My small-group Bible study recently finished reading through and discussing the book of Esther.

Most notable for being the one of only two books in the Bible that doesn’t directly mention God (Song of Solomon is the other), it’s a very interesting story about how God used a young and timid Jewish girl to save His people.

It’s an interesting book, and I’m glad my small group has been going through the old testament (our previous study was on Joshua). One of the big lessons I’m sure you can take away from reading it is that God can and will use anyone for amazing purposes. But the lesson that I see most is against hubris (excessive pride in the form of a desire to be considered God-like).

In the story is a man named Haman who wants power so badly he is willing to lie, cheat and trick his way into the king’s favor. He also tricks the king into killing the Jewish people. For this and countless other transgressions, Haman is hanged on a gallows he built to punish his enemy Mordecai. It’s a fitting end and an important lesson – pride is a very dangerous thing.

Read it yourself. Esther is a short book, but there are a lot of lessons to be learned (and also a surprising number of parallels to the current slate of reality television).