LECTURES ON THE BOOK OF ESTHER. LECTURE I. CHAPTER I. 1-12. T is not without some misgivings that I enter upon a IT brief review of the Book of Esther-not so much because there are some difficulties in the interpretation of it, as because, not very many years ago, there was published a volume of lectures on this book by the late venerable Dr. M'Crie, which must be known to many of you. There is an ancient fable of a king who was gifted with the power of turning everything he touched into gold; and this eminent divine and historian possessed remarkably the gift of rendering every subject he handled so precious, as at least to discourage any one from attempting to follow in his track. In his lectures upon the Book of Esther, he has certainly left little for any to say who may come after him; and thus it happens, that it is scarcely possible to comment upon this book now, without exciting in the minds of some the suspicion that something has been borrowed from him. And as nothing could be more discreditable than the unscrupulous A appropriation of the fruits of other men's labours, so it is not easy to avoid, as indeed it would be foolish to endeavour to avoid, making some use of what the wise and good have left behind them in illustration of the sacred volume. Yet sufficient allowance is not always made for this circumstance, and it is therefore with a kind of reluctance that I proceed to turn your attention to the Book of Esther. I shall endeavour to embrace the narrative in a very few lectures. But, in the outset, it is necessary that we offer some preliminary remarks of a general kind upon the book itself. And first, as to the subject of it. The whole scene, if we may so speak, is laid, and the whole action takes place, in the palace of the King of Persia, who was at that time the greatest potentate in the world. The prophetic words of Daniel had so far been fulfilled, that the kingdom of Babylon had given way to the Medo-Persian empire; and the Jews, humanly speaking, were wholly dependent upon the caprices of the Persian ruler. To this circumstance we must attribute the prominence that is given to a heathen king and the measures of his government, in this part of the sacred record. To some this characteristic of the book has appeared strange, but without reason, inasmuch as many parts of the prophetic Scriptures, for instance, bear upon the destinies. of heathen kingdoms, and have their place in the Scripture, because the interests of the people of God were most closely interwoven with the fortunes of these kingdoms. Then next, with respect to the authorship of the book we have no certain information. There have been various conjectures; but of course, when there is need. of conjecture, there can be no certainty. Some have ascribed it to Mordecai, and others to Ezra. Neither supposition is altogether improbable, because the events recorded in the book certainly took place about the time when Ezra flourished; and Mordecai occupies a very important place in connection with them. And besides, to Ezra is attributed, by universal consent, the great work of arranging the sacred books of the Old Testament in the order in which they now stand. Still, the matter must remain undecided. The uncertain authorship, however, does not invalidate either the genuineness or authenticity of the book. But it requires to be specially noticed, that objections have been raised to the receiving of the Book of Esther as a portion of the inspired record. Some of these objections are very weak, and unworthy of notice; but there is one which must be acknowledged to have some weight—viz. this, that from the beginning to the end of it there is not a single reference made to the name of God. This, unquestionably, is strange. There is only one other book to which the same remark is applicable -viz. the Song of Solomon; and on account of this apparently inexplicable omission, some would have both these books excluded from the sacred canon. Now we think it is not a circumstance to be regretted, that such objections should have been felt and stated, but something rather to be rejoiced in. That we should be sure that the books which professedly contain the revelation |