Overview and Objectives
Lesson Overview
This session shows God at work. In Lamentations He works as judge and disciplinarian. In Esther, He works as guardian and vindicator. Though Lamentations is a lament over Jerusalem’s destruction and her citizens’ exile, and Esther is a story of God’s deliverance from destruction in that exile, both center on God’s intimate involvement in preserving a holy people because of His covenant promises to them.
Lesson Objectives
When you complete this lesson, you should be able to:
- Describe how a godly person responds to pressure and tragedy.
- Explain why some of God’s people chose to stay in exile rather than return to freedom.
- Increase your confidence in God’s ability to use pain and pressure to perfect His people.
Personal Reflection
As you proceed through this lesson have the following question in mind.
How would you respond to someone who says that the “lamenting” found in the book of Lamentations is not an appropriate spiritual expression for Christians? Or the book of Esther shouldn’t be included in the Bible since it never mentions the name of God?