Unlocking The Old Testament

Esther

David Pawson says there are few books of the Bible set outside the Promised Land, Esther being one. They tell us how Jews behaved when they were in Gentile society. We can learn from some of them how to interact in non-Christian society without compromise. David looks at Daniel alongside Esther as both record events during the Jewish exile to Babylon. Both rose to positions where they were able to help their people, Esther being queen. The story of Esther is quite a romantic one with all the ingredients of a great drama and archaeology has shown it is a true story. And though God is not overtly mentioned, it is through the prayers and fasting of the Jews when under threat of death that they were rescued by the intervention of Queen Esther. But to do so meant she had to reveal her secret – that she herself was Jewish. Even a dream of the king was involved in the drama. What David brings out is that this drama played out so long ago, had it gone the wrong way, would have meant the annihilation of the Jewish race and meant that Jesus could not have come to earth. This story reveals the strategies of both Satan and God.

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Job 1

David Pawson warns against quoting verses out of context because, in a book such as Job, you may be quoting one of Job’s friends when they were wrong about what they said. God eventually showed that they were wrong. “That’s why it’s so important to know a whole book”, says David. This is an unusual book and David looks at the possibilities of how it came to be recorded. Job is indeed a factual person, known about outside the scriptures and the land of Israel. David believes that the author has taken the true story of Job and written it up in poetic form, bringing out the real issues he was facing. This book presents an answer to some of life’s biggest questions: Why is there pain and suffering? Why do good people endure it, and bad people escape it? Does God care about it? This is one of the books that reveals what is happening in heavenly realms so that we can make sense of what happens on earth. We can learn some valuable lessons from Job. David says, “It’s not finding the answers to your questions, it’s getting to the point in your relationship to God where you don’t need them.” 

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