Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther (Cornerstone Biblical Commentary | CBC)

by Gary V. Smith

Publisher:

Tyndale

, 2010

Overview

Ezra deals with the sacrifice that we all have to make at one point in our lives and how to deal with the choices that must be made when faced with sacrifice.

When reading the book of Nehemiah, the reader sees three ideas emerging. First, when reading the word of God, we must pay careful attention to what is being said, so that the content is not misunderstood. Second, there is a recurring theme of enemy opposition and thirdly, through everything that Nehemiah went through, he was still obedient.

In the book of Esther, such topics as death, danger, social rejection as well as many others are covered and referencing the in Cornerstone Biblical Commentary: Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther helps you deal with these when faced with them in our lives.

Key Features

• Introductions to the historical and cultural context, the literary style, and the major themes and theological concerns
• Exegetical and textual notes
• Commentary pays special attention to context and major theological themes

Contents

Top Highlights

“The Sovereign Rule of God over All. The broadest and most pervasive theme that the author of Ezra–Nehemiah emphasized was God’s powerful control over every aspect of Israel’s history.” (Page 15)

“His prayer challenges every believer to act as an intercessor for someone else whom God can rescue from disgrace and shame. His persistence for four months serves as a powerful example to not give up until God has answered our prayers. His willingness to be part of the solution illustrates the need to be willing to put feet to our prayers, even if it means moving out of our present comfortable situation and into a conflict environment where success is not assured.” (Page 109)

“Although organizing, planning, collecting the offering, and a host of other jobs may not seem as glorious and spiritual as some other jobs, God has given different people different gifts so that all aspects of his work will grow together and produce spiritual fruit. Nehemiah 12:44–47 indicates that God needs behind-the-scenes workers to do the ‘menial’ tasks so others can do more visible jobs. No task is unimportant, and all are needed if God’s work on earth is to prosper. Every organization needs planning and support staff to make it possible for a few people to take visible leadership roles. Everyone has to give of themselves if the whole body of workers ever hopes to function together as a unit that glorifies God.” (Page 201)

“A rather minor emphasis in the text is the presence of good leaders. It is mentioned that the sons of Asaph led in the singing (3:10), the Levites Jeshua and Kadmiel and their families provided oversight for the Temple rebuilding (3:9), and Jeshua and Zerubbabel gave oversight to the construction of the altar (3:2). But very little is made of these servant leaders. Leaders earn their stripes when they lead in difficult times, not when everything is going great. Servant leaders were needed, and many served effectively, but God was the one the people glorified and praised. This building was not the accomplishment of one leader; it was God’s work of grace.” (Page 42)

Praise for the Print Edition

An enormously helpful series for the layperson and pastor alike because it centers on the theological message of each book and ties it directly to the text. This approach has been needed for some time and will be an invaluable supplement to other commentary series.

—Grant Osborne

A treasure house of insight into the biblical text. Written by some of the best scholars working today, it is an essential tool for pastors, students, church leaders, and lay people who want to understand the text and how it relates to our lives today. Like the NLT text it uses as its base, this commentary series is extremely readable.

—Tremper Longman III

Product Details

• Title: Cornerstone Biblical Commentary: Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther
• Author: Gary V. Smith
• Publisher: Tyndale House Publishers
• Publication Date: 2010
• Pages: 400

About Gary V. Smith

Gary V. Smith, Ph.D. was a member of the translation teams for both the NLT and HCSB Bible translation projects and has written numerous articles, reviews, and books on the Old Testament. These include Hosea, Amos, and Micah for the NIV Application Commentary series and Isaiah in the New American Commentary series. He has taught Old Testament at Bethel Theological Seminary in Minnesota and was Professor of Old Testament and Hebrew at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Missouri. In 2004 he began teaching at Union University, where he is currently Professor of Christian Studies.