Question for Group Discussion based on Mark Scott’s Bible lesson for July 21, 2024
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1. Have you ever seen someone who treated you badly get their comeuppance? Describe what happened.
Ask two people to read aloud Esther 7:1—8:8, one after the other, preferably from different Bible versions. Then ask a third person to briefly summarize the passages.
2. Our lesson text describes the second banquet Queen Esther prepared for the king and Haman. The first banquet is described in Esther 5:1-8. Immediately after that first gathering, Haman was “happy and in high spirits” (v. 9).
• Review what occurred after that first banquet and before the second banquet (Esther 5:9—6:14).
• Have you ever known a person like Haman, who allowed one negative in their life to override and ruin all the positives? (See Esther 5:10-13).
3. Why do you think Esther didn’t present her petition and request to her husband, King Xerxes, during the first banquet?
• After Esther made her petition and request to the king, why do you think Xerxes left the second banquet to go out into the palace garden?
4. Many of the developments in Esther 5–8 occurred almost in sitcom fashion.
• Discuss some of the ironic and/or humorous elements to this story.
5. In the end, what reasons did King Xerxes have for executing Haman?
6. King Xerxes decided a new decree must be written “in the king’s name in behalf of the Jews” (Esther 8:8). How did that new decree ultimately save the Jewish people?
7. In his Application column this week, David Faust noted that King Xerxes ultimately helped the Jews. But Faust observed: “Aren’t you glad we have another throne and a far better King we can ask for help? Through his Son’s death and resurrection, it’s as if the Father has extended to us ‘the golden scepter,’ allowing us to ‘approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need’ (Hebrews 4:16).”
• Based on our study and discussion, how is God reaching out to you, and how will you reach back to God this week?
For Next Week: Read and reflect on Esther 9:18-32; 10:1-3. You can also read next week’s supplemental texts and the Study and Application sections as part of your personal study.
Author: Christian Standard
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