Ruth & Esther

Lifechange

by The Navigators (Creator)

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

128 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 1987

Reviews

[Keith · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Ruth and Esther edition of LifeChange Bible studies by NavPress is just a excellent as the others in the series. This one included an extremely helpful Study Skill entitled "Interpreting and Applying Old Testament Narratives." These tips should be required reading for any Christian adults doing Bible study. Additionally I appreciated the historical notes and the thought provoking questions for discussion. I particularly liked how the lessons put focus on one character at a time and examined what could be learned from that person's actions. Sometimes the actions in a narrative are admirable, sometimes an example of what to avoid. This guide helped my group observe and discuss these things in depth and helped us apply these lessons to our lives. As I frequently say, Bible study without application to your current, real life is a waste of time!

[Olatomi Afilaka · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a great study

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love the pairing of these two books of the Bible--the only ones in 66 books that bear a woman's name. The stories of Ruth and Esther both demonstrate the movement of God in the individual and corporate sense, and both deal with the interaction between Israel and the surrounding "pagan" cultures. I think it's really interesting that Ruth and Esther go in opposite directions--Ruth, the foreign Moabitess, marries a good Jewish man Boaz, and Esther, the good Jewish girl, marries King Xerxes of the Persian Empire. So in one, the foriegner becomes part of Israel and in the other, the Jewish woman becomes God's instrument in the broader world. In both stories, God works redemptively through the circumstances of these women's lives--in Ruth's story to save both herself and Naomi her mother-in-law, and in Esther's to save the Jewish people from destruction. I find it encouraging that God moves through the circumstances or "coincidences" of the lives of these women--which is just as miraculous and beautiful as the parting of the Red Sea. Both women have great courage and loyalty to those they love. My favorite verses--"Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God." (Ruth 1: 16) and "And who knows but that you have come to royal position for such a time as this?" (Esther 4:14)

[Wade · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a solid Bible Study series, and this is a good and helpful study on Ruth and Esther.