mh_parser/vol_split/17 - Esther/0 - Introduction.xml
2023-12-17 21:11:28 -05:00

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<div2 id="Esth.i" n="i" next="Esth.ii" prev="Esth" progress="97.16%" title="Introduction">
<h2 id="Esth.i-p0.1">Esther</h2>
<hr/>
<pb id="Esth.i-Page_1121" n="1121"/>
<div class="Center" id="Esth.i-p0.3">
<p id="Esth.i-p1"><b>AN</b></p>
<h3 id="Esth.i-p1.1">EXPOSITION,</h3>
<h4 id="Esth.i-p1.2">W I T H   P R A C T I C A L   O B S E
R V A T I O N S,</h4>
<h5 id="Esth.i-p1.3">OF THE BOOK OF</h5>
<h2 id="Esth.i-p1.4">E S T H E R.</h2>
<hr style="width:75pt"/>
</div>
<p class="indent" id="Esth.i-p2">How the providence of God watched over the
Jews that had returned out of captivity to their own land, and what
great and kind things were done for them, we read in the two
foregoing books; but there were many who staid behind, having not
zeal enough for God's house, and the holy land and city, to carry
them through the difficulties of a removal thither. These, one
would think, should have been excluded the special protection of
Providence, as unworthy the name of Israelites; but our God deals
not with us according to our folly and weakness. We find in this
book that even those Jews who were scattered in the provinces of
the heathen were taken care of, as well as those who were gathered
in the land of Judea, and were wonderfully preserved, when doomed
to destruction and appointed as sheep for the slaughter. Who drew
up this story is uncertain. Mordecai was as able as any man to
relate, on his own knowledge, the several passages of it; <i>quorum
pars magna fuit—for he bore a conspicuous part in it;</i> and that
he wrote such an account of them as was necessary to inform his
people of the grounds of their observing the feast of Purim we are
told (<scripRef id="Esth.i-p2.1" osisRef="Bible:Esth.9.20" parsed="|Esth|9|20|0|0" passage="Es 9:20"><i>ch.</i> ix. 20</scripRef>,
<i>Mordecai wrote these things,</i> and sent them enclosed in
letters to all the Jews), and therefore we have reason to think he
was the penman of the whole book. It is the narrative of a plot
laid against the Jews to cut them all off, and which was
wonderfully disappointed by a concurrence of providences. The most
compendious exposition of it will be to read it deliberately all
together at one time, for the latter events expound the former and
show what providence intended in them. The name of God is not found
in this book; but the apocryphal addition to it (which is not in
the Hebrew, nor was ever received by the Jews into the canon),
containing six chapters, begins thus, <i>Then Mordecai said, God
has done these things.</i> But, though the name of God be not in
it, the finger of God is, directing many minute events for the
bringing about of his people's deliverance. The particulars are not
only surprising and very entertaining, but edifying and very
encouraging to the faith and hope of God's people in the most
difficult and dangerous times. We cannot now expect such miracles
to be wrought for us as were for Israel when they were brought out
of Egypt, but we may expect that in such ways as God here took to
defeat Haman's plot he will still protect his people. We are told,
I. How Esther came to be queen and Mordecai to be great at court,
who were to be the instruments of the intended deliverance,
<scripRef id="Esth.i-p2.2" osisRef="Bible:Esth.1.1-Esth.2.23" parsed="|Esth|1|1|2|23" passage="Es 1:1-2:23"><i>ch.</i> i., ii.</scripRef> II.
Upon what provocation, and by what arts, Haman the Amalekite
obtained an order for the destruction of all the Jews, <scripRef id="Esth.i-p2.3" osisRef="Bible:Esth.3.1-Esth.3.15" parsed="|Esth|3|1|3|15" passage="Es 3:1-15"><i>ch.</i> iii.</scripRef> III. The great
distress the Jews, and their patriots especially, were in
thereupon, <scripRef id="Esth.i-p2.4" osisRef="Bible:Esth.4.1-Esth.4.17" parsed="|Esth|4|1|4|17" passage="Es 4:1-17"><i>ch.</i> iv.</scripRef>
IV. The defeating of Haman's particular plot against Mordecai's
life, <scripRef id="Esth.i-p2.5" osisRef="Bible:Esth.5.1-Esth.7.10" parsed="|Esth|5|1|7|10" passage="Es 5:1-7:10"><i>ch.</i> v.-vii.</scripRef>
V. The defeating of his general plot against the Jews, <scripRef id="Esth.i-p2.6" osisRef="Bible:Esth.8.1-Esth.8.17" parsed="|Esth|8|1|8|17" passage="Es 8:1-17"><i>ch.</i> viii.</scripRef> VI. The care that
was taken to perpetuate the remembrance of this, <scripRef id="Esth.i-p2.7" osisRef="Bible:Esth.9.1-Esth.10.3" parsed="|Esth|9|1|10|3" passage="Es 9:1-10:3"><i>ch.</i> ix., x.</scripRef> The whole story
confirms the Psalmist's observation (<scripRef id="Esth.i-p2.8" osisRef="Bible:Ps.37.12-Ps.37.13" parsed="|Ps|37|12|37|13" passage="Ps 37:12,13">Ps. xxxvii. 12, 13</scripRef>), <i>The wicked
plotteth against the just, and gnasheth upon him with his teeth.
The Lord shall laugh at him; he sees that his day is
coming.</i></p>
</div2>