Esther 2 - The Chosen One

Intro: Talk about a few ‘Chosen ones’ in popular culture. Who are your favourites? How were they chosen and who by? What’s their response to being the Chosen One? How would they feel If they were a Chosen one?

Reading: Esther Chapter 2

Discussion Questions:
v1-4 Why does Xerxes need to choose a new queen?
v5-9 How much control does Esther have over what happens to her? How do you think she feels?
v10-11 Why does Esther need to keep her Jewish identity a secret?
v12-18 What are the reasons Xerxes chooses Esther?
v19-20 (10-11) What’s the relationship between Esther and Mordecai like?
v21-23 Why would Mordecai report the assassination to the king?
How do Esther and Mordecai foreshadow Jesus?
Where can we see God at work in this chapter?
How is the way that God chooses people different to the way people choose?

Extra Time: This is a serious one. Read the intro and first point of this article by Meredith Storrs together, (I totally recommend the whole article but the first part is most relevant to this chapter). Talk about how this changes your understanding of the begining of Esther. And how you as a youth group can support women. I probably don’t need to remind you to be sensitive to your group but I will remind you that even if your group is entirely or mostly guys, you both can and need to talk about this.