Esther Bible Study
This Esther Bible Study will give you a three-part look at the book of the Bible that bears her name, and at its title character. Herbert Lockyer describes her as “the woman who saved her nation from genocide.” Yet, though this is true in one sense, there is more to it than that.
The woman’ great beauty, undoubted cleverness, and remarkable courage are not even half the story. Another describes the book as “the story of how a beauty contest and a king’s insomnia saved a nation.” Strange as it may seem, this gets us closer to the heart of the book, and the reason it is found in the Bible. What can we do as Christians, when crisis situations strike, and God seems distant or uninvolved? An examination of this book will strengthen our faith.
The record points us to a Hidden Hand at work in the preservation of the Jews. And it provides an illustration and foreshadowing of the persecution of God’s people down through history and their deliverance from it. This should be a great encouragement to all believers. G. Campbell Morgan states it strongly, saying, “There is no situation in human life or experience for which a message of God cannot be found through the book.”
Esther was a Jewish slave living in Persia, who, through a unusual series of circumstances, was selected to replace the Persian queen. Her story, with its startling twists and turns, is exciting and fascinating. But more importantly, the historical record teaches a number of key lessons relevant to our spiritual lives.
The Esther Bible Study provides three separate discussion studies on this part of the Bible. You can do these studies yourself, but they are designed for group use as well. You are welcome to copy the studies and share them with others. Your discussion group will be blessed by them.