For Such a Time as This:
Inspiration, Faith, Courage: An Inductive Bible Study on the Book of Esther: A Play in Ten Acts
God is at work behind the scenes of your life!
Just as God placed Esther in the right place for a special purpose, so He has placed you exactly where you are to bless you and make you a blessing. What may appear ordinary or even disheartening in your life today is setting the stage for an extraordinary display of God’s glory.
This ten-week inductive Bible study, written as an unfolding drama in ten acts, will give you a fresh glimpse of our invisible God. He may be hidden, but He’s definitely not hiding. Esther’s faith inspires us to live in our day, as she did in hers, courageously for God’s glory—“for such a time as this.”
Using the approach of inductive Bible study—observation (what does the text say?), interpretation (what does it mean?), and application (what does it mean for my life?)—we’re going to learn for ourselves how to observe, interpret, and apply God’s Word to our lives. The format for this study is unique. It is purposeful, methodical, and designed for maximum learning and retention in that it places significant emphasis on both studying the Bible inductively and memorizing Scripture.
For Such a Time as This is written in the form of a play. It is meant to be an experience—one in which you can walk through the story of Esther, scene by scene, as an unfolding drama. The ten acts of this play are intended to be studied over ten weeks. Each act has two scenes (to study the Scriptures) and an intermission (to reflect on what we have learned and apply it to our own lives). This equals three days of study per week. This study has been purposefully created to have a light schedule, giving you the freedom to work each week at your own pace. (For those who want to dig deeper pondering the plot, see appendix A for two additional days of study per week).
For Such a Time as This is designed to be used with the New King James Version (NKJV) of the Bible. The Scripture portions from the book of Esther that we will study each day are included in each scene throughout the book.
Daily scenes will be directed in the following order:
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- FOLLOW THE SCRIPT | READ IT
- WATCH CLOSELY | SEE IT
- UNDERSTAND THE STORYLINE | COMPREHEND IT
- PONDER THE PLOT | THINK IT THROUGH
- PLAY YOUR PART | LIVE IT OUT
- MEMORIZE YOUR LINE | REMEMBER IT
Intermissions, to help you to think back over the two scenes you have just studied, will be directed in this order:
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- PRAYERFULLY CONSIDER | PONDER IT
- REVIEW YOUR LINES | MASTER IT
- PONDERING GOD’S PROVIDENCE | TAKE IT TO HEART
Over the next ten weeks, the book of Esther will reveal truth to us that transcends time and speaks directly to the issues we face today. Its message will enlarge our estimation of God and keep us in awe of His providence. As you study this book, I pray that you will take God at His Word, yield to the conviction of the Holy Spirit, and respond to the Lord’s great love with obedience and gratitude. May you be blessed beyond measure as you get into God’s Word and His Word gets into you—for such a time as this.
REVIEWS
N. Mainer
Desda
Jimmy Mo