Ruth & Esther: God Behind the Seen

by A. Boyd Luter, Barry C. Davis

Tragedy and triumph - the books of Ruth and Esther tell the stories of two women who achieve success against all odds. One woman overcomes a personal tragedy, the other a nationwide crisis. The roads they take to succeed, however, are quite different. This fascinating study provides a practical commentary on the lives of two women as it shows readers the providential care of the unseen God for his people - not only in past history, but in our day as well. Even seemingly out-of-control crises are under his watchful care. Teachers of Bible study groups as well as pastors will find this volume a rich source of insight into the text and a real inspiration for living.

Genres: Nonfiction

377 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 1995

Reviews

[Kelley · Rating 2 out of 5]

I learned a lot from and enjoyed the Ruth portion of this commentary. But their ideas on Esther, right from the start, came from such an outlier perspective that it was hard for me to take the back half of this book seriously. While the view they ascribe to is offered as one of the possibilities by other scholars, those others are careful to point out it's only one of many possibilities, since the text itself leaves many questions unanswered and submits many facts without comment on their morality or wisdom. (A technique that points us to the true key player in the story.) The authors' adamance hurts their argument.

If you're looking for thoughtful, careful, readable commentary on Esther, I highly recommend Debra Reid, Joyce Baldwin and Karen Jobes.