Esther is a book of history thats not difficult at all to understand its short and interesting. In this book we have seen gods perfect work through imperfect people. Yet, though this is true in one sense, there is more to it than that. Though it never mentions god by name, the book deals exclusively with gods working through the lives of people. Studying the book of esther, chapters no greater joy.
Herbert lockyer describes her as the woman who saved her nation from genocide. Back in deuteronomy, before god brought the israelites into the promised land, he outlined their history for them. Gods name is not mentioned even once in the entire book of esther. May god bless you richly as you study these life lessons from the book of esther, and may it truly transform your life. This epistle begins as an essay, progresses into a sermon, and ends as a letter. Ezra 7 begins in the seventh year of artaxerxes i longimanus i. Esther with book summary versebyverse bible commentary. The book of esther provides us with the greatest illustrations of the providence of god. Esther bible study with free printable bible study guide.
Book of esther bible study chapter 6 the sleepless king and the providence of god book of esther bible study chapter 7 the downfall of haman the wicked. God masterfully orchestrates and weaves together every detail of our lives in jawdropping ways. May you discover his character as you investigate the pages of his letter to you. In the jewish bible, esther follows ecclesiastes and lamentations and is read on the festival of purim, which commemorates the rescue of the jews from hamans plottings. In this sixweek study, explore the subject of gods providence, walking verse by verse through the book of esther. Weve created a 10day study guide for you, each day working through a chapter of the exciting story of esther.
In studying the first chapter of esther did you notice the number 7 complete and total and a multiple of 7 are all related to the king in this incident with vashti. The book of esther was written during the 3 rd year of the reign of ahasuerus 485 465 bc. Bible study guide for esther, old testament david padfield. See what its about from the first verse to the last. Here is an outline of these studies for your reference. Outline of the book with questions for each section color cover. This summary of the book of esther provides information about the title, authors, date of writing, chronology, theme, theology, outline, a brief overview, and the. Esther 7 commentary, one of over 110 bible commentaries freely available, this commentary, spanning 23 volumes, covered the entire bible with verse by verse exposition. Hence it belongs to the bestknown otbooks with the jews and it is also the book, which has the oldest copies. The book of esther is a beautiful story of one woman who. Developed in four parts for class study this book is excellent for any congregation desiring to better understand this often neglected period in bible study. The significance of the book of esther is that it testifies to the secret watch care of jehovah over dispersed israel. Esther bible study free bible study guide and introduction time.
The mass of the nation preferred the easy and lucrative life under the persian rule. Since ezra returned to jerusalem in about 475 bc, the book probably spans a period of ten years hughes 2001. The book of esther begins with the queen of king ahasuerusvashtisnubbing the kings request to meet with her. Esther bible study outlinecontents by chapter and verse.
Inductive study of esther historical background chronologically, esther falls in the middle of ezra, probably between chapters six and seven, around 485 bc during the early years of the reign of king ahasuerus creelman 1917, 291. You can work through this bible study on your own or with your small group, and you can go through this in ten days, or over a tenweek or semester long schedule. Book of esther overview insight for living ministries. Ten of esther begin with a statement in verse one that is the perfect summary of how.
The book of hebrews is a unique and challenging book in the new testament. And watch god silently weave all events for his glory. Although his name is never mentioned, we see his providence in each page of this wonderful little book. Book of esther bible study chapter 3 haman the madman book of esther bible study chapter 4 if i perish, i perish book of esther bible study chapter 5 prayer and the power of the third day book of esther bible study chapter 6 the sleepless king and the providence of god book of esther bible study chapter 7 the downfall of haman the wicked.
These study guides were developed in the course of my ministry as a preacher of the gospel. While i have been praying about writing a bible study on the book of esther which incorporates verse mapping and inductive bible study, there are some great bible studies on the book of esther available, already. Date at the end of ezra chapter 6, zerubbabel had completed the construction of the new temple in jerusalem. He may not always do it in the way we think he should, but the book of esther shows that he is in control even when we dont see him. The book of esther is one of the most exciting books in all the old testament and is nearly unique in employing a woman as its leading character. Esther is a young and beautiful jewish girl, orphaned but cared for by her. God uses a young jewish lady just a normal girl to do great things save the nation of israel. This study was adapted from a study written by the chi alpha. We are going to do an overview or get the big picture of what takes place in this book. The book of esther in one sense is the most remarkable in the bible, and that is. The book of esther focuses on four central characters. When esther becomes queen, she keeps her jewish decent a secret est. Were in a series on sunday nights through the book of esther. This short overview and outline of esther will hopefully enhance your study of gods word.
God directs this material universe in which we live today by his providence. Neither mordecai, esther, nor the feast of purim is mentioned. Esther bible story summary what christians want to know. A story of the providence of god in a pagan land page 4 introduction to the book the book of esther is the only book in the bible that does not mention the name of god. The key personalities are esther, mordecai, king ahasuerus or xerxes, and haman. The book is set during the period after the babylonian exile in which the nation of persia present day iran ruled judah. The book of esther in the bible is a dramatic account which can give us insight into gods special and purposeful plan for our lives. Another biblical theme in the book of esther is divine providence follows people god that use to serve his purposes, jonah 1. The larger theme of the book is the providence of the almighty god iii. We started our study of the book of esther last week with a general survey of the book. Naturally, being a rather unstable fellow, ahasuerus firesslashdivorces her. It belongs to the third section of the judaic canon, known as the ketuvim, or writings. During the week, youll study at home, following the outline of the study guide. During the week, you ll study at home, following the outline of the study guide.
The book of esthera brief outline sermons by art davison. The story gives us six powerful lessons about courage, divine. The name of god does not once occur, but in no other book of the bible is his providence more conspicuous. Book of esther read, study bible verses online bible study tools. David padfield do not think in your heart that you will. The book of esther is never quoted in the new testament. See list under precept ministries inductive study on esther the book of esther is unusual gods name is not mentioned once, yet gods hand is clearly present and active throughout the book, to the extent that many see the book of esther as a veritable treatise on the doctrine of divine providence see separate study. Some have used them for personal devotions, and others in small study groups. Remember that events in the book of nehemiah actually occurred after the events in the book of esther see introduction. Book of esther, book of the hebrew bible and the christian old testament. In the book of esther god used mordecai an ungodly man to rebuke esther into obedience. Esther bible study will give you a threepart look at the book of the bible that bears her name, and at its title character. This is our tenth message in the series as we come to the last part of the ninth chapter in esther. In the book of jonah, he used a storm to convince the fleeing prophet, jonah 1.
This workbook was designed for bible class study, family study, or personal study. T he story of esther reads like a novel and is full of great spiritual lessons. The questions contain minimal human commentary, but instead urge students to study to understand scripture. The story gives us six powerful lessons about courage. It was the last book to be accepted into the jewish scriptures. The book explains the origin of the jewish feast of purim februarymarch. The bible book of esther is a dramatic account which can give us insight into gods special and purposeful plan for our lives. Every book of the bible outlined in section headings. The genre of the book of esther is narrative history. May you become someone who truly makes a difference in your time, and be gods tool in your particular world for such a time as this.
But when she learns of a plot to kill all the jews in the persian provinces, she courageously uses. The old testament story of esther is a profile in courage and contains many modern parallels for todays overloaded and stressed woman. The preservation of the jews church of christ zion. The book of esther has served the jewish people as support of their national hope and especially so in the days of persecution. Although we do not know who wrote the book of esther, from internal evidence it is possible to make some inferences about the author and the date of composition. Permission is granted to store, print, and distribute this document for its intended use. The book of esther 6 powerful life lessons from the bible. Esther is a nineweek study with an optional purim celebration at the end. We have had a bit of time off from this study for various reasons but now were back to finish up where we left off. My favorite female bible character is esther, and im excited to say that there is a brandnew bible study coming soon. Really care and desire to see gods work and gods people prosper. They were designed for adult bible classes, though they might be suitable for junior and senior high classes as well.
Today we are making a transition to another book of the bible called esther. Esther is read during the purim feast on 14th and 15th adar februarymarch. Outline of esther free bible outlines bible study start. Bartsch, 2 b2 mordecai and esthers plan to save the jews 4 c1 the mourning of mordecai and the jews 4.
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