, “You have shown great faithfulness to Your servant David my father, according as he walked before You in truth, righteousness, and uprightness of heart toward You; and You have reserved for him this great faithfulness, that You have given him a son to sit on his throne, as it isthis day. 7
King Yeshua in Lamentations
Her words caught me completely off guard. I had absolutely no words for the sorrow that immediately flooded my heart. And at the end of the call, I asked if I could pray with her. Instead, I wept. I could barely form the words to pray for my dear sister in Christ, even when I knew that Jesus has her. Even though I know, I will see her again someday, whether healing finds her in this life or in the one to come. My head knows these things. But my heart takes a bit to reconcile it all. Perhaps “a bit” is too short. Overcoming hardship, sorrow, trauma, and unjustifiable pain sometimes take years, even a lifetime.
But my head immediately went to Jesus and his response to Lazarus’ death (John 11). He knew what was happening with his friend, yet He chose to prolong his current trip and wait to head to Bethany. HE knew that Lazarus had passed. His head knew it…. But His heart? His heart wept when he was confronted with the actual reality of His own grief.
The King in the Book of Ruth
The book of Ruth is often labeled as a love story, but to see it merely as a romantic tale misses the depth of its message. The book is raw and powerful in ways that will astonish the reader. The first time I read the verse (3:7b) as a teenager, I thought, “Man! This woman is so bold!” What woman sneaks into a man’s workplace and then lays down at his feet while snoozing after his shift is over?
King Yeshua in the Song of Songs
I have a very vivid memory of the first time I read Song of Songs. Between the ages of 4th through 6th grade, I was sitting on a hard wooden pew on the far left side of the church with the rest of the youth group. As the minister preached, my best friend Kendra and I thumbed through those chapters, horrified at first, then giggling, plastering our hands over our mouths at several points. We were beyond floored that “those kinds of things” were in our Bibles: God’s Word.
Today, after recalling that memory, I plan to teach my children about the beauty of God’s love letter to us through the pen of King Solomon. How awesome is it that we have the dream of every love-starved man and woman written down in black and white in the pages of our Bible—a relationship that only some are blessed to know? When reading through Song of Songs, I ask myself, “Has humanity become love-starved? Could that be why there is such a focus on quick “love” from cell phone applications like Tinder or such a thing as “one-night-stands?”
King Jesus/Yeshua in the Book of Job
To me, the book of Job is one of the most challenging narratives found in all of Scripture. In our humanness and limited understanding, the depth of the storyline is difficult to reconcile. Job endures unimaginable loss—our worst fears became his reality. Yet somehow, through his suffering, a greater story unfolds. Beneath the grief and unanswered questions, we see a thread of redemption woven throughout his story. Job’s story is not merely about suffering; it is about hope. It points us beyond itself to the ultimate Redeemer, Jesus Christ. And in many ways, Job’s story is our story, too.
King Yeshua in Proverbs: Wisdom Incarnate
Many have long regarded the book of Proverbs as a collection of wisdom for daily life. At its heart, it declares that “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge” (Proverbs 1:7). But Proverbs is more than just a guide for moral living—it is a book that reveals the nature of Jesus, our true King, the embodiment of wisdom itself.
For years, I avoided the book of Proverbs. Who knows what to do with phrases like, “To rescue you from the strange woman, From the foreign woman who flatters with her words…”? Not me! It helped to put the Proverbs into perspective from King Solomon’s viewpoint of a father trying to encourage and lead his son into a life of wisdom. But it wasn’t until years later, while doing a Bible study on Proverbs via the Bible app, that I finally understood the true depth of the book.
THE SHEPHERD KING: YESHUA
Growing up in Nebraska, it is no surprise that I found myself trailing behind my Dad, Roger, in hundreds of corn fields in my lifetime. My Dad is a retired agronomist and crop scientist who has dedicated his life to wanting to "feed the world." Although that was his passion, he sometimes found himself disheartened when farmers monetized their crops for ethanol or other means. So, at a crucial moment, our family bought a small acreage outside of the small town I'd grown up in, and he began a new hobby: sheep.
Learning to Pray God’s Word When Our Own Words Fail Us
It was late summer in Colorado, and I’d spent the last few months exhausted. But like the “good mom I was trying to be,” I would walk to our community pool with Titus, who was 18 months at the time, at least once a week. Michael, my husband, had been giving me a hard time lately, “Why aren’t you taking him to the pool more?” as I was a stay-at-home mom, and Titus begged me almost every day to walk him to the pool to swim. (He was a pretty cute kid and could puppy-dog-eyes like the best of them!) But I was exceedingly tired until it dawned on me, “I think I’m pregnant!”
I remember how giddy I was and how many pregnancy tests I had taken to share the news with Michael. I’d painted “I’m a Big Brother” on one of Titus’ favorite green onesies and prepared a “pregnancy test bouquet” (thanks, Pinterest; but it's so weird now that I’m typing it) to surprise Michael.
King Yeshua in the Torah
A Thread Woven From Beginning to End
Many people approach the Torah (Genesis through Deuteronomy) as if it is merely a historical or legal document with no connection to Yeshua (Jesus). They believe that Yeshua is strictly a New Testament figure, disconnected from the foundation of Scripture. But nothing could be further from the truth. They perceive Him as a figure solely of the New Testament. Yet, Yeshua’s presence is intricately woven throughout the Torah. From the creation of the world to the final words of Moses, the Messiah is revealed in profound and sometimes hidden ways. When we read the Torah with eyes to see, we encounter Yeshua as the heartbeat of the story from the very beginning. He is present, revealing the heart and plan of God long before His incarnation in Bethlehem.
The Goodness of God: In the Psalms
Something I've struggled with since becoming a believer is seeing God's goodness. I find it funny that The Behold Collective is in a series about God's goodness but it's the most blurred in my life. I've texted my mentors about 30 times since moving about how hard college is and how exhausted I am. God knows exactly what he's doing. Through studying for this blog, I have read scriptures that give me deja vu. I have felt these emotions before; I have cried out to God in these ways before, but my good, good God has also always answered in these ways before. I challenge you to view the Psalms the same way. How can this reflect your life and your lament?
The Goodness of God: Deuteronomy
The Goodness of God in Deuteronomy
“Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.” Deuteronomy 6:4-9
We often forget the good things we’ve experienced from the hand of God. Even though I’ve seen God help me in tough times, provide what I need, and guide me through uncertainty, I still struggle to hold onto those experiences when life gets challenging. We know God is always with us, but when things get rough, it’s easy to feel scared, question what He’s doing in our lives, or even stray from what we know to be true. That’s why the Bible encourages us to keep these truths in our hearts, share them with our kids, and even write them where we can see them daily. We need those reminders.
The Goodness of God: The Book of Numbers
Praying for the salvation of others is probably one of the most noble prayers any disciple of Jesus could pray. But often, we pray, and pray, and pray, and we don't see any movement towards God for those we lift in prayer.
My husband, Michael, and I have been praying for our children's salvation since birth. God blessed us with three marvelous and unforgettable sons but never a biological daughter. In the naming of our sons, Michael and I could never agree on what their names were. Still, we immediately landed on our daughter's name before our firstborn was even born: Alice Elizabeth. After having 3 sons in synchrony, I was told that we could no longer have any more biological children. I was okay with that, as the pregnancy was complicated for me, but saddened at the thought of never having a daughter with my high left cheek dimple.
The Goodness of God: Leviticus
I am that crazy person that loves the book of Leviticus. The book of Leviticus, often seen as a detailed manual of laws and rituals, holds hidden gems that invite us into a deeper relationship with God. One such gem is the word “Behold” (Hebrew: hinneh, Strong’s H2009). While this word might seem small or inconsequential in our English translations, in the original Hebrew, it carries significant weight—a divine call to stop, pay attention, and fully engage in what God is about to reveal.
The Goodness of God in Exodus
“Sometimes the providence of God is best seen looking backward.”
I heard these words several months back while listening to a sermon series by Life Church pastor Craig Groeschel on one of my daily walks. When I heard this message and these particular words, I was currently in the midst of a difficult and confusing space, and the message of hope I heard through this message spoke poignantly to my place of discouragement. While I didn’t find myself, like the Israelites, in a foreign country oppressed by slavery and facing potential annihilation, I was in a painful situation, uncertain how God might bring me through. These words by Craig were like a balm to my heart. I was reminded that although sometimes, during our hard times, it can be challenging to see, God is always GOOD and always working FOR our good. He has shown himself faithful through countless experiences throughout my life, just as He showed up for those we read about in scripture. Even when we can’t see it, that doesn’t mean God isn’t good or is not working behind the scenes. Instead, He walks with us in the pain, in the hard, and dwells with us until we can look back and see what He knew all along. And this is the story of the Israelites in the book of Exodus.
Before You Open Your Bible…
Here's the thing I believe is the downfall of most Bible reading.
People, JUST START READING.
And that works for the most part. Until you run into something that doesn't make sense, seems to contradict something else you read, or makes you question everything you thought you knew about our Creator.
The more I understand and study this crazy, intense, and intentionally designed book, the more I'm blown away.
Here are some things that will set you up to be more interpretative of the text rather than just taking it at face value.