Beth Moore Esther Form is an excellent resource for understanding the book of Esther. This form can be used to study the book of Esther on your own, with a small group, or in a class setting. The form includes commentary from Beth Moore and background information that will help you further understand the book of Esther. The form also includes questions to help you study and apply the Scriptures. I highly recommend using this form if you want to study the book of Esther in depth. Are you interested in studying the Bible but don't know where to start? If so, Beth Moore's Esther Form is an excellent resource for getting started.
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esther
it’s tough being a woman
BETH MOORE
Published by LifeWay Press®. ©2008 Beth Moore. Permission is granted to store, print, and distribute this document for its intended use.
Distribution for sale is strictly prohibited. Address requests for additional permissions in writing to Leadership and Adult Publishing;
One LifeWay Plaza; Nashville, TN
esther
viewer guide y introduction
The Background of Esther in the Hebrew Bible and Tradition
The Book of Esther is also known as the Megillah .
Historical Background
Like the Book of Daniel, Esther is a Diaspora story.
The Uniqueness of the Book of Esther
1. The total |
absence |
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of any |
reference |
to God |
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Why study the Book of Esther? |
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• It’s part of |
God’s |
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Word . |
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• Based on Psalm 138:2b God’s name may not be in |
it |
, |
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but |
it |
is |
on |
it . |
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• It offers tremendous |
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hope |
. |
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• It extends a vital perspective on the |
providence |
of _ |
God . |
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Merriam Webster’s deinition of providence: “God conceived as the |
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power |
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sustaining |
and |
guiding |
human |
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destiny .” Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary adds, “In so doing [in His providence] God attends not only to apparently momentous events and people but also to those that seem both
mundane and trivial . … Indeed, so all encompassing is God’s attention to events within creation that nothing …
happens by chance .”
8
Ephesians
“ works |
out |
everything |
in conformity with the |
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purpose |
of His will.” |
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Philippians |
in |
you to will and to act |
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according to His good _______purpose______.” |
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2. The title bears a ___ woman’s___ ___ name___.
Throughout the next nine weeks we’ll consider different scenarios to underscore the concept captured in our study’s title.
Scenario #1
It’s tough being a woman in another woman’s shadow .
3. The |
responsibility ____ |
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According to Word Biblical Commentary, the inspired author of Esther |
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“lays all the stress on the human |
contribution to the |
introduction
Video sessions are available for download at www.lifeway.com/women |
9 |
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esther
viewer guide y session one
Today’s session introduces our protagonist and most vital supporting actor. We will use these important “first mentions” to help us draw character sketches of each based on what we know and what we also might imagine.
Part One
A Character Sketch
of Mordecai
• He was a |
Jew |
(6:10; 8:7; 9:31; 10:3; 5:13). |
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“Its significance is indicated by the fact that this is the |
only |
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time |
in the whole Old Testament that a |
native |
member |
of the community of Israel is named and identified by a gentilic.”1
• He was an |
exile |
. |
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Esther 2:6 “employs the root of the word for exile (glh) in four distinct |
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constructions, lest the full measure of the Jewish plight be overlooked.”2 |
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View the repetition in the King James Version: “Who had been |
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carried |
away |
from Jerusalem with the |
captivity |
which |
had been |
carried |
away with Jeconiah king of Judah whom |
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Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon had carried |
away .” |
• He was a sudden |
parent |
to his cousin |
. |
32
Part Two
A Character Sketch of Esther
• She was named |
Hadassah |
. |
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This Jewish name comes from the word for “ myrtle |
” |
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and means “ |
fragrance |
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.”3 |
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• She was |
orphaned |
. |
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• She was |
brought |
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up by her male |
cousin |
. |
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• She was |
lovely . |
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Scenario #2
It’s tough being a woman in a |
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world |
where |
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beauty |
is a |
treatment |
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. |
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• She was also known |
as |
Esther |
. |
|||
This Persian name means “ star |
.” |
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Perhaps even more significantly, “the name Esther comes from the
verbal root in Hebrew str, meaning ‘to |
conceal |
.’ ”4 |
esther
Video sessions are available for download at www.lifeway.com/women |
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esther
viewer guide y session two
Scenario #3
It’s tough being a woman in a mean |
world . |
1. |
Meanness |
always has a |
history |
. |
Consider the history of these two rivals.
Mordecai,
a |
Jew |
from the tribe of |
Benjamin and a descendant of
King Saul
Haman,
a presumed Amalekite and descendant
of |
Agag |
, their king during |
Saul’s reign
The disobeyed
instruction:
1 Samuel
The revealed
explanation :
Deuteronomy
(Referring to Ex.
56
Exodus |
LORD |
will be at war against the |
Amalekites from generation to generation.”
2. |
Meanness |
perceives a threat (2 Cor. 10:12). |
3. |
Meanness |
catches like a |
virus |
. |
•The word Agag is believed to be related to an Assyrian term (agagu)
that means “to be |
powerful |
, vehement, |
angry |
.”5 |
•The name “Haman” sounds similar to the Hebrew word for
wrath (Hebrew, heman).6 (Compare Prov.
Consider the following quote
“Surely as Christians we must recognize the ‘ |
spirit |
||
_ of |
Haman ’ not only in our world but |
|
|
within |
ourselves |
.”7 |
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4. Meanness |
is |
curable |
(Rom. |
esther
Video sessions are available for download at www.lifeway.com/women |
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esther
viewer guide y session three
The Human Dilemma of Destiny
Many of the biblical figures who fulfilled their
destinies shared some of Esther’s basic inner conflicts.
Consider the dilemma of destiny from a human perspective:
1. The |
poor |
timing |
. Reflect on Esther 4:11b. |
2. The |
unreasonable |
expectation |
. |
Scenario #4
It’s tough being a woman |
thrown |
a |
giant - size |
weight . |
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80
3. The |
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risky |
|
identification |
. |
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• Remember, destiny appoints |
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one |
__ but affects __ |
__. |
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many |
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• The |
revelation |
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of a person’s destiny always demands |
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a revelation of the |
person |
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. Consider the wording “if you |
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remain silent at this time.” The Hebrew word translated silent in this |
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verse can also be translated |
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conceal |
. |
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4. The |
unanswered |
question |
. |
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(See verse 14.) |
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“The sentence contains a igure of speech known as |
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sudden |
breaking |
off |
of what was being said or written |
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so that the mind is more impressed by what is |
left |
unsaid , |
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it being too wonderful, solemn or awful to verbalize. In English |
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this igure is sometimes called the ‘sudden |
silence |
.’ ”8 |
esther
Video sessions are available for download at www.lifeway.com/women |
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esther
viewer guide y session four
Part One
Our protagonist made three shifts that moved her
from
1. Esther had a |
choice |
. |
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“She [Esther] had to |
overcome |
herself |
in order to |
do what God had created her and positioned her to do.”9
2. Esther faced the fear .
Consider general fears, then our context’s specific fear:
• Facing any ___fear
And if ____________________________, then ___________.
[your answers here]
104
Scenario #5
It’s tough being a woman in the tight
fist of fear .
• Facing fear of ___death
Hebrews |
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taking it into himself, he destroyed the Devil’s hold on death |
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and freed all who |
cower |
through life, |
scared |
to |
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death |
of |
death |
.” |
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Recall a quote we discussed in week 3 of our homework:
“Living perpetually in the shadow of immanent catastrophe,
the Jew was threatened not only physically but psychologically.
Walking in the |
shadow |
|
of |
death |
|
was as |
perilous |
as |
dying |
.”10 |
3. Esther |
took |
the |
courage |
she was offered.
esther
Video sessions are available for download at www.lifeway.com/women |
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esther
viewer guide y session five
Sometimes God |
forces |
the issue of |
time . |
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Amazingly, other times He seems to entrust |
it. |
Reflect on the importance of knowing … 1. When it’s time .
See verse 1. Compare Hosea 6:2.
2. When it’s |
time |
to |
wait . |
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Ecclesiastes 3:1,7 say, “There is a time for everything, and a season for |
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every activity under heaven … a time to be |
silent and a time to |
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speak |
.” |
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• Sometimes we need to be |
silent |
even when man invites us to |
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speak . |
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Consider the idiom, “Even up to half the kingdom.”
(Compare Mark
• Sometimes the |
words |
sound |
right , but they don’t |
|
taste |
right |
. See Job |
128
3. When it’s time to |
wait |
for |
someone |
else’s time.
• The time wasn’t |
right |
for |
Xerxes |
. |
(Recall Mark 6:23.)
• The time wasn’t |
right |
for |
Haman |
. |
Commentator Adele Berlin suggests the delay is “a clever move
on Esther’s part to disarm Haman and make him think he was
the center of attention. This plays to Haman’s |
personal |
weakness .”11 Similarly, J. Gordon McConville
explains that the delay allowed time “for Haman’s misguided
4. When the |
meantime |
is |
. |
(See Isa. 40:31, KJV.)
Scenario #6
It’s tough being a woman who can balance
passion with patience .
esther
Video sessions are available for download at www.lifeway.com/women |
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esther
viewer guide y session six
The sixth chapter is “the hinge of the story of Esther.”13 God appoints or allows circumstances (often crises) in our lives to redirect our paths. Today we explore the unexpected pivot
point of Esther by giving a name to an important concept in
the book: |
The |
Reversal |
of |
Destiny |
also |
called The |
Reversal |
of Fortunes |
. Review Esther |
These reversals are part of a literary tapestry that will open our eyes to see …
1. The beauty of the book’s |
construction |
. |
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Am I willing to do the |
work |
to see the |
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wonder |
? |
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Two literary devices are employed magnificently in the Book of |
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Esther. The first is called “ |
chiastic |
|
structure |
.” |
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What in the world is it? In its tightest form, chiastic structure is |
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inverted |
parallelism |
. In other words, it is a |
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reversal |
of structures to emphasize an |
overarching |
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point |
. |
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What’s the best way to picture it?
• The “ chi |
” that begins the word chiastic is the 22nd |
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letter of the |
Greek |
alphabet |
. |
152
It is written like this: X . The letter itself represents the
crisscross literary structure of a chiasm (literally in Greek, a crossing).
What’s the best example of it in the Book of Esther? Chiastic structure is deliciously illustrated in the repeated occurrences of
feasts or banquets .
2. The beauty of the book’s |
instruction |
. |
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Esther’s best theology is in its |
subtlety |
. To offer a |
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perfect example, we’ll consider a second literary device called |
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“ |
peripety |
.” |
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What in the world is it?
• “Peripety: a |
sudden |
turn |
of events |
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that |
reverses |
the expected or intended outcome” |
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particularly in a literary work.14 |
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Scenario #7
It’s tough being a woman |
who |
feels |
|
responsible for |
the |
“ how |
.” |
“A peripeteia swiftly turns a routine sequence of events into a story |
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worth |
telling |
.”15 |
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esther
Video sessions are available for download at www.lifeway.com/women |
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esther
viewer guide y session seven
Esther
events on all four major players.
Every turn |
- |
around |
|
starts with |
a |
step |
. |
1. Esther |
stepped |
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through . |
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(See Esther 7:3 and 8:1.) |
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“Literally, ‘ |
what |
he |
was |
to |
her .’ The author |
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probably intended to convey more than is being suggested |
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by the translation ‘that he was related |
to her.’ ”16 |
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2. Haman |
stepped |
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off . |
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(See Esth. 7:10. Compare Ps. |
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3. Xerxes |
stepped |
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in . |
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(See Esth. 8:1. Compare 2 Cor. 8:9.) |
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4. Mordecai |
stepped |
up . |
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(See Esth. |
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Now see the “Turn It Around!” page and fill in the appropriate blanks.*
*Editor’s Note: This form is available in the leader guide and online at www.lifeway.com/bethmoore.
174
Turn Around Scenario #7
It’s tough being a woman who feels responsible for the “how.”
“The Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials and to
keep the unrighteous under punishment until the day of judgment.” (2 Pet. 2:9, HCSB)
“For he knows how we are formed, he remembers that we
are dust.” (Ps. 103:14)
Turn Around Scenario #6
It’s tough being a woman who can balance passion
with patience.
“Yet the LORD longs to be gracious to you; he rises to show
you compassion. For the LORD is a God of justice. Blessed are all
who |
wait |
for him.” (Isa. 30:18) |
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“The Lord |
waits |
… blessed are all those who wait |
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for Him.” (ESV) |
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“That same day,” Esther 8:1
“Rather than love, than money, than |
fame |
give me truth |
. |
— Henry David Thoreau (Walden, 1854)
esther
Video sessions are available for download at www.lifeway.com/women |
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esther
viewer guide y session eight
Today’s chapter explicitly states the Book of Esther’s most pronounced
Premise for Today’s Session
God can’t |
turn |
a |
table |
that was |
never |
set |
against |
|
you . |
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Seeing purpose in tough scenarios increases the trust required for a turnaround.
Turn Around Scenario #5
It’s tough being a woman in the tight fist of fear.
• The Jews weren’t just |
delivered |
, they were |
empowered |
. |
(See Deut. 33:29; compare Neh. |
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• See Esther 9:2: “The Jews assembled in their cities.” The power wasn’t
just |
Mordecai’s |
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. It was all of |
theirs |
. |
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• Every time you’re in a |
tight |
fist of fear, remember you’re |
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in something much |
tighter |
. Isaiah 49:16 says, “See, I have |
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|
engraved |
you |
on the |
palms |
of |
my |
hands .” |
Turn Around Scenario #4
It’s tough being a woman thrown a
198
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• God always has the |
upper |
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hand |
. Exchange the |
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burden |
for a |
weapon |
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(1 Pet. 5:7; see Deut. |
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“However, the LORD your God … turned the |
curse |
into a blessing |
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for you, because the LORD your God |
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loves |
you |
” (Deut. 23:5). |
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vehement |
inclination of the mind and |
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a |
tenderness |
of |
affection |
at the same time.”17 |
Consider the unique metaphor in Hosea 7:8
“Ephraim is a flat |
cake not turned |
over .” |
Turn Around Scenario #3
It’s tough being a woman in a mean world.
• In a |
mean |
world, New Testament believers are called |
|
to a |
good |
fight |
. |
“I give you this instruction in keeping with the prophecies once made about
you, so that by following them you may |
fight |
the |
good __fight____, |
|
holding on to faith |
and a good |
conscience |
. Some have |
rejected these and so have shipwrecked their faith” (1 Tim.
Consider the following excerpt from The Queen and I:
“When, because of your faith , your life too becomes perceptibly
different; when your reactions are quite |
opposite |
to what the |
situation seems to call for and your activities can no longer be explained in
terms of your |
personality |
; that is when your neighborhood will sit |
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up and take notice. In the eyes of the world, it is not our |
relationship |
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with Jesus Christ that counts; it is our |
resemblance |
to |
him !”18 |
esther
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esther
viewer guide y session nine
As the inspired writer puts the finishing touches on the book, we will put the finishing touches on our approach to its overarching
Interestingly, a book called by Esther’s name and showcasing her beauty and courage begins and ends without her. So, who is the Book’s real hero? Who is the truest protagonist?
Consider the following thoughts:
Neither Esther nor Mordecai had the power or position alone to deliver
their people. It was only as they acted in |
concerted |
power |
||||
and |
authority |
that they were able to lead God’s people through |
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the crisis of death and into deliverance. Neither of them |
aspired |
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to the role; perhaps neither of them |
deserved |
it. It was thrust on |
them by a series of improbable circumstances largely beyond their control.
Nevertheless, their unlikely partnership accomplished
God’s ancient promise, and the Jewish race was preserved until in the fullness of time, God entered history through this people as the
Messiah . How marvelous are God’s inscrutable ways!19
Recall Scenario #2
It’s tough being a woman in a world where |
beauty |
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is |
a |
treatment |
. |
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222
Before we locate and record our “turn around” Scripture, consider some of the possible implications of Genesis 3:16. Two different Hebrew words are translated “man.” They are adam and ish.
When a distinction exists between the two, ish denotes “man as the
counterpart |
of woman and/or |
distinguished |
in his |
maleness .”20 The word is first used in Genesis 2:24. In the KJV,
ish is translated “husband” 69 times and “man” or “men” 1212 times.
Turn Around Scenario #2
It’s tough being a woman in a world where beauty is a
treatment.
“He has made |
everything |
beautiful |
in |
its |
time ” (Eccl. 3:11). |
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In man’s realm, |
time |
diminishes |
beauty . |
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In God’s realm where we will spend forever, |
time perfects |
|||
beauty . |
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Turn Around Scenario #1
It’s tough being a woman in another woman’s shadow.
“He who dwells in the |
shelter |
|
of the |
Most |
High |
|
will rest in the |
shadow |
of |
the |
Almighty |
” (Ps. 91:1). |
On the “Turn It Around!” page, write concise descriptions of each scenario over the top of each corresponding box.
esther
Video sessions are available for download at www.lifeway.com/women |
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