Analysis

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 God
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 authorship.

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 God or naught"?
(2) Why do the righteous suffer and why does sin go unpunished? (3)
Does God really care for and protect his people who fear him? (4) Is
adversity and affliction a sign that the sufferer is wicked? (5) Is
God a God of pity and mercy!

The Argument. The argument proceeds as follows: (1) There is a
conference between God and Satan and the c