It's one of those books that some people doubt belongs in the Bible. Neither Luther nor Spurgeon would write a commentary about it. It's full of sex and seduction, blackmail and attempted genocide. The Book of Esther never mentions the name of God and no one can be found praying. So how did such a book find its way into the Holy Scripture? Maybe only one thing: The courageous act of a pretty woman who wound up saving a nation.

Our last Old Testament hero is Esther, the Queen of Persia, a Jewish girl with a hidden identity, an orphan raised by a wise uncle named Mordecai. She became queen by winning a Miss Persia contest with the only judge being King Xerxes. I don't know if it was love at first sight or passion at the first look, nevertheless, Esther finds herself in the lap of luxury. No…