In the last chapter of Deuteronomy, God takes Moses
up to Mt Nebo, where the Lord showed him all the land that was promised to the
Hebrew people. There Moses died, at an age of 120. According to the Deut.
34:7, Moses was still in excellent
shape; his eyesight perfect, and he was still “vigorious” (the Hebrew word
“le-ach” means moisture or freshness), that is, able to have sexual relations.
Now a new leader, the faithful Joshua, would take
the people into the Land. Joshua had been prepared for this role for a
generation as Moses’ lieutenant. Remember he along with Caleb were two of the
12 spies who urged the Hebrews to enter and take the land (Numbers 14:6). Now
Joshua would be in charge of the invasion. He knew that the enemy was strong,
but that God had a plan, and strict obedience to God’s directives would be the
key to victory.
Thus begins our second major section of the Bible-
the Historical Books. These are 12 books that tell the story of the nation of
Israel from the time of the invasion, through approximately the next 1000 years
(1400 BC to 400 BC). As we study these books, we must ask ourselves two
questions:
1) Why
are these books in the Bible? and
2) How
are we to understand these books?
The
writers of the New Testament often refer to occurrences recorded in the Old
Testament. They actually assume that you know the events of the Hebrew
Scriptures (John 3:14-“And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness…)
Where a modern approach may deem these 12 books as part of an “Old” Testament,
we know that Paul told his disciples Timothy that
“All Scripture (The Old Testament) is
inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction,
for training
in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every
good work.” 2
Timothy 3:16
The Bible
is a library of 66 books. As in any library, there are different types of
literature, each of which demands a slightly different manner of understanding.
Compare the lyrics of a song to those legal notices you read in the newspaper.
One we take with a lot of symbolism, and the other we read each word for it’s
“official” meaning. In the Bible we find Poetry, Wisdom writings, Legal Code,
Prophecy, Lamentation, Letters to friends and groups, and Biography. We just
finished our section on Legal Code, and learned how to see the character of God
through His Law, as well as His standard of morality, His definition of sin,
and things which pointed us to the person of Jesus Christ. We discovered that
there are principles behind the Legal Code that have deep meaning and
application for our lives today.
Now we
come to the Historical books, which fall into the category of Biographical
literature. The writers of these historical books wrote with a purpose. They had a message for their audience, and
selected their information to make their points. They wrote under the influence
of the Holy Spirit for our benefit. Our challenge is to discern what these
points are, and what message the Holy Spirit has for us today.
These
stories all have a factual, historical background. Archeology has verified the account of the
Hebrew Scriptures in regard to lifestyles depicted, forms of government,
climates, and geography, along with
specific names and dates that match the Biblical account. Most archeologists
would agree with Dr. William Albright, one of the foremost experts in Middle
Eastern archeology, who often said that nothing has been discovered that has
contradicted the Biblical account. In fact, many modern archeologists use the
Bible as a reference in their research.
Now that is not to say that there are not problems to be worked out, but
as more has been discovered, even more credibility has been given, by even
secular archeologists, to the Biblical account.
So what is
here for us? In regard to these books of the history of the Hebrew people, Paul
declares in his letter to the Corinthians that
These things happened as a warning
to us, so that we would not crave evil things as they did, or
worship idols as some of them did. 1
Cor 10:6-7
The
biographical sketches of the lives of men and women from Joshua and Ruth to
Nehemiah and Esther, provide many principles of God in practical application.
Again, it is the principles that we are after, not just a good bedtime story.
The writers tell us the stories for a reason. They want us to know that
following God is a walk of faith, and what happens when we walk in obedience,
and what happens when we don’t. They use real life examples to make their
points. It’s like the “reality
television” of their time. You see the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly. You see
what works, and what doesn’t. And you get to decide how you will react to
similar situations. As Paul said, these accounts are for our benefit, so that
we will not make the same mistakes, and will live our lives in obedience and
God’s blessings.
There are
a few guidelines to remember as we read these accounts. The first one is that
“God
will always speak to us in a manner in which we can understand.”
We see
this in the split animals of the covenant that God makes with Abraham recorded
in Genesis 15. In Abraham’s time, business deals were made through not notary
publics, or mortgage companies, but through a ceremony of two men making a
“covenant” by walking through a split carcass of a dead animal and saying to
each other “If I don’t uphold my end of
the deal, my I become as this dead animal.” When God did this for Abraham,
he understood what God was saying. The fact that God passed through the split
animals alone (Gen.15:10-17) let Abraham know that even if he failed to do his
part, God was going to do His. We also see this “speaking in a manner which could be understood” in the design of
the Tabernacle, and the Offerings. The people got the message, even though it
often doesn’t come through if we look at it through our own cultural eyes.
In the Bible we will find “Facts”, “Truths”,
as well as “Myths”. A fact is a
record of something that happened, like Matthew 4:1 recording that “Jesus was led by the Spirit into the
wilderness”. A truth is a principle worth remembering. John records Jesus
saying: “I am the light of the world”
(John 8:12). Jesus does indeed illuminate true meaning to this life. “Myth” is
when the Biblical records accurately something that is not true.
In Genesis 3:4, Satan says to
Eve “You surely shall not die!” This is not a true statement. Satan was lying to Eve, and the Bible
accurately records that lie. You must remember that the writer is saying”
This is not true but this is what was said.”
There are many people who say “If it’s in the
Bible, then I believe it!” This brings us to our second guideline:
There is a difference
between Narrative Scripture and Instructional Scripture.
Now these things,
brethren, I have figuratively applied to myself and Apollos for your sakes, so
that in us you may learn not to exceed what is written, so that no one of you
will become arrogant in behalf of one against the other.
1 Corinthians 4:6 NASB
Sometimes we place more meaning
into a passage of Scripture than the writers intended. Paul cautioned the Corinthian church not to
do that.
There is a major difference in
the Bible between a narrative of what happened or what was said, and instructions
for the believer. As we read through the text we have to ask ourselves “Is
this an instruction? Or is it a report of what was said, or something that was
done that had nothing to do with God, His ways, or His plan for His people?”
Here
is an example of Narrative Scripture:
Late
one afternoon David got out of bed after taking a nap and went for a stroll on
the roof of the palace. As he looked out over the city, he noticed a woman of
unusual beauty taking a bath. He sent someone to find out who she was, and he
was told, “She is Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam and the wife of Uriah the
Hittite.” Then David sent for her; and when she came to the palace, he slept
with her. 2 Samuel 11:2
This is obviously a narration of
something David did that was not a good thing for him, or his country. Can you
imagine if we tried to use this passage as a Biblical Instruction with our
wives? “Honey, adultery is in the Bible. . . .David, one of our heroes did
it. . .”
Instructional Scripture is
different:
Don’t
be drunk with wine, because that will ruin your life. Instead, let the Holy
Spirit fill and control you. Ephesians
5:18
This is a clear instruction of
how to handle alcohol beverage.
As you read through these
Historical Books, you will see men and women doing immoral things, worshipping
idols, killing each other, and many other ungodly things. This is just a
narration of what these people did, often directly contrary to God’s commands
and instructions. Remember, these stories are here for our examples. We are not
commanded to imitate all the behavior that we see in the Bible! Often they are
recorded so that we will avoid that conduct.
The book of Joshua is the
history of the conquest of the Land promised to Abraham in Genesis 15, to Isaac
(Gen. 26:4), and to Jacob (Gen 28:13). In this sense it is the continuation of
the story. Joshua mandate from God was very clear:
After the death of Moses the Lord’s servant, the Lord spoke to Joshua son of Nun, Moses’
assistant. He said, 2 “Moses my servant is dead. Therefore, the
time has come for you to lead these people, the Israelites, across the Jordan
River into the land I am giving them. 3 I promise you what I
promised Moses: ‘Wherever you set foot, you will be on land I have given you— 4 from
the Negev wilderness in the south to the Lebanon mountains in the north, from
the Euphrates River in the east to the Mediterranean Sea in the
west, including all the land of the Hittites.’ 5 No one will be
able to stand against you as long as you live. For I will be with you as I was
with Moses. I will not fail you or abandon you.
6 “Be strong and courageous, for you are the one who will lead
these people to possess all the land I swore to their ancestors I would give
them. 7 Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all
the instructions Moses gave you. Do not deviate from them, turning either to
the right or to the left. Then you will be successful in everything you do. 8 Study
this Book of Instruction continually. Meditate on it day and night so you will
be sure to obey everything written in it. Only then will you prosper and
succeed in all you do. 9 This is my command—be strong and
courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” Joshua
1:1-9
Joshua’s promise from God was:
1)
“My arrangement with Moses is the
same with you”;
2)
“This is the boundary of the Land I
am giving you”;
3)
“No one will be able to stand
against you, because I will be with you”;
4)
“Do exactly what I say, and you will
have success”;
5)
“Be courageous- don’t let you
natural fears keep you from following My strategy”.
From a base camp in Gilgal, Joshua
began the conquest with a bizarre, but successful strategy against the
fortified city of Jericho (2:1-6:27). God showed all that He was with them and
as long as they did what He said, even if it appeared ridiculous in the world’s
eyes, they would have success. But in Chapter 7, we have the first recorded
disobedience, in the form of a man named Achan, who had stolen some of the
things from Jericho. This led to a defeat at the first battle of Ai, and small
town uphill from Jericho. The lesson was clear for Joshua and the people: As
long as they followed God’s instructions to the letter, they would have
success.
Chapter 9 records the deception of
the Gibeonites, a local group who masqueraded themselves as a people from far
away. The key verse is:
So the Israelites examined their food, but they did not
consult the Lord. 15 Then
Joshua made a peace treaty with them and guaranteed their safety, and the
leaders of the community ratified their agreement with a binding oath.
16 Three days
after making the treaty, they learned that these people actually lived
nearby.
Joshua
9:14-16
Once again, God showed when the
Israelites did things on their own, there were some severe consequences. What
lessons are there in this account for us?
Joshua next led a campaign to
conquer much of the south of the country (chapter 10), and most of the north
(chapter 11). Yet much of the Land was still inhabited by the Canaanites.
Chapters 12-21 define the boundaries of each tribe’s land, and the cities of
refuge.
Joshua’s final words to the nation
reflect his “hard-learned” personal strategy for success.
5 This land
will be yours, for the Lord your
God will himself drive out all the people living there now. You will take
possession of their land, just as the Lord
your God promised you.
6 “So be very careful to follow everything Moses wrote in the
Book of Instruction. Do not deviate from it, turning either to the right or to
the left. 7 Make sure you do not associate with the other
people still remaining in the land. Do not even mention the names of their
gods, much less swear by them or serve them or worship them. 8 Rather,
cling tightly to the Lord your God
as you have done until now. Joshua 23:5-8
A study of Joshua shows us many
principles that are important in our lives today:
1)
Obedience to God brings His power
into any situation;
2)
Obedience to God guarantees that His
plans will be successful;
3)
Obedience to God affects individual
as well as national destinies.
4)
The foremost priority of the People
of God is to align themselves with Him and His Word.
Joshua is a study of the blessing of obedience, and the
consequences of disobedience. His message was echoed in the Upper Room when
Jesus told his disciples:
“If you
love me, obey my commandments.”
John 14:15
Obedience has always been the measuring
cup of our relationship with God.
Did the lesson take? As we turn to
the book of Judges, we see how quickly the people forgot this important lesson.
In verse 19 of the first chapter, already the tribes are failing to drive out
the Canaanites, and accepting incomplete victory. Somehow, the power of God is
not compete within their midst. It is a result of incomplete obedience on the
part of God’s people. In chapter 2, a messenger comes from the Lord;
The
angel of the Lord went up from
Gilgal to Bokim and said to the Israelites, “I brought you out of Egypt into
this land that I swore to give your ancestors, and I said I would never break
my covenant with you. 2 For your part, you were not to make any
covenants with the people living in this land; instead, you were to destroy
their altars. But you disobeyed my command. Why did you do this? 3 So
now I declare that I will no longer drive out the people living in your land.
They will be thorns in your sides, and their gods will be a constant temptation
to you.”
4 When the angel of the Lord
finished speaking to all the Israelites, the people wept loudly. Judges
2:1-4
Principle: Disobedience removes God’s blessing. It got worse as
Joshua and each of the leaders from his generation died.
After that
generation died, another generation grew up who did not acknowledge the Lord or remember the mighty things he had
done for Israel. The Israelites did evil in the Lord’s sight and served the images of
Baal. Judges
2:10-11
That First Generation had the
promises of God; they witnessed His power in exciting personal ways. They
learned that when they were disobedient, that repentance allowed them to get
back on track with God. But it is not enough just to receive those great
promises, to see great demonstrations of God’s Power.
The message for us is that there
must be the willingness to obey God’s Word, and pass truth along to those who
follow us!
In Joshua’s case, the Second
Generation dropped the baton. We have seen it happen in the relay races in the
Olympics. The winning team suddenly mishandles a pass off, and gets
disqualified from receiving the Gold!
It was evident that the Second
Generation did not have a personal relationship with God, nor see the power of
God in their lives. They cared little for the things of God, and did not care
about God’s standards for their lives. As a result, they lost the prize that
was handed to them by their parents.
For
us the lesson is clear: It is not enough to have parents that
know God or to be among believers that have experienced God’s
power. We must know God personally and follow Him obediently, or
we stand to lose every good thing!
Why
did they lose everything? It is the attitude that was recorded in Judges 17:6
“In those days Israel had no king;
all the people did whatever seemed right in their own eyes”
When
we do what seems right to us, and fail to follow God, disaster results. For the
Israelites, what happened was that their disobedience led to them being
dominated by surrounding kings who oppressed them. After years of suffering,
they cried out to the Lord, who graciously responded. He selected a leader (a
“judge”) who rose up an army to drive out the oppressors. Then a period of
peace resulted, until the next generation forgot the lesson, and turned their
backs on God again.
There
are seven cycles of this “Sin-Suffering-Supplication-Salvation-Security”.
During these cycles, we see God using individuals like Othniel, Ehud, Debroah,
Barak, and others to defeat the enemies of Israel, and restore peace and
prosperity to the nation. Gideon was an unlikely candidate for such heroism.
When the angel of the Lord showed up to announce to Gideon God’s plan for using
Gideon to deliver Israel from the Midianites, Gideon demonstrated a remarkable
lack of faith to an obvious visitation from the Lord. He demanded that God
re-affirm His promise not only once, but twice, through the famous “fleece
test”.
Are we to lay out fleeces when God commands us
to do something? This seems to be a common practice in our present Christian
culture.
Just because Gideon put his
fleece out doesn’t mean we are to teach our churches that we must all go out
and buy fleeces, put them out, and this is how we make decisions. That is a report, a narrative of what Gideon did.
The “Fleece Test” is the response of a man not believing a message from God
given through an angel.
The instruction consistently given
throughout the Bible is to study the Scriptures, to know the Word, to hear
God’s Voice, and then to walk with God through His Word, not through fleeces.
Another of the judges was Sampson, who was anointed
even before his birth to deliver Israel from the domination of the Philistines:
In
those days a man named Manoah from the tribe of Dan lived in the town of Zorah.
His wife was unable to become pregnant, and they had no children. 3 The
angel of the Lord appeared to
Manoah’s wife and said, “Even though you have been unable to have children, you
will soon become pregnant and give birth to a son. 4 So be
careful; you must not drink wine or any other alcoholic drink nor eat any
forbidden food. 5 You
will become pregnant and give birth to a son, and his hair must never be cut.
For he will be dedicated to God as a Nazirite from birth. He will begin to
rescue Israel from the Philistines.” Judges
13:2-5
Sampson is born to Manoah and his
wife, and set apart from birth with a special diet. He is to be prepared for
this great work. Yet Sampson shows himself to be self-indulgent at an early
age. He follows his lusts, often doing things in direct contradiction to God’s
commands. Nevertheless, God empowers Sampson, who attacks and kills 1000
Philistines with the jawbone of a recently killed donkey. He performs other
amazing feats of strength as well.
Next, he falls for a Philistine
woman named Deliah, who conspires to turn him over to her leaders. After much
whining and coercion, Deliah finally convinces Sampson to reveal the source of
his strength.
17 Finally,
Samson shared his secret with her. “My hair has never been cut,” he confessed,
“for I was dedicated to God as a Nazirite from birth. If my head were shaved,
my strength would leave me, and I would become as weak as anyone else.” Judges
16:17
She lured Sampson to sleep, and had
his hair cut from his head. He is powerless to resist the capture by the
Philistines, who chain him, and gouge out his eyes. He is forced to turn the
millstone in the prison to grind grain. Eventually his hair grows back, and his
power returns. In one final display of God’s power, he pushed apart the pillars
of the temple of Dagon, causing the roof to collapse, killing more Philistines
at the end of his life than he had in his entire lifetime.
What is the lesson of Sampson for
us?
First,
God’s plan for our lives is specific. Paul echoes this principle in Ephesians
2:10.
“For we are God’s masterpiece. He
has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned
for us long ago.
Despite his calling, Sampson showed
us how it’s not enough to be called by God, we have to be willing to follow His
will rather than our own. Paul repeated a similar message to his young disciple
Timothy:
If you
keep yourself pure, you will be a special utensil for honorable use. Your life
will be clean, and you will be ready for the Master to use you for every good
work.
22 Run from anything that stimulates youthful lusts. Instead,
pursue righteous living, faithfulness, love, and peace. 2
Timothy 2:21-22
The
Book of Judges graphically show us what happens when we ignore God and His
commands, and do what we think is best. The cycle of sin-servitude-supplication
is broken only when someone decides to obey God, and salvation from oppression
results. Sadly, our human nature is forgetful, and the cycle is repeated again
and again. It is the true man and woman
of God who takes to heart the message of Judges, and makes the decision to
remain vigilant and focused on God and His words.
Judges
ends with an epitaph of the of the book’s main theme:
In those days Israel had no king; all the people did
whatever seemed right in their own eyes.
Judges
21:25
The depravity of the people during
this time is illustrated in the story of Naomi, who is taken by her husband Elimelech to live in Moab, where their sons marry “foreign” women, a
practice forbidden under God’s law.. Elimelech and the sons die. Naomi is
desperate and discouraged. She has lost all that is important to a woman her
age. The only thing remaining are daughters-in-law who happen to be Moabitesses.
Naomi returns to Israel, to her home town of Bethlehem, trying to discourage
her daughters-in-law from following her:
No, my daughters;
for it is harder for me than for you, for the hand of the Lord has gone forth against me.” Ruth 1:13
NASB
Is
this statement true? Has indeed the Lord
turned his hand against Naomi?
What
unfolds in the next three chapters is actually quite the opposite. It is one of
the most heart-warming stories in the entire Bible. God shows that He has actually prepared a
great blessing for Naomi and her daughter-in-law Ruth, through the provision of
a distant family member named Boaz, who notices Ruth “gleaning” in his
fields.
Leviticus
19:9-10 established this provision for the needy when God commanded:
‘Now when you reap
the harvest of your land, you shall not reap to the very corners of your field,
nor shall you gather the gleanings of your harvest. ‘Nor shall you glean your
vineyard, nor shall you gather the fallen fruit of your vineyard; you shall
leave them for the needy and for the stranger. I am the Lord your God.”
God’s heart has always been to care for those in need. Boaz was obedient to
this command, and as a result, a huge blessing followed.
Principle: Obedience
proceeds God’s Blessing
Boaz proves himself to be an honorable man who looks out for this widow
from Moab.
8 Boaz went over and said to Ruth, “Listen, my daughter. Stay
right here with us when you gather grain; don’t go to any other fields. Stay
right behind the young women working in my field. 9 See which
part of the field they are harvesting, and then follow them. I have warned the
young men not to treat you roughly. And when you are thirsty, help yourself to
the water they have drawn from the well.”
10 Ruth fell at his feet and thanked him warmly. “What have I
done to deserve such kindness?” she asked. “I am only a foreigner.”
11 “Yes, I know,” Boaz replied. “But I also know about
everything you have done for your mother-in-law since the death of your
husband. I have heard how you left your father and mother and your own land to
live here among complete strangers. 12 May the Lord, the God of Israel, under whose
wings you have come to take refuge, reward you fully for what you have done.”
Ruth
2:8-12
Boaz realizes that Ruth is an
honorable woman, and decides to take her as his wife, which is appropriate and
advisable under the Mosaic Law. Lev 25:25 and Deut 25:5-9 provided the
guidelines in which family members were to “redeem” fellow family members
property and provide for the continuing bloodlines of each family member so that
no family would be landless and their name be “blotted out” from Israel. This duty
fell to the “Ga’al” or “Kinsman Redeemer”. There was another closer
“relative” to Elimelech, and Boaz goes through the procedure described in
Deuteronomy 25 to secure his right to “redeem” and marry Ruth, and in the
process, provide housing, food, and other provision for Naomi.
The beauty of this Hebrew word “Ga’al”
is that it was often used to describe the Lord, who was each Israelite’s
“Kinsman Redeemer”.
Boaz marries Ruth, and they have a
child. Naomi is now fully restored and fully blessed with all the excellent
things a woman in her station in life should have, which she didn’t only a
short time before. The story has a surprise ending, because this baby was not
just any baby:
Boaz was the father of Obed.
Obed was the father of Jesse.
Jesse was the father of David.
Ruth
4:21-22
Ruth and Boaz’s son Obed was the
grandfather of David, the shepherd boy from Bethlehem who became the king of
Israel! This son was also the ancestor of the central character of the Bible:
Jesus Christ.
Was the hand of the Lord turned
against Naomi? Indeed not! The principle here is that when God wants to fill
our hands with His good things, often He has to empty our hand of our own
things first. It is an often painful process, but a necessary one that reduces
my desires to one thing: His will in my life.
What else can we “glean from the book
of Ruth?
·
When God fills my cup, He wants me
to experience this blessing, and be aware of the process and source of His
blessing.
·
God used Ruth and Boaz to display
what true love is like. We experience great joy and blessing when we actively
love those that God places around us.
·
The impact of our obedience on God’s
Big Plan is often not visible in our lifetime, yet it is always the critical
part of anything God wants to do to impact the lives of many in our generation,
and those that follow.
The lesson of the books of Joshua, Judges and Ruth is simple
and consistent with the rest of the Bible:
“Obedience is the key to success in the Kingdom of God!”
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