I would like to begin this teaching with some questions.  Have you ever kept a secret?  Is it okay to keep a secret from others?  Do we see secrets in the Bible?  We see many episodes in the Bible where secrets are kept.  What is the role of secrets in the Bible? 

One of the greatest secrets in the Bible is the secret that Esther kept from the king.

[Esther 2:9-10 RSV] "9 And the maiden pleased him and won his favor; and he quickly provided her with her ointments and her portion of food, and with seven chosen maids from the king's palace, and advanced her and her maids to the best place in the harem. 10 Esther had not made known her people or kindred, for Mor'decai had charged her not to make it known.”

It is no surprise that this book is called Megilat Esther, the Scroll of Esther.  The heroine of the scroll is Esther whose name is the from the word, Str which means secret.  Thus, Megilat Esther is called the Scroll of the Secret or the Scroll of Hidden Things. 

This focus on secrecy tells us that we need to understand the reason for secrets in the scroll and what messages are being conveyed.

[Esther 2:10 KJV] "10 Esther had not shewed her people nor her kindred: for Mordecai had charged her that she should not shew [it].”

The king is secretive of the identity of whom he intends to honor when he solicits advice from Haman.  Haman thought the king wanted to honor him.

[Esther 6:6 KJV] "6 So Haman came in. And the king said unto him, What shall be done unto the man whom the king delighteth to honour? Now Haman thought in his heart, To whom would the king delight to do honour more than to myself?”

This fascinating scroll is filled with secrets.  The Scroll of Esther is a Comedy of Errors.  It’s a Game of Thrones.  It’s a game of chess.  Who is going to give the final Checkmate?

You are invited to join us for “The Scroll of the Secret”