Esther and Ruth

Iain M. Duguid

© 2005 by Iain M. Duguid

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or otherwise—except for brief quotations for the purpose of review or comment, without the prior permission of the publisher, P&R Publishing Company, P.O. Box 817, Phillipsburg, New Jersey 08865-0817.

Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version, copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Italics within Scripture quotations indicate emphasis added.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Duguid, Iain M.

Esther and Ruth / Iain M. Duguid.

p. cm.—(Reformed expository commentary)

Includes bibliographical references and indexes.

ISBN-13: 978-0-87552-783-3 (cloth)

ISBN-10: 0-87552-783-3 (cloth)

1. Bible. O.T. Esther—Commentaries. 2. Bible. O.T. Ruth—Commentaries. I. Title. II. Series.

BS1375.53.D84 2005

222'.35077—dc22

2005047192

Reformed Expository Commentary

A Series

Series Editors

Richard D. Phillips

Philip Graham Ryken

Testament Editors

Iain M. Duguid, Old Testament

Daniel M. Doriani, New Testament

Contents

Series Introduction

Preface

Esther: The Hidden King Delivers

1. Standing Firm against the Empire (1:1–22)

2. Beauty and the Beast (2:1–23)

3. Mordecai Makes a Stand (3:1–15)

4. The Dog That Didn’t Bark (4:1–17)

5. Meekness and Subtlety (5:1–14)

6. The Man the King Delights to Honor (6:1–14)

7. Coming Out in Susa (7:1–10)

8. It Ain’t Over (8:1–17)

9. A World Turned Upside Down (9:1–10:3)

Ruth: The Lord Redeems

10. The Road to Nowhere (1:1–5)

11. Grace at the Bottom of the Barrel (1:6–22)

12. A Refuge from the Storm (2:1–23)

13. Ruth’s Redeemer (3:1–18)

14. Ruth’s Reward (4:1–22)

Index of Scripture

Index of Subjects and Names

Series Introduction

In every generation there is a fresh need for the faithful exposition of God’s Word in the church. At the same time, the church must constantly do the work of theology: reflecting on the teaching of Scripture, confessing its doctrines of the Christian faith, and applying them to contemporary culture. We believe that these two tasks—the expositional and the theological—are interdependent. Our doctrine must derive from the biblical text, and our understanding of any particular passage of Scripture must arise from the doctrine taught in Scripture as a whole.

We further believe that these interdependent tasks of biblical exposition and theological reflection are best undertaken in the church, and most specifically in the pulpits of the church. This is all the more true since the study of Scripture properly results in doxology and praxis—that is, in praise to God and practical application in the lives of believers. In pursuit of these ends, we are pleased to present the Reformed Expository Commentary as a fresh exposition of Scripture ...