The Bible Book by Book Part 12

5. The work finished, 5-6.

II. The Reforms of Ezra, Chs. 7-10.

1. Ezra's Journey, 7-8

2. The confession of sin, 9.

3. The covenant to keep the law. 10.

For Study and Discussion. (1) The traits of character displayed by Ezra. (2) The reforms of Ezra. (a) What were they? (b) Parallel conditions of today. (3) The adversaries of Judah. (a) Who were they?

(b) The nature of their opposition. (4) The decree of Cyrus. (5) The expedition of Zerubbabel and Ezra. (6) Ezra's commission and the king's orders 7:1-26. (7) G.o.d's use of friends and enemies in forwarding his purposes.

a.n.a.lysis of Nehemiah.

I. The Rebuilding of the Wall, Chs. 1-7.

1. Nehemiah permitted to go to Jerusalem, 1-2.

2. The work on the walls and its hindrance, 3-7.

II. The Covenant to Keep the Law, Chs. 8-10.

1. The law read, 8.

2. Confession made, 9.

3. The covenant made, 10.

III. The Walls Dedicated and Nehemiah's Reform, Chs. 11-13.

1. Those who dwelt in the city, 11:1-12:26.

2. The walls dedicated, 12:27-47 end.

3. Evils corrected, Ch. 13.

For Study and Discussion. (1) Point out elements of strength in the character and work of Nehemiah. (2) The greatness and difficulty of Nehemiah's task, (a) the rubbish, (b) the size and length of the wall, (c) the strength of their enemies. (3) The reforms of Nehemiah, (a) religious, (b) moral, (c) political. (4) The public meeting and new festival, 8:1-18. (5) The covenant 9:1-10:39. (6) The repeopling of Jerusalem, Chs. 11-12.

Name. This is taken from its princ.i.p.al character, a Jewish maiden became queen of a Persian King.

Purpose. To explain the origin of the feast of Purim work of providence for G.o.d's people.

Time. The events narrated are thought to have occurred about 56 years after the first return of Zerubbabel in 536 B. C. The King then would be Xerxes the Great, and the drunken feast may have been preparatory to the invasion of Greece in the third year of his reign.

Connection with Other Books. There is no connection between Esther and the other books of the Bible. While it is a story of the time when the Jews were returning to Jerusalem, and very likely should come between the first and second return, and, therefore, between the sixth and seventh chapters of Ezra, the incident stands alone. Without it we would lose much of our knowledge of that period.

The Story. While Esther stands out as the princ.i.p.al character, the whole story turns on the refusal of Mordecai to bow down to Haman, which would have been to show him divine honor. He did not hate Haman but, as a Jew could not wors.h.i.+p any other than G.o.d. He dared to stand for principle at the risk of his life.

The Name of G.o.d. One of the peculiarities of the book is that it nowhere mentions the name of G.o.d, or makes any reference to him.

This may be because his name was held secret and sacred at that time.

However, G.o.d's power and His care of His people are everywhere implied in the book.

a.n.a.lysis

I. Esther Made Queen, Chs. 1-2.

1. Queen Vashti dethroned. Ch. 1.

2. Esther made queen. Ch. 2.

II. Haman's Plot and its Defeat. Chs. 3-8.

1. Haman plots the destruction of the Jews. Ch. 3.

2. The Jews' mourning and Mordecai's plea to Esther. Ch. 4.

3. Esther banquets Haman and the King, Ch. 5.

4. Mordecai highly honored for former service. Ch. 6.

5. Esther's plea granted and Haman hanged, Ch. 7,

6. The Jews allowed defense and Mordecai advanced, Ch. 8.

III. The Jews' Deliverance, Chs. 9-10.

1. Their enemies slain, 9:1-16.

2. A memorial feast is established. 9:17-32 end.

3. Mordecai made great, Ch. 10.

For Study and Discussion. (1) The character of the king, Vashti, Mordecai, Esther and Haman. (2) Mordecai's plea to Esther. (3) The honor of Mordecai and humiliation of Haman, Ch. 6. (4) The destruction of their enemies. (5) The feast of Purim, 9:17-32. (6) Truth about G.o.d seen in this book. (7) Why not name the book Mordecai or Vashti-are they not as heroic as Esther? (8) The race devotion of the Jews, then and now. (9) Persian life as seen in the book.

Chapter XII.

Job.

Name. Job, from its chief character, or hero, and mean "Persecuted."

Date. Neither the date nor the author can be determined with certainty. I incline to the theory of the Job authors.h.i.+p.

Connection with Other Books. It stands alone, being one of the so- called wisdom books of the Bible. It nowhere alludes to the Mosaic law or the history of Israel.

Literary Characteristics. Chapters one and two and parts of chapter forty-two are prose. All the rest is poetry. The different speakers may have been real speakers, or characters created by one writer to make the story. There is, however, little doubt that the story is founded on historical facts.

The Problems of the Book. This book raises several great questions, that are common to the race, and directly or indirectly discusses them. Among those questions the following are the most important. (1) Is there any goodness without reward? "Doth Job serve G.o.d or naught"?