ESTHER

Esther covers the same time period as Ezra, about 480 B.C. when Xerxes, here called Ahasuerus, ruled Persia and plotted his wars against Greece. Many Jews, despite being allowed to return to their native land, opted to stay in Persia, leaving them at risk because they were surrounded by foreigners. The story of how the Jews were saved from utter destruction led to the establishment of the Feast of Purim (the word comes from the plural form of “lot”) in which Esther is read in the synagogue; the people boo and shout every time the villain’s name is mentioned.

JOB

This book starts a series of poetical selections (Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Solomon) dealing with experiences of the heart rather than the history we have seen in previous books. Job, a famous book referred to often by other writers, deals with the essential problem of suffering and the nature of God—why do good people suffer? can God be understood? The difficult balance between the existence of evil and a world run by an omnipotent and just God is explored in this book through the use of some of the most powerful poetry ever written. Job can be divided into three sections—the prologue in which misfortunes strike Job (1-2),  cyclical debates on the ways of God (3:1-42:6), and the epilogue which reveals Job’s vindication (42:7-17).