The Brentwood Oaks Church of Christ Women’s Online Bible study of Ruth and Esther will begin on January 18, 2010. Our study will focus on the same material used in the Wednesday morning Ladies’ Class which meets in the building. Unlike our study of I Peter, our online study of Ruth and Esther will be slightly behind the Wednesday morning class. This time around we have three assignments per week instead of five.
The Old Testaments books of Ruth and Esther are the only two books in the Bible named for women and the only books that focus almost entirely on the stories of those women.
Ruth and Esther are relatively short (the books, not the women!) and, at first glance, appear to be rather simple stories. However, their messages are profound and contain meaningful lessons for us today.
Ruth was a Gentile woman who married a Jewish man; and Esther was a Jewish woman who married a Gentile man. Although their situations were very different, both were used by God. Had it not been for Esther, a huge population of Jewish people would have been annihilated (or else God would have chosen other means to rescue them). And had it not been for Ruth, the very lineage of Jesus Christ would have been changed.
Getting Started:
Prior to January 18, we encourage you to read the book of Ruth (only 4 chapters) and focus on the setting of the narrative (notice the first phrase in 1:1). Write down any questions or first impressions you have of the narrative.
Let’s Discuss:
We will be utilizing our discussion board once again during this study to share our ideas and questions. To post a comment, pose a question, or reply to another student’s comments/questions, click the link on the sidebar under the heading, “Let’s Discuss.” This will take you to the Brentwood Women’s Google Groups page where you will see ongoing discussion links posted.
Catching Up:
If you should miss a day and wish to access an earlier assignment look under the sidebar heading “Blog Archive” for a list of all previous posts. Click the title of the assignment you need and it will be opened for you.
Need Help?:
Contact us via email at BrentwoodWomen@gmail.com, Megan.Drennon@gmail.com, or amanda.a.pollard@gmail.com.
