Week 40: Esther, Obadiah, Jonah, and Micah

Prepare these questions for Sunday, January 5, 2014.  We will not meet on December 29 for the Christmas break.

The book of Esther tells the story of a brave Jewish exile who found herself wed to the Persian king, Xerxes. She risked her own life for the lives of her people and, in return, her people celebrated her with a feast called Purim (which is still done today).

1. What exactly did Esther do and how was Mordecai involved?

2. We never know when we might be called upon to do the work of God. how can we use the example of Esther to make sure that we are willing and able if God calls us?

Obadiah is the shortest book in the Old Testament and seems to build on one of the prophesies of Jeremiah. The book specifically speaks against Edom, the descendants of Isaac's son Esau. The people of Edom first turn their backs on their cousins in Judah and gloat when things go wrong. Their sins move toward looting while Judah is down and then even sabotaging the refugees.

3. What is Obadiah's message about Edom to the people of Jerusalem? How can that encourage us today in the face of opposition?

Jonah is most famous for being swallowed by a whale, but that really isn't the main point of this book. Jonah is told by God to go to Nineveh and, instead fled by ship toward a town called Joppa. A storm came that threatened to sink the ship and Jonah realized that God had come after him, so to speak. The sailors threw Jonah overboard, but he was swallowed by a "big fish" and spit out on dry land after a few days. The fish saved Jonah's life and Jonah decided that it was in his best interests to obey God and head for Nineveh.

4. How are you running from something God wants you to do in your life? How might obeying God in this matter wind up being in your best interests in the long run?

Micah spoke to the kingdom of Judah before the fall of Jerusalem to the Babylonians and he prophesied that Jerusalem would fall if it did not repent from it's selfish and corrupt ways. Jerusalem continued to fall further from the will of God and it was, in fact, conquered.

5. Read Chapter 6. God does not want the hollow religious motions of the people, but rather that they would "act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God." (verse 6:8) What would living out this verse in your own life look like on a day to day basis?

Week 39: Ezra and Nehemiah

Prepare these questions for Sunday, January 5, 2014. We will not meet on December 22 or 29 due to Christmas break.

The book of Ezra again refers to the time period when Jerusalem was conquered by Babylon and the people of Israel/Judah were scattered. As we learned in previous books, the Persians conquered the Babylonians and the Persian king allowed the people to return to their homes and rebuild. This book may have been written by the prophet Ezra, but is probably a collection of writings compiled by an editor of some sort. The first half of the book talks about the first groups returning to Jerusalem around 538 B.C. The second focuses on Ezra's time (about 70 or so years later) and the concern over other religious influences due to intermarriage.

1. In Chapter 3 of Ezra, the author describes the beginning of the rebuilding of the altar and temple in Jerusalem. Why would this account be important to the Jewish people at that time? What purposes did the temple serve in their culture?

2. In Chapter 9, Ezra addresses the intermarriage of the Israelites with the people groups that surround them. The conflict is not so much about the marriages themselves, but rather about adopting the religious practices of these other people when the marriages happened. Why would it have been so important to the Israelites to maintain their separate status from the other people around them?

Nehemiah is primarily the story of one man who organizes the returned people of Jerusalem to rebuild the city walls. He faces opposition to the wall and men who are trying to kill him. He deals with trying to aid the poor and running out of money for the wall. His leadership and personal sacrifice to see the job done are impressive and inspiring.

3. Nehemiah used his own money, his own labor, and his own talents to get the wall built for Jerusalem even when it was frustrating and overwhelming. What goals, projects, or activities is God calling you to do right now? How can you use Jeremiah's response to distractions (verse 6:3) to encourage you today?

4. This book references Ezra (they were probably originally one book made up of the personal memoirs of both Ezra and Nehemiah) and his prayer for the people and the people's repentance. However, Nehemiah left to return to the king's court and when he returned to Jerusalem years later he found the people again ignoring what they knew was right and disobeying God's will for them. (Chapter 13) How did Nehemiah deal with what he found in Jerusalem? How can you use Nehemiah's story to help deal with frustrations and disappointments in the work you are trying to do in you own life?