Thursday Bible Study

Back in Esther 5:14-6:1, what did King Xerxes do on the night when Haman's wife and his friends made the plot against Mordecai? What does the King ask for when he can't get to sleep? The word "read" here speaks of continuous and extensive reading. Why might this kind of reading be helpful in this situation? What do we see hasn't happened in verse 3? Why does Haman initially come to see the King? In verses 7-9, why does Haman 'lay it on' quite so thick? What stopped Haman from making the request to hang Mordecai? How much energy and enthusiasm do you think Haman would've put into this public proclamation? Does this half-baked way of proclaiming remind you of anyone else in the Old Testament? [Application] Even though God doesn't get much of a mention in the book of Esther... we can still see God in the details. Seemingly trivial and unrelated circumstances all fit together in the plan of God. From our human persp...

Why is verse 1 infuriating (when you consider how little we're told about other events)? What is Esther's request of the king? Does it surprise you? Why does she choose to invite Haman? What is the significance of repeating the phrase "Up to half the kingdom" in verses 3 and 6? Verse 9 describes Haman as feeling on top of the world, why? What's gone on in this chapter (and previous ones) so far, to make him feel this way? Who does Haman see, when leaving the palace? And how does it alter his mood? Haman seems to be obsessed with dealing with Mordecai. How could this be effecting him and clouding his vision? A 50 cubit high pole is the suggested answer to the 'Mordecai problem'. How big is that and why a pole that big? What has been the significance of a pole already in this story? [Reflection] Esther faced huge risk in approaching the king. She might have been tempted to walk away (and let someone else deal with it). In...

Due to recent events in our world and following the government guidelines about public gatherings. Our usual Thursday evening Bible study will be available here, digitally each week. Please feel free to share this with anyone else you think might find it helpful and comment on each post to keep this conversational way of studying together going! [Read Esther 4] What character do we meet in this chapter? What are we told in the first 4 verses? Why might Mordecai be acting this way? What can you read into Esther's actions in verse 4? How does Esther reply and what does her reply tell us about how she feels? Potentially, one of the roles of Haman is that he decides who gets an audience with the king. Why might this be problematic? In verse 12, what is Mordecai's response to Esther? Why might he feel the need to say this? What other Old Testament story does Esther's reply remind you of? Esther's plan involves going against tradition, culture and law.....