Esther: An Expository Commentary
Overview
Esther: An Expository Commentary is an insightful guide to the book of Esther. This masterful work was the first commentary Ironside had ever published, its “unpretentious pages” reaching the printers when he was only 23. Written in the hope that God would “richly bless your effort to bring to the surface what His Spirit has laid up for us in the little book,” Ironside’s commentary thoroughly examines each chapter of Esther, bringing God’s actions and His call to obedience to the fore. As Ironside states in his preface, “The book of Esther contains principles of great value at all times, but especially at the present one, when some who delve very little into the word of God are liable to wonder at some of His ways, and grow discouraged in the path of obedience. It is needful therefore, that such, and all of us, should have detailed before us the fact that ‘obedience is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams.’”
Known best for his world-wide preaching ministry, H.A. Ironside’s commentaries on every book of the New Testament and of the Old Testament Prophets are considered by Tim LaHaye and Michael D. Stallard to be, “some of the warmest and most cherished devotional commentaries in the history of dispensationalism.” Derived from stenographic recordings of his sermons and later edited into book form, their style “is characterized by devotional exposition, the simple outline of complicated issues, a creative ability to provide fresh wording and illustrations aimed at warming the heart and changing the life, and a continuation of the heritage of simple Bible readings that were emphasized in the Niagara Bible Conferences of the late nineteenth century” (Lahaye, Stallard).
Other Ironside commentaries being made available for Logos Bible Software include:
Daniel: An Expository Commentary, Proverbs: An Expository Commentary, Revelation: An Expository Commentary and Nehemiah: An Expository Commentary.
Product Details
- Author: H. A. Ironside
- Edition: 2nd Edition
- Publication Date: 1921
- Pages: 123
About H. A. Ironside
(from the Evangelical Dictionary of Theology)
Popular Bible teacher, evangelist, pastor, and author. Born in Toronto, Canada, “Harry” Ironside moved with his family to California in 1886. There at the age of fourteen he was converted and began to preach. After a brief period as a Salvation Army officer, Ironside resigned because he no longer accepted the holiness view of “entire sanctification.” He joined the Plymouth Brethren and started what would become a highly successful itinerant ministry of preaching and teaching. Though essentially self-taught, he was always in high demand as an expositor at Bible conferences and institutes. From 1925 to 1943, he served as a visiting professor at Dallas Theological Seminary. From 1930 to 1948 he was pastor of Moody Memorial Church in Chicago, a position that earned him considerable criticism from the Plymouth Brethren, who reject the idea of “one-man ministries” and of receiving a stipulated salary for preaching the gospel. During a preaching tour of New Zealand, Ironside suffered a fatal heart attack and was buried in Auckland in January, 1951.
In addition to his itinerant and pastoral ministries, Ironside is best known for his prolific literary output. He produced close to a hundred major books and pamphlets, mainly on expository and prophetic themes. Ironside was a major figure in the popularizing of dispensationalism among American evangelicals and for the most part followed the views of the Scofield Reference Bible.
Sample Pages from the Print Edition
Top Highlights
“Xerxes, as is generally believed, the history of the book of Esther would come in, chronologically, between the sixth and seventh chapters of Ezra; that is, between the times when the first company returned to Jerusalem, and that when Ezra and his company went up.” (Pages 10–11)
“In Esther it is quite different. Neither His name, nor any reference to Him, even veiled, is found.” (Page 8)
“True prayer is perhaps much rarer than many have any idea of. It can only spring from fellowship with God in a practical sense. ‘If ye abide in Me and My words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you’ (John 15:7). It is for lack of this that the prayer-meeting, and the daily season of reading and prayer in the home—not to speak of the sacred moments which should be spent in the closet with closed doors—often degenerate into a mere lifeless form. Souls are conscious of some secret sin indulged; some unscriptural thing in business or family life being persisted in; and of course there cannot be real prayer as long as this is the case. One has no title to expect an answer from God if walking in any forbidden path.” (Pages 60–61)
“NO attentive reader can fail to note the great distinguishing characteristic of the book of Esther: the name of God is not found in it. No divine title whatever, nor any pronoun referring to God is there in its ten stirring chapters. Neither is there any reference to prayer which involves the thought of God as the hearer and answerer.” (Page 7)
“The proud Agagite was but a mere puppet in his hands. Haman desired to obtain revenge for the slight put upon his dignity: the devil sought to make void the promises of God.” (Page 45)
- Title: Notes on the Book of Esther
- Author: Harry A. Ironside
- Edition: 2d ed.
- Series: Works of H.A. Ironside
- Publisher: Loizeaux Brothers
- Print Publication Date: 1921
- Logos Release Date: 2007
- Era: era:modern
- Language: English
- Resources: 1
- Format: Digital › Logos Research Edition
- Subject: Bible. O.T. Esther › Commentaries
- Resource ID: LLS:ESTHERIRONSIDE
- Resource Type: Bible Commentary
- Metadata Last Updated: 2020-10-26T20:30:23Z
H. A. Ironside (1876–1951) is one of the twentieth century’s greatest preachers. He has received honorary degrees from Wheaton College and Bob Jones University and was frequently invited to lecture at Dallas Theological Seminary.
After a serving as a Salvation Army officer for a brief period, Ironside joined the Plymouth Brethren and started what would become a highly successful itinerant ministry of preaching and teaching. He served as pastor at Moody Memorial Church from 1930 to 1948, and preached more than 7,000 sermons during his lifetime.
Harry A. Ironside produced close to 100 major books and pamphlets, mainly on expository and prophetic themes. He was a major figure in the popularizing of dispensationalism among American evangelicals and for the most part followed the views of the Scofield Reference Bible. Ironside’s first-edition commentaries, most-loved sermons, addresses, lectures, and tracts are available in The Works of H. A. Ironside (65 vols.).
