Over 3 million LifeChange studies sold See What God Will Do When You Trust Him Can trusting God change the world? Ruth and Esther, two young women who lived 600 years apart, would both say Yes. Living in dark days, ruled by oppressive regimes, their small but significant faithfulness would play a decisive role in God’s bigger plan. Ruth chose to leave her family, face hardship, and trust God, without knowing what would happen to her. Esther chose to risk her life, confront the king, and trust God, even if it cost her her life. Today, their stories still inspire believers to see what God will do when they trust Him. LifeChange LifeChange Bible studies will help you grow in Christlikeness through a life-changing encounter with God’s Word. Filled with a wealth of ideas for going deeper so you can return to this study again and again. Features Cover the books of Ruth & Esther in 10 lessons - Equip yourself to lead a Bible study - Imagine the Bible’s historical world - Study word origins and definitions - Explore thoughtful questions on key themes - Go deeper with optional projects - Add your notes with extra space and wide margins - Find the flexibility to fit the time you have RUTH & ESTHER. Is God really sovereign? Can individual people make a difference in His world? A young girl named Ruth and a middle-aged man named Boaz answer yes to both questions in the violent days of Israel’s judges-and the couple goes on to play a crucial part in God’s plan. Over 600 years later, a Jew named Mordecai and his cousin Esther save their nation by also saying yes. Today these stories still inspire believers to affect the world by trusting God. LifeChange Series: Christians have a lifelong goal: to become like Christ. This involves change, and change isn’t always easy. But the more you know of God’s purposes for you, the more you can experience His joy and participate in His plan. The LifeChange Series of Bible studies on books of the Bible can help you grow in Christlikeness through a life-changing encounter with God’s Word. You’ll benefit in these important ways: 1) You’ll gain a firm understanding of the book-its historical context, purpose, structure, and meaning; 2) You’ll apply its powerful, relevant wisdom to needs and issues you are currently working through; and 3) You’ll acquire personal study skills and a thirst to return to the book on your own-so you can keep going deeper into its life-transforming truths. Joyce Sackett and her husband, John, have served with The Navigators for over forty years in the Netherlands, the Philippines, and Maryland. A speaker on spiritual growth and discipleship, Joyce is also the author of In God's Garden and Finding God in the Garden, a devotional calendar. Ruth and Esther By The Navigators NavPress Copyright © 2013 The Navigators All rights reserved. ISBN: 978-0-89109-074-8 Contents How to Use This Study, 5, PART I — RUTH, One — The Story of Ruth (Overview), 9, Map of Israel Under the Judges, 9, Timeline for the Book of Ruth, 10, Two — Naomi and Ruth Return (1:1-22), 21, Three — Ruth and Boaz (2:1–3:18), 33, Four — Naomi Filled (4:1-22), 45, Five — The Redeemer (Review of Ruth), 53, PART II — ESTHER, Six — The Story of Esther (Overview), 61, Map of the Persian Empire, 61, Timeline for the Book of Esther, 62, Chronology of the Book of Esther, 63, Seven — Xerxes: King and Husband (1:1–10:3), 75, Eight — Mordecai and Haman (1:1–10:3), 85, Nine — Esther (1:1–10:3), 97, Ten — The Lord of History (Review of Esther), 107, Study Aids, 117, CHAPTER 1 Lesson One OVERVIEW The Story of Ruth Map of Israel Under the Judges "In those days Israel had no king; everyone did as they saw fit." Judges 17:6; 21:25 The story of Ruth shines like a diamond in the dark years before Israel took Saul as its king. On one level, it is a tale of selfless love in a family, but at bottom it tells what God was doing when most of His people were doing whatever they pleased. The judges After Moses died, Joshua led the Israelites into the Promised Land. They were supposed to kill or enslave all the Canaanites, lest those people seduce Israel into their depraved, pagan ways (see Deuteronomy 7:1-6). But the conquest was incomplete when Joshua died, and the Israelites found it more agreeable to settle down among the Canaanites, trade and intermarry with them, and borrow their morals and religious beliefs. God had promised Israel victory over the Canaanites if His people remained faithful to Him, but defeat and enslavement if they shared their loyalties with other gods. The book of Judges shows a repeating cycle of apostasy, oppression by foreign peoples, appeals for help, and deliverance by the ever-faithful Lord. What the Israelites saw at the time, however, was an endless series of skirmishes and raids interspersed with months or years of tense peace. The "judges" who arose were men (and one woman) endowed by God with special skills to lead the tribes. Th