Passing The Torch (Deuteronomy 31:1-8, 34:1-12, Joshua 1:1-11)

Introduction: Forty years after leaving Egypt the people of Israel were finally ready to enter the land God had promised them. During those 40 years the people had entered into covenant relationship with God. They had become a people separate from the peoples around them. Though they had many lapses, they had learned to trust in God’s provision.

Before they could enter the Promised Land, there was one piece of unfinished business which had to be completed – the commissioning of the leader who would take the people into the land.

I. The Passing Of An Era (Deuteronomy 31:1-8)

God had forbidden Moses from entering Canaan. But even if God had allowed him to go in, his age made it essential to pick a successor. The time had come to pass the role of leadership to somebody else. However, the transition must have been extremely unsettling – both for the nation and for Joshua who was to take over. Consider:

1) Moses was 120 years old. That made him at least twice as old as everyone except Joshua and Caleb. That made him literally, the ‘Grand Old Man’ of the nation. In a very real sense, Moses was the living repository of the collected memory and wisdom of the nation. With his death the history of the nation – and particularly entering into covenant relationship with God – would remain the direct experience of only two people who had been adults at the time. For this reason, it was imperative that Moses write it all down. (See Deuteronomy 31:9.) Otherwise, the lore of the nation as well as the covenant responsibilities would have been lost.

2) Moses had led the Israelites for 40 of his 120 years. No one under the age of 40 (except Joshua and Caleb) had known the leadership of anyone else. A change of leadership always requires a period of adjustment. It’s even worse when you have never experienced change before. The familiar is gone and the future is uncertain.

3) Up to this point, Joshua had always been the understudy. He had been the subordinate. His had never been the ultimate authority. He had always had someone above him to take the responsibility – or the blame if things went wrong. (Whenever the people had rebelled, they had always taken their frustrations out on Moses and sometimes Aaron – never Joshua except when Joshua had brought them a positive report about Canaan.) But now, Joshua was going to be the one in charge. There was no one higher to pass problems and decisions up to. There is a vast difference between being an executive officer carrying out the directives of someone else and being the actual decision maker. While it can be liberating to have the authority to act with a free hand, it can also be profoundly unsettling to realize that final responsibility rests with you – people now look to you for direction and guidance. There is no one higher to consult. There is no one to shield you from criticism. The burden of command rests solely on your shoulders.

II. Death Of The Old Man (Deuteronomy 34:1-12)

Probably most people approach the end of life with mixed feelings. On the one hand, there is a sense of satisfaction over the things that they were able to accomplish. On the other, there is a sense of regret over opportunities missed and the tasks which will not be completed.

There is no doubt that Moses experienced both of these emotions. In one sense he had fulfilled his life’s purpose. Against all odds, he had brought the people of Israel to the border of the Promised Land. In spite of all the rebellion, all the challenges to his leadership and all external threats; in spite of the crushing disappointment of the additional 38 years of wandering because the people refused to enter the first time around, he had brought the people through. Yet, there was also overwhelming disappointment. After all Moses had gone through, he was denied the privilege of entering the land, himself. He could only look at it from a distance.

Why couldn’t Moses enter the land?

The prohibition stems from the incident which is recorded in Numbers 20:1-13. The people lacked water and quarreled with Moses about it. God instructed Moses to speak to a rock, which would then open and provide a water supply. Instead of speaking to the rock, Moses hit it with his staff. As a result, God told him, “...Because you did not trust in me enough to honor me as holy in the sight of the Israelites, you will not bring this community into the land I give them.” (Numbers 20:12 NIV)

Even though Moses apparently repented of his action and plead with God to let him go in, God refused. “...“That is enough,” the Lord said. “Do not speak to me anymore about this matter.”” (Deuteronomy 3:26 NIV)

Lesson: In our culture we have a saying that it’s better to ask forgiveness than to ask permission. While that may have a certain validity in the context of rigid systems and unwieldy bureaucracies, it is totally the wrong approach with God. He expects an obedient faith – that we will comply with what He has told us to do even if we don’t understand the reasons. Disobedience and unbelief always carry consequences. Repentance does not do away with consequences.

In spite of the prohibition, Moses got the next best thing to entering the land – God allowed him to view it from a distance. Unless a miracle was involved, due to the distance and the curvature of the earth, it’s unlikely that Moses saw the entire land with his physical eyes. It’s more likely that Moses saw and was able to visualize the land through the eyes of faith. “All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance...” (Hebrews 11:13 NIV)

Why did God bury Moses and why is the grave hidden?

Though Scripture does not tell us why the grave is hidden, from knowing human nature, it’s easy to guess why. Humans are notorious for making shrines. Had God not hidden Moses’ grave, it is almost certain that the grave would have become a place of veneration. People would have started to worship the shrine and started to pray to Moses. They would have deified Moses, turning him into another of their idols. How ironic that would have been, since Moses continually brought the people back to their covenant to the One, true God!

How did Moses transfer the leadership to Joshua?

Moses transferred his authority to Joshua by laying his hands on him. As a result, Joshua was filled with the spirit of wisdom (Deuteronomy 34:9). It’s interesting to note that leadership roles in the church are still conferred by the laying on of hands. (See Acts 6:1-6, 1 Timothy 5:22.)

III. Be Strong And Courageous! (Joshua 1:1-18)

Before his death, Moses, at God’s instruction, had transferred his leadership role to Joshua. However, it is one thing to have the role and the title and quite another to know what to do with it. It must have been a great comfort to Joshua when God spoke to him and repeated the mandate that He had given to Moses (Joshua 1:1-5). At least Joshua knew that God regarded him as the legitimate successor to Moses.

Yet, when one has served under a strong, authoritarian leader it takes a while to find your own footing. Joshua must have felt inadequate. He must have felt intimidated by the task. He must have felt unsure of himself. He must have been hesitant in picking up the reigns. It’s amazing the lengths to which God went in order to build up Joshua’s confidence.

1) God told Moses to encourage and strengthen Joshua. This is mentioned at least twice (Deuteronomy 1:38, 3:28).

2) God, Himself, told Joshua to be strong and courageous at least 3 times (Joshua 1:6, 7, 9).

3) God told Joshua not to be terrified or discouraged (Joshua 1:9).

4) At least twice, God promised Joshua that He would be with him (Joshua 1:5, 9).

5) The two and a half tribes which were going to settle on the eastern side of the Jordan River told Joshua to be strong and courageous (Joshua 1:18).

Though Joshua apparently needed reassurance and to have his confidence built up, it is commendable that he did not allow his natural timidity and self-doubts to prevent him from taking decisive action. Right after God confirmed the promise to give the Israelites the land of Canaan, Joshua gave orders for the camp to get ready to move (Joshua 1:10-11).

Application: God knows our weaknesses and limitations and gives us the ability to do His will in spite of them. He supplies what is lacking in our natural makeup. We need to have the faith to move at God’s word in spite of our feelings of inadequacy. We need to trust God to supply what we lack, “For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.” (1 Timothy 1:7 NIV)

What is it that brings prosperity and success?

God told Joshua that He would give him prosperity and success if he continually meditated on the Law and obeyed it.

Question: How much do we meditate on God’s word? How careful are we to obey what God has said? Could it be that we don’t enjoy as much success and prosperity as we could because we have not made obedience to God’s word a priority in our lives? “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” (Matthew 6:33 NIV) All too often, our values are the opposite of what they ought to be.

A Prostitute’s Faith (Joshua 2:1-24)

Introduction: Moses is dead. Joshua has been appointed to lead the people of Israel into the land God had promised them. The two and a half tribes which had elected to take land east of the Jordan as their inheritance pledged to help the other tribes conquer Canaan. The Israelites are ready to cross the Jordan. Before they do, Joshua sends two men out to gather intelligence. Their mission was to have a major impact on salvation history.

I. Secret Mission (Joshua 2:1-2)

38 years before, Moses had sent Joshua out on a similar mission. Now it’s Joshua’s turn to send men out on reconnaissance. But this time, there is a major difference – this is a secret mission.

Why the secrecy?

The text does not tell us, but it’s easy to imagine that Joshua didn’t want to run the risk of a repetition of what had happened the last time. Then, the majority of the spies brought back a discouraging report. When the people heard it, they refused to enter Canaan even though Moses specifically told them that God would fight for them (Deuteronomy 1:29-33). As a result, God sentenced the Israelites to wander in the Sinai wilderness for another 38 years until all the adults who had refused to follow God’s instructions to enter the land had died. This time, presumably only Joshua knew the men had been sent. If the spies brought back a discouraging report, only Joshua would hear it. They would not have the opportunity to discourage the entire community.

It says that the men entered the house of a prostitute. Why there?

If you’re after intelligence about the defenses and preparedness of a place, you can’t very well start openly asking questions about it in the public square. The spies chose a place where they could hope to find out some information without arousing a lot of suspicion. It’s not likely that the people of Jericho would ask a bunch of questions about the identity of someone going to a house of ill-repute. On the other hand, a prostitute would very likely know a great deal about what was going on in the town. She not only would be in contact with all sorts of people, but men notoriously loosen their tongues along with their pants.

It’s also worth noting that at that period of history, and in that culture, restaurants and hotels, as we know them, did not exist. Houses of ill-repute served as inns. They were places where you could purchase a meal or a bed for the night as well as sexual favors. The spies couldn’t have stayed anywhere else without being detected.

Though the word which is translated ‘stayed’ can have sexual overtones (just like the English word ‘lay’ does – for example, see Genesis 19:32, 26:10, Exodus 22:16) it is also used for legitimate rest (just as we also use the English word ‘lay’ to mean repose for the purpose of rest (for example, see Genesis 28:13, 1 Samuel 3:2, Ezekiel 4:4). Since the spies were on a tense, dangerous mission, with their lives forfeit if they were discovered, it’s not likely that they would have asked to indulge in Rahab’s other professional services. This is especially true since Rahab entered into covenant relationship with God during their stay.

How might the king of Jericho have heard about the spies?

Jericho was a walled city. It’s likely that the gatekeepers noticed that a couple of foreigners had come in. It’s also likely that the spies called attention to themselves by asking where the red-light district was. It would have taken some time for the gatekeepers to discuss what to do and to send word to the king. It would have taken the king some more time to process the news and decide what to do about it.

II. Situational Ethics? (Joshua 2:3-7)

In Scripture Rahab is honored as a woman of faith. Yet what she did troubles many. Why does Scripture hold her up as one of the heroes of the faith though she lied? Is lying sometimes okay? If so, when is it permissible to lie?

In Jewish ethics there is a principle called ‘pikuach nafesh’ which means ‘to save a life (soul)’. According to this principle it is not only permitted but, is a duty, to set aside parts of the Mosaic Law (particularly the Sabbath laws) if it necessary to do so in order to save someone’s life. The principle is based on Leviticus 19:16 where it says “...Do not do anything that endangers your neighbor’s life. I am the LORD.” (NIV) There are only three exceptions. You may not murder, enter into a forbidden sexual relationship or blaspheme in order to save yourself or someone else.

Jesus seems to recognize the validity of this principle when He healed on the Sabbath. For example, in Luke 14 it says: “One Sabbath, when Jesus went to eat in the house of a prominent Pharisee, he was being carefully watched. There in front of him was a man suffering from dropsy. Jesus asked the Pharisees and experts in the law, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath or not?” But they remained silent. So taking hold of the man, he healed him and sent him away. Then he asked them, “If one of you has a son or an ox that falls into a well on the Sabbath day, will you not immediately pull him out?” And they had nothing to say.” (Luke 14:1-6 NIV)

However, Jesus’ example and illustration involves things which are good in themselves. His point seems to be that if something is morally good to do (rather than just morally neutral), then it is permissible to do it at all times regardless of a Sabbath prohibition (see Matthew 12:1-13, Mark 3:1-5, Luke 6:1-10). But what about things which are bad or evil in themselves? Is it ever permissible to do them, particularly if we think that not doing them would lead to something worse? In other words, are there times when doing something which is normally wrong becomes a virtue?

Here are some scriptural principles which apply to this question. The precise application may differ in each specific situation.

1) Paul writes that we may not use a potential good outcome as an excuse to do evil. “Someone might argue, “If my falsehood enhances God’s truthfulness and so increases his glory, why am I still condemned as a sinner?” Why not say – as we are being slanderously reported as saying and as some claim that we say – “Let us do evil that good may result”? Their condemnation is deserved.” (Romans 3:7-8 NIV) In other words, ends do not justify means. In addition to desiring outcomes which will glorify God we must choose good or righteous methods and means to achieve those results.

2) Peter gives two general rules which are to govern all our behavior. The first is to abstain from sinful desires. The second is to live good lives (defined as doing good) (see 1 Peter 2:11-12). He goes on to apply these rules in various areas of life: response to government, slaves and masters, wives and husbands, to one another in the church, to persecutors. He sums up the Christian response to suffering by saying, “So then, those who suffer according to God’s will should commit themselves to their faithful Creator and continue to do good.” (1 Peter 4:19 NIV)

3) God does not put us impossible situations. The pressure to do wrong will never be beyond our ability to cope and resist. “No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.” (1 Corinthians 10:13 NIV)

Conclusion: When two divine commands, or two good things, come into conflict then the saving or preserving of life takes priority. For example, saving someone from drowning takes priority over attending an assembly of the church even though attending the assembly is a command from God (Hebrews 10:25). Even when life is not at stake, we should give priority to the action which will result in the most good.

The New Testament never condones using evil means to bring about a good result. No doubt the Lord will look more favorably on someone who lives righteously but who lies or steals under pressure in order to preserve life than He will on someone who chooses falsehood and deceit as a lifestyle. But that doesn’t make it right. “No one whose hope is in you will ever be put to shame, but they will be put to shame who are treacherous without excuse.” (Psalm 25:3 NIV)

Then what are we to do when placed in a situation like Rahab? As Peter said, we must commit ourselves to our Creator and do good. We need to trust that God will provide a way out of our predicament. We need to look for those creative solutions which will allow us to do what is right without resorting to evil means. As much as possible we need to anticipate the moral dilemmas we will encounter and decide ahead of time what we will do. May God spare us from situations where we have to make snap moral decisions.

What risk did Rahab run by hiding the spies?

One of the provisions of the code of Hammurabi (the law that was probably in force in Jericho) was that inn-keepers (prostitutes) who did not turn in criminals who came to their establishment were to be put to death. It was an act of treason for Rahab to harbor the two spies. If they had been found in her house, not only they but, she probably would have been killed.

III. A Covenant Of Life (Joshua 2:8-21)

Cynics would say that the reason Rahab harbored the spies was that she saw them as a way to escape certain destruction. Better to take the risk she would be found out and executed for treason than to turn the spies away or turn them in only to be slaughtered when Jericho fell. No doubt Rahab did see the coming of the spies as an opportunity to save her life and lives of her family. But there is more to it than that.

What did Rahab know about Israel’s history and God’s plans?

She knew that God had given the land of Canaan to the Israelites (Joshua 2:9). She speaks of this as accomplished fact. She also knew of what God had done to Egypt during the Exodus, and the Israelites’ conquest of the peoples living east of the Jordan. The word Rahab uses in Joshua 2:10 which is translated ‘completely destroyed’ means devoting them to God. She shows an awareness that the Israelites are conquering the land, not only for themselves but, for God.

What was the effect of the news of what God had done for Israel upon the people of Jericho?

A great fear fell upon them (Joshua 2:9) and their courage failed (Joshua 2:11).

How did Rahab describe God in Joshua 2:11?

Rahab described God as “God in heaven above and on earth below.” This not only shows a remarkable understanding of who God is, but is a personal confession of faith on Rahab’s part. She knows who God is and acknowledges Him.

What did Rahab ask the spies to do?

She asked them to show her kindness and spare both her and her family. She had shown the spies kindness by risking her life for them. Now she asks them to give her the same kind of consideration. The word translated ‘kindness’ is a reciprocal caring. It is used to describe the care that people who are in covenant relationship show to each other. Rahab is asking to enter into a covenant with the spies and, by extension, into covenant relationship with God.

What conditions did the spies require in agreeing to the covenant?

1) Rahab and her family members had to agree to keep quiet about what was going on. They had to keep the agreement secret.

2) They had to stay in Rahab’s house.

3) Rahab had to mark the house.

How did Rahab’s response to the information she had differ from the other people of Jericho?

It’s important to realize that everyone in Jericho had the same information. They all knew about the Exodus. They all knew about God’s promise to give Canaan to the Israelites. They all knew about the conquest of the eastern shore of the Jordan. Rahab chose to acknowledge God and ask for mercy. The other people chose to resist the Israelites. They persisted in their opposition to God. Obedience is the key. Rahab and her family chose to seek God and obey the terms of the Covenant. The others tried to hunt down the spies.

Lesson: Hebrews 11:31 calls Rahab a woman of faith while describing the others in Jericho as disobedient. Thus, we see that obedience is one of the essential characteristics of faith. If we are not obedient, we cannot say that we have faith.

Jesus said to count the cost before deciding to follow Him. What cost do you suppose Rahab had to pay for coming into covenant relationship with God?

She lost her home. She had to be willing to live among a people who were foreign to her. She lost her profession and means of income – she could no longer practice prostitution while in covenant relationship with God who forbids sexual relations outside of marriage (Exodus 20:14, Deuteronomy 5:18). Rahab faced a very uncertain future, yet chose to trust God.

IV. Aftermath (Joshua 2:22-24)

What report did the spies bring back to Joshua?

They reported that the people of Jericho were melting in fear. Because of what they had experienced, the spies were now totally convinced that God would give the land to the Israelites. This must have been very encouraging news to Joshua.

What happened to Rahab?

She and her family obeyed what the spies told her to do. As a result they were spared from the destruction of the city (Joshua 6:22-23). Rahab eventually married a man named Salmon who is named in the genealogy of Christ (Matthew 1:5). She was the mother of Boaz who was to marry another foreign woman of faith.

Lesson: It doesn’t matter what your family and background is. God can and will do great things for and through you if you turn to Him and enter into covenant with Him.

Lessons In Faith (Joshua 3:1-7:26)

Introduction: God faithfully fulfilled His promises to bring the Israelites to the Promised Land of Canaan. He had done it once before, only to have the people rebel and refuse to go in. Would this be a repeat of the past, or would the people have enough faith to do what God told them?

I. Crossing The Jordan (Joshua 3:9-17)

God promised that the Jordan River would be cut off and the Israelites would be able to cross on dry land. At what point did the water stop flowing?

The Jordan didn’t stop flowing until the priest’s feet touched the water. Imagine the scene. The priests, carrying the most holy and precious object the Israelites have (the Ark of the Covenant) are walking with steady gait toward the river which is at flood stage. Nothing happens. 5 feet away and nothing happens. 2 feet away and still nothing happens. The front-rank priests lift their feet to step over the bank. Nothing happens. It looks like they, and the Ark with them, are going to be swallowed by the river. The priest’s feet touch the water and, suddenly, the water is gone. The priests march to the center of the river on bare ground.

Sometimes it may not seem like God is going to do anything. Sometimes it doesn’t appear like God is going to fulfill His promises. Faith is going ahead and doing what He has asked us to do in spite of appearances.

Lesson: God may wait to do what only He can do until we have done what we can do.

Essential Caution! It is not faith to go ahead and do things in our own strength. Faith is doing what we are capable of doing when God has told us to do it. It is only when we are acting on His say-so that He will give us the ability and capability to complete the otherwise impossible. We need to make ourselves available to do what God wants us to do rather than expecting God to conform to our desires.

II. Renewing The Covenant (Joshua 5:2-9)

What was the significance of circumcision?

Circumcision was a sign of being included in the covenant God made with Abraham (see Genesis 17:10-14). It was carried over into the Law of Moses (see Leviticus 12:3). No one could participate in the Passover celebration unless he had been circumcised (Exodus 12:43-49). Circumcision is also used as a metaphor for removing evil from a person’s heart and choosing to serve God wholeheartedly (Deuteronomy 10:12-16).

Application: In the New Covenant, it is not parents who physically circumcise their children, but Christ who spiritually circumcises His followers by cutting away the “sinful nature” when they are baptized into Him. “In him you were also circumcised, in the putting off of the sinful nature, not with a circumcision done by the hands of men but with the circumcision done by Christ, having been buried with him in baptism and raised with him through your faith in the power of God, who raised him from the dead. When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, having canceled the written code, with its regulations, that was against us and that stood opposed to us; he took it away, nailing it to the cross.” (Colossians 2:11-14 NIV)

Lesson: It is not enough to have Christian parents. It’s not enough to hang out with God’s people. It’s not enough to go to church and be involved in the rituals. Just as each of the Israelites had to individually submit to circumcision after they crossed the Jordan, we have to personally and individually decide to follow Jesus. Just as a person was not in covenant relationship with God until he had been circumcised, no one is in covenant relationship with Christ until he has been baptized.

III. Produce Of The Land (Joshua 5:10-12)

When did the manna stop?

God stopped providing manna right after the Israelites had celebrated their first Passover in Canaan. The day they were able to obtain food from the land, the food from heaven stopped.

Lesson: We need to trust God to provide under all conditions and circumstances. God doesn’t work through miracles alone, but also through the ordinary and normal processes of life. Or, to put it another way, it takes just as much of a miracle for God to provide our needs through the normal process of planting and harvesting as it does for Him to provide manna and quail. The key point is that God has promised to take care of His people. We demonstrate faith when we rely on Him and give Him thanks and glory regardless of how He does it.

IV. Conquest Of Jericho (Joshua 6:1-5)

What did God tell the Israelites to do in order to capture Jericho?

God told them to walk around the city for six days. On the seventh day, they were to walk around it seven times.

Lesson: Faith is doing what God tells us to do even when it makes no earthly sense. We need to do what God says and leave the results to Him. When the Israelites did as they were told, Jericho’s walls collapsed (Joshua 6:20-21).

V. Achan’s Sin (Joshua 7:1-26)

How is what Achan did characterized? (Joshua 7:1)

It is called unfaithfulness. God doesn’t consider disobedience just a mistake or foible. It is breaking faith with Him and the Covenant.

What does Scripture mean when it calls something as a ‘devoted thing’? (or ‘things under the ban’)

It means that the thing was to be totally given to the Lord. Gold and silver were to be placed in the treasury of the Lord’s Tabernacle. Everything else was to be killed and/or burned up as a burnt offering to God. Nothing could be taken for personal use.

Did God hold only Achan responsible for what he had done?

No. Verse one says that the Israelites (plural) acted unfaithfully. Even though the others were innocent in that they had not participated in what Achan did, God still held the entire group responsible for carrying out the instructions He had given to the entire group.

Lesson: We have a saying in our culture that it’s alright to do anything as long as it doesn’t hurt anyone. The truth is that sin always affects others. The ripple effects from our actions will touch others in ways we cannot even imagine. I’m sure that Achan was thinking that he had a chance to get ahead a little and that nobody would be the wiser. The stuff was going to be destroyed anyway, so what harm would it do to take it? He had no idea that his action would lead to the deaths of 36 innocent men who didn’t even know what he had done.

1) Overconfidence (Joshua 7:2-5)

Did Joshua or any of the other leaders ask God about attacking Ai?

No, they didn’t. They relied on the intelligence report given by the spies. Based on how easily Jericho had fallen they thought Ai would be a pushover. They did not realize that God was not with them in their attack.

Lesson: A victory can lull us into thinking that we don’t have to be on our guard or that we don’t need to seek God’s leading every step of the way. We tend to slack off after we’ve had a major success.

Question: Do we have an honest evaluation of ourselves, the situation and our relationship to God?

2) Sorrow is no substitute for making things right (Joshua 7:6-13)

How did Joshua respond to the defeat at Ai?

He threw himself on the ground and had a pity-party. He accused God of handing the Israelites over to their enemies.

How did God react to Joshua’s distress?

God told Joshua to get up and deal with the sin which had brought the defeat at Ai on the Israelites.

Lesson: Sin won’t go away by ignoring it. It’s not enough to show distress over it. It’s not enough to be sorry about what happened. Sin must be dealt with. It must be purged out. It was only after the Israelites dealt with Achan’s sin that God’s anger was turned away from the nation and He looked at the Israelites with favor again (Joshua 7:26).

3) The process of sin (Joshua 7:19-21)

Achan’s sin followed a classic pattern. It involved the same steps that Eve took when she sinned in the Garden of Eden (see Genesis 3:6). What is the pattern sin takes?

Achan:

a) Saw. The first step is to see or perceive something which is not legitimate for us to have. The mere seeing of something is not wrong. It’s not wrong to be tempted. Jesus was tempted just as we are, but was without sin (Hebrews 4:15).

b) Coveted. We cross over into sin when we begin to yield to the temptation by desiring what is forbidden to us. We sin in thought and intention before we ever act.

c) Took. The next step in sin is to act on the desire. It is at this stage that sin becomes overt.

d) Involved others. Achan took the loot to his tent. By doing so he involved his family. By keeping quiet, the family became accessories to Achan’s sin. When we sin, we almost always try to get others to at least condone what we’ve done if not participate.

e) Concealed. Though we want people to approve or condone our sin, we also are afraid of what will happen if people find out what we’ve done. The net result is that we try to hide our sin and we don’t get to enjoy what we’ve taken.

4) Consequences (Joshua 7:22-26)

What happened to Achan and his family after he had confessed what he had done?

They were taken outside the camp and stoned to death. Then their bodies and all their possessions were burned.

Lesson: There is no indication that Achan repented of his sin. Confession is not equivalent to repentance. Repentance is a very different thing from being sorry that we got caught. It is a change in attitude. If we could roll time back and re-live the scenario, we would not do the thing we did. Even if we do repent, it does not remove consequences. No matter how much Achan may have repented, it still wouldn’t bring back to life the 36 men who had died at Ai. Just like Achan, we still have to pay the price for what we do even after we repent.

Whose Side Are You On? (Joshua 5:13-15, 22:1-34, 24:1-27)

Introduction: The book of Joshua relates how the Israelites conquered the land of Canaan and how they divided the land among the tribes. The military campaigns are interesting in themselves, but there is a more important lesson we can learn from the context in which the campaigns took place. It’s a lesson which is every bit as relevant today as when the conquest took place.

I. Who Are You For? (Joshua 5:13-15)

It’s part of human nature to think that the universe revolves around us. We have a tendency to think as if our desires and wants are the most important things there are. Subconsciously we even try to make God fit into our plans. Think about it. Two sports teams play against each other. People on both teams pray in the expectation that God will grant them victory. During the American Civil War, many people on both sides stated that God was on their side, that their cause was just and that God would help them defeat the enemy. Even if God were someone whom we could manipulate to do our will how could He possible fulfill the expectations of both sides? It is events like this which should tell us that our perspective is wrong. We need to re-think our relationship to God.

When Joshua asked the person he encountered whose side he was on, it must have been a real shock to hear him say “Neither!” The Lord’s army isn’t ‘for’ anyone. It’s purpose is to carry out God’s will – not to be another force at the disposal of some man’s whim.

Lesson: The real question is not whether God is on our side but whether we are on God’s side. Are we submitted to God; do we really act as though Jesus is our Lord, or do we try to get God to do what we want? As far as I know, there is only one Scripture which talks about God being on someone’s side. It is Psalm 124. It refers to Israel being rescued by God after being attacked. It is not a case of Israel trying to make God comply with its plans, but God graciously intervening on Israel’s behalf. It is God fulfilling His plan through Israel rather than Israel trying to do its own thing.

II. Witness Of Loyalty (Joshua 22:1-34)

Moses had given permission for two and a half of the Israelite tribes to stay on the eastern side of the Jordan River. However, he insisted that the fighting men cross over the Jordan and help the rest of the nation capture the land of Canaan. We don’t know how long the conquest took. It’s probable that it took several years. During this entire time the fighting men from the eastern tribes remained with the army to help. When the heavy fighting was over, Joshua released the troops to return to their own homes and families.

What did the returning troops do when they reached the Jordan?

They built a large altar there.

What did the Israelites assume when they heard about the altar the troops had constructed?

The rest of the Israelites assumed that the soldiers had built the altar as an act of rebellion. They considered it something equivalent to what the Israelites had done at Beth Peor in worshiping foreign gods (verse 17, Numbers 25:1-3).

Who did the Israelites send to deal with the situation? What was his background?

They sent Phinehas. This was the same man who was instrumental in stopping the plague which God had sent among the people at Peor. He did it by killing a man and woman who were flagrantly indulging in sex-based idolatry. This time around Phinehas and the rest of the Israelites were prepared to start a civil war in order to stamp out what they thought was the same sort of thing by the returning soldiers.

What explanation did the troops give for constructing the altar?

The soldiers explained that the altar was not a sign of rebellion, much less an indication of idolatry. On the contrary, it was a memorial of their loyalty to God’s Covenant and their dedication to the Tabernacle. They didn’t want anyone in future generations to be able to claim that the tribes on the eastern side of the Jordan should be excluded from Israel and/or the Covenant.

Lesson: We shouldn’t jump to conclusions when we see someone do something that doesn’t fit our concept of what is appropriate in worship. They may be doing it for a very different reason than we think. Before taking action, we need to investigate to make sure we have our facts straight. Until we’ve investigated, we need to give people the benefit of the doubt before concluding that they are violating God’s Covenant.

Question: Is there something Christians do as a token or reminder of their loyalty to the New Covenant?

Jesus asked His disciples to keep the ‘Lord’s Supper’ as a memorial. “...The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.”” (1 Corinthians 11:23-25 NIV)

III. Choose Your Side (Joshua 24:1-27)

It’s natural for us to want to hedge our bets. We don’t like burning our bridges behind us. Or, to use another metaphor, we like to straddle the fence. It’s hard for us to make a wholehearted, exclusive commitment.

In spite of everything God had done for them and all the miracles He had performed, it was hard for the Israelites to follow Him exclusively. Though they had entered into covenant relationship with God, they still tended to fall into idolatry, as well. Just before his death, Joshua spoke to nation about the necessity of making a choice. It’s a choice we still have to make today.

It seems incredible that after all they had gone through and after they had built the Tabernacle for worshiping God according to the terms of the Covenant, that the Israelites would still have the gods of Mesopotamia and Egypt with them. But, that’s what Joshua indicates in Joshua 24:14.

What choice did Joshua tell the Israelites to make?

They needed to decide whom they would serve. They needed to either choose the gods of the lands they had come from or, God.

What choice did the Israelites make? (Joshua 24:16)

They chose to serve God.

On what basis did they choose God over the idols?

They chose God because of His goodness and faithfulness. It was God who had guided them, provided for them and given them victory over the peoples living in Canaan.

Lesson: God has been good and faithful to us as well. When we look at all the blessings He has given us, it should be enough to make us love Him and want to serve Him.

What did Joshua tell the people to do to show their sincerity in choosing God? (Joshua 24:23)

He told them to:

1) throw out the idols and,

2) yield their hearts to the Lord.

Lesson: Serving God is incompatible with idols. The two are mutually exclusive. In the same way, we cannot say that we are serving God if we are only going through the motions, but our heart isn’t in it. True service and worship starts on the inside and, then, affects our actions.

Question: What idols do we need to throw out?

Every Man For Himself (Judges 2:6-23)

Introduction: What is it that holds a group or a nation together? The usual answer to this question is strong leadership. Under Moses and Joshua the Israelites had enjoyed strong leadership in their journey from Egypt to the Promised Land and the conquest of Canaan. With Joshua’s death however, the nation entered into a crisis of leadership. In four different places the book of Judges states that, “In those days Israel had no king.” (Judges 17:6, 18:1, 19:1, 21:25) The net result of the lack of leadership was, “everyone did as he saw fit.”

I. The Tie That Binds (Judges 2:6-9)

What was it which was supposed to hold the Israelites together? (Judges 2:7)

The common bond; the thing which should have held the Israelites together as a nation was their experience of what God had done for them. Not only had God delivered them from slavery in Egypt and sustained them throughout their wilderness wanderings by a series of tremendous miracles, He had chosen them as His own people and entered into covenant relationship with them. It was the Covenant; the Law of Moses which should have guided them both as individuals and as a nation. With the Covenant as their foundation and framework, there shouldn’t have been a need for a strong leader to guide the nation. They should have been able to look to God, Himself, as their ruler.

II. Pass It On (Judges 2:10)

What was the basic failure of the generation after Joshua?

Somehow, the knowledge of God and what He had done didn’t get passed on to the next generation. It was a failure of teaching. Apparently there was no formal instruction about the Covenant or the Law. Even the history – the ancestral lore didn’t get passed down. It seems like the principles behind, and the reasons for, the rituals and traditions were not taught either.

Lesson: There are some who question why we should study Bible history and go over the incidents and stories of people who lived so long ago. The reason it is important to do so is that forgetting what God has done throughout history brings us one step closer to forgetting God altogether. Ignorance of our spiritual heritage blinds us to God’s involvement in our lives now. Losing sight of the Covenant produces indifference to our relationship with God. Not understanding what God has done in the past causes us to look elsewhere for solutions in the present.

III. Downward Spiral (Judges 2:11-23)

What was the consequence of not passing on the knowledge of God to the next generation?

The nation entered a downward spiral of destruction. The steps of this cycle were:

1) They did evil in the eyes of the Lord (Judges 2:11). This involved forsaking God to worship the Baals and Ashtoreths (Judges 2:12).

2) Their actions provoked God to anger (Judges 2:12b).

3) As punishment God sold them to their enemies (Judges 2:14). The enemies plundered the very thing the Baals supposedly were to protect and make flourish – the crops.

4) The people were distressed and called out to God (Judges 2:15, 18).

5) God raised up a Judge who delivered them from their enemies (Judges 2:16). God would protect the nation during the lifetime of the Judge (Judges 2:18).

6) In spite of being saved by the Judge, the people wouldn’t listen to him and would quickly return to idolatry (Judges 2:17).

7) Upon the Judge’s death, the people would become even more corrupt than they were before the Judge rescued them (Judges 2:19).

8) Ultimately, since the people violated their Covenant with God, He did not drive out the remnant of the peoples who were left in Palestine at the time of Joshua’s death. God left them there as a test to winnow out those who were really committed to following Him (Judges 2:20-23).

IV. God’s Ideal

The Israelites eventually decided that the reason for their problems was that they were not sufficiently like the nations around them. They thought that having a king was the solution to stopping the cycle of invasion (see 1 Samuel 8).

What was God’s ideal for organizing the nation? How should things have been?

The people should have recognized that God was their King (1 Samuel 8:7). By asking for an earthly king to rule over them, they were really rejecting God. If the people had been faithful to the Covenant, God would have protected them from all enemies. God, Himself would have fought their battles.

Whose responsibility was it to teach the future generations about God and the Covenant?

It was a shared responsibility. Much of it fell on parents. For example, parents were to tell their children the meaning of the Passover sacrifice (Exodus 13:14-16). Parents were also to instruct their children in the Law (Deuteronomy 6:4-7, 11:18-19).

The priests and elders also had a hand in teaching. They were to read the entire Law to the people once a year (Deuteronomy 31:9-13).

Joshua 2:7 seems to imply that the elders had a crucial part in passing on the knowledge about God.

Tangent: What is an elder, as the term is used in the Old Testament? The primary meaning is an older man. Because of his older years and his experience of life, he was looked up to as someone who had the wisdom to give advise and deal with problems. Elders sat at the city gates. This made them accessible to people who needed counsel. They were available to render decisions in disputes and act as witnesses to transactions. They also acted as guardians by keeping an eye on who came in or out of the town.

Lesson: In our culture we have a tendency to think that it is the duty of religious leaders to give spiritual instruction. In reality, others also have the responsibility. Parents are to teach their children. Older people are to teach those younger than themselves. A breakdown at any of these levels can lead to spiritual ignorance which, in turn, results in turning away from God.

Taking the Lead (Judges 4:1-5:31)

Introduction: Between the time of Joshua’s death and that of the prophet Samuel, the nation of Israel was trapped in a downward spiral. Moral, ethical and spiritual conditions continued to get worse. The people would turn away from God; He would send an invader as punishment; the people would cry out to God; He would send a deliverer, called a Judge. Though God saved them, the people would not listen to their Judges and went even further away from God.

The people God used during this period to rescue the Israelites were products of their times. Many of them were deeply flawed individuals. Though they may have been far from ideal, God was able to use them because they were willing to be used for God’s cause. Perhaps that is one of the greatest lessons of the period of the Judges: No matter what our flaws, God can still do mighty things through us if we are willing to let Him.

I. Conditions In Israel (Judges 4:1-3, 5:6-8)

What were the conditions in Israel at the time of Deborah? (Judges 4:1-2, 5:6-8)

At this time God had sold Israel into the hands of a coalition of Canaanites in the northern part of Palestine. They were so oppressive that nobody could travel the roads. Village life had come to a stand-still, presumably because the villages were constantly raided. It says that war came to the city gates. Not only was normal life totally disrupted, the Israelites were disarmed. No spears were to be found. They could not defend themselves against the 900 iron chariots of Sisera. This state of affairs was brought on because the people had turned to foreign gods. Ironically, these gods were supposed to provide protection and prosperity. Instead, they brought destruction and subjection.

Lesson: The ways of the world often appear more attractive than living for God. Reality, however, never lives up to the promise. The very things which are supposed to bring joy, freedom and security, end up enslaving and ruining us. Though sin may bring temporary pleasure, long-term benefit comes only from serving God.

What brought this state of affairs to an end? (Judges 4:3, 5:12)

The crucial thing was that the people cried out to the Lord. It took them 20 years to figure out what was wrong, but in the end they finally did the right thing. They turned to God for help. As a result, God stirred Deborah up to take action. The text does not tell us what was going on in Deborah’s life. However, it does say that she had to wake up. This may imply that she had been unaware of the true situation, or that she could do something about it.

Lesson: Sometimes all it takes for things to change is for one person to wake up and take action. The important thing is to be sensitive to God’s call and direction.

II. An Unlikely Hero (Judges 4:4-9)

One of the interesting things about this account is that Deborah is someone outside of the norm.

1) The norm was for leaders to be men. The only other woman leader in Israel’s history to this point was Moses’ sister Miriam. Even she did not have the influence and authority that Deborah had. All of the other Judges were men.

2) The creation account in Genesis makes it clear that God intended husbands to be the heads of their households. Though Deborah’s home life is not described, there is no doubt that she was more influential and prominent than her husband.

3) It was the elders who normally settled disputes and rendered decisions. But the Israelites brought their disputes to Deborah. The elders sat at the village or city gates. Deborah had her court under a palm tree. One reason for this may have been that normal village life had come to a stand-still because of the raids which were occurring.

4) God normally spoke through men. This time He chose a woman.

Lesson: God can use anybody provided they are willing. Don’t be discouraged if you don’t fit the stereotype.

God gave Deborah a very specific and detailed message. (Judges 4:6-7)

1) It was to a specific man – Barak.

2) He was told how many troops to gather and where to get them.

3) He was told where to muster them.

4) He was promised victory.

It’s interesting to note that the word translated ‘lead’ in verse 6 in the NIV, and ‘lure’ in verse 7, is the same word in the Hebrew text. Basically, God was telling Barak that if he would do his part, God would act. Barak was not responsible for the outcome – only for being obedient.

What was Barak’s response to God’s command? (Judges 4:8)

He refused unless Deborah went with him. Here, perhaps, we get a clue as to why Deborah was in the position she was. She was thrust into it. A job needed to be done and the people who should have been doing it weren’t willing to do it. So, it fell to her by default. Because of Barak’s attitude, Deborah prophesied that the honor of the campaign would go to a woman.

III. The Campaign (Judges 4:10-16)

Barak and Deborah mustered an army as God had directed them. The list of those who answered the call is found in Judges 5:13-15a. Invitations were sent to several tribes who wouldn’t come. They are listed in Judges 5:15b-18, 23. Meroz, a town close to where the troops were mustered and, presumably, which stood to gain much if the Canaanites were defeated, refused to help and came under God’s curse as a result (Judges 5:23).

It’s interesting to note that though Barak commanded the troops, it was Deborah who directed the campaign (Judges 4:14).

When the Canaanites heard that the Israelites had assembled at Mt. Tabor, they deployed their chariots in the Kishon River valley at Taanach (Judges 4:13, 5:19). During the summer months, this stretch of the river is dry. The valley is suitable for chariot warfare. However, when the Israelites advanced, there apparently was a heavy downpour, unheard of for this time of year, and a flash flood (Judges 5:20-21). Those Canaanites who were not drowned outright got bogged down in the mud and had to abandon their chariots. They became easy pickings for the Israelite swordsmen (Judges 4:15). All were killed before they could reach the protection of their city (Judges 4:16).

IV. Another Role Reversal (Judges 4:17-24)

Sisera escaped on foot and presumably managed to get through the Israelite lines while trying to get back north to Hazor. While on his way, he was offered asylum by Jael, a nomad woman.

What did Jael do?

Sisera may have been in shock at how the battle had turned out. He certainly was exhausted. In any case he seems to have reverted to the behavior of a little boy. It’s like he viewed Jael as a nurturing mother figure. He allowed Jael to tuck him in. Then he asked for a drink. After she got it for him, she tucked him in again. Then, he asked Jael to stand guard and keep the bad guys away.

It comes as a shock, then, that this picture of nurture turns into one of cold-blooded assassination. Jael drove a tent-peg through Sisera’s head into the ground.

V. The Way Things Ought To Be (Judges 5:1-31)

There may be a bit of irony at the beginning of Deborah’s song of victory. “When the princes in Israel take the lead, when the people willingly offer themselves – praise the LORD!” (Judges 5:2 NIV) The fact is, that at the beginning of this account the princes hadn’t taken the lead. It was Deborah who had to take it and direct Barak. Also, the rest of the song makes it plain that there were lots of people in Israel who hadn’t willingly offered themselves. The point is that when people truly are willing, and those who should take leadership actually do, it is indeed a cause for praise.

Because Deborah rose to the challenge and took the lead; because some people were willing to offer themselves, things went back to the way God intended. The land had peace for 40 years (Judges 5:31).

Lesson: Peace comes when people willingly offer themselves and fulfill the role God intends for them.

The Least In His Family (Judges 6:1-40)

Introduction: Throughout their long history, the people of Israel had a hard time learning the lesson of cause and effect. In spite of God’s explicit warnings about what would happen if they turned their backs on Him, they repeatedly did so – only to wonder why they ran into trouble. Only after they had suffered a long time would they turn back to the Lord.

After Deborah and Barak’s victory over the Canaanite kings, the land had peace for forty years (Judges 5:31). Afterwards, they let themselves in for another period of misery by again turning to Baal worship.

I. Consequences Of Doing Evil (Judges 6:1-6)

Who were the Midianites?

The Midianites were distant relatives of the Israelites. They were descendants of Abraham through his wife, Keturah (Genesis 25:2). They had joined in with the Moabites in hiring Balaam to curse Israel (Numbers 22:7 and following). When cursing Israel didn’t work, the Midianites tried to destroy Israel by involving them in Baal worship (Numbers 25:1-9). Because of this incident, Moses sent a punitive expedition against Midian in which many were killed and much loot taken (Numbers 31:1-54). It was poetic justice that when Israel turned to the gods the Midianites had tried to get them to worship, God would hand them over to the descendants of the people whom they had punished for previously involving them in idol worship.

What did the Midianites do?

The Midianites pursued a policy of destroying agriculture. Judges 6:5 compares them to swarms of locusts. Apparently it was their intent to ravage or destroy the land. Even if that was not their intent, their practice of destroying newly planted crops and overgrazing is a good way to ruin land.

What was the result?

If you want to get someone’s attention, one of the quickest ways to do it is to hit them in the pocketbook. Seven years of impoverishment from having their crops ruined finally induced the Israelites to cry out to God for help.

II. Rise Of The Prophets (Judges 6:7-10)

In Judges chapter 6, we start to see something new in how God handled the Israelites. Instead of sending immediate relief in response to the Israelite’s cry, God sent them a prophet. The role of the prophets became more and more prominent as society degenerated and became more wicked over time.

What is a prophet?

A prophet is someone who speaks on behalf of God. The Israelites were a people who were supposed to be in a covenant relationship with God. When the Israelites turned their backs on the covenant relationship, the prophets acted as prosecuting attorneys on God’s behalf to indict the people of the wrong they had done. The purpose was to get the people to understand what they had done, turn back to God and renew the Covenant. It was the priests who were supposed to teach people about God and their covenant relationship to Him. As time went on, however, the prophets took on this role. In many cases, they became more influential and important than the priests.

What was the prophet’s message?

He reminded the people of what God had done for them in the past. Secondly, he basically said that the people had gotten what they deserved. In spite of what God had done for them, and His command not to serve other gods, the people hadn’t listened.

III. Why Has All This Happened? (Judges 6:11-16)

The scene now shifts. The “angel of the Lord” appeared to a man called Gideon. It is not certain who this being is. However if one looks at all the passages where He is mentioned, it is quite possible that it is the pre-incarnate Jesus who appeared to Gideon.

The angel’s message contained two apparently absurd, or apparently false, statements. The first was, “The Lord is with you.”

What was Gideon’s response?

If the Lord really is with us, then why has all this happened? From Gideon’s perspective, God wasn’t being consistent. Gideon had heard about all the wonderful things God had done in the past, but now it looked like God had abandoned His people. Apparently, Gideon either hadn’t heard the prophet’s message, or he couldn’t understand cause and effect. The reason for the trouble the people were experiencing was that they had abandoned God, not the other way around. Also, if God really had abandoned them, then what was the angel doing talking to Gideon? Wasn’t the fact that God was going to deliver Israel through Gideon evidence enough that God hadn’t abandoned His people?

The second absurd statement was to call Gideon a mighty warrior. If he was such a mighty warrior, what was he doing down in the winepress hiding from the Midianites?

The angel ignored Gideon’s question and expanded on the bit about him being a mighty warrior. He told Gideon to go in the strength he had.

What strength did Gideon have?

The angel of the Lord was sending him to do a task. In other words, Gideon would not have to rely on his own abilities and strength. He had all of God’s power behind him.

Lesson: Appearances don’t matter. From the world’s point of view we may look totally weak and helpless. Yet, if we are working in God’s strength, nothing He has asked us to do is impossible.

Like Moses before him, Gideon started offering excuses. The Lord’s response was simply, “I will be with you.” When God is with us, that’s all we need.

IV. Two Burnt Offerings (Judges 6:17-27)

Gideon wanted to make sure that the person who was talking to him was really who He seemed to be. He asked for a sign and asked this person to stay until Gideon had the opportunity to bring a gift.

What gift or offering did Gideon bring?

He prepared a meal of unleavened bread and goat meat. Considering the economic conditions, this was a substantial offering.

What sign did the angel of the Lord give Gideon?

First He burned up the offering. Then, He disappeared from sight.

What was Gideon’s reaction to the sign?

He recognized whom he had been talking to. Once God assured him there wasn’t any need to be afraid and that he wouldn’t die, Gideon built an altar to the Lord.

What did the Lord tell Gideon to do next?

God was going to use Gideon to deliver the Israelite people from oppression. Before he could turn the people back to God, however, he had to begin with his own family. His own father worshiped Baal. God told Gideon to destroy the altar and Asherah pole. He was to build a proper altar for God, and sacrifice a bull on it. The seven-year-old bull may have been symbolic of the seven years of oppression the Israelites had suffered.

In spite of the promise that God was with him and the sign God had given him, Gideon was still fearful. He obeyed the order to destroy Baal’s altar, but he did it at night.

V. If Baal Is A God (Judges 6:28-32)

What was the reaction of men of the town when they discovered the vandalism?

They made a careful inquiry to discover who had done it. When they found out it was Gideon they demanded that he be turned over to him so they could execute him. The townsmen’s reaction to what Gideon had done shows just how far the Israelites had gone away from God. In the Law it was idolaters who were supposed to be killed. (See Deuteronomy 13.) Now, it is the idolaters who demand the death of the person who is following God. The heresy and perversion has become the mainstream!

How did Gideon’s father talk them out of killing Gideon?

He pointed out that if Baal really was a god, he could defend himself. To act on Baal’s behalf would be an insult to the god. The implication was that if Baal could not defend himself, then he really wasn’t a god and wasn’t worthy of being worshiped in the first place. It seems like this incident made Gideon’s dad wake up to reality.

Lesson: Gideon’s father voiced an extremely important principle which many around the world still do not understand: It is not up to us to act in place of God. He is perfectly capable of standing up for His own honor. Yes, we need to stand up for the truth. Yes, we need to proclaim and testify about who God is. But it is not our responsibility to punish those whom we think are insulting Him. God is in no way imperiled by anything somebody does. Time and again Scripture says, ““It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord.” (Romans 12:19 NIV) When we try to avenge something someone does against God, we are really only exposing our own lack of faith.

VI. Woolly Decision Making (Judges 6:33-40)

Apparently, the Midianites got wind of what was happening with Gideon and they mustered their troops. It’s interesting to note that they and their confederates gathered in the same area as the army which Deborah and Barak had defeated.

Gideon still had doubts about what God had told him to do and he asked God to verify the message.

Lesson: It is commendable to want to make sure that we have understood God properly and that we are doing the right thing. On the other hand, we should not demand proof for something which God has made plain. For example, if something is stated plainly in Scripture, then there is no need to ask for confirmation. To do so is an act of unbelief. As an illustration, we are told to pray for prominent people (1 Timothy 2:1-2). Therefore, we don’t have to ask for confirmation before we pray for the governor or president.

What did Gideon do to get confirmation of God’s message?

He put a fleece out. He asked that the fleece be wet while the ground around was dry. The next night he asked the reverse happen. God obliged in both cases.

Question: How should we make decisions today?

Today we are blessed in that we have a great deal more Scripture than Gideon did. The first thing we should do when faced with a decision is to see if God has already revealed His will in the Scriptures. If so, the matter is settled. If not, we need to pray for wisdom and seek wise counsel. If it is a situation where God wishes us to go a particular way, or do a particular thing, He will open and close the appropriate doors. There are many situations where God would be pleased for us to take any one of several actions. In such cases, we are free to do what suits our inclinations.

It’s interesting to note that after the giving of the Holy Spirit in the New Covenant, there is not a single recorded instance of anyone putting out a fleece or casting lots in order to make a decision. God expects us to use the wisdom He has given us to make right decisions. However, in cases where it would be right to pursue any of a number of paths, there is probably nothing wrong in flipping a coin, etc. in order to choose between them.

Things Aren’t As They Seem (Judges 7:1-8:27)

Introduction: Why bother to study things which happened thousands of years ago? At first it may not seem that the story of Gideon’s victory over the armies of the eastern peoples would have anything to say to us today. But, human nature has not changed. Even more important, God has not changed. We can learn a great deal from how God interacted with people long ago. It turns out that the story of Gideon is amazingly relevant to those who follow Christ.

I. Numbers Don’t Matter (Judges 7:1-8)

God had given Gideon the task of defeating the Midianites and other nomadic people who had invaded and terrorized Israel. So, Gideon did what any prudent commander would do – he mustered the troops from the tribes which were near the enemy camp (Judges 6:33-35). Some 32,000 men answered the call. This is a notable force even today (about 2 or 2-1/2 divisions worth). However, considering that they were facing a force of about 135,000 (see Judges 8:10), they were still outnumbered 4 times over. Those are pretty long odds. But they weren’t long enough for God. He said that Gideon had too many men.

Why did God want Gideon to get rid of most of his army?

When the Israelites won the battle, God didn’t want them boasting that they had done it in their own strength. He wanted the odds to be so overwhelming that there would be no doubt at all about from where the victory came. So, God said that everyone who was afraid could leave. 22,000 men left.

Why would God want the men who were afraid to leave?

On a practical level, people do irrational things when they panic. Panic was a major factor in the defeat of the enemy army.

More seriously, however, fear was an indication of lack of trust. God had already promised victory over the enemy. That being the case, the men should have been confident of the outcome. That they feared in spite of God’s specific instructions and promise showed that they doubted that God either could, or would, do as He promised.

Application: How does this apply to us?

Paul wrote to Timothy, “For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline. So do not be ashamed to testify about our Lord...” (2 Timothy 1:7-8 NIV) Since Christians have been given power, they have no reason to be afraid to testify. Their love for others will compel them to do what is the other person’s best interest. God also gives them the discipline which enables them to testify.

The Apostle, Peter, also writes that we are not to fear. “Who is going to harm you if you are eager to do good? But even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed. “Do not fear what they fear; do not be frightened.” But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect,” (1 Peter 3:13-15 NIV) Here we see that the key to not fearing is to recognize that Christ is Lord. It is He who is in control, and He will determine the outcome. If we are His, then there is no reason to fear what someone may do to us. Nothing can happen which the Lord does not allow.

Even after all who were afraid had left, there were still too many with Gideon to suit God. He used a simple test to whittle the number of men down to 300. Some people suggest that the reason God chose those who brought the water up to their mouths, and rejected those who put their mouths down to the water, is that those who scooped up the water remained on alert even while drinking. This, or some other reason is possible, but it’s probably best not to read anything into how the men drank. God simply wanted a small number so nobody could say that the defeat of the enemy wasn’t God’s doing.

Lesson: Numbers don’t matter. What matters is if we are doing God’s will. All we have to do is be obedient and leave the outcome to Him. He will give the victory, regardless of the odds. One is a majority if God is with that one.

II. Appearances Can Be Deceiving (Judges 7:9-22)

From a human point of view, the odds against Gideon and his men looked overwhelming. There was no chance that they could take on an enemy who were as “thick as locusts”, and whose camels “could no more be counted than the sand” (Judges 7:12). In spite of appearances, however, God was already at work. To give Gideon courage, God let him overhear an unsettling dream one of the Midianites had.

Lesson: God isn’t restricted to using conventional means. He uses ‘psychological warfare’ as well as other means to accomplish His will. Just because we might not be able to see overt action, doesn’t mean that God isn’t at work.

Gideon used a little psychological warfare of his own. What did he do?

He divided his forces into three groups and sent them around on all sides of the enemy camp. At Gideon’s signal, they broke clay pots, showed torches, yelled a war-cry and blew trumpets (that is, ram’s horns). The combination of noise from all directions, and the sudden appearance of what appeared to be 300 columns of troops (normally, only leaders blew horns) totally demoralized the Midianites. In their panic to get away, they started slaughtering each other.

Application: How does this apply to us today?

It’s human nature to be impressed by power. It’s even more human to rely on power – even to accomplish God’s will. All too often, we depend on our own strength, or we get discouraged because of our lack of strength, when we should rely on God. “...‘Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,’ says the LORD Almighty.” (Zechariah 4:6 NIV)

Just as important, we shouldn’t accept the world’s evaluation of us. To the world, we look weak and foolish – and we are. But what the world fails to recognize is that God deliberately uses the weak and foolish to turn the world’s value system on its head. “...God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things – and the things that are not – to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him.” (1 Corinthians 1:27-29 NIV. To get the full context, read verses 18 through 25.)

As long as we are with God, and rely on Him, there is nothing which can stand in our way or out-smart us. The power of the world, its smarts and value system simply cannot compete against anyone who is obeying what God has told him to do.

III. A Gentle Answer (Judges 7:23-8:3)

The Midiantes and other eastern peoples were finally able to mount a disorganized retreat. Gideon called out the tribes to pursue and asked the men of Ephraim to seize the fords of the Jordan. In this way a large number of the enemy were trapped between the pursuing and blocking forces. In the process, two of the Midianite kings were captured and killed.

In spite of this victory, Gideon was criticized. What was the basis of the criticism?

When Gideon mustered the original army, he had not included Ephraim (see Judges 7:35). The Ephraimites apparently decided to interpret this as an insult; proof that Gideon thought they were good enough for mop-up operations but not up to the initial assault. It seems that they did not stop to consider that Gideon had only called up troops who lived near the enemy encampment. His exclusion of Ephraim had nothing to do with their valor, but with the fact that they lived a long ways away from the battlefield.

How did Gideon defuse the situation?

He pointed out that the men of Ephraim had been able to accomplish far more than his own tribe. Ephraim had gathered in far more of the pickings (presumably referring to the loot). Even more importantly, they had gotten the glory by taking the two kings. In comparison, Gideon hadn’t accomplished much at all.

By being willing to put ego aside and give credit to the men of Ephraim, Gideon was not only able to calm them down, he was able to continue the pursuit of the enemy. If he had allowed himself to be distracted by a petty squabble, he would have stirred up bad feeling among the tribes, and allowed a large portion of the enemy to escape.

Gideon’s action is an excellent example of the proverb, “A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.” (Proverbs 15:1 NIV)

Application: How is Gideon’s example relevant to us?

Friction between God’s people is still one of the main hindrances to fulfilling His will. We need to learn to solve disputes and be reconciled to one another so that we will not be distracted from the work God has given us to do. Paul writes, “Don’t have anything to do with foolish and stupid arguments, because you know they produce quarrels. And the Lord’s servant must not quarrel; instead, he must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful. Those who oppose him he must gently instruct, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth,” (2 Timothy 2:23-25 NIV)

IV. According To What They Have Done (Judges 8:4-21)

Actions have consequences. Sooner or later we will have to answer, or be rewarded, for what we’ve done. It may seem that people get away with things – and, in this life, they often do – at least for a while. But even if they do get away with something in this life, God will see that justice is done. A principle that is found time and again in Scripture is: “...you, O Lord, are loving. Surely you will reward each person according to what he has done.” (Psalm 62:12 NIV) We see this principle applied during Gideon’s pursuit of the kings of Midian.

Why wouldn’t the men of Succoth provide supplies to Gideon’s troops?

They pointed out that Gideon hadn’t yet captured the Midianite kings. Presumably, they thought that Gideon wouldn’t be able to do so and were afraid of reprisals. From a human point of view, their refusal to help made Gideon’s failure all the more likely.

What had the men of Succoth failed to take into account?

They failed to understand that the battle was not simply Gideon’s. Gideon was acting on God’s behalf to deliver the nation of Israel from the Midianites. Succoth’s refusal to help was not only a slap at Gideon and a betrayal of the Israelite nation, but a demonstration of unbelief in God and His ability to save.

The men of Peniel demonstrated the same disrespect and unbelief as Succoth. They, too, refused to help Gideon and his army.

What was the condition of the Midianite army when Gideon caught up with it?

1) Only 15,000 men were left. 120,000 swordsmen hard already fallen. In other words, the Midianite army had suffered a casualty rate of roughly 89%! Still, from a human point of view, the remaining 15,000 men was a formidable force in comparison to the 300 who were with Gideon.

Lesson: When God is with you the odds don’t matter. As long as you are doing God’s will, in His way, He will give you the victory in spite of your own exhaustion, your lack of supplies and the size of the enemy. “With your help I can advance against a troop; with my God I can scale a wall.” (2 Samuel 22:30, Psalm 18:29 NIV)

2) The army was unsuspecting (Judges 8:11). One would think that after the defeat they had suffered, the Midianites would have been especially alert so they wouldn’t be surprised again. However, they weren’t. Perhaps they felt secure because they were in friendly territory – knowing that the likes of the men at Succoth and Peniel sympathized or, at least, were not inclined to help their enemies. Perhaps they thought they had long outdistanced their pursuers. Perhaps they thought that the remnant of their army was still too large for anyone to tackle. In any event, they weren’t watching and Gideon’s men took them by surprise. He and his 300 routed the entire army and captured the two remaining Midianite kings.

Application: We also have an enemy. Never get complacent. The enemy might be a lot closer than you think. Don’t ever underestimate the enemy or let down your guard. “Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.” (1 Peter 5:8 NIV)

What did Gideon do to the men of Succoth and Peniel?

He treated them as their actions deserved. By not helping Gideon when he was on the Lord’s business, they had rebelled against God. They paid the price for their rebellion.

Aside from invading the land of Israel, what else had Zebah and Zalmunna done?

They were guilty of killing Gideon’s brothers. Since they had not spared Gideon’s brothers when they had the opportunity, Gideon treated them the same way. He executed them.

Application: We will also be treated according to what we’ve done. Our actions have eternal consequences. “God “will give to each person according to what he has done.” To those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honor and immortality, he will give eternal life. But for those who are self-seeking and who reject the truth and follow evil, there will be wrath and anger. There will be trouble and distress for every human being who does evil: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile; but glory, honor and peace for everyone who does good: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile. For God does not show favoritism.” (Romans 2:6-11 NIV)

V. Perils Of Success (Judges 8:22-32)

Gideon gained a great victory over Israel’s enemies because he allowed himself to be used by God. Sometimes, however, our greatest successes also carry the seeds of our defeat.

What did the Israelites want Gideon to do after the victory?

They wanted him and his sons to rule. Though they apparently did not use the word king, want they wanted Gideon to do amounted to becoming king. Fortunately, Gideon had enough sense to turn the offer down. He was clear that only God should rule over the nation.

What did Gideon ask the people to do for him?

Though Gideon turned down the kingship, he did ask the people to give him a portion of the loot they had taken from the Midianites. The people agreed and gave him about 43 pounds of gold.

What did Gideon do with the gold?

He made an ephod with it. Though he had refused to become king it seems that he may have had pretensions in regard to the priesthood. Ephods were worn by priests during their duties at the Tabernacle. Did Gideon think that he had the status of a priest because the Angel of the Lord had spoken with him?

What happened with the ephod?

Gideon apparently didn’t keep the ephod to himself. He must have let others know about it and even put it on display in his home town – for the Israelites began to worship it. Judges 8:27 indicates that even Gideon and his family did so. How ironic that a godly man could turn away from worshiping God to worshiping the blessing God had provided!

What else did Gideon do?

He gave himself up to sensualism. He married many wives and, in addition to them, had a mistress as well.

Application: Godliness should not be a one-time thing. Just because God uses us does not give us the license to ignore Him and live however we like afterwards. It’s possible to lose our salvation. God is looking for people who serve Him whole-heartedly, all the time. One spiritual victory does not mean that we can just rest on our laurels. “Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.” (1 Corinthians 9:25-27 NIV)

A Daughter’s Devotion (Judges 10:6-12:7)

Introduction: Hebrews, chapter 11, is known as the role-call of faith. It lists many of of the Old Testament heroes as examples of faith whom we should emulate. One of these people is Jephthah. Of all the Judges, Jephthah is one of the most interesting. He is a man who overcame extreme odds. He followed God and kept the covenant whole-heartedly, yet brought sorrow upon himself and his family because of one rash act. In spite of this one shortcoming, God was able to use Jephthah mightily.

I. More Than Lip Service (Judges 10:6-17)

As was so often the case during the time of the Judges, Jephthah’s story takes place in the context of disobedience. The Israelites had turned away from God once again.

What was different about what the Israelites did from previous occasions?

Not only did the Israelites worship the Baals and Ashtoreths, they also started worshiping the gods of Sidon, Moab, the Ammonites and the Philistines. Though not named in the text, this meant that Chemosh was one of the gods they worshiped. Child sacrifice was part of that worship, as it was among the Sidonians, as well.

What was God’s response to the Israelites’ unfaithfulness?

God handed them over to the Philistines and the Ammonites. The Israelites were shattered, crushed and oppressed for 18 years.

When the people finally cried out to God, what was His response?

God told them to go cry for salvation to the gods they had chosen. They had forsaken Him, so why should He save them?

It wasn’t until the Israelites actually acted in accordance to the repentance they professed, by getting rid of the foreign gods, that God was willing to act on their behalf.

Lesson: We can’t have it both ways. We can’t expect God to protect and care for us while we give our allegiance to someone else. We must serve Him wholeheartedly. The church in Laodicea tried to ride the fence and Jesus had some harsh things to say to it: “I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm – neither hot nor cold – I am about to spit you out of my mouth.” (Revelation 3:15-16 NIV)

II. Environment Does Not Make The Man (Judges 10:17-11:11)

When the Israelites cried out to God and showed their repentance by turning away from the foreign gods, He did not act directly, but through a person. That person was Jephthah.

What was Jephthah’s background?

Jephthah was the son of a prostitute. Not only that, his half-brothers by his father’s wife, deprived him of his inheritance and drove him away from the family. He had to flee to a different land and start over.

What did Jephthah’s relatives do when they got in trouble?

They asked Jephthah to come back and be their head. They acted as if the past had never happened and they had never mistreated Jephthah.

It’s remarkable that Jephthah was willing to let bygones be bygones. He did not try to get even with those who had mistreated him. Yes, he made sure that they meant what they said, but he did not hold a grudge against them.

Observation: A lot of people use their backgrounds as an excuse for their behavior. “It’s my parent’s fault I’m this way! I can’t help who I am – I grew up in the slums!” Etc. No matter what your background; no matter how you have been treated; no matter what your environment may have been or happens to be, you can be a man or woman of God. The key is allowing God to use you. Jephthah made a conscious effort to serve God. Notice that Jephthah was well aware that it would be the Lord’s doing if he was successful against the enemy (Judges 11:9). The first thing he did upon being made commander of Gilead was to seek the Lord at Mizpah (Judges 11:11).

III. Blessed Are The Peacemakers (Judges 11:12-29)

Many turn to violence as their first option when challenged or insulted. Jephthah did not do this. Before resorting to war he tried to find a peaceful resolution to the dispute.

What did Jephthah do?

1) Jephthah did not assume that he knew the situation. He asked the Ammonite king to explain why he was attacking.

2) He gave a reasoned response to the king demonstrating that the Ammonites were acting on wrong information. Not only were they acting on a false historical assumption, their justification for the assault on Israel was illogical.

3) Jephthah did not rely on his own strength, position or authority but appealed to the Ammonites on the basis of divine authority. He was willing to let God be the arbiter to settle the dispute – and to be the Judge of who was in the right.

IV. A Sacred Vow (Judges 11:30-40)

Jephthah’s attempt to settle the dispute with the Ammonites peaceably, failed. They ignored his message. It was after this that God’s Spirit moved Jephthah to take action against them.

Lesson: There’s a saying in Pakistan that you can’t clap with one hand. It means that people have to be willing to cooperate in order to accomplish some things. Peace is a wonderful ideal, but it only takes one to start a war. Scripture says, “If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.” (Romans 12:18 NIV) This verse indicates that while we should do whatever we can to maintain peace, peace may not always be possible. The other party has to be willing.

In addition to responding to the Ammonite aggression, what else did Jephthah do?

He took a vow to sacrifice to the Lord the first thing that came out of his house to greet him if God would give him victory over the Ammonites. Though Jephthah no doubt meant well, the vow was foolish and had tragic consequences.

God did give Jephthah a decisive victory over the Ammonites. This meant that the condition of Jephthah’s vow was met. Jephthah was obligated to sacrifice the first thing to come out of his house to meet him. What did come out?

Jephthah’s daughter, his only child, was the first to come out of the house. It seems incredible that Jephthah didn’t seem to think of this as possibility when he made his vow, but he was genuinely distressed when the first to greet him turned out to be his daughter (Judges 11:35). He must have been thinking that it would be a favorite animal or pet which would burst out of the house to greet him.

What does the vow tell us about the characters of Jephthah and his daughter?

1) Granted that the vow was foolish and there was no excuse for making it in the first place, it is highly significant that Jephthah made no attempt to get out of it. He accepted the consequences in spite of the loss and pain to himself. He loved God more than his daughter. “When you make a vow to God, do not delay in fulfilling it. He has no pleasure in fools; fulfill your vow. It is better not to vow than to make a vow and not fulfill it. Do not let your mouth lead you into sin. And do not protest to the temple messenger, “My vow was a mistake.” Why should God be angry at what you say and destroy the work of your hands?” (Ecclesiastes 5:4-6 NIV)

2) Jephthah’s daughter did not try to get out of it. She loved both her father and God more than her own life. “Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.” (John 15:13 NIV)

3) The daughter kept her moral standards. Many people, knowing they only had two months to live, would have cut loose and tried to experience all the carnal pleasures they could in the time they had. Jephthah’s daughter obviously had been looking forward to marriage (Judges 11:37). Though she knew she would never have the opportunity to marry because of her father’s vow, she did not compensate by indulging in sexual activity. The text clearly states that she remained a virgin (Judges 11:39).

4) Jephthah trusted his daughter. When she asked for two months to roam the hills with her friends, he let her go. His trust was not misplaced. She was trustworthy. Under similar circumstances, many people would have fled as far away as they could. Jephthah’s daughter, however, was more noble. When the two months were up, she returned home so the vow could be fulfilled.

There is a strong parallel between Jephthah’s daughter and Isaac. It’s likely that both of them were about the same age – in their late teens or early twenties. Both were caught in situations not of their own making. Both were designated as a sacrifice. Both willingly cooperated with their fathers in becoming the sacrifice. Isaac was spared by God’s intervention. Jephthah’s daughter was not, yet both had the same deep, abiding faith in God. Both are examples of the kind of living faith we ought to have.

Lesson: What a contrast Jephthah and his daughter make to so many people today! To them a vow, even a foolish or ill-considered one, was sacred. It could not be broken regardless of the cost. All too often, the people of today pay little attention to what they vow. Any inconvenience or discomfort serves as an excuse to disregard what they have promised to do.

V. Looking For Trouble (Judges 12:1-7)

Unfortunately, Jephthah had to face yet another tragedy – the tragedy of civil war. The men of Ephraim accused him of insulting them by not summoning them to help fight against the Ammonites. They also threatened violence against Jephthah.

Like the Ammonites, the men of Ephraim would not listen to reason. They crossed over the Jordan River and invaded Jephthah’s territory of Gilead. Since they left Jephthah no option but to fight, Jephthah obliged them and soundly defeated them.

How did Jephthah secure his victory?

His men captured the fords over the Jordan River. When someone tried to cross, they made him say a particular word. If he couldn’t pronounce it properly (he could only say it with an Ephraimite accent), they killed him. Because they insisted on fighting Jephthah, the tribe of Ephraim lost 42,000 men.

Note: Because of this incident, the word ‘Shibboleth’ has entered into the English language. It refers to anything which is used as a pass/fail test.

Lesson: Scripture instructs us to: “Make every effort to live in peace with all men and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord.” (Hebrews 12:14 NIV) However, if you are going to pick a fight, make sure that you are big enough to finish it.

Application: Take time to count the cost before stirring up confrontation. Be willing to listen to reason and try to settle differences before they escalate into disputes. Jesus said, “Or suppose a king is about to go to war against another king. Will he not first sit down and consider whether he is able with ten thousand men to oppose the one coming against him with twenty thousand? If he is not able, he will send a delegation while the other is still a long way off and will ask for terms of peace.” (Luke 14:31-32 NIV) Another time He said, “...all who draw the sword will die by the sword.” (Matthew 26:52 NIV)

Woman Trouble (Judges 13:1-16:31)

Introduction: One of the amazing things about God is that He is able to use all kinds of people and situations to implement His will. Jephthah was a man who overcame a horrible background and upbringing to become a godly man of deep faith. In contrast to him, Samson had everything going for him. He had godly parents who were concerned about bringing him up to serve God. Yet, in spite of his godly heritage, Samson proved to be a man who cared little for God’s Law or the Covenant. In spite of his very flawed character, God was still able to use Samson to rescue the people of Israel from their oppressors.

I. A Great Beginning (Judges 13:1-25)

The story of Samson begins with his parents, Manoah and his wife. What problem did they have and what was the significance of it?

Manoah’s wife was sterile. It was impossible for her to have children. Therefore, when Samson was born, there could be no doubt that it was of God.

What sort of people were Samson’s parents?

They apparently were godly people who wanted to serve Him.

1) His mother listened when the Lord appeared to her.

2) His father asked for instructions on how to raise the child.

3) They sacrificed to the Lord.

In Judges 13:7, the Lord said that Samson would be a Nazarite his entire life. What is a Nazarite?

A Nazarite was someone who was specially consecrated and set apart for service to God. Usually, a Nazarite vow was in effect for a short period of time – for as little as 30 days. In Samson’s case, however, it was a lifetime commitment. Aside from being set apart for special service, there were three things which marked a Nazarite (see Numbers 6:1-21):

1) He or she had to abstain from all products of the grape vine including wine, as well as all fermented drinks.

2) He or she could not use a razor. He or she had to let his or her hair grow uncut.

3) He or she could not go near a dead body.

II. Consorting With The Enemy (Judges 14:1-20)

In spite of godly parents and a great upbringing, Samson soon demonstrated that he did not have a very high regard for God or the Covenant. God had said that Samson would begin to free the Israelites from the domination of the Philistines (Judges 13:5). However, instead of regarding the Philistines as enemies or the opponents of God’s people, it seems like Samson was on friendly terms with them. He traveled freely among the Philistines and decided that he wanted to marry a Philistine girl.

On what basis did Samson decide he wanted to marry this woman?

His decision was apparently based solely on looks. He didn’t even know the woman, yet had to have her as his wife. It was only after he had bullied his parents into making the marriage arrangements that he met and talked to the woman. In other words, Samson allowed himself to be driven by his emotions and his lust.

Question: What are you looking for in a wife? A hot looking body or a godly character? What criteria are important to you in making your choice of a spouse? Are you being driven and controlled by your lusts? Are you ignoring godly counsel from your parents in regard to marriage?

Wait a minute! Verse 4 says that the Lord was involved in Samson’s decision to marry the Philistine. Yet, Deuteronomy 7:1-3 specifically forbade the Israelites from intermarrying with the pagan peoples who lived in Canaan. Was God being inconsistent?

A legalist would say that the Philistines are not specifically named in Deuteronomy 7, therefore the prohibition on intermarriage did not apply to them. However, the same objection still applies. The Philistines were uncircumcised (Judges 14:3) which is simply another way of saying that they were not included in the covenant relationship with God. They were pagan idolaters and the same danger existed with them as with the other pagan peoples in Canaan: Intermarriage with them would seduce the Israelites into idolatry.

Why, then, was God’s hand in Sampson’s marriage to a pagan? This incident illustrates an extremely important principle: God will help us along whatever path we choose. For example, 2 Thessalonians 2:10-12 says, “...They perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. For this reason God sends them a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie and so that all will be condemned who have not believed the truth but have delighted in wickedness.” (NIV)

Even though Sampson violated the Covenant by marrying a pagan woman, God was still able to use his ungodly desires and decision to accomplish His plan.

Application: Are there guidelines for whom Christians may marry? If so, what are the standards? Yes, there are! The most important one is that Christians must marry only in the Lord. In other words, a Christian may not marry someone who is not a Christian. (See 1 Corinthians, chapter 7 and 9:5.)

Aside from marrying a pagan woman, in what other way did Sampson disregard the Covenant?

Leviticus, chapter 11 contains detailed instructions about clean and unclean food. One of the principles in that chapter is that any food which comes into contact with the carcass of an unclean animal also becomes unclean. Therefore, the honey which Sampson took out of the carcass of the lion was unclean. He should not have eaten it.

Sampson also showed disregard and disrespect to his parents by giving them some of the honey. The text specifically says that Sampson did not tell them where he got it. By giving unclean food to them, he caused them to unintentionally violate the Covenant.

The riddle at the wedding feast exposed another weakness in Sampson’s character. He allowed his wife to wheedle the answer out of him. His inability to resist whining and coaxing was to have tragic consequences later on. There is nothing so pathetic as a man who thinks he’s clever, witty and strong, but who lets others manipulate him and lead him around by the nose.

Sampson was not the only individual in this episode to make wrong choices. His wife proved to be disloyal to him as well as conniving. Instead of telling her husband of the threats which had been made against her and her family, she chose to work against her husband. Because of her choice the very thing she hoped to avoid eventually took place. She and her family were burned to death.

III. Jawboning (Judges 15:1-20)

After Sampson cooled down he went to visit his wife only to find out that she had been given to someone else. His response is a classic example of how things escalate when we take our own revenge. Instead of venting his anger on the one family who had wronged him, he brought tremendous economic hardship on a large segment of the population by burning the harvest and destroying the vineyards and olive groves.

Whatever else we might say about Sampson, he must have had a lot of skill and cunning in order to capture 300 foxes. His method of burning the crops was ingenious (though hard on the foxes!) yet it wasn’t clever enough for people not to figure out who was responsible.

What did the Philistines do in retaliation for the loss of their crops?

They reciprocated with a burning of their own. They burned Sampson’s former wife and her father to death. This was the very fate she had tried to avoid by wheedling the answer to the riddle out of Sampson.

What did Sampson do when he heard about the burning?

He retaliated for the killing by killing many others.

Lesson: Once the cycle of revenge gets going, it’s very hard to stop it, and stop it from escalating. This is probably one reason why God reserves revenge to Himself.

Sampson’s actions brought the Philistines out in force. It’s interesting to note to what extent the Israelites were under the Philistine thumb. The men of Judah explicitly said that the Philistines were ruling over them (Judges 15:11). The men from Judah were so cowed by the Philistines that they were willing to do the dirty work of binding Sampson and handing him over to them – though, to their credit, they were unwilling to kill Sampson themselves.

When his enemies approached him, Sampson shucked off the ropes which bound him and snatched up a donkey’s jawbone to use as a weapon. In the power of God’s Spirit he killed another 1,000 Philistines.

IV. Letting His Hair Down (Judges 16:1-31)

At least three times in Sampson’s career he had experienced the power of the Spirit of the Lord (Judges 14:6, 14:19, 15:14). God had also miraculously opened up a spring at his request (Judges 15:19). So, it is all the more pathetic that Sampson allowed his lusts to lead him into violating the Covenant.

What was wrong with what Sampson did?

One of the 10 Commandments is, “You shall not commit adultery.” (Exodus 20:14, Deuteronomy 5:18) In addition Leviticus 19:29 specifically links prostitution with wickedness. By sleeping with a prostitute, Sampson was violating his covenant relationship with God.

One of the tragedies of sin is that it deceives us into thinking that we can get away with it. Sampson got away with his escapade at Gaza and made the townspeople look foolish while he was at it. The fact that there didn’t seem to be any negative consequences from what he did at Gaza may have emboldened Sampson to fool around with Delilah. With her all of his weaknesses caught up with him and led to his downfall.

1) Sampson mistook physical attraction for loyalty. Just because someone has a great body and/or is willing to sleep with you does not mean they will be faithful to you. They may well have an ulterior motive for giving you their favors.

Application: Choose your friends wisely. Always give a higher priority to godliness than looks or sexuality. Someone who cares for God and His standards will always be a much more loyal friend or companion than someone who is worldly, regardless of their looks, talents or personality.

2) Sampson allowed himself to be worn down by Delilah’s badgering. Notice how each time he said something to her, he got a little closer to the truth – until he had given the secret of his strength away.

Application: Someone who keeps after you to do what is wrong does not have your best interests at heart. Most often, they are setting you up for betrayal.

3) Sampson had way too high an opinion of himself and his own strength. He made the mistake of thinking that the exploits God had enabled him to perform were really his own. Judges 16:20 says that he didn’t even know that the Lord had left him.

Application: If we do not guard our hearts and the abilities God has given us, the time will come when God takes them away – and we won’t even realize it until it is too late. Jesus said, “Whoever has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him.” (Matthew 13:12 NIV)

Sampson paid a high price for his folly. The Philistines gouged out his eyes, put him to hard labor and made him perform for them. It was only when he allowed his hair to grow again (returning to the Nazarite vow) and he called out to God, that God allowed Sampson’s strength to return. At the very end of his life he finally learned the lesson of the need to depend on God rather than on oneself. In one final display of God’s power, Samson brought down the Philistine’s temple to Dagon, thus killing many thousands of his enemies.

Lesson: Sin always carries a price. However, whatever tragic circumstances we may be in because of our sin, God can still use us if we repent and turn to Him. No, we will never be able to experience the good we would have known had we followed God as we should have, but we can still give whatever we are and whatever we have left to His service. He can still bring good even out of ruined and wasted lives. How much better, though, to serve God from the beginning so we don’t have to experience the loss and degradation brought on by sin!

Moral Compromise (Judges 17:1-18:31)

Introduction: There comes a time in everyone’s life when we have to make a moral choice. Will we do what is right, or what will bring us position, prestige or money? Will we serve God or will we put our career ahead of Him? In Judges, chapter 17 several people had to make moral choices.

At first blush it might not seem that there is any connection between Micah and the events recorded in chapter 17 and Sampson. However, consider the following:

1) The events of chapter 17 take place in the hill country of Ephraim – the same general area that Sampson was from.

2) The 1,100 shekels of silver that Micah stole is the same amount that the Philistine rulers agreed to give Delilah for betraying Sampson.

3) Micah’s father is not named.

Because of these facts, some commentators think that Micah was the son of Sampson and Delilah. If so, the unnamed woman in this chapter is Delilah and the story of Micah is really the sequel to the story of Sampson.

I. An Unfilial Son (Judges 17:1-6)

In some ways it seems that Micah, like so many people, was looking for blessings in all the wrong ways. The story begins with a theft. Micah stole money from his own mother. Presumably he would not have done so unless he thought he would benefit in some way from it. However, when he heard his mother pronounce a curse on it, he decided that the money would bring him trouble instead of blessing. To avoid the curse, he confessed what he had done to his mother.

What was his mother’s reaction when Micah told her he had the money?

1) She neutralized the curse by pronouncing a blessing upon him.

2) She dedicated part of the money to the Lord.

What’s wrong with this picture?

Though she dedicated part of the money to the Lord, her idea of doing so was to make idols with it. Apparently, she wanted to please the Lord while, at the same time, appeasing the pagan gods of Canaan. Perhaps she was trying to combine what she felt were the best traditions of both religious systems. It is incredible that anyone would try to do this as one of the most fundamental commandments of the Law was not to make idols or to worship them (Exodus 20:4-5).

Application: There are many people who want the benefits of being in Christ without giving up the world. We can’t have it both ways. We must serve God whole-heartedly, or not at all. God will not share His glory with any other god.

Once the idols were made what did Micah do?

He installed one of his own sons as priest and fitted him out with an ephod. The priests were supposed to come only from the tribe of Levi. Since Micah was not a Levite (he most probably was associated with the tribe of Dan (Judges 13:2)) this was another clear violation of the Mosaic Law.

II. An Opportunist (Judges 17:7-13)

After these events, another opportunity for blessing, at least according to Micah’s way of thinking, came his way. He must have realized that installing one of his own sons as priest was contrary to God’s instructions. So, when a genuine Levite arrived looking for a place to stay, Micah was delighted. Micah installed this man as priest and assumed that he now had God’s blessing.

Where were the priests supposed to serve?

They were supposed to serve at the Tabernacle. They were not free to conduct worship wherever they pleased – and certainly not lead in idol worship at a private shrine in someone’s house!

What was the Levite’s motivation in becoming Micah’s priest?

Apparently, his main concern was money, position and status (compare Judges 18:4 and 18:19-20). He was more than willing to violate the Law to land a cushy job.

We’re not told why the Levite left the place where he had been living in Judah. However, he apparently was well known – the men from Dan recognized his voice (Judges 18:3). This is speculation, but could it be that this man was not satisfied with his duties at the Tabernacle and tried to set up his own center of worship in Judah? It almost sounds like the reason he was looking for a place to stay was that he had worn out his welcome in Judah.

Application: There are many, even today, who view religion as a profession, rather than a ministry or service. Their motive is selfish. They are looking for a good-paying or secure occupation. Such people are not stable. They are willing to compromise truth and principles if it will get them more money or more status. Jesus warned His disciples against such ‘hirelings’ in John, chapter 10. Paul also warned Timothy about those who think godliness is a means to financial gain in 1 Timothy 6:3-10.

III. Secret Agents (Judges 18:1-10)

The tribe of Dan had been alloted land along the Mediterranean seacoast, just north of Philistine territory. However, they ran into difficulties when they tried to take the land from the Canaanites (see Joshua 19:40-48). Because they were unable to conquer the land they were alloted, the tribe of Dan did not have any place they could call their own. They lived an unsettled existence among the other tribes.

To rectify this state of affairs, they sent out some warriors to find a place where they could settle. On their way they passed by Micah’s house and recognized the voice of the priest he had installed. They asked him to inquire of the Lord for them and the priest assured them that their mission would be successful.

Did the priest give the men a genuine message from God?

The text does not say whether the message was genuine or not. However, it is unlikely that God would answer a renegade priest who had no qualms about serving in a private shrine filled with idols. It’s more likely that the priest told the men what they wanted to hear. If this is so, it helps explain why these men were eager to make the man the priest of the whole tribe.

Regardless of whether the message was genuine or not, the men did find a place which met the needs of the tribe. They spied out the place and returned to their clan with the news it could be taken easily.

IV. On The Make (Judges 18:11-21)

Based on the scouts’ report, 600 warriors and their families prepared to move on the unsuspecting people of Laish. On the way, they stopped again at Micah’s house.

What was the Danites’ attitude toward other peoples’ property?

They had little or no regard for the rights of others. They went into Micah’s house without a “by your leave” and took the idols and the ephod.

How did the priest respond to the Danites’ actions?

At first, the priest tried to stop the theft. However, when they offered him a position with the tribe, he gladly joined in the theft and left with people of Dan. Though he had already demonstrated that he was an opportunist, this incident left no doubt that he cared nothing for principle. He would do anything for money or added prestige.

Question: What motivates us? Can we be bought? Do we think of work in the church in terms of career, or do we look at it as service and ministry?

V. Might Makes Right (Judges 18:22-31)

The men of Dan showed that they had no more scruples or principles than the priest did. When Micah protested the theft of his idols, they threatened to kill him and his family.

They showed even less pity to the inhabitants of Laish. They attacked the city without warning and wiped it out. Then they took it and the surrounding territory for themselves.

Wasn’t their action justified by the fact that God had told the Israelites to wipe out the Canaanites?

The text does not specifically say one way or the other. However the text does emphasize that the people of Laish were peaceful and unsuspecting. From the way the account is written, it sounds disapproving of what the Danites did. Also, it is possible that the territory they took was outside of the original land grant to the Israelites. At least, it was on the very edge of the allotment, if not outside it altogether. On the other hand, Sidon was included in the original allotment, and the people of Laish were associated with Sidon. In any case, it is clear that the people of Dan were operating on the theory that might makes right. They took the territory because they could.

Even if the tribe of Dan was justified in conquering the territory of Laish, they proved that they were no better than the people they displaced. They set up and used the idols they had stolen from Micah. In addition, contrary to God’s instructions, they installed their own priests. They setup their center of worship in defiance of the Tabernacle which was at Shiloh.

Question: Where is our loyalty? Do we worship as God has directed or do we do things however we want?

Homecoming (Ruth 1:1-22)

Introduction: The book of Ruth is not only a literary gem (it is a classic example of how a short story should be written), it is also a powerful account of faith and redemption. It is also a love story – not only between a man and a woman, but between daughter-in-law and mother-in-law. Most of all, it is the story of the incredible love of God.

I. Descent Into Bitterness (Ruth 1:1-7)

In Ruth chapter 1, verses 13 and 20, Naomi says that she is bitter. She even went so far as to change her name to bitter (Mara means bitter). What cause did she have to become bitter?

1) She and her family were driven from their home in Judah by famine.

2) Her husband died while they were in Moab.

3) Both of her sons also died after marrying Moabite women.

What was the spiritual reality behind these events?

In Deuteronomy, chapter 28, God specifically promised the Israelites that if they were faithful to the Covenant, they would not experience famine. Conversely, if they were unfaithful, famine would be one of the consequences. Since the book of Ruth opens with a famine, we can infer that it took place during one of the many times during the period of the Judges when the Israelites turned away from God. Instead of fleeing God’s discipline, Elimelech and his family should have stayed in Bethlehem and done what they could to turn the people back to God. It’s ironic that the people who did stay prospered, while this family suffered further loss.

Not only did the family flee, the sons entered into forbidden marriages. Deuteronomy 23:3-6 specifically forbade the Israelites from intermarrying with Moabites. The women the sons married were pagans. They may have stopped some of their pagan practices when they entered the family, but it is clear that Orpah never converted, and Ruth did not enter into covenant relationship with God until she and Naomi started the journey to Bethlehem.

In summary, it seems like this family did not have a very high regard for God’s Law. This may be one reason why Naomi’s husband and sons died. They rejected God’s discipline. The same disregard for God’s Law and rejection of discipline turned Naomi bitter.

Tangent: Christians have a similar command regarding marriage to those who aren’t. (See 2 Corinthians 6:14-18; 1 Corinthians 7:39) Unfortunately, in spite of the commands, marriage to unbelievers is just as much a snare to Christians as marriage to pagans was to the Israelites. Further, in spite of clear teaching to the contrary, we tolerate and accept divorce and remarriage. What right do we have to complain about things like ‘gay marriage’ when we, ourselves, disregard God’s laws about marriage? Those of us who belong to Christ have an obligation to obey in this, as in all things. A Christian may marry only another Christian. The commands also apply to our children. We must encourage those who are Christians to marry only in the Lord and to stay committed to their marriage partners for life. The converse is also true. If our children are not Christians then we have an obligation to do what we can to prevent them from marrying those who are.

Application: Rejection of discipline leads to Rationalization and justification of further wrong. This, in turn, leads to Denial of responsibility for consequences and, Blame and bitterness towards others.

It’s so easy to get started on the down-hill slide! I can imagine that the reasoning of this family must have gone something like this: 1) There’s a famine in Bethlehem, if we want to eat we’ll have to go somewhere else. 2) Well, we’re in Moab not Israel, who else is there to marry but a Moabitess? I’m sorry that she’s a pagan, but would you please show me someone around here who isn’t? 3) Hey, I’m not to blame for what happened, God’s the one who forced us to move here. 4) Some God He is, He makes us come down here and then kills my family and leaves me saddled with a couple of pagan daughters-in-law.

Lesson: It’s better to repent than to undergo greater discipline. It’s better to starve that to separate ourselves from God’s people. It’s better to remain single than to marry someone outside the Lord.

II. Entering Covenant (Ruth 1:8-18)

When Naomi heard that the famine had ended, she decided to return to Bethlehem. Her daughters-in-law decided to go with her. What did Naomi tell them to do?

She urged them to return to their families. Implied in this is that they would return to their pagan ways and gods. Naomi makes this explicit in Ruth 1:15. Even though Naomi told the women to go back to their pagan gods, she still asks the Lord to show kindness to them (Ruth1:8).

What were the gods of Moab and what were they like?

The principle god of Moab was Chemosh which the Bible describes as detestable, vile (NIV) and an abomination (NASB updated, NKJ) (1 Kings 11:7, 2 Kings 23:13). They also worshiped the Baal of Peor (Numbers 25:1-3). The worship of these gods involved sexual promiscuity. All worshipers were expected to offer their bodies as part of the worship. Chemosh worship also involved child sacrifice (2 Kings 3:26-27).

We do not know if Orpah and Ruth had been involved in this kind of activity before they married into Naomi’s family. However, we can say that they had been raised to accept such behavior as normal and good.

In view of this, how could Naomi expect God to bless Orpah and Ruth if they went back to their pagan families?

Naomi apparently had a very faulty understanding about God’s expectations. The word which is translated “kindness” is the Hebrew hesed. While this word certainly means ‘kindness’ or, ‘to deal kindly,’ it is also a technical term which is used to describe how people who are in a covenant relationship are to treat one another. Implied in the term is helping the other person to keep the terms of the covenant. But Naomi is implying that it really doesn’t matter how you live. In other words, Naomi is telling the girls it’s okay to worship other gods, be promiscuous and sacrifice your children, God will still bless you!

Lesson: Naomi’s attitude is very similar to what we encounter today. People who are really serious about living for Christ are often considered intolerant bigots. “Quit trying to shove your morality down our throats!” “You worship God in your way and let us worship Him in ours!” But God makes it very clear that we do have to make a choice. We either serve Him or we do not. There is no middle ground. “You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons too; you cannot have a part in both the Lord’s table and the table of demons. Are we trying to arouse the Lord’s jealousy? Are we stronger than he?” (1 Corinthians 10:21-22 NIV)

It could be argued that since Naomi says in Ruth 1:11 that Orpah is going back to her gods, she and Ruth had left their pagan practices behind when they had become members of Naomi’s family. Even if this is true, it is still a far cry from accepting God. Leaving an old lifestyle does not necessarily imply embracing a new one. Setting some sins aside is not equivalent to entering a covenant relationship with God. A radical commitment to God is necessary. Jesus told a parable about a man who swept his house clean of all evil, but didn’t replace the evil with anything. It just won’t work, long term. (See Matthew 12:43-45, Luke 11:23-26.) A person has to make a conscious choice to do what is right as well as turn away from wrong. Ruth seems to understand this principle far better than Naomi. She understands that she needs to make that full and final commitment before continuing the journey to Bethlehem.

Ruth has reached a crisis of faith. On the one hand, she is being urged to re-commit herself to her pagan past. On the other, she must fully commit herself to God if she is going to move forward. Fortunately, she chooses the path of covenant.

1) She bound herself to Naomi by a covenant oath.

2) As part of the oath, she also bound herself to Naomi’s God. No doubt Ruth still had much to learn about God and the Covenant. Yet she understood something of the One to whom she committed herself. That she understood the seriousness of what she was undertaking is indicated by the fact that this is the only time in the whole story where she uses the name “Yahweh” for God. In all other cases, she uses “Elohim.” By binding herself to Naomi’s God, Ruth also placed herself under God’s protection (see Ruth 2:12). From this point on, though she is from a different ethnic origin, Ruth can be considered a true Israelite.

III. Bitter Reaction (Ruth 1:19-21)

In spite of Ruth’s decision and obvious love for both Naomi and God, Naomi is consumed with bitterness. This affects how she responds to God and everyone around her.

1) Naomi blamed God for the misfortunes she has suffered (Ruth 1:20-21).

Lesson: If we cannot accept responsibility for our own sins and mistakes, then someone else must be at fault. All too often the one we end up blaming is God. We cannot both trust and blame God at the same time. We distance ourselves from the one we’re accusing of injustice.

2) Naomi took out her frustrations on those around her. The women of Bethlehem were exited when she came back to town. Instead of accepting their welcome and joy, she squelched them by telling them to call her Mara.

Lesson: Bitterness will cause us to reject kindness and sympathy. Bitterness and love are incompatible.

3) Naomi treated Ruth badly. She complained that the Lord had brought her back to Bethlehem empty. But was this true? Not at all. Can you imagine what Ruth, who was standing at Naomi’s side, must have felt like when she heard Naomi say, “I went away full, but the Lord has brought me back empty?” Ruth had left everything, her home, her friends, her life, her country, her gods, to come back with this woman, and Naomi treated her like dirt.

Lesson: Bitterness will cause us to disregard and inflict pain on the very people who are closest to us and love us the most.

IV. Returning Home (Ruth 1:22)

One of the themes in the story of Ruth is the concept of return. By the end of chapter one, who is it that has returned?

In a literal sense, only two people have returned. Orpah has returned to her former home and to her gods. Naomi has returned to Bethlehem but is bitter and claims to be empty. But there is another return as well. Though this is obscured by the NIV translation, in Ruth 1:22 the story-teller specifically says that Ruth, though she has never before been in Bethlehem, has also returned. This is reinforced in Ruth 2:6 “...the Moabitess who came back with Naomi.” I am not sure that I understand the full meaning of this. We do, however, live in a fallen world. The intimate fellowship which Adam and Eve enjoyed with God in Eden has been destroyed. May I suggest, that anytime someone joins him or herself to God’s people, in God’s sight it is viewed in terms of a homecoming. In Christ we have a foretaste of a restored relationship which will be completed in the ‘new heaven and earth’ (Revelation 21:1-4). True healing can never take place in the absence of a ‘return’ like Ruth experienced.

A Dose Of Kindness (Ruth 2:1-23)

Introduction: By the end of Ruth, chapter one, Naomi has returned physically to Bethlehem. But she still needs to make a spiritual return. She is bitter, and her bitterness has deeply affected her relationship with God, her neighbors and even Ruth, who has given up everything in her past in order to serve Naomi and enter into covenant with God.

In contrast to Naomi, Ruth has made a spiritual return. She has left her pagan past and embraced God. She has left her family and her people and joined the Israelite community. Though she has returned to God spiritually, she still faces a very uncertain future, physically. How will she live? How will she provide for herself?

A series of unexpected kindnesses provides the solutions to both Naomi’s and Ruth’s problems.

I. It So Happened (Ruth 2:1-16)

One of the unresolved mysteries of the book of Ruth is where the women lived when they arrived at Bethlehem. The text indicates that they had a house, but we are not told how they obtained it. Did it belong to Elimelech and Naomi before they went to Moab? If so, had it stood empty all the time they were away? Did someone take pity on Naomi and Ruth and provide them a house? We simply do not know.

Regardless of how they managed to get a roof over their heads, it was not the end of their problems. How were they to eat? How could they provide for themselves?

What was Ruth’s solution to this problem?

She asked Naomi for permission to go and glean in the grain harvest. It’s interesting to note that Naomi plays an entirely passive role at this stage of things. She apparently is so wrapped up in her own bitterness that she takes no interest in what is going on. She does not suggest any solution to the problem of how the women are going to live. She does not volunteer to accompany Ruth to the fields, even though she knew that Ruth was placing herself in danger to do so (see Ruth 2:2, 2:9-10, 2:22). When Ruth asks permission to go, Naomi grunts, what is in Hebrew, a two word answer.

What is gleaning, and what were the rules about it? (Leviticus 19:9-10, 23:22, Deuteronomy 24:19-21)

To glean means picking up the grain that the harvesters had missed or dropped while cutting the grain. The Law gave permission to four classes of people to glean: 1) The poor. 2) The alien. In other words, foreigners who happened to be in Israelite territory. 3)  The fatherless. 4) Widows. In other words, the privilege of gleaning was intended to supply the needs of those who did not have another means of support.

Ruth had an undoubted right to glean because she fit at least 3, and probably all 4, of these categories. In spite of her right under the Law, social conditions during the time of the Judges were so bad that she placed herself in danger in order to glean.

In whose field did Ruth end up, and what was the significance of this?

Ruth was granted permission to glean in a field belonging to Boaz. Unknown to her, Boaz was a relative of Elimelech. Boaz inquired who Ruth was and, when he found out, he showed her unexpected kindness. He included her in the mealtime fellowship. He gave her food. He allowed her to glean where she had no right (among the sheaves). He gave instructions to his men to look out for her interests. He insisted that she stay with his harvesters. In other words, Boaz treated Ruth like family instead of a stranger. Ruth had no idea who Boaz was, so she was astonished at his kind and generous treatment.

It’s interesting to note that our translations of Ruth 2:3 make it sound as if it were random chance that brought Ruth to Boaz’ field. Yet, in the Hebrew way of thinking, God is behind even what we regard as chance. Even though Ruth did not know who Boaz was and did not seek out his field intentionally; even though Boaz did not know who Ruth was at first, and did not seek her out, it was really God who brought the two together.

Lesson: Though we may not always be able to see it, God is in control and He works through seemingly random and unrelated circumstances to bring about good for His people. Do we have the faith to trust that He will provide what is best in all circumstances?

Tangent: How generous was Boaz to Ruth? The harvest season normally lasted 7 weeks (Deuteronomy 16:9-12). Assume that Ruth was able to work only 6 weeks and that she observed the Sabbath by working only 6 days per week. This makes a total of 36 days of gleaning.

Ruth 2:17 says that Ruth was able to glean an ephah’s worth of barley on the first day. Assuming she was able to glean an equivalent amount each day, this is 36 ephahs. An ephah is about ½ bushel (roughly 22 liters). This means that Ruth gleaned 18 bushels of grain. Assuming that it was equally divided between barley and wheat, she had 9 bushels of barley and 9 bushels of wheat.

Let’s say that the barley weighed only 40 pounds per bushel (these days barley is calculated at 48 pounds per bushel). Let’s also say that the wheat weighed only 55 pounds per bushel (the international standard is actually 60 pounds per bushel). This means that Ruth had at least 855 pounds of grain at the end of harvest.

According to ancient records, 1 or 2 pounds of grain was allotted each day to a male worker. Using the figure of 2 pounds, per person, per day, Ruth and Naomi had enough grain to supply their needs for about 214 days! This is in addition to the food that Boaz gave Ruth at the noon mealtimes.

Lesson: By any standard, Boaz was extremely generous to Ruth and Naomi. Yet his example also provides an extremely important lesson about how to give. Boaz could have just loaded up a donkey or two and delivered the grain to the house. But he didn’t do this. He allowed Ruth to work. In this way, he protected her dignity – she did not feel like a charity case. Boaz also rewarded her industry and initiative. In this way he reinforced Ruth’s positive traits without teaching her to become lazy and dependent on others. We, too, need to look for ways in which we can help people without demeaning them or teaching them to become irresponsible.

II. Blessed Be The Man! (Ruth 2:17-23)

Ruth’s unexpected success in gleaning so much grain worked to snap Naomi out of her self-centered depression.

How did Naomi react to the events of the day?

1) She blessed the man who had shown kindness to Ruth. This is the first gratitude or thankfulness she has shown during the entire book.

2) For the first time, Naomi has something positive to say about God.

3) Naomi begins to focus on the needs of others besides herself. Before, she had always had a lament about how terrible things are for her. Now she begins to think about Ruth’s future.

Tangent: There is a touch of humor in Ruth 2:21. It seems that Boaz is an older man (possibly even from Naomi’s generation) and he has a rather formal way of speaking. Though it does not come out in translation, when Ruth tells Naomi what Boaz had said to her, she mimics Boaz’ formal or stilted way of speaking. Is Ruth a bit of a tease? Ruth’s combination of devotion, respect, gratitude and impishness is something which most men find extremely attractive in a woman.

Lesson: Bitterness is self-centered. Our focus is on the perceived wrong that someone has done to us. Therefore, if we are ever to overcome it, we must transfer our focus from ourselves to others. Thankfulness seems to be the key. But how can we be thankful unless we recognize what others have done for us? The previous lesson pointed out that bitterness causes us to blame others for our own failings and that you can’t trust someone you are accusing of injustice. Thankfulness reverses this pattern. You can’t accuse someone of treating you unjustly when you are truly grateful to them! Perhaps this is why the New Testament places so much stress on the need to be thankful. As you have time, consider the following scriptures:

Romans 1:18-23 – ingratitude apparently is a factor in thinking becoming futile
Ephesians 5:3-20 – thankfulness is among the things contrasted with debauchery, etc.

Philippians 4:4-7 – thankfulness allows us to present requests to God, which leads to peace.

Colossians 2:6-7, 3:15-17, 4:2 – thankfulness is an inherent part of Christian living.

Romans 2:4 relates God’s goodness to a change of attitude in a very personal and practical way: “...do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, tolerance and patience, not realizing that God’s kindness leads you towards repentance?” (NIV)

Question: How thankful are we? Do we concentrate on the perceived wrongs which have been done to us, or do we concentrate on the blessings which we have received from God and from other people? Are we truly grateful for what God has done for us?

Faith Tested (Ruth 3:1-4:22)

Introduction: Thankfulness destroys bitterness. By the same token, getting rid of bitterness takes our focus off of self and enables us to think about others. Boaz’ generosity to Ruth (and by extension to Naomi) helped Naomi overcome the crippling bitterness and self-pity which had imprisoned her. She began to think about the future and to make plans for Ruth’s security. Specifically, Naomi developed a plan to get a husband for Ruth – and who better than the man who had already shown her so much kindness?

I. Incident At The Threshing Floor (Ruth 3:1-15)

Naomi’s heart was in the right place in that she wanted to secure Ruth’s future by getting her a husband. No doubt, Naomi wanted Ruth to be happy. However, Naomi’s methods are open to question.

What did Naomi tell Ruth to do?

She told Ruth to go to the threshing floor where Boaz was taking care of his harvest. She was to wait until Boaz was asleep and, then, uncover his feet.

These seem like very strange instructions! What’s going on?

It’s possible that Naomi chose this method of getting Boaz’ attention simply because, knowing Boaz and his habits, it was the best way to do so without a lot of people noticing. However, the narrator of the story uses a lot of Hebrew words which have double and triple meanings. Many of these meanings have sexual connotations. For example, the word ‘feet’ in Hebrew can also refer to genitals (see a literal translation of 2 Kings 18:27). The ‘wing’ of a garment is mentioned in other passages having to do with sexual intercourse (see Deuteronomy 22:30, 27:20). Other words in the text also can have sexual connotations. It’s almost like the narrator is deliberately raising the possibility. It’s even possible that Naomi told Ruth to seduce Boaz.

So what did happen at the threshing floor?

Even though Naomi may have suggested an improper means to entrap Boaz, and even though the narrator may have raised doubts in his audience’s mind about what took place at the threshing floor, he goes on to use specific language that tells us emphatically, that Boaz and Ruth remained pure in their interaction. In Ruth 3:10 Boaz specifically says that he knows that Ruth has not run after any men. Again, in Ruth 3:10, Boaz uses the technical word for kindness which refers to covenant keeping. In other words, he tells Ruth that she has helped him to keep covenant. From this we can infer that Ruth in no way – either in what she has said or in what she has done – has tempted Boaz to do anything contrary to God’s Law. Instead, she has helped helped him keep it. To cap it all off, the narrator uses a word for ‘stay’ in Ruth 3:13 which never has any sexual or immoral connotations. Both Ruth and Boaz have passed the test. They have both acted from pure motives and will continue to do so. Though Ruth has had the opportunity (and may have been actively encouraged by Naomi) to try to seduce Boaz, she chooses to do what is right in God’s eyes. She justifies the viewpoint of the townsmen that she is a woman of “noble character” (Ruth 3:11).

Lesson: Remember Ruth’s background. She grew up in a pagan environment where sexual promiscuity was not only accepted, but expected. We don’t know whether Ruth had participated in that lifestyle before she became part of Naomi’s household, but there’s no doubt that she had been raised to think of sexual promiscuity as normal. The incident at the threshing floor proves beyond doubt that Ruth had truly been converted and had entered into a covenant relationship with God. Conversion will always produce a change in life-style. Until that change occurs, not just in outward conformity but from the heart, conversion hasn’t really happened. Furthermore, while we can point to a specific time at which conversion occurred, it is a commitment that must be continually renewed and strengthened because we will be tested in the very things from which we have been converted. Ruth passed the test.

What did Boaz do for Ruth after she spoke to him at the threshing floor?

1) Boaz promised to marry Ruth if the nearer kinsman would not.

2) He gave her some grain to take back to Naomi. We aren’t told how much he gave her, but the narrator may be slyly teasing his audience by giving them a hint about how much Boaz cared for Ruth. The measure mentioned was most probably the ‘seah’ which was one third of an ephah. If this is so, then Boaz gave Ruth twice the amount she was normally able to glean during a day. Did Boaz deliberately give Ruth a ‘double portion’? A double portion was given not only to the first-born, but also to those who were especially loved or honored. (For example, see Deuteronomy 21:17, 1 Samuel 1:5, Isaiah 61:7.) Is this Boaz’ way of telling Ruth that he loves her?

II. Wait! (Ruth 3:16- 4:10)

Consider also, Boaz’ situation. He obviously has a high regard for Ruth and cares deeply for her. Yet, it is his responsibility to ask another man to marry her. Boaz does not know what the other man will do, nor what his own prospects are!

Lesson: It says a lot about both Ruth and Boaz that they were willing to leave the result to God. We often think of faith as belief. But often, faith is trusting God and waiting patiently for Him to take action. If we truly have faith, we will be content to wait, knowing that God will do what is best for us.

Lesson: What is love? Love is wanting what is the best for the person who is the object of our love. Boaz was willing for another man to marry Ruth if that was what was best for her. It says a lot about Boaz that he was willing to put his own personal desires and feelings aside to give the other man a chance to marry Ruth.

Question: How much do we love? Are we willing to give up the one we love if that is what is best for him or her?

How did Naomi have any land to sell? (Leviticus 25:14-17; 23-28)

According to the Law, rural land could not be sold. Rural land always reverted to the family either in the year of Jubilee or through redemption. When a sale took place, it was not the land per se, but rather the projected income from the land which was sold. (It could be likened to a commodities futures contract.) In Naomi’s case, it seems that the land had been sold before the family moved to Moab. If this is true, the only way the land could be reclaimed before the year of Jubilee was through the redemption process. This means that either the un-named kinsman-redeemer, or Boaz, could pay the person who currently possessed the land an amount based on the projected income remaining until the year of Jubilee, and the land immediately reverted to the family.

What laws governed Ruth’s marriage? (Deuteronomy 25:5-6)

The Law said that if a man died childless, his brother was supposed to marry the widow and have a son by her to carry on the family name. Ruth’s case doesn’t seem to fit the Deuteronomy passage exactly. The un-named redeemer wasn’t a brother of Ruth’s husband. However, the principle that God established was that widows should be provided for and a family name was not to be allowed to disappear. Since Boaz clearly states that no one else but the un-named redeemer had the right to buy the land, it seems logical that he also had the obligation to do so.

An alternative explanation might be that the obligation to marry Ruth did not fall under the Law at all. It is possible that the marriage was a condition imposed by Naomi before granting the right to redeem the land.

What reason did the kinsman give for not marrying Ruth?

He said that it would mess up his own estate. However, there does not seem to be any valid reason or circumstance where this is true. A son born to Ruth would have a right only to the land belonging to Naomi’s household. He would not have had a claim on any property belonging to the man who married his mother. It looks like the kinsman was simply making an excuse for not fulfilling his obligation to Ruth. (Of course, if he already had a wife and family, marrying Ruth could have caused a lot of domestic trouble for him!)

III. Naomi Has A Son! (Ruth 4:11-22)

The blessing which the elders pronounce on Boaz is interesting and worth noting.

“...like Rachel and Leah...” (Ruth 4:11)

“...Perez, whom Tamar bore...” (Ruth 4:12)

Both of these families were dysfunctional and characterized by deceit and sexual immorality. In spite of less than godly circumstances, God was still able to bring tremendous good and blessings from these families. Ruth’s marriage to Boaz was also outside the norm. Yet, the elders realized that God could bring tremendous blessing through it as well.

How is God’s faithfulness demonstrated by not allowing Ruth to have a child by her first husband? (Ruth 1:4-5, Deuteronomy 23:2)

Ruth had been party to a marriage which, from an Israelite perspective, was forbidden. In this circumstance it was God’s blessing that she was barren. If an heir had been born during the ten years of her marriage to Mahlon, she might not have had the opportunity to go to Israel, she might not have ever converted and she certainly wouldn’t have been able to marry Boaz. In addition to this, if Ruth had had a son by her first husband, he and his descendants would have been excluded from Israel.

How did God bless the Israelite nation and, ultimately, the whole world through Ruth?

Through her marriage to Boaz, Ruth became one of the ancestors of King David who, in turn, is one of the ancestors of Christ. It can be said that her redemption is a fore-shadowing of the redemption which Jesus was going to bring to all mankind. Her redemption was two-fold. On the one hand, she was redeemed from paganism, fore-telling that one day all mankind would be redeemed from sin. On the other hand, she was redeemed as a foreigner, which is a precursor to the plan of redemption being opened to the Gentiles.

Ruth’s place in the lineage of the Redeemer is not unique, however.

Who was Boaz’s mother? (Matthew 1:5)

Strictly speaking, the genealogy given in Matthew may not always be from father to son. There may be some generation skipping. In any case, the list names Rahab as Boaz’s mother. She, too, was a foreigner and came from a pagan background (Joshua 2:11). Though Scripture is not explicit about this, the context may indicate that the same was true of Tamar (Genesis 38:6, 13-22). Though Leah was related to Jacob, she was a foreigner in the sense that she lived in another country and came from a different branch of the family. She, too, may have been a pagan (Genesis 31:19, 35:2-4). God can use us no matter who we are or how unsavory our background.

Note that two people in the story of Ruth forfeited their opportunity of being part of the lineage of redemption. The first is Orpah who turned her back on it. The text does not specify which of Naomi’s two sons was the older. (The one who would inherit most of the property.) Since Kilion is listed first in the section dealing with the legal aspects of the property transfer, it is possible that he was the oldest. If that is the case, Orpah would have had precedence over Ruth. Had she turned to the Lord, she might have been the one through whom the Messiah eventually came.

The second person to miss out on becoming part of the lineage of redemption is the un-named redeemer. He lost he chance to play a part in redemptive history by refusing to accept his family obligations toward Ruth and Naomi.

Lesson: Two people missed out of becoming part of salvation history because they turned away from the opportunities God gave them. What about us? How do we respond when God asks us to do something? Do we respond in faith as Ruth did, or do we turn away as Orpah and the un-named kinsman-redeemer did?

A New Order (1 Samuel 1:1-2:26)

Introduction: The time of the Judges was a time of chaos and social upheaval. The books of Samuel mark a transition from chaos to order. The books record at least three transitions:

1) There is a transition from a bad priest and a corrupted priesthood to a faithful priest who restored spiritual order.

2) There is a transition from a bad king to a righteous king who founded a lasting dynasty.

3) There is a transition from anarchy, where “everyone did as he saw fit” (Judges 17:6 NIV), to a central administration.

These transitions started with a change in the priesthood.

I. A Man And His Wife (1 Samuel 1:1-8)

1st Samuel begins with a lengthy description of Elkanah’s lineage. The thing to note is that he is called an Ephraimite – that is, someone who belongs to Ephraim. But, 1st Chronicles 6:16 and verse 22, make it clear that he was from the priestly tribe of Levi. So, when Elkanah is called an Ephraimite, it must refer to where he lived – amongst the tribe of Ephraim – not his ancestry. This makes sense because the Levites were not granted territory of their own. They were dispersed among the other 11 tribes.

Elkanah had two wives. His favorite wife, Hannah, was barren. Though the text does not say, it’s reasonable to assume that the only reason Elkanah married another woman was so that he could have an heir. Unfortunately, Peninnah used her ability to bear children as an excuse to taunt and provoke Hannah.

Elkanah was a godly man. Each year he went to the Tabernacle to sacrifice. On these occasions he would give gifts to his family and a double portion to Hannah.

In spite of his love for Hannah, and the favor he showed her, Elkanah, like many men, probably did not understand the emotional needs of his wife. His attempts to comfort Hannah, as recorded in 1 Samuel 1:8, seem rather clumsy and wrong-headed. They were focused more on his own merits than on the esteem he felt for Hannah. Also, as far as we know, he did not do anything to prevent or forbid Peninnah’s provocations.

Application: Men are often clueless about understanding what their wives are feeling and how to meet their emotional needs. A logical or reasoned statement will not provide the emotional support she needs. Many times, the best thing to do is simply to listen, hold her close and tell her that you love her.

II. Wounded Spirit, Insensitive Priest (1 Samuel 1:9-18)

In some ways, Hannah’s situation was similar to that of Abraham’s wife Sarah. Both were barren. Both were taunted by women who could bear children for their husbands. But there is also a profound difference between the two women. Sarah retaliated against Hagar and made her life miserable (Genesis 16:1-6). Hannah, however, did not retaliate. Instead, she turned to the Lord. On one of the family’s trips to the Tabernacle, Hannah prayed to God. What did she ask and what did she pledge to do?

1) She asked God to relieve her misery. We often feel that it’s wrong to acknowledge that we’re hurting or that we’re having trouble with our attitude. We think that if we are faithful to God we’re always supposed to be happy. This is not true. There is nothing wrong with admitting our hurts and sorrows. There is nothing wrong with expressing them to God. Where we get into trouble is when we, in unbelief, start to complain about our problems to other people. Hannah dealt with her problems in the right way. She took them to God and asked Him to provide relief.

2) If God would give her a son, she vowed to commit him to the Lord’s service for his entire life. One of the paradoxes of living for God is that in order to get, we must be willing to give up everything. Everything belongs to God anyway, yet we often have the attitude that things belong to us. Often, it is only when we are willing to let God have full control that He allows us to have our heart’s desires.

3) Hannah promised to use God’s gift of a child responsibly. She would raise him as a Nazarite – one who was totally dedicated to God (See Numbers 6:1-8).

Eli, the priest, saw Hannah as she was praying and misunderstood what she was doing. What did he assume?

Eli thought Hannah was drunk because she was praying silently even though she was moving her lips. He proceeded to rebuke her for drunkenness.

Question: How sensitive are we to the problems and concerns of others? Are we quick to jump to conclusions without taking the time to learn the facts? Even when we are correct that someone is involved in sin, are we quick to condemn? Do we deal with them harshly, or are we gentle and patient?

Eli’s rebuke of Hannah is especially ironic because of the moral shortcomings of his own sons.

Question: Are we quick to condemn the sins of others while overlooking our own?

Though Eli misjudged the situation and accused Hannah unjustly, he was honest and gracious enough to acknowledge his mistake. After Hannah explained the real situation to him, Eli blessed her. It’s interesting to note from 1 Samuel 1:18, that after this Hannah was content. She had confidence that the Lord would answer her prayer and grant her a son.

Question: Do we have confidence that when we take our problems to the Lord that He will answer? Do we continue to worry and fret after we’ve prayed about a situation?

III. Faith Rewarded (1 Samuel 1:19-28)

God rewarded Hannah’s faith. She did have a son. She named him Samuel. She kept him until he was weaned (in the culture of the time, Samuel may have been as old as three or four) and then presented him to the Lord at the Tabernacle.

Question: Do we keep our promises? Do we tend to forget what we said we would do after we get what we want? It must have been extremely hard for Hannah to give Samuel up after she had waited so many years to have a child. Yet, there is no indication that she hesitated to do so. She gladly kept her vow.

Application: “When you make a vow to God, do not delay in fulfilling it. He has no pleasure in fools; fulfill your vow. It is better not to vow than to make a vow and not fulfill it. Do not let your mouth lead you into sin. And do not protest to the temple messenger, “My vow was a mistake.” Why should God be angry at what you say and destroy the work of your hands?” (Ecclesiastes 5:4-6 NIV)

IV. Triumph Song (1 Samuel 2:1-11)

After leaving Samuel at the Tabernacle, Hannah sang a song exalting God for what He had done for her. We will not take the time to look at her song in detail, but we can learn some important lessons from it:

Don’t become proud over things which are not in your control. It is God who exalts or tears down. We need to trust in Him – not in our circumstances or the blessings He provides. Peninnah had become proud of her ability to bear children. She mocked Hannah because she couldn’t have children, but God changed the situation.

Application: Don’t build yourself up. Let God do it. “Now listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.” Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, “If it is the Lord's will, we will live and do this or that.” As it is, you boast and brag. All such boasting is evil.” (James 4:13-16 NIV)

V. Contrast Between Sons (1 Samuel 2:12-26)

The account goes on to compare Samuel with the sons of Eli. As young as he was – while he was still a toddler – Samuel learned to worship God. He also learned to serve. He was under Eli and obeyed him. It’s ironic that Eli could teach Samuel to worship, minister and to have a deep respect for God’s Law, while his own sons had no respect for it at all.

The text says that Eli’s sons were wicked. What did they do?

They showed contempt for God’s Law by mistreating those who were making sacrifices and taking portions of the sacrifices unlawfully. In addition, they openly violated the Ten Commandments by sleeping with the women who served at the entrance to the Tabernacle.

Eli’s sons apparently assumed that their position placed them above the Law. They had the position, but Samuel ministered (1 Samuel 2:11, 18).

Lesson: The Tabernacle was a precursor or a foreshadow of the church. People who hold positions in the church should lead by example. Unfortunately, many who have positions of leadership fall into the same trap as Eli’s sons. They think that they are above God’s standards, or the standards don’t apply to them. Instead of people who ‘lord it over the flock’ or who use their position for personal gain, God is seeking for people who will minister. (See 1 Peter 5:1-4.)

What did Eli do when he heard about his son’s wickedness?

Eli merely gave them a little lecture. He did not discipline his sons or remove them from office even though they were unfit for the position they held. His sons ignored their father’s word and continued their unrighteous activities. Because of their hard hearts, God determined to put them to death (1 Samuel 2:25).

In contrast to Eli’s sons, Samuel, “...continued to grow in stature and in favor with the LORD and with men.” (1 Samuel 2:26 NIV) This description is used for only one other person in the entire Bible. Who is it?

The same words are used in reference to Jesus. “And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men.” (Luke 2:52 NIV)

In this description we see 4 areas of growth:

1) ‘in wisdom’ – this is intellectual growth.

2) ‘in stature’ – this is physical growth.

3) ‘in favor with God’ – this is spiritual growth.

4) ‘in favor with man’ – this is social growth.

Application: As followers of Christ, we should imitate His example. God wants us to be well-rounded and balanced individuals. We need to pay attention to, and make progress in, all four of these areas:

1) Intellectual (Romans 12:2, Philippians 4:8).

2) Physical (Romans 12:1, 1 Corinthians 6:19-20).

3) Spiritual (2 Peter 1:3-11, 2 Peter 3:18).

4) Social (Romans 14:12-21, Ephesians 4:25-5:4).

A Faithful Priest (1 Samuel 2:27-7:1)

Introduction: We have a tendency to rely on position, belonging to a particular group or going through certain rituals for our security. We put emphasis on the external, rather than on character. But what God is looking for in us is faith, obedience and loyalty. In speaking of how God has extended salvation to Gentile peoples as well as the Israelites, Paul writes, “If some of the branches have been broken off, and you, though a wild olive shoot, have been grafted in among the others and now share in the nourishing sap from the olive root, do not boast over those branches. If you do, consider this: You do not support the root, but the root supports you. You will say then, “Branches were broken off so that I could be grafted in.” Granted. But they were broken off because of unbelief, and you stand by faith. Do not be arrogant, but be afraid. For if God did not spare the natural branches, he will not spare you either. Consider therefore the kindness and sternness of God: sternness to those who fell, but kindness to you, provided that you continue in his kindness. Otherwise, you also will be cut off.” (Romans 11:17-22 NIV)

I. God’s Promises Are Conditional (1 Samuel 2:27-36)

Eli’s sons demonstrated that even though they were priests, they had no regard for God’s Law. They regarded the priesthood and the sacrifices which were made at the Tabernacle a means of personal benefit. They considered themselves above the Law.

Eli compounded the problem by his own behavior. Even though he knew what his sons were doing, he took no effective action against them. Aside from giving them a scolding, he did nothing. In fact, Eli himself may have profited from his sons’ actions. In 1 Samuel 2:29, God accused Eli and his sons of fattening themselves on the offerings. From 1 Samuel 4:18 we know that Eli was physically fat.

How did God confront Eli?

God sent a prophet to Eli who pronounced judgment on the family. Eli’s two sons would die on the same day. Every other male in Eli’s line would die prematurely or would be unable to serve as priest. God’s pronouncement came true. The last priest in Eli’s line was Abiathar. King Solomon deposed him from the priesthood (1 Kings 2:26-27). Even Shiloh, the place where the Tabernacle was set up, was destroyed (Jeremiah 7:12-14).

How can this be since God had promised that this line would minister before God forever (See Exodus 29:9, 1 Samuel 2:30)? Is God inconsistent?

There are two answers to this:

1) God’s promise was made to the tribe of Levi – specifically to the descendants of Aaron. There were other family lines besides that of Eli which traced their ancestry to Aaron. As long as a descendant of Aaron ministered as priest, God’s promise remained intact regardless of whether Eli’s line failed or not.

2) However, there is a second principle involved. God’s promise that there would always be someone to minister before Him was based on the covenant relationship between God and the Israelites. Covenant promises are only in effect as long as the covenant is kept. Eli’s sons had flagrantly broken the Covenant by sleeping with the women who served at the Tabernacle. Therefore, God was under no obligation to keep the promises He had made. By breaking the Covenant, Eli and his sons also dissolved God’s obligations to them.

Lesson: As followers of Christ, we too enjoy God’s promises. However, if we are not faithful to the covenant relationship we have with God, the promises will no longer be ours. Instead, we will reap destruction.

II. Never Too Young (1 Samuel 3:1-21)

While Eli’s sons were sinking further and further into disobedience and debauchery, Samuel was growing into a person whom God could use. In those days, when visions or other communication from God were rare, one night the Lord called to Samuel.

What was Samuel’s reaction when he heard the Lord’s voice?

Samuel thought Eli was calling him and he ran to Eli to see what he wanted.

What does this tell us about Samuel?

He demonstrated his willing spirit. He was eager to be of service even though his sleep was interrupted and he must have wondered whether Eli was playing a trick on him when Eli denied having called him. Even though he was young, he had already learned to minister (1 Samuel 2:11, 3:1). It is those who have a willing and a servant’s heart whom God can use.

Lesson: Though God will not tolerate evil, and deals severely with those who deliberately rebel against Him, He is not a stern taskmaster. He is very patient and understanding with those who make honest mistakes. Having never heard it before, Samuel did not recognize God’s voice. He thought Eli was talking to him. To end Samuel’s confusion, the Lord not only spoke to him, but came and stood near him so Samuel could see who was talking to him (1 Samuel 3:10).

What was the message God gave to Samuel?

God confirmed the message He had already delivered via the prophet: Eli’s family was going to be judged because of the sin they had committed. This time, however, God added that the sins of Eli’s house could not be atoned for: They had gone past the point of no return.

How did Samuel react to the message?

Samuel was afraid (1 Samuel 3:15). Not only did he have to give bad news to someone who was much older than he, he had to give it to his mentor and superior. In spite of his fear, Samuel told the truth.

Lesson: Honesty is always the best policy. We are often tempted to be less than candid with those whom we do not wish to hurt, or those who are in authority over us. We may lie in the attempt to temporarily spare ourselves from trouble. However, this almost always causes greater trouble and hurt, down-road. When God prompts us to say something, we should say it and let Him take care of the consequences.

God rewards faithfulness. No doubt Samuel’s servant heart and his integrity were major factors in why God was with him as he grew up (1 Samuel 3:19). As Eli’s family sank more and more into unrighteousness, God began to raise Samuel up. Even though he was young, it wasn’t long before all Israel began to recognize that Samuel was God’s man. They recognized him as a prophet (1 Samuel 3:20).

Lesson: You are never too young to serve God. You are never too young to be used by Him. The key is being faithful to Him and being willing to serve.

III. Trying To Manipulate God (1 Samuel 4:1-22)

Warfare broke out again between the Philistines and Israel. What did the Israelites decide to do when they were defeated?

They took the Ark of the Covenant to the battlefield thinking it would make them invincible. By doing so, they were treating God like a good luck charm. Instead, the plan backfired. Israel was defeated again, and the Ark was captured.

Lesson: We can’t manipulate God. We can’t expect Him to conform to our plans. Instead, we must learn to submit to His plans and His leading.

Note: This incident has been confirmed by archeology. The Izbet Sarteh Ostracon refers to the Ark being captured. (An ostracon is a piece of pottery with writing on it. In the days before paper became common, people used broken pottery pieces as note-paper.)

During the battle, both of Eli’s sons were killed. This was a fulfillment of the prophecy which had been made against them (1 Samuel 2:34). When Eli heard the news that the Ark had been captured and that his sons had been killed, he fell over backwards off of his chair, broke his neck and died. This incident left Samuel, while still a young man, as the most influential and powerful person in all Israel.

IV. An Unresponsive Nation (1 Samuel 5:1-7:1)

The Philistines had captured the Ark of God and, along with it, they got something much more than they bargained for. However, their response to what happened to them as a result of keeping the Ark in their territory tells us a lot about what kind of people they were.

What did the Philistines do with the Ark?

They put it in the temple of their god, Dagon.

What happened next?

There were two results of the Philistines’ actions:

1) Their idol fell face-down before the Ark.

2) God sent a plague among the people.

Note: From the symptoms given, many commentators think that the plague which God sent was the bubonic plague. It’s of historical interest that many centuries later, one of Napoleon’s armies was decimated by the bubonic plague in roughly the same geographic area.

What was the Philistines’ response to this?

They recognized that God was superior to their god, Dagon. They recognized that there was a direct connection between having the Ark in their territory and the plague (1 Samuel 5:7). Yet, instead of repenting, turning away from idolatry and turning to God, they decided to pass the Ark on to a different location.

Application: All too often we, like the Philistines try to solve spiritual problems by treating the symptoms rather than the core issue.

No matter where the Philistines moved the Ark, plague and death followed. When they found that a change of location didn’t solve the problem, what did they decide to do?

They decided to send the Ark back to Israel. To make sure that the plague was not a random event, but really was a result of God bringing judgment on them, they came up with a clever test. They took two cows that were not broken to the yoke, separated them from their calves, and hitched them to the cart that had the Ark on it. Contrary to all natural impulses, the cows pulled the cart directly to Israelite territory.

Though there could be absolutely no doubt that God was behind these events, the Philistines still did not turn to Him. Their only concern was to appease Him. They sent a guilt offering (1 Samuel 6:4). They acknowledged God had destroyed the Egyptians because of their hard hearts in similar circumstances (1 Samuel 6:6). They acknowledged God’s power, yet would not respond to His love by giving themselves to Him and entering the Covenant. They just wanted to send away the reminder of God’s presence so they could continue in their own idolatry.

What did the Israelites do when they saw the Ark returning to their territory?

1) They rejoiced (1 Samuel 6:13).

2) They sacrificed burnt offerings to the Lord (1 Samuel 6:14-15).

3) They learned new respect for God. Though they had been careful to have the Levites remove the Ark from the cart (1 Samuel 6:15), curiosity got the better of them and 70 of them looked inside it. This was forbidden and God killed them (1 Samuel 6:19). Because of this, the people of Beth Shemesh sent the Ark on to Kiriath Jearim (1 Samuel7:1). It remained there until David moved it to Jerusalem. (See 2 Samuel 6:1-15.)

Bibliography

Ash, Anthony L. and Cottrell, Jack, Editors, College Press NIV Commentary, College Press, various volumes

Bush, Frederic, Ruth-Esther, Word Biblical Commentary, Thomas Nelson, Volume 9, 1996

Campbell, Edward F., Jr., Ruth, The Anchor Bible, Doubleday, Volume 7, 1975

Dean, B.S., An Outline of Bible History, The Standard Publishing Company, 1912

Gaebelein, Frank E., General Editor, The Expositor’s Bible Commentary with the NIV, Zondervan, various volumes

Kitchen, K.A., On the Reliability of the Old Testament, William B. Eerdman Publishing Co., 2003

Pritchard, James A., Editor, The Ancient Near East, An Anthology of Texts and Pictures, Princeton University Press, Volume I, 1958, Volume II, 1978

Smith, Malcolm, The Power of the Blood Covenant, Harrison House, 2002

Smith, Mont W., What the Bible Says About Covenant, College Press Publishing Co., 1981