Esther 9 - The Victory We Should Remember
Intro: What kind of things do we remember with a celebration? Birthdays, Wedding anniversaries, Jubilees, Iderpenace or unification days, etc. What do we do to celebrate? Eat special food, get together with families and friends, re-enactments, special songs, etc. Get them to be specific about the tradiions around each event and ask them to talk about how their families personally celebrate.
Reading: Esther 9
Discussion Questions:
v1-4 Why are people so willing to help the Jews and Mordecai? And why are some people still willing to attack them?
v5-10 Have a look at the two laws made (in 3:13-14 and 8:11-13) What is the difference between them? And what is the difference between what the Jews are allowed to do and what they do?
v11-15 How do you think Xerxes feels about what happened? Why do you think Esther asks for another day of fighting in Susa?
v16-18 What is the author repeatedly emphasising and why?
v19-22 Why is the celebration of their victory set up immediately? What should they do to celebrate and remember?
v23-28 Where does the name Purim come from? Why is it so important that they remember what happened?
v29-32 What position are Esther and Mordecai in, compared to the beginning of the book?
Why do people have anniversaries and days to remember (and sometimes celebrate) what has happened to them? What other celebrations like Purim do you see in the Bible (think both Old and New Testaments)? What victory do Christians celebrate and how? Why don’t Christians celebrate Purim?
“Thank God, for all that he has done for his people.”
Extra Time: Play a memory game. Something like Kim’s game, or pairs.
Kim’s game: Put about 20 items on a tray, a combination of unusual things and more nondescript items. Cover it with a cloth. Give the group 2 minutes to look at all of the items and memorise them, then cover them again and they have 3 minutes to write them all down. They can work as individuals or as a team. You could use a theme for all the items, but it will make them easier to remember.
Pairs: Lay out a pack of cards face down in a rectangle. Take it in turns to turn over two cards one after the other, if the cards match (e.g. two red 3’s or two black kings) you keep them and have another go. If they don’t match you turn them over where they are, and the next player has a go. You’ll need to try and remember which cards have already be turned over.