Old Testament HistoricalsEstherWhat has happened from Ruth to Esther?

The establishment of ____________

Because of this, God allowed _______________ to come in and conquer Jerusalem

King Nebuchadnezzar II of Babylon conquers the kingdom of Judah in 598/7 and again in 587/6 BCE.

The exile formally ended in 538 BCE, when the Persian conqueror of Babylonia, _________ the Great, gave the Jews permission to return to Palestine.

Many scholars cite _______ BCE as the date of the first deportation, for in that year King Jehoiachin was deposed and apparently sent into exile with his family, his court, and thousands of workers.

Nebuchadnezzar took many of the finest and brightest young men from each city in Judah captive, including Daniel, Hananiah (Shadrach), Mishael (Meshach) and Azariah (Abednego).

2 Kings 24:8-12Ezekiel 1:1-2

At that time Nebuchadnezzar appointed King _________________to rule as his representative over Judah, but after nine years and still not having learned their lesson, Zedekiah led Judah in rebellion against Babylon one final time.

At this time Jerusalem was laid to waste, the temple destroyed and all the houses burned. The majority of the Jewish people were taken captive, but, again, Nebuchadnezzar left a remnant of ________ people to serve as farmers and vinedressers (2 Kings 25:12).

And Daniel confirms that the captivity would be 70 years:

Daniel 9:1-2

Jeremiah 25:8-12

As prophesied in Scripture, the Jewish people would be allowed to return to Jerusalem after 70 years of exile. That prophecy was fulfilled in 538-7 B.C., and the Jews were allowed by King ________ of Persia to return to Israel and begin rebuilding the city and temple.

The return under the direction of ______ led to a revival among the Jewish people and the rebuilding of the temple.

Esther is found in the middle of this craziness. Esther is the story of the Jews who did not return to Jerusalem

Historian Josephus, states that Esther was written by Mordecai

The book accurately depicts Xerxes empire from India to Ethiopia The banquet in Xerxes third year (1:3)planning the invasion of Greece The four year gap between 1;3 (banquet) and 2:16 is the time Xerxes

was off fighting the Greeks The author’s knowledge of Susa, built by Xerxes’ father, Darius

Character’s in the story:

Mordecai King Xerxes Vashti Esther Haman

_____________, the queen is disposed of.. The process of selecting a new queen is underway

Esther 2:12-14

Haman – an Agagite Descendant from King ______

Chapter 3:13-16

Esther hosts a banquet Invites Haman and the King

Haman is forced to ____________ Mordecai

Chapter 7:1-6

Chapter 9:6, 13, 16

The Festival of Purim, which is the only Jewish festival not mentioned in the Pentateuch

It was ordered by Mordecai to celebrate the events by which the Jews were able to reverse the death edict.

Comes from the Hebrew word pur, meaning “lot” because Haman had cast “lots” to determine the best month for his edict of destruction to be enacted.

Assignments:Read 1 Samuel: Answer the following questions:

1. What thoughts do you have about Eli and his attitude Towards Hannah’s plea in Chapter 1? ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

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2. Compare and contrast Samuel and Jesus in Chapter 2:26, and in Luke 2:52:

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3. Note the sins of Eli, the Priest in 1 Samuel 2:12-36, and the word of the Lord to him in 1 Samuel 2:32-36: _________________________________________________________

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4. Why, in your opinion, were the Philistines able to capture the ark of the presence of God in 1 Samuel 4? _______________________________________________________

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5. Eli was fat and blind. What symbolisms do you think are being conveyed in relation to his sin? _______________________________________________________________

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6. Eli’s daugher-in-law, Phineas’ wife went into labor, named the child, Ichabod, meaning “___________________________________________”

7. What happens to Dagon when the presence of God is placed there? ___________

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8. In 1 Samuel 8:3, what lesson do we learn from Samuel about ministry? ________

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________9. What significant features does Saul have in chapter 9?

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10. What was Samuel's reply to Saul's feeble excuse in 1 Samuel 15:22? __________

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11. David has seven older brothers, making him the eighth son. Eight in scripture represents _________________________

12. In Chapter 16, verses 17-18, who tells the king about David? ________________How do you think he knew about David?

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13. Why did Jonathan and David exchange clothing at their meeting? ____________

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14. What did David do to escape from the King of Gath? _______________________

15. What happens to King Saul when he goes into the cave in Engedi? ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

16. Describe Saul’s apparent death? _________________________________________

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