There is a system of encoded words and phrases found in the Hebrew Masoretic text of the Old Testament. It is called Equidistant Letter Spacing (ELS) and was discovered several decades ago. It is simply there in the Masoretic text. It probably helps if you can read Hebrew. Also known as the Bible Code, ELS has been proven statistically and practically to be true. Many years ago, a Bible college professor stated that the Bible Codes were bogus, because he knew that God would not do that! Perhaps he should have read the Prophet Isaiah:
For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts. Isaiah 55:8-9The point is that there are numerous patterns, designs and literary devices found in the Word of God that show His mark on His Word. For many years I have tried to show that the Bible is far more than a collection of myths, fables and campfire stories. It is the Word of God. And His fingerprints are all over it!
My studious wife recently found something in the Bible of which I was not aware. It is a literary structure that is right there in plain sight. You do not have to read Hebrew or Greek to see it. The structure is called a Chiasm, based on the Greek letter chi (X). And they are to be found everywhere in the Bible. Entire books of Chiasms have been written. It is interesting that some Chiasms fail when modern Bible versions based on the Westcott-Hort or Nestle-Aland Greek translation are used.
This is from Dr. Eli Lizorkin-Eyzenberg:
The Bible very often uses a beautiful literary structure. The basic idea is that words, phrases, or other elements can be arranged to mirror each other, so that the text lays out a given set of meanings and then goes back through their parallels in the reverse order. In addition, the central point of the Chiasm shows the important purpose of the Scripture.
Here is a small sample from Romans 10:9-10 which demonstrates the mirroring of words, and shows at the central point (X) the purpose, which in this case is salvation:
A That if thou shalt confess
B - with thy mouth the Lord Jesus,
C and shalt believe
D In thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead,
X thou shalt be saved.
D For with the heart
C man believeth unto righteousness;
B and with the mouth
A confession is made unto salvation.
The Chiasm of the Book of Esther follows this lesson. Praise the Lord for His Word and allowing us to see the intricacy of designs, patterns and structures found therein!