Esther (Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries | TOTC)
Overview
The Jews were threatened with genocide. A decree ordered the extermination of young and old, women and children. The place: Persia. The time: fifth century B.C. The book of Esther describes how this crisis was averted through the bravery of Esther, the wisdom of her stepfather and the unity of the Jewish people. It also reveals the God who quietly—and sometimes unexpectedly—works behind the scenes to order the events of our lives. Joyce Baldwin draws out the beauty and power of this book by discussing its background, structure and theology, and by providing a passage-by-passage analysis of its contents.
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Top Highlights
“The date, possibly part of the contents of the official wording, was memorable to any Jew because it was the day before the slaying of the Passover lamb (Ex. 12:6). That memorial celebration, with its rehearsal of God’s deliverance from the Pharaoh, could scarcely fail to provoke the question, can our God not save us in an equally decisive way from death under Ahasuerus?” (Page 75)
“The right reaction, however, is not to assume that for some reason God is on our side and will continue to give us on a plate all the good things we request, but rather to be in awe that the mighty God should condescend to answer our prayers despite our many shortcomings and downright failures. The sense of wonder should result in more whole-hearted commitment to his service. The caution is necessary when, as a result of observing God’s good hand at work in the past, one presumes to know his mind in all other situations.” (Pages 40–41)
“Either she was required to appear naked, or she had some disfigurement, both of which eventualities would have made her refusal understandable in Jewish eyes, or she was openly flouting her husband’s authority, considering that his authority had proper limits. The omission of a reason strengthens the tension of the story by implying that Vashti had no rights in relation to her husband, and therefore reasons were irrelevant.” (Pages 60–61)
“Given that the Jews lived in a fate-ridden culture while they inhabited Persia and the other lands of exile, we can readily appreciate that their theology needed to comprehend a belief in the power of their God to overrule the way the dice fell (Pr. 16:33). The book of Esther took the matter further: even when the dice had fallen the Lord was powerful to reverse its good omen into bad, in order to deliver his people.” (Page 23)
- Title: Esther: An Introduction and Commentary
- Author: Joyce Baldwin
- Series: Tyndale Commentaries
- Volume: 12
- Publisher: IVP
- Print Publication Date: 1984
- Logos Release Date: 2009
- Pages: 126
- Era: era:contemporary
- Language: English
- Resources: 1
- Format: Digital › Logos Research Edition
- Subject: Bible. O.T. Esther › Commentaries
- ISBNs: 9780877842620, 9780851118406, 0877842620, 0851118402
- Resource ID: LLS:TOTC17ESBALDWINUS
- Resource Type: Bible Commentary
- Metadata Last Updated: 2024-03-12T13:46:02Z
The late Joyce G. Baldwin was Principal of Trinity College, Bristol.
Reviews
3 ratings
jekwang
10/5/2019
Joseph Stickney
9/4/2019
A fine short commentary that covers the historicity, literary style and various versions of the book of Esther. This is a commentary designed for laypeople, Sunday School teachers and the like who have limited knowledge of this work on which the Jewish holiday of Purim is based. As with most of the Tyndale commentary series, the introduction is both easy to understand and informative. I wasn't aware, for instance, of the various editions of the book of Esther that have circulated or that the Old Testament contains a fairly basic version of the book. This is all explained and the additional material that is omitted from our Bibles is added to the end of the commentary which is useful.The idea of the casting of lots and using dice and such and how it relates to the book and the festival of Purim is also covered. The literary ideas of the book along with certain words or concepts that are repeated for effect though the work are explained nicely. For instance the idea of a Portion being an extra special blessing as opposed to just being one portion of an equal amount of food as in a portion of potatoes helped me understand not just the usage here but also elsewhere in Scripture. Overall this was a pleasant learning experience.Genesis Guerrero
4/30/2017