The books of Ruth and Esther recount two of the most memorable stories in all of Scripture: Ruth, a displaced widow in search of a new home and loving husband, and Esther, a courageous queen intent on saving her people from imminent destruction.

Plumbing the theological depths, this guide explains the biblical text with clarity and passion—leading us on a journey to discover the God who hears the cries of his people and remains faithful to his promises.

Over the course of 12 weeks, each study in this series explores a book of the Bible and:

- Asks thoughtful questions to spur discussion
- Shows how each passage unveils the gospel
- Ties the text in with the whole story of Scripture
- Illuminates the doctrines taught in each passage
- Invites you to discover practical implications
- Helps you better understand and apply God's Word

Exploring two of the most memorable stories in the Bible, this 12-week study highlights the love and faithfulness of God displayed in the books of Ruth and Esther. Part of the Knowing the Bible series.

Kathleen Nielson

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Series Preface: J. I. Packer and Lane T. Dennis

Week 1: Overview of Ruth

Week 2: Returning to Bethlehem (Ruth 1)

Week 3: A Meeting in the Barley Field (Ruth 2)

Week 4: A Proposal on the Threshing Floor (Ruth 3)

Week 5: Redemption at the Gate (Ruth 4)

Week 6: Overview of Esther

Week 7: The Pieces in Place (Esther 1–2)

Week 8: The Crisis and the Response (Esther 3–4)

Week 9: The Story Takes a Turn (Esther 5–6)

Week 10: Falling and Rising: Switched and Speeding to the End (Esther 7–8)

Week 11: Reversal: Consummated, Celebrated, and Concluded (Esther 9–10)

Week 12: Summary and Conclusion

The books of Ruth and Esther recount two of the most memorable stories in all of Scripture: Ruth, a displaced widow in search of a new home and loving husband, and Esther, a courageous queen intent on saving her people from imminent destruction.

Plumbing the theological depths, this guide explains the biblical text with clarity and passion—leading us on a journey to discover the God who hears the cries of his people and remains faithful to his promises.

Over the course of 12 weeks, each study in this series explores a book of the Bible and:

- Asks thoughtful questions to spur discussion
- Shows how each passage unveils the gospel
- Ties the text in with the whole story of Scripture
- Illuminates the doctrines taught in each passage
- Invites you to discover practical implications
- Helps you better understand and apply God’s Word

\["A study for readers seeking deep biblical insights.","Guides understanding of Ruth and Esther.","Deepens faith, enriches understanding."\]

Week 1: Overview of Ruth

Week 2: Returning to Bethlehem (Ruth 1)

Week 3: A Meeting in the Barley Field (Ruth 2)

Week 4: A Proposal on the Threshing Floor (Ruth 3)

Week 5: Redemption at the Gate (Ruth 4)

Week 6: Overview of Esther

Week 7: The Pieces in Place (Esther 1–2)

Week 8: The Crisis and the Response (Esther 3–4)

Week 9: The Story Takes a Turn (Esther 5–6)

Week 10: Falling and Rising: Switched and Speeding to the End (Esther 7–8)

Week 11: Reversal: Consummated, Celebrated, and Concluded (Esther 9–10)

Week 12: Summary and Conclusion

“This Knowing the Bible series is a tremendous resource for those wanting to study and teach the Bible with an understanding of how the gospel is woven throughout Scripture. Here are Gospel-minded pastors and scholars doing Gospel business from all the scriptures—this is a biblical and theological feast preparing God’s people to apply the entire Bible to all of life with heart and mind wholly committed to Christ’s priorities.”

Bryan Chapell, Stated Clerk, Presbyterian Church in America

“Mark Twain may have smiled when he wrote to a friend, “I didn’t have time to write you a short letter, so I wrote you a long letter.” But the truth of Twain’s remark remains serious and universal, because well-reasoned, compact writing requires extra time and extra hard work. And this is what we have in the Crossway Bible study series Knowing the Bible—as the skilled authors and notable editors provide the contours of each book of the Bible as well as the grand theological themes that bind them together as one Book. Here, in a 12-week format, are carefully wrought studies that will ignite the mind and the heart.”

R. Kent Hughes, Senior Pastor Emeritus, College Church, Wheaton, Illinois

“Knowing the Bible brings together a gifted team of Bible teachers to produce a high quality series of study guides. The coordinated focus of these materials is unique: biblical content, provocative questions, systematic theology, practical application, and the gospel story of God’s grace presented all the way through Scripture.”

Philip Graham Ryken, President, Wheaton College

“These Knowing the Bible volumes introduce a significant and very welcome variation on the general run of inductive Bible studies. Such series often provide questions with little guidance, leaving students to their own devices. They thus tend to overlook the role of teaching in the church. By contrast, Knowing the Bible avoids the problem by providing substantial instruction with the questions. Knowing the Bible then goes even further by showing how any given passage connects with the gospel, the whole Bible, and Christian theology. I heartily endorse this orientation of individual books to the whole Bible and the gospel, and I applaud the demonstration that sound theology was not something invented later by Christians, but is right there in the pages of Scripture.”

Graeme Goldsworthy, Former Lecturer in Old Testament, Biblical Theology, and Hermeneutics, Moore Theological College

“What a gift to earnest, Bible-loving, Bible-searching believers! The organization and structure of the Bible study format presented through the Knowing the Bible series is so well conceived. Students of the Word are led to understand the content of passages through perceptive, guided questions, and they are given rich insights and application all along the way in the brief but illuminating sections that conclude each study. What potential growth in depth and breadth of understanding these studies offer. One can only pray that vast numbers of believers will discover more of God and the beauty of his Word through these rich studies.”

Bruce A. Ware, T. Rupert and Lucille Coleman Professor of Christian Theology, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary

Explore Ruth and Esther, find God's promises, and deepen your faith in this insightful guide.

Ruth and Esther

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Ruth and Esther

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