Challenge and Encouragement from the Book of Esther. Challenge and Encouragement from the Book of Esther W. Ian Thomas If I Perish, I Perish examines the Christian life through the lens of an allegorical interpretation of the Old Testament Book of Esther. The character of Esther, representative of the human spirit, depicts that the call of the Lord Jesus on the Christian is to be crucified with Christ and to become alive in the Spirit.