Old Testament OverviewSample

Esther is the last of the historical books of the Old Testament, though its events take place at the same time as those recorded in Ezra (between chapters 6 and 7).

Like Ruth, Esther is a wonderful story about hope and obedience in the midst of great difficulty; it is incredible to realise that a Jewish lady was once queen of the most powerful empire in the world!

You may want to divide the reading of this book differently to the 6 days provided for here. You may also want to skip ahead to the events of Nehemiah (day 100) and come back to Esther before the final day (day 104).

After reading the passage use these questions as the basis for your discussion.

1. What stood out for you / what was interesting and why? (The Holy Spirit’s prompting)

2. What was the passage about / the main message / big idea? (The Word of God)

3. What should we do / how can we apply this message? (Faith in Action)

A reminder for groups to share the reading by dividing the passage amongst all participants. The 'leader' for each day should look at the passage ahead of time in order to give them some idea of the content, as well as how the reading can best be shared.