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A Sword & Shield Bible Study: Esther

A Bible Study to get Through Uncertain Times

Nothing is for certain.

Just when you think things are going smoothly and you are confident about tomorrow, life happens. The Book of Esther shows how life took an unexpected turn for Esther and her people. Not only is Esther thrown into a life unlike her own up to that point, but she and her people are also suddenly given reason to fear for their lives.

The book of Esther takes place towards the end of the captivity of Judah. Some of those who were taken away to Babylon are now in Persia. It has been over 70 years since the captivity began. These people are settled. Israel is part of the fabric of society. Mordecai holds a position of prominence. The return has begun (see the book of Daniel and Ezra), but it isn’t finished. While many of them are looking towards the fulfillment of God’s promise, their lives are going on as normal.

Then a man named Haman gets his feelings hurt. His answer is not to deal with the man who offended him, but to destroy the entire nation of this man’s people – the Jews. Just like that, chaos is brought into the world of the Jews. How will they handle it? What is the answer?

Join me for a study of Esther to find out!

2021 Update: This study is not currently being offered as a live Bible study, but all the materials and videos can still be accessed by the links below.

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The Study Begins

On April 6th, 2020 we will begin a group study (a large internet style group 🙂 ) of the book of Esther.

The study will be offered via email and over on The Diligent Woman Facebook page over the course of the next eight weeks. Once you have signed up to get your study materials, you can choose which way you would like to participate in the study.

Email

During the time of the study, an email will be sent out each week with the schedule and study prompts for the upcoming week. This amounts to 8 emails plus access to me to ask questions or to discuss the text. Once you have signed up to get the study materials, you will be automatically set up to receive these emails. You will be given the option to opt-out of them if you’d rather focus on the other aspect of the study – Facebook.

Facebook

To follow the study on Facebook, be sure to Like The Diligent Woman page so you will receive notifications of new posts.

On this public page, the study will go like this:

• Sunday afternoon the schedule for the upcoming week will be posted.
• Sunday evening I will do a Facebook Live (on the public page) to review and talk about the upcoming week of study.
• Each day the plan for the day and any study suggestions will be posted in the morning.

If you would rather just follow along on Facebook, simply make use of the email opt-out when it is given to you after you sign up and receive the details.

You can sign up for the study by clicking the banner.

The Study Materials

This study of the book of Esther is going to combine several study techniques. No one is under any obligation to do all that is offered. You are free to make the study your own. Follow the plan as it is written (over 8 weeks) or adjust it to fit your own schedule. If you have more time to study during the day, you can shorten the duration of the study easily. Extra time could also be taken if you wanted to spend the time making use of every study method throughout the whole book. It is your study. Do what brings you interest and joy in the doing.

The full study includes:

• Complete Study plan to cover the book in eight weeks
• The Diligent Woman’s Updated Bible Marking Guide (there is a beginner’s edition and a complete edition)
• Memory Verse cards and Memory Verse Tracker
• Key Scripture Study page
• Dig Deeper and Take Note study pages. Both of these give you a place to make notes that give you a view of the book as a whole as well as an understanding of the principle characters.
• Chapter Study Builders ask questions and give room for application to today’s situations
• Timeline of Events. This is a timeline of the events as they happen within the book. This helps to mark a timeline in the margins of your Bible and to give you an impression of how things happened in real-time.
• Study Journal page for writing out the scripture text or journaling your thoughts about what you have learned
• Word study page to help focus on learning about a word that stands out to you in the text. An example of a word study might be a study of the word “Purim”.
• Prayer Prompt cards to help pray with the text in mind.

Scripture writing is the spine of the study. I talk about Scripture Writing as a study method in the post “One Simple Way to Create Study Time“. Bible marking allows you to put visual cues in your Bible that help you to know what you are going to get when you read that section the next time you come to it. The other study pages allow for deeper reflection and further ways of imprinting the word on your heart.

The study is provided in a PDF digital download. You only need to print the pages you want to use. I like to print them and put them in a one inch 3-ring binder.

The study is available for only $27. You can order it by clicking the image below.

You do not need the full study to participate with us. The Basic 8 Week Study Kit is available for free. This kit includes the study plan, Bible marking guides, Dig Deeper and Take Note pages and the Chapter Study Builders. A link to download the free basic kit is given to you when you sign up for the study – Esther Bible Study Sign Up.

Both kits will allow you to study the book thoroughly. You can choose whichever best suits your needs.

So, get a copy of the study kit, your Bible and favorite pens and join us for a study that will encourage us to get through our own times of uncertainty with faith and courage just like Mordecai and Esther. I look forward to seeing you in the study!

Enjoy!

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