Esther Reading Plan – W1D1
Check out all the previous Esther readings here.
Esther Reading Plan | Week 1 | Day 1
Prayer
As you come to spend time with Jesus, calm your mind and body until you feel fully present. Open with a prayer asking God to speak to you today through His word.
Bible Reading: Genesis 1:1-2, 26-31
Read these verses three times slowly.
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters…
Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.”
So God created mankind in his own image,
in the image of God he created them;
male and female he created them.
God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.”
Then God said, “I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food. And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds in the sky and all the creatures that move along the ground—everything that has the breath of life in it—I give every green plant for food.” And it was so.
God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the sixth day.
Reflection & Questions
We begin our journey through Esther by starting at the very beginning. In Esther, we will see mankind’s brokenness and human’s attempts to fix it. We see this brokenness in ourselves, in others and even in creation. But it didn’t start this way.
In Genesis 1, God created the whole world. We read of God’s careful attention to detail and his orderliness. We read of His purpose for mankind (“Be fruitful…” and “Rule over…”). And we read that “God saw all that he had made, and it was very good.”
Very good. Everything was as it should be. And that is in the eyes of the Holy God. Creation’s beauty shined. There was nothing displeasing. Man and woman were perfect in their relationship with God and each other. Like a mother looking upon her newborn, God saw all he had made and was delighted. He was over the moon. He beamed. He said, “Very good.”
So what happened? This week we will see what broke, man’s attempt to fix it and God’s solution. This will set the stage for the fascinating story of Esther.
- Do you picture God as someone who smiles and delights? Why or why not?
- Do you believe you were made on purpose for a purpose? Why or why not?
Prayer
Pray in response to today’s reading.
Worship Song
You might use this song today to worship Jesus today:
Prepare to Meet with Jesus
Find a quiet place to read and pray. Make sure there are no devices around that will distract you. Pray and ask God to help you concentrate. Ask Him to help you understand what you read.
Bible Reading: Deuteronomy 28:1-2, 15
Read these verses three times slowly.
Make sure you obey the Lord your God completely. Be careful to obey all his commands. I’m giving them to you today. If you do these things, the Lord will honor you more than all the other nations on earth. If you obey the Lord your God, the blessings will come to you and remain with you.
But suppose you don’t obey the Lord your God. And you aren’t careful to obey all his commands and rules I’m giving you today. Then he will send curses on you. They’ll catch up with you. Here are those curses.
Reflection & Questions
Do you have rules to obey at school? What about at home? There are rules for all kinds of things. Soccer players, baseball players, and basketball players all have to follow the rules of their game. Drivers have to follow the rules of the road. Even the president has to follow the rules that are in the Constitution.
When God first saved His people from Egypt, He gave them rules. We know some of those rules as The Ten Commandments. He made a special agreement with them. It was called a covenant. He promised He would always be their God, but He wanted them to do things His way. Part of the covenant was the passage we read today. God would bless them if they were doing things His way and following His rules. If they decided to do things their own way and NOT follow the rules, there would be horrible consequences (curses).
When Jesus came, he started a New Covenant with God’s people. It was different from the Old Covenant. It was based on Jesus’ grace and mercy toward us. Knowing about the Old Covenant helps us understand the New Covenant better.
- Do you always do everything God’s way?
- Do you think the Israelites always did everything in God’s way?
Pray
Tell Jesus thank you for dying on the cross to save us from our sins. Thank him for always forgiving us. Ask him to help you forgive others.
Check out more Bible Reading Plans here.
Questions?
Ed Applegate