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.
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.