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Like Esther, we must be ready to take our life in our hand and risk everything in His service. This is illustrated in the turn of events of the story of Esther. Sign up for LibraryThing to find out whether you'll like this book. He delivered Israel and was next in authority to the king. In the account of the king's feast ch. Dieulafoy has set up the bithan apadana, the great banqueting-hall or throne-room in the museum of the Louvre, where one can now see the remains of the marble pavement, of the hall of the feast. Lists with This Book.
Like Esther, we must be ready to take our life in our hand and risk everything in His service. The book of Esther is one of the most beautiful stories in all literature. Even though the name of God is not mentioned in it, no book of the Bible teaches His providence more forcefully. The book covers a period of about 12 years, falling somewhere between the events recorded in the sixth and seventh chapters of Ezra.
The setting is the court of Xerxes, the king of Persia. The Bible refers to him as Ahasuerus. The record of Luke 24, particularly the journey of the risen Christ with the two disciples to Emmaus, states that ''beginning at Moses and all the prophets, He expounded unto them, in all the scriptures, the things concerning Himself'' Luke Where in the book of Esther, this book without the mention of God's name, do we find teachings about Christ?
I recommend that you read again the entire book to refresh your mind about the historical account. Before we consider where Christ is found in the book of Esther, we will consider some practical matters. An unseen hand is at work behind all human affairs. Who shapes the destinies of nations-- politicians? As a lad, I was fascinated by the operation of a certain machine in the Union Station in Pittsburgh.
As we waited for an arriving train, we would stand at the desk in the ticket office and watch a machine with an electric pen attached. A roll of paper was located beneath that pen, and periodically it would begin to write. Some miles distant, somewhere up the line of the Pennsylvania Railroad, a station- master or yard-master would be writing down the position of trains and their time of arrival on a similar scroll.
The corresponding electric pen in the station would move in the exact handwriting of the originator. I was always amazed at that apparatus. Similarly, the providential hand of an Almighty God is behind the destiny of nations. James Russell Lowell wrote,. All things move by the knowledge of Almighty God, and according to His ordained plan and purpose. The book of Esther is a confirmation of Psalm This is illustrated in the turn of events of the story of Esther. The rejection of a Gentile queen, the choice of Esther, and the finding of the records led finally to the exaltation of Mordecai and the sparing of the Jewish race.
Providence is not blind fate. The word ''providence'' means, ''foresight coupled with activity.
The book of Esther sets forth two great doctrines: Both are at work here. Haman made his plans and Mordecai was busy with his political maneuvering, yet all was done within the boundaries of God's direction. Another very practical lesson to be gained from the book of Esther is that the prosperity of the wicked is unsafe and unsatisfying, and that it ends in adversity.
The experience of the psalmist is recorded as follows: But then he continued in verses 16 and 17, ''When I thought to know this, it was too painful for me, until I went into the sanctuary of God; then I understood their end. We often see the adversity of the good alongside the prosperity of the wicked. We would tend to ask why, but the book of Esther shows us clearly that the trial of faith results in final victory for the righteous.
The book of Esther presents us with a picture of God's current relationship with the Jews. The Jewish people, as a whole, have been out of their land for years. During this time, they have been under many Gentile rulers. Satan repeatedly has had a ''Haman'' planning their destruction. But all along, God has been in the shadows watching over His covenant people Israel.
Even though, in their present unbelief, they may refuse to recognize His hand, He continues His watchful care over His ancient people. Haman, the Jew-hater from the cursed seed of Amalek [cp. The ''man of sin [will] be revealed, the son of perdition, who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshiped, so that he, as God, sitteth in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God'' 2Thessalonians 2: Haman was hanged on the gallows; the man of sin will be cast into the lake of fire.
It appears to me that Esther foreshadows that faithful Jewish remnant in the days of the tribulation. Notice an expression that appears in chapter 5, verse 1, ''Now it came to pass on the third day This speaks of the national resurrection of the remnant of Israel in the last days. Esther's Jewish name was Hadassah, meaning ''myrtle. God will take the remnant of believing Israel out of great suffering and trial and bring the nation to the place of exaltation.
He was a despised Jew for whom the scaffold was built. The same scaffold proved to be the undoing of his enemy, and Mordecai was exalted to the throne. How forcefully this speaks of Him who is greater than Mordecai, and who will bring peace to His earthly people and the nations of the world. Mordecai was the revealer of secrets.
In Christ are hidden all the secrets of wisdom and knowledge, and He ''of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption'' 1Cor 1: Mordecai was elevated to the throne. He delivered Israel and was next in authority to the king. By the wonder-working providence and grace of Jehovah, salvation was interposed on behalf of the nation and the world. Yes, the story of Christ is foreshadowed once again in the Old Testament in the account of Esther. Key words note in Esther: Which of these "keys" is the major "key word" Clue: Day, Month, Year - Esther 1: Mordecai note - His name means - Little man; bitter bruising; bitterly reduced.
Bitterness of my oppression. Haman note - His name means Alone; solitary. The rager; their tumult.
Esther note and Ruth see resources are the only books of the Bible centered around a woman. Esther is unique in that it is the only book of Scripture that does not mention God, although clearly God's providential hand of protection of His people pervades the pages. Note that the dramatic events of the book of Esther take place between the events of Ezra 6 and Ezra 7, between the first return led by Zerubbabel and the second return led by Ezra.
He did not always interpret Scripture l iterally and so was amillennial he interpreted Revelation as a Historicist which led him to interpret the church as fulfilling many OT promises to Israel. Influential in development of doctrine of entire sanctification. Affirmed the authority and sufficiency of Scripture, but held a belief of "plenary dynamic inspiration" idea of every thought inspired , thus falling short of "plenary verbal inspiration" every single word inspired Bib.
Vol , p , In summary, a useful, respected commentary but as with all these resources you are advised to "Be a Berean! It takes up less space than the original fifty-volume set, and not everything in the original set is worth owning. A Basic Library for Bible Students. Barber - This set, originally published in , contains expositions by both conservative and liberal theologians. The old functionality to search by book. Just type in the book only like: Fausset and David Brown. Click for introduction not found in notes below. Rosscup - Though Ironside does not get into the detail of the text, he does give a practical exposition on a wider scale in popular fashion.
He shows how the message is alive, and at times helps with good illustrations.
Commentaries for Biblical Expositors. The Theological Journal Library on galaxie.
Editorial Reviews. About the Author. John MacArthur has served as the pastor- teacher of Grace Community Church in Sun Valley, California, since Ruth and Esther (MacArthur Bible Studies Book 9) and millions of other books are available for Amazon Kindle. Ruth & Esther: Women of Faith, Bravery, and Hope (MacArthur Bible Studies) Paperback – November 5, The Wiersbe Bible Study Series: Ruth / Esther: Doing God's Will.
Click the following links to search by topic, author , or bible reference. Rosscup is a bit less enamored with Karen Jobes' commentary writing "Jobes will not be clear to some in her view that a biblical book can have legitimate errors in historical matters for the sake of poetic license, without distorting the truth She does not give evidence here to make her point clear or show that it is valid in Esther.
She says that Vashti , Ahasuerus [Xerxes], Esther and Haman may not be the actual names of the people to whom the events happened 36—37 Ed comment: The name Esther is used 45x in 37v in this book and to posit that this may not be her name seems a bit presumptive. Rosscup on Baldwin - A frequent, respected contributor to this series Tyndale , she presents careful research on setting, text, exegesis and related matters such as customs, with good notes.
Rosscup on John Whitcomb's Esther and the Destiny of Israel revised edition - new title from edition - "Whitcomb has written this fine pp. He includes a helpful bibliography along with charts and time-line illustrations. The chronology of Esther is dealt with in detail. The author uses nine chapters to discuss ten chapters of Esther.
He uses a verse by verse format. Whitcomb dates Esther prior to the palace destruction at Susa in B. He, like others, hypothesizes that perhaps a Diasporan Jew authored this work. His comments on the difference between canonicity and theological understanding are worthy of note. The author equates Ahasuerus — B. Outstanding approach and treatment.
The Greek Septuagint LXX added an extra apocryphal verses which supposedly compensated for this lack. The historical genesis for the drama played out between Mordecai a Benjamite descendant of Saul—Esther 2: God pronounced His curse on the Amalekites, which resulted in their total elimination as a people Ex. Samuel finally hacked Agag into pieces 1 Sam.
Because of his lineage from Agag, Haman carried deep hostility toward the Jews. The time of Esther arrived years after the death of Agag, but in spite of such passage of time, neither Haman the Agagite nor Mordecai the Benjamite had forgotten the tribal feud that still smoldered in their souls. This explains why Mordecai refused to bow down to Haman Esther 3: Esther later added a new feature of fasting with lamentation Esther 9: Purim is not biblically mentioned again, although it has been celebrated throughout the centuries in Israel.
Esther could be compared to a chess game. God and Satan as invisible players moved real kings, queens, and nobles. Super portable and a nice way to dig in without toting lots of resources. He also does a nice, brief historical introduction at the beginning of each passage. But generally books like this leave me wanting more. It's a fine start for an overview, but a lot of the study questions answer themselves, leaving me wondering how I'm supposed to fill four blank lines I like MacArthur's workbooks because they include the passages in them, along with the kind of textual notes you'd find in a study Bible.
It's a fine start for an overview, but a lot of the study questions answer themselves, leaving me wondering how I'm supposed to fill four blank lines with, "Yes, he does" or something like that. We finished a study of Ruth in our Bible study last fall and we're moving on to Esther in the spring. Ruth," "The Wings of Refuge: Expositions of the Books of Ruth and Esther.
Not quite what I expected. MacArthur can go deep, but this book isn't intended to be that kind of book. Mar 12, Irinsami marked it as to-read. This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.
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