like God is commanding full-scale genocide, more diabolical than anything the Hitlers, Maos, and Pol Pots of

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1 JOsHua, Judges, Do you ever find anything in the Bible that offends your moral sensibilities? Anything that embarrasses you? For many people today, the Old Testament is a rock of offense and a stone of stumbling. Probably the most scandalous section of the Hebrew Scriptures is the conquest of Canaan recorded in the book of Joshua. It looks like God is commanding full-scale genocide, more diabolical than anything the Hitlers, Maos, and Pol Pots of our era have cooked up. Celebrity atheist Richard Dawkins puts his distaste for the Old Testament in rather colorful terms: The God of the Old Testament is arguably the most unpleasant character in all fiction: jealous and proud of it; a petty, unjust, unforgiving control freak; a vindictive, blood-thirsty ethnic cleanser; a misogynistic, homophobic, racist, infanticidal, genocidal, filicidal, pestilential, megalomaniacal, sadomasochistic, capriciously malevolent bully. Dawkins charges against the Christian God can, of course, be refuted. But even inside the Church it s not uncommon to find people who pit the harsh, angry, blood-thirsty God (or god?) of the Old Testament against the sweet, loving, tenderhearted deity revealed in Jesus. As we will see, the conquest of the land of Canaan was not genocidal. It was not an ethnic cleansing at all. It was actually a revelation of God s perfect justice. And more than that, it was an and ruth important chapter in the unfolding narrative of God s plan to bring His saving grace to all peoples. How do Joshua, Judges, and Ruth fit together? These three books form an interlocking story in the midst of a crucial, transitional period of Israel s history. Joshua records Israel s entrance into the new Eden of the Promised Land. God gives a holy land to His holy people. Judges records Israel s Adam-like fall in the new Eden. The Israelites forget God is their king; instead each Israelite believes the Satanic lie and makes himself a king in his own eyes. Finally, Ruth gives us a glimpse of Eden restored, reminding Israel of God s gracious promise by showing the nation what the true Redeemer-King will look like. In the midst of Israel s misery, she should long for a servant-ruler like Boaz. The fact that Boaz takes a Gentile bride is obviously a significant indicator of God s ultimate intention to bless all the nations of the earth through Israel s coming King. Then Joshua, and all Israel with him, took Achan the son of Zerah, the silver, the garment, the wedge of gold, his sons, his daughters, his oxen, his donkeys, his sheep, his tent, and all that he had, and they brought them to the Valley of Achor. And Joshua said, Why have you troubled us? The LORD will trouble you this day. So all Israel stoned him with stones; and they burned them with fire after they had stoned them with stones. Then they raised over him a great heap of stones, still there to this day. So the LORD turned from the fierceness of His anger. Therefore the name of that place has been called the Valley of Achor to this day. Joshua 7:24 26

2 2 O m n i b u s iv By faith the walls of Jericho fell down after they were encircled for seven days. Hebrews 11:30 gen e r a l inf O r m a t i O n Author, Context, and Setting Joshua, Judges, and Ruth are an important threesome in the unfolding story told by the Hebrew Scriptures. God had promised to the patriarchs a seed and a land, an abundant posterity and a country of prosperity (Gen. 12:1 3, 7; 15:5 7, 13 21). The first of these promises came to initial fulfillment while the Israelites were still in Egypt (Ex. 1:7). The second of these promises comes to initial fulfillment after the exodus, as the Israelites conquered the land of promise under Joshua (Josh ). Joshua was chosen to be Moses successor, and the conquest should be viewed as the completion of the exodus. Unfortunately for Israel, once they settled into the land, things became rocky. Israel triumphed over the Canaanites militarily, and yet spiritually never quite eradicated the influences of Canaanite culture. This failure would come back to haunt them, as the period of the judges plainly reveals. Israel was chosen by God to model His righteousness in the sight of the nations (Deut. 4:6 7), but during much of this period, Israel looks just like the other nations. By the end of Judges, the tribes of Dan and Benjamin have nearly completely apostatized (they were Canaanite-ized). The book of Joshua emphasizes God s side of the covenant. God has been faithful in fulfilling His promise to give the land to Israel. In Joshua, God trains His people to fight, an important stepping stone in their maturation. Because God has given them success, they are able to rest in the land. Joshua 11:23 gives a thematic summary: So Joshua took the whole land, according to all that the Lord had spoken to Moses; and

3 Joshua, Judges, and Ruth 3 Joshua gave it for an inheritance to Israel according to their tribal allotments. And the land had rest from war. The book of Judges emphasizes Israel s failure to finish the conquest. Throughout the days of the judges, Israel wrestles to break free from pagan influence so she can live as God s holy people in His holy land. But her faith falters, and she never quite finishes the job Joshua began. Like a skipping compact disk, we find Israel going in repeated cycles, rising in righteousness only to fall back into idolatry, again and again. Instead of doing what is right in her own eyes, Israel must learn to acknowledge that the Lord is her king; rather than crowning her own king like the nations, she must trust and obey the Lord alone as her king (Judg. 21:25). When the time is right for her to have a human representative of the Lord s kingship (and that time would come, according to Deuteronomy 17), she should look for a righteous and mighty man like Boaz, the redeemer of Naomi and husband of Ruth. In Joshua, men led by the Lord do all the fighting. In Judges, women play important roles in battles (Judg. 4 5; 9:53 54). As in Genesis 1 2, the woman comes after the man and serves as his helper. The book of Judges shows faithful women acting as classic female archetypes. We find mothers (e.g., Judg. 5:7; 13:2), daughters (e.g., Judg. 11:34), and brides (e.g., Judg. 1:12) in prominent positions twelve women in all, matching the twelve judges. We also find women playing immoral roles (Judg. 16). Literarily, Judges is full of irony, intrigue, and humor. We should not read the Bible so seriously that we miss the hilarity of stories like Ehud overcoming Eglon by deceptively thrusting a sword into his fat belly, or the comedic wisdom in Samson s riddles and military tactics. Ruth is a beautiful narrative in which content and form perfectly merge. Ruth is the Bible s very own romantic comedy. But it is also a gospel-shaped story, a deathand-resurrection story, prefiguring the redemption of the nations in Christ. God works behind the scenes through Boaz to bring Naomi (a Jew) and Ruth (a Gentile) from desolation to fullness, from sadness to joy, from curse to blessing. The book of Ruth is a ray of light shining into a dark period in Israel s history. From where did these books come? Who wrote them and when? We cannot say for sure; the books themselves do not tell us, so their origins are shrouded in mystery. But we can use circumstantial evidence to piece together some of the basic facts, and on that basis we can make some educated guesses. Joshua seems to be the primary author of the book that bears his name (Josh. 24:26; cf. 18:1 10), but he could not have been the one to put it into its final form (cf. Josh. 24:29 33). It was probably completed later by an inspired prophet, though there are some clues indicating Samuel had been dedicated to the Lord s service as a child by his mother Hannah. Besides being the last judge of Israel and anointing King Saul and then King David, Samuel may have written the books of Judges and Ruth.

4 4 O m n i b u s IV it could not have been much later. For example, Joshua 6:25 was written while Rahab was still alive, and Joshua 9:27 was written before the Gibeonites were nearly slaughtered by Saul (1 Sam. 21:1 2). If the conquest began approximately in 1406 B.C., and lasted seven years, we may place the primary composition of Joshua shortly thereafter. Samuel is a very likely candidate for the authorship of Judges. Samuel himself was the last judge. Because the people demanded a king prematurely, Samuel crowned a Benjamite named Saul for them (1 Sam. 8 10). But Saul fell into sin and forfeited his claim on the throne (1 Sam ). Following God s lead, Samuel anointed David, a man of Judah and a descendant of Boaz, to take his place (1 Sam. 16). By the way in which the book of Judges treats the tribes of Judah (David s tribe) and Benjamin (Saul s tribe), it provides a strong apologetic for David s claim to the throne at a time when the Israelites were having to decide with which royal house to side (cf. Judg. 1 and Judg. 20). Finally, Samuel probably also authored Ruth. The story takes place during the days of the judges (Ruth 1:1); the retrospective language suggests the monarchy has been set up by the time of writing. The genealogy at the end of Ruth concludes with David, which means it was likely written while David was still on the throne. Like Judges, Ruth provides a strong apologetic for Davidic kingship, especially with its closing genealogy (Ruth 4:13 22). We can date the writing of Judges and Ruth to roughly 1000 B.C., sometime after the beginning of David s reign. Significance The books of Joshua, Judges, and Ruth are significant because they serve both as a testimony of God s ongoing care of His people and His faithfulness to His covenant promises. They also serve as a bridge between Moses and the giving of the law, and David and the establishment of the kingdom. These books of the Bible play a very significant role in setting out Israel s purpose. They show us God s faithfulness in fulfilling His promise to Abraham and completing what He began in the exodus under Moses. But these books also show us Israel s failure and her need for a Redeemer greater than Joshua or any of the judges. These books also contain some of the most discussed and controversial issues in the entire Bible. First among them is the Israelite conquest of Canaan and the extermination of the Canaanites. This holy war is presented as proof-positive that God either is or was a capricious dictator who sanctions the slaughter of the innocent and the guilty and plays racial favorites with His special peo- ple Israel. There is plenty of evidence to the contrary, but unbelievers often point to these very books as evidence of God s injustice and the barbarism of religion in general. These books do have application for us as well, but Christians have struggled to figure out how to apply them, especially Joshua. In the book of Joshua, the Israelites wage a holy war against the inhabitants of the land of Canaan. We know that God does not want us to fight this kind of violent, bloody battle today. Paul said our warfare is not against flesh and blood (Eph. 6:10 20) and our weapons are not carnal (2 Cor. 10:4 6). We will inherit the nations, but not through bloodshed (Rev. 2:26 27). What, then, do we do with the holy war theme found in the Old Testament? Specifically, how do we reconcile the conquest with God s love and the Church s mission? If we look at the Bible s story from beginning to end, we can arrive at satisfactory answers. Worldview The book of Joshua begins with a transition. Moses has preached his farewell sermon and passed from the scene. Joshua has been appointed his successor. Can the people follow Joshua the way they did Moses? Will God give them the victory under Joshua s leadership? Is there life after Moses? The book shows us that Joshua is a new Moses. Here are several clues: Moses led the people through the Red Sea on dry ground; Joshua will lead them through the Jordan River on dry ground. Moses sent spies into the land; Joshua sends spies as well. The people saw the miracles of Moses and trusted; in the same way, Joshua was exalted before the people, and they feared him because of what God did through him. Moses met with the Lord at the burning bush and took off his shoes because he was on holy ground; Joshua met the commander of the Lord s army and took off his shoes as well. Moses is called the servant of the Lord; Joshua is as well. The point is clear: Moses may have died, but a new Moses has taken over. Under Joshua s Moses-like leadership, the people will be able to conquer the Canaanites just as they overcame the Egyptians. The New Testament Scriptures show us how we should apply the conquest of Canaan in our own day. First, warfare imagery is used to describe the Christian s

5 Joshua, Judges, and Ruth 5 battle against sin (Gal. 5:17). We are called to conquer our personal Canaanites, as it s been put. The same kind of herem warfare Israel was supposed to wage on the inhabitants of the land is now to be waged on sin that dwells in our own hearts (Matt. 5:29 30; 1 Pet. 2:12). Just as God enabled Israel to drive out the Canaanites little by little (Ex. 23:29 30; Deut. 7:22), so our growth in grace and obedience is often a slow and grueling process. But more importantly the New Testament shows us that the conquest serves as a blueprint for the Church s mission. Joshua s little commission points to Jesus Great Commission. Luke constructed the early chapters of the book of Acts so that they track with the early chapters of Joshua. In other words, the Church s fulfillment of her mission (Matt. 28:16 20; Luke 24:46 49) witnessing to the nations is the New Covenant counterpart to Joshua s conquest of Canaan. Joshua and Acts show a number of striking parallels: In each case the leader of God s people has just left the scene (Moses in death, Jesus in His ascension). In the book of Joshua, Joshua is called to be Moses successor and carry forward God s purposes in the conquest; in Acts, the Holy Spirit comes to be Jesus successor and carry forward the Church s mission. The Lord commands Joshua to be strong and courageous at the beginning of the book; at the beginning of Acts, the Lord promises that power will come upon the disciples to make them strong and courageous (as seen in the sudden transformation of Peter from coward to preacher). In Joshua Israel is commanded to conquer the land; in Acts the Church is commanded to bear witness to the ends of the earth. In Joshua the people are led through a clear sequence of events: they cross over the Jordan in a kind of baptism (cf. 1 Cor. 10:2), they are circumcised, and they celebrate Passover. In Acts the sequence is similar: the Spirit baptizes the Church, 3,000 are baptized with water (the New Covenant equivalent of circumcision per Colossians 2:11 12), and they break the bread of the Lord s Supper together (cf. Acts 2:42 46; the Lord s Supper is the New Covenant fulfillment of the Passover according to 1 Corinthians 5:7 8). In both books the first move of God s people is to invade a key city; Jericho falls by shouting and trumpeting, while Jerusalem is invaded by means of prayer and preaching. Almost immediately in both books we find the people of God hindered by sin in the camp: in Joshua, Achan steals booty that belongs to the Lord, and is put to death on the spot (Josh. 7). Likewise, in Acts 5, Ananias and Sapphira steal from the Lord by lying about selling some property, and they are executed on the spot. The word for stealing in Acts 5:2 is a rare term, but it is also used in the Greek (Septuagint) translation of Joshua 7:1. Further, in Acts 20:33, Paul explicitly repudiated having committed the sin of Achan (Josh. 7:21), showing he understood his mission work as a successful holy war campaign. In both books fear enters the enemies of God s people, allowing the covenant community to score significant victories (Josh. 2:9 13; 5:1 2; Acts 2:2:43, 5:5, 11; 9:31; 19:17). In both books we see Gentiles brought in, though with significant controversy (Josh. 9; Acts 15) and attack (Joshua 10; Acts 6 7). Judges 3:12 30 recounts the story of Ehud, an agent from God licensed to kill. A corpulent despot must be stopped, so Ehud straps a secret gadget to his right thigh and enters the headquarters of the evil Eglon with a secret message. Once inside the lair of the Moabitish king, the left-handed Benjamite kills the villain. After deftly making his escape, he rallies the soldiers of God s chosen people, and they strike down ten thousand of the enemy. Scripture doesn t record whether Ehud preferred his martinis shaken or stirred.

6 6 O m n i b u s IV Acts is about New Covenant holy war, as the Church invades Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and the ends of the earth. But the nature of her warfare has been transformed. There is a shift from killing to converting. Unlike Joshua, in the book of Acts Peter and Paul do not inflict suffering, but bear suffering. Unlike Joshua, Peter and Paul advance the kingdom through service rather than force. Thus, God s people no longer fight with a literal sword and fire; instead they use the sword of the Spirit (the Word of God; Heb. 4:12) and witness in the fiery presence of God s Spirit (Acts 2:3). The weapons of holy war have morphed. The Church can learn a great deal about her mission from the book of Joshua, but to do so she must apply Joshua s use of sword and flame in a metaphorical way, guided by Acts and the rest of the New Testament. Further, the battleground and promised territory is no longer a strip of land in Palestine, but the entire earth. The New Testament is very clear that the land promises God made to Abraham have been expanded to include the entire globe (although it is also clear from the Old Testament this was God s intention all along; cf. Gen. 12:3 and Rom. 4:12). The New Testament ascribes no special importance to any geographic area; what was called the holy land in the Old Covenant is now theologically irrelevant. All the blessings associated with the land in the Old Testament (such as inheritance, rest, and holiness) are now found in Christ and the Church. Christ and His people fulfill the Old Covenant priesthood, Temple, sacrifices, and kingdom (1 Pet. 2:4 10). In the Old Covenant, Gentiles were called aliens and strangers to the covenant because they had no home in the land of promise. But now they are full members of Israel, totally apart from living in a certain geographic region (Eph. 2:11 22). Thus, Paul can change the wording of the promise in the fifth commandment from land to earth (Eph. 6:3), and Jesus can do the same with Psalm 37:11 in the beatitudes (Matt. 5:3). Hebrews 3:12 4:11 assures us that, in Christ, we have the true rest that Joshua s conquest could attain only in a provisional, shadowy way (Josh. 1:13, 23:1). In sum, the privileges and responsibilities of God s covenant people are no longer defined by living in Palestine but by living in union with Christ. Or, as Christopher Wright has put it, being in Christ has taken over the meaning of being in the land (cf. 2 Cor. 1:20). 1 Finally, note the importance of worship. Earlier, Abraham and Jacob had journeyed through the land, setting up altars (Gen. 12:7, 8; 28:18 22; 35:1, 16 22). The worship of the patriarchs had already marked out the land as God s chosen dwelling place, serving as a kind of liturgical proto-conquest. Worship continues to be important when Israel finally invades the land. In Joshua worship and warfare go hand-in-hand. Israel s battles start off looking more like worship services than military conflicts. In the battle of Jericho, Israel s army seems to be more like a priesthood and choir than a traditional regiment of soldiers. The seven day circling of the city puts the climactic act of warfare on the seventh day, a Sabbath, which is associated with worship. The ram s horn (Lev. 25:9) and Ark (Ex. 25:10 22) are obviously liturgical objects, rather than ordinary weapons. In short, Joshua did not fight the battle of Jericho; rather the Lord fought for His people when they worshipped Him. We see this same theme unfold repeatedly throughout the book of Joshua. In fact, the goal of the conquest may be viewed as replacing Canaanite altars with the worship of the true God. Israel cannot rest in the land until God s house, the Tabernacle, is set up in Shiloh as a centralized place of worship (Josh. 18:1). There is an instructive lesson here for the Church. We will not conquer any area with the gospel using normal, worldly means. We cannot rely on political activism, improved education, or the latest technology. That s not to say these tools and methods are bad or should be totally shunned. They just aren t powerful enough to win the battle. We will transform the culture around us only if we turn to God in praise and prayer. We must preach and sing our way to victory. We can win unbelieving cities for the gospel only if we worship God faithfully as Joshua and the Israelites did in Joshua 6. As Peter Leithart puts it, When Israel worships God, He brings the walls down. 2 Liturgical warfare is the key to the Church s success in her mission to the nations. Politics Human and Divine In Joshua the conquest advances because God fights for Israel. By the end of the seven-year period recorded in Joshua, Israel has established herself in the land, and God s land promises have been definitively fulfilled. However, Israel still has to drive out remaining Canaanites, lest they prove to be a temptation and a trap to the covenant people. As the book of Judges opens, the tribe of Judah has success in claiming her promised inheritance. But the other tribes fail in taking full possession of their allotted land (Judg. 1:21 36). In Joshua Israel s success was related to faithful worship; in Judges the nation s failure is linked to her unwillingness to tear down the altars of the Canaanites (Judg. 2:1 3). In fact, before long, we find Israel worshipping at Canaanite altars (Judg. 2:11 23)! Israel moves several times through an easily identifiable spiritual cycle in the book of Judges. Again and again

7 Joshua, Judges, and Ruth Israel falls into idolatry, and so the nation is subjugated by a pagan oppressor. It s as if God says, If you want to worship pagan gods, let me show you what life is like under pagan rule! The Lord sells (Judg. 1:14) Israel back into slavery, reversing the exodus and conquest. When Israel finally comes to her spiritual senses and repents, God sends the nation a deliverer. Each judge is a new Moses and a new Joshua who acts to free the people from bondage and re-establish rest in the land. But the peace never lasts. Israel can t stand prosperity. And so the cycle repeats itself. However, as we move toward the end of the book, we see that not only is Israel seriously flawed as a people, but even the judges themselves begin to show serious blemishes. The early judges are presented as having very minor defects, at most. But the later judges, like Gideon, Jephthah, and Samson have very significant problems, to say the least. Towards the conclusion of Judges, we find an emerging refrain that serves as one of the interpretive keys to the whole era (albeit an ironic one): In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes (Judg. 17:6; 21:25; cf. 18:1; 19:1). Of course, Israel did have a king in those days: the Lord was her king (cf. Judg. 8:23)! But because the nation refused to submit to the Lord s rule, her kinglessness became her undoing. Having a human monarch, per se, would not have solved Israel s problem. We know this from lat- er history. Many of Israel s kings would actually lead the nation further into idolatry, rather than saving her from such rebellion. But even within the book of Judges we see that human kingship cannot be the answer because Israel actually had a king during the era of the judges, at least briefly. Gideon started out well, serving God faithfully and delivering Israel from the Midianites (Judg. 6:1 8:21). He even refused the offer of kingly office, pointing the people to the Lord as king (Judg. 8:23). But toward the end of his life, he decided to seize kingly privileges and prerogatives that did not belong to him. He collected gold, multiplied wives, and led Israel into idolatry (Judg. 8:24 35). He even named one of his sons Abimelech, meaning, my father is king. This is the turning point of the entire book of Judges. The seed of rebellion planted by Gideon becomes a full-grown thorn bush in the next generation. Abimelech one-ups his father s sin by explicitly trying to create a monarchy in Israel, with himself on the throne. He kills his 70 brothers (minus one) to eliminate possible rivals (Judg. 9:5). The entire episode turns into a disaster (Judg. 9:22 57), until Abimelech s head is finally crushed by a woman with a millstone, and he dies in shame (Judg. 9:53 54; note the allusion to Genesis 3:15). While we should give the twelve judges their due as men of faith (cf. Heb. 11:32 40), we should also examine why Israel was not able to sustain multi-generational faithfulness in this period. The repeated declaration that Israel has no king (Judg. 17:6; 21:25) is not a statement about Israel s governmental structure so much as it is a commentary on their spiritual condition. Israel s problems cannot be solved merely by a new political arrangement. A king is not going to help, especially if that king is like the kings of the surrounding pagan nations. The concluding chapters of Judges identify the problem beneath the problem, as it were. We find that, ultimately, Israel is failing to submit to the Lord not because she lacks a human king but because her priests (remember these men not only performed sacrifices, they also served as Israel s pastors) fail to guide her according to the law. The priests are not teaching the people the ways of the Lord; instead, they Then Judah went up, and the LORD delivered the Canaanites and the Perizzites into their hand; and they killed ten thousand men at Bezek. And they found Adoni-Bezek in Bezek, and fought against him; and they defeated the Canaanites and the Perizzites. Then Adoni-Bezek fled, and they pursued him and caught him and cut off his thumbs and big toes. Judges 1:4 6 7

8 8 O m n i b u s IV So she gleaned in the field until evening, and beat out what she had gleaned, and it was about an ephah of barley. Then she took it up and went into the city, and her mother-in-law saw what she had gleaned. So she brought out and gave to her what she had kept back after she had been satisfied. Ruth 2:17 18 are falling into idolatry themselves, creating a counterfeit temple and system of worship (Judg ). In Judges 17 18, a Levite hires himself for money to lead worship at Micah s idolatrous image. With Levites like this, is it any wonder Israel is imitating the Canaanites rather than conquering them? Again, there is a lesson here for the Church, and it echoes the lesson of Joshua. The nation of Israel falls apart when her spiritual leaders are unfaithful. The deepest problems of any culture cannot be solved through political means. The faithfulness of the Church in teaching and worship is always the key to cultural strength and transformation. Only when the Church faithfully proclaims the kingship of the Lord, and worships Him as true king, will the nation as a whole follow suit and mature in righteousness. If we want the Lord visibly enthroned in our society, we must enthrone Him upon our praises. In the New Covenant we are now a nation of priests (1 Pet. 2:4 10), and so it is our job to inspire people through our teaching, service, and example to submit to the Lord as their true King. Gospel Typology Following Jesus lead (Luke 24:25 27, 44 45; John 5:39), the Church has traditionally read the Scriptures in a typological fashion, looking for ways in which the Old Covenant prefigured the new, and the new fulfills the old. We do not need to turn the Old Testament Scriptures into Christian literature, because the whole Old Testament is already all about Christ. We just have to learn how to see Him there. The New Testament writers build their theology out of various Old Covenant typologies. For example, we find Jesus presented as the new Adam (Rom. 5:21 21), the true tabernacle/temple (John 1:14; 2:19 21), the Passover lamb (John 1:28), the Greater Solomon (Matt. 12:42), and so on. Likewise, the Church is portrayed as the new Israel and new priesthood (1 Pet. 2:4 10); baptism fulfills sea and river crossings (1 Cor. 10:2) as well as the Flood (1 Pet. 3:18 22); the Lord s Supper fulfills the Passover meal (1 Cor. 5:7 8); and our worship, mercy, and obedience are New Covenant counterparts to the animal sacrifices (Rom. 12:1 2; Phil. 4:18; Heb.

9 Joshua, Judges, and Ruth 9 13:15 16). Of course, the typologies explicitly developed in the New Testament are not comprehensive; rather, the New Testament gives us selected interpretive models, showing us how we should read the rest of the Old Testament Scriptures as a whole. We should not treat types as isolated snapshots of Christ and/or His people; rather, typology flows out of the biblical story taken as a whole, as God s plan progresses from promise to fulfillment, and His people move from childhood to maturity. As expected, then, the narratives of Joshua, Judges, and Ruth abound in typological structures that point us to Jesus and the Church. Ruth, in particular, is a masterpiece of typological literature, a tragic-comedy that points us to Christ in profound ways. However, to understand the story, we have to do more than recognize the story s archetypes and the way they come to fulfillment in the New Covenant. We have to understand a couple of key Old Testament institutions on which the whole narrative turns, namely the levirate and the kinsman-redeemer. The levirate marriage is described in Deuteronomy 25:1 10. When an Israelite man died without a son, his surviving brother (or, by extension, another close male relative) was to marry his widow, so as to continue his brother s family line, name, and inheritance. The firstborn son of a levirate marriage belonged to the deceased man and, essentially, took his place. The tribe of Judah was implicated for failure to practice this custom in Genesis 38, resulting in judgment falling on Judah and illegitimate children being brought into the tribal line. The levirate institution is what stands behind the otherwise cryptic language in Ruth 1:11 13 and 4:10, 12, 17. The book of Ruth shows us a man of the tribe of Judah who did what Judah himself failed to do, namely, act as a faithful levir (Latin, meaning husband s brother ) on behalf of a helpless widow, Ruth, who is a new Tamar. The kinsman-redeemer institution is outlined in Leviticus 25:25, 28, 48, 49. The obligations of the kinsman-redeemer fell on the nearest male blood relative and included redeeming a lost inheritance and/or buying the person out of slavery. The kinsman-redeemer could also act as an avenger of blood in cases of murder (Num. 35:21). The pattern for the kinsman-redeemer is ultimately God himself, who frequently goes by the name Redeemer (Ex. 6:6; Isa. 43:1; 41:14; 44:6, 22; 48:20; Ps. 103:4; Job 19:25). In the story of Ruth, Boaz plays the role of both levirate husband and kinsman-redeemer. There is some ambiguity about this because he is not Elimelech s brother, and not even Naomi seemed to know exactly how close a relative he was (cf. Ruth 2:20, 3:1 4). Nevertheless, these two institutions explain Ruth s action on the threshing floor in chapter 3 and the transaction between Boaz and the nameless relative in chapter 4. In Ruth 3, Ruth decks herself out as a bride and approaches Boaz, essentially proposing marriage to him. But nothing immoral happened on the threshing floor that night (and so the passage reverses, rather than recapitulates, the events of Numbers 25 and Genesis 19:30 38). Ruth is simply calling on Boaz to play his role as a close relative, a potential levir and kinsman-redeemer. Boaz graciously agrees to do so (Ruth 3:10 13) and then follows through in a timely and lawful manner (Ruth 4:1 12). What, then, is the story of Ruth about? The story abounds in exquisite and ironic detail. Elimelech s name means My God is king but this is a period in Israel s history in which the Israelites, by and large, refuse to acknowledge the kingship of the Lord over them (cf. Judg. 21:25). Elimelech and his family live in Bethlehem, which means house of bread. But there is no bread in the breadbasket! The land that was supposed to produce abundant food has been hit with famine (cf. the curses in Leviticus 26 and Deuteronomy 28). And so, like Adam and Eve, Elimelech goes into self-imposed exile from the place where God dwells. Elimelech s family goes eastward to Moab (an odd choice to find refuge in light of Numbers 21 22; cf. Deut. 23:4), but there the curse only intensifies. Elimelech s sons marry Moabite women, but soon all the men in the family are dead. Naomi, Ruth and Orpah are left as powerless widows. Naomi pleads with both of her daughters-in-law to turn back to their families, but Ruth, like Abraham, insists on leaving her homeland and journeying with Naomi to a land she does not know. In an account that resonates with exodus themes, the lonely pair returns to Bethlehem. Naomi and Ruth are widows mired in poverty when they arrive in Bethlehem. Resourceful, hard-working Ruth goes out to glean (Lev. 19:9 10; 23:22; Deut. 14:28 29) and chances upon a field belonging to Boaz (note the touch of irony in 2:3). What a wonderful providence this turns out to be, since Boaz is a relative of Naomi s and therefore a potential kinsman-redeemer (Ruth 2:20)! Boaz, as a merciful, kind-hearted man, takes good care of Ruth, ensuring that her gleaning is successful. When Naomi finds out that Ruth has connected with her relative Boaz, she concocts a plan to bring the two together and, as the saying goes, the rest is history! What s the meaning of the story? The narrative begins when the judges ruled. But the last word is the name of Israel s most famous king, David. At one level, this historical account is a parable of Israel s plight. Naomi (and her sidekick Ruth) represents Israel, with no food, no husband, and no sons. When God shows her mercy and restores her, it is a picture of what God has promised to do for Israel. By the end of the narrative, Naomi and

10 10 O m n i b u s IV Ruth have been given abundant food (Ruth 1:6; 2:14, 17 19; 3:15, 17), Ruth is married (Ruth 4:13), and a child has been born to take the place of Naomi s fallen husband and sons (Ruth 4:13 22). This is a true rags-toredemption story. The writer makes critical connections apparent by means of some very clever word plays and symbolism. For example, the same word used for Elimelech s sons in chapter 1 (best translated lads ) is used of Obed in chapter 4. Obed is the replacement son (though in light of Ruth 4:15, we must note that Ruth is too, since she s even better to Naomi than seven sons!). In Ruth 1:21, Naomi says she has come home empty-handed (apparently ignoring the fact that Ruth is with her!). In Ruth 3:17, Boaz gives Ruth six ephahs of barley so that she will not return to Naomi empty-handed. The fact that Boaz provides six ephahs is a crucial piece of symbolism, one that does not escape Naomi s notice since she says the man will not rest until he has settled the matter. That is to say, the six ephahs serve as a pledge of a seventh, a Sabbath, to come when Boaz has secured Ruth s future. In Ruth 3:1, Naomi spoke of rest as the goal of approaching Boaz; at the end of the chapter, Ruth can rest because Boaz has made it clear he will not rest until he has provided her permanent rest. In Ruth 2:12, Boaz commends Ruth for her faithfulness in gleaning and caring for her mother-in-law. Boaz blesses her, saying, A full reward be given you by the Lord God of Israel, under whose wings you have come for refuge. In Ruth 3:9, Ruth gives Boaz an opportunity to fulfill this blessing, when she asks him to [t]ake your maidservant under your wing. The wing language in these In this detail of The Crucifixion, a painting by Anthony van Dyke ( ), Mary takes Ruth s place at the feet of their Redeemer. texts is covenantal and marital (cf. Ezek. 16:8). In Ruth 3:9, it refers to a garment that a husband and wife share when they become one flesh. The twist in the plot is the threshing-floor revelation of a rival kinsman-redeemer, a relative closer to Naomi than Boaz (Ruth 3:12). The narrator has led us to pull hard for a Boaz-Ruth marriage, but now that outcome is in doubt. The next day will be decisive. Boaz has men from the city assemble at the gate to serve as witnesses (Ruth 4:1 2). He summarizes the situation for the closer relative to digest so he can make his decision. The closer kinsman says he will redeem Naomi s land; after all, Naomi is old and won t be having any more children to take Elimelech s place, so this is a relatively painless way for the man to expand his own estate in the end (Ruth 4:3 4). The plot thickens and suspense builds. Boaz then plays his trump card: he tells the closer kinsman that actually he will have to marry Ruth, and in so doing, raise up a seed to take Elimelech s place and reclaim his land (Ruth 4:5). Suddenly the situation has changed: the nameless kinsman will have to buy back Elimelech s property, but he won t get to keep it. When the son he has with Ruth gets old enough, he will claim that land as his own. The closer relative does a quick recalculation and decides to pass the redeemer duties off to Boaz (Ruth 4:6). Not everything about Boaz strategy is clear, but we can discern that he acted in righteousness and in wisdom, with the result that he was able to both obey the law and get what he desired. Ironically, the closer kinsman passed up his redeemer duties because he was so concerned about preserving his own name and yet the text leaves him nameless! He refused to perpetuate the name of the dead, and yet it s his name that has not been perpetuated in history! He

11 Joshua, Judges, and Ruth 11 missed his chance to make his name great in Israel because he would not make a sacrifice for a fellow covenant member in need. Boaz, on the other hand, demonstrated his true worth as a self-giving, merciful leader in Israel. He married Ruth and the Lord gave the happy couple a son (Ruth 4:9 15) to perpetuate the name of the dead (Ruth 4:16 17). Of course, as Christians, we cannot help but see the Christ/Church relationship in the marriage that takes place at the end of the book. This book is the gospel in miniature; it is the littlest gospel as it s been called. It is a microcosmic retelling of all of redemptive history. Elimelech and his sons represent the first Adam. They are associated with curse, famine, and death. Boaz represents Jesus as the second Adam. He becomes what Elimelech and his sons should have been. Through him, the Lord shows His covenant love. Today, we put our hope in the greater Boaz, the greater David, a mighty man of valor, who has shown us mercy and provided for our every need. The fact that Boaz marries a Gentile, but in so doing also cares for a Jewish woman, is a beautiful foreshadowing of the New Covenant, which weaves Jew and Gentile together into the redeemed bride of Christ. Jesus is the Greater Boaz, acting as both the Church s levirate husband and kinsman-redeemer (Rom. 7:1 6; Heb. 2:14 18). The first Adam had widowed us by his rebellion, leaving us in exile, under the reign of death and the curse. Jesus is the second Adam who marries us, restores our inheritance, and buys us out of slavery. Naomi s story is the Church s story: we have moved from emptiness to fullness, from barrenness to fruitfulness, from cursed to blessed, through the work of the True Boaz. Rich Lusk For Further Reading Davis, Dale Ralph. Such a Great Salvation. Ross-shire, Scotland: Christian Focus Publications, Harstad, Adolph. Concordia Commentary: Joshua. St. Louis, Mo.: Concordia Publishing House, Hubbard, Jr., Robert L. The Book of Ruth. Grand Rapids, Mich.: William B. Eerdmans Publishing, Jordan, James B. Judges: God s War Against Humanism. Tyler, Tex.: Geneva Ministries, Veritas Press Bible Cards: Genesis through Joshua. Lancaster, Pa.: Veritas Press Veritas Press Bible Cards: Judges through Kings. Lancaster, Pa.: Veritas Press Ses s i o n I: Pr e l u d e A Question to Consider One of America s more famous politicians once said, Change in America begins in the ballot box. In light of your study of Joshua and Judges, what do you think about that statement? Can we really change our culture through politics or should we rely on prayer? Obviously, in light of the message of Joshua and Judges, we should not expect too much from politics. That s not to say Christians should give up on politics! There is no question that we should be involved in the political process as much as possible. We should be grateful that we live in a nation where every voice has the potential to be heard. The state is ordained by God (Rom.13:1 7), and to be called into the political arena, either as a magistrate in office or an ordinary citizen trying to make a difference, is a noble vocation. Civil law plays an important role in serving the common good by restraining wickedness and providing external pressure to practice virtue (cf. Aristotle s Politics, quoted by Thomas Aquinas in Summa Theologiae, II I, q. 92, a. 1, ad. 1: lawgivers make men good by habituating them to good works ). Thus, politics is vitally important. But, that being said, we have to recognize the severe limitations of what political means can accomplish. Politics cannot bring salvation; in truth politics is one more aspect of our culture that needs saving in Christ! We should also notice that American Christians have been all too prone to trust in politics to bring about the cultural change we desire. We have relied too much on legislation and not enough on the gospel. From the General Information above, answer the following questions: 1. How would you answer Richard Dawkins claims that the God of the Old Testament is blood-thirsty and genocidal? Is the conquest really an act of genocide? The conquest was an act of divine justice, perfectly measured and applied. God patiently waited until the Canaanites were fully worthy of such a complete judgment (Gen. 15:6). If God did not punish such evil, He could hardly be considered a just, loving God. 2. What is typology? Explain how one or two characters in Joshua, Judges, or Ruth serve as a type of Christ. Typology presupposes that God governs history

12 12 O m n i b u s IV Sanitized Sunday school classes can make it easy to forget that the mother of Boaz, and therefore an ancestor of Jesus Christ, was a prostitute. Rahab hid the spies, then deceived the king s men to keep them safe. Turning away from her old life, Rahab, along with her parents and her brothers, were blessed by being rescued from the city when it fell. Hebrews 11:31 says that it was by faith that she did not perish. and has built patterns into history. Typology does not simply mean that later events repeat earlier events; while there is correspondence between type and anti-type (fulfillment), there is also escalation and intensification. The book of Hebrews considers this a move from shadow to reality. Boaz is clearly a Christ-figure. He is a type of Christ in that he is a mighty man of valor who rescues a woman (really, two women) in need as a kinsman-redeemer. He makes provision for his bride and shelters her under his wing. In the same way, Jesus is our kinsman-redeemer, delivering us from the curse and bringing us into his family at great cost to Himself. The story of Ruth has the same shape as the gospel story; what Boaz accomplishes on behalf of Naomi and Ruth is analogous to what Jesus accomplishes for the Church. In short, substituting Christ for Boaz and the Church for Naomi/Ruth gives us a very faithful retelling of the gospel story. 3. One of the pillars in Solomon s temple was named after Boaz (1 Kings 7:21). What does this tell you about Boaz s character? Boaz was a model for later kings. A pillar was named after him to hold up his example before all the people. In his generosity and faithfulness he is also an exemplar for us. According to Revelation 3:12 we will receive the same honor as Boaz if we persevere in obedient faith. 4. Assuming that Judges and Ruth were first composed during the early days of the monarchy, explain how the books address the pressing questions of the day for Israel? Specifically, how do these books compare Judah and Benjamin, the tribes of David and Saul, respectively? Judah was already identified as the kingly tribe in Genesis 49:10. In Judges 1, Judah is presented as the leading and most successful tribe. The same chapter accentuates Benjamin s failure by contrast. We also see the failure of the tribe of Benjamin at the end of the book, although the Benjamites are allowed to survive in a small remnant (Judg ). In Ruth a man of Judah, Boaz, shows many admirable, kingly qualities, and the book s end highlights his connection to David. Biblically, kings are supposed to care for the fatherless and widows and rescue the poor, which is exactly what Boaz does in the book of Ruth (cf. Ps. 72; Isa. 11:1 10). 5. If holy war has been transformed into worship and evangelism in the New Covenant, does that mean all Christians should be pacifists? Is all warfare now immoral? This is a good place to discuss the just war tradition. The Bible is definitely not a pacifist document and does not equate violence with evil per se. Instead, the Scriptures distinguish righteous from unrighteous uses of violence (e.g., Jer. 22:3). Thus, John the Baptist and Jesus did not command soldiers to give up their profession when they repented, and Paul spoke of the sword-wielding magistrate as a minister of God s vengeance. While we must condemn many (or even most) wars as unjust and immoral, in a fallen world, there are legitimate, moral wars. There are also moral guidelines for carrying out warfare (cf. Deut. 20). The Christian tradition, especially beginning with Augustine, has reflected extensively on these matters in light of biblical teaching. It is important to distinguish the kind of total herem warfare (herem means that God has called

13 Joshua, Judges, and Ruth 13 on His people to totally destroy their enemies) of the conquest from just war, because God s people will never fight another holy war in history the way Joshua did. But that does not mean that there is no such thing as a Christian way to wage war in the New Covenant period of history. Rea d i n g As s i g n m e n t : Joshua 1 6 Ses s i o n II: Writing Joshua 1 6 Progymnasmata This session is a writing assignment. Remember, quality counts more than quantity. You should write no more than 1,000 words, either typing or writing legibly on one side of a sheet of paper. You will lose points for writing more than this. Note, since this is a slightly longer assignment you will only be able to turn this assignment in twice. When you turn it in, your teacher will grade it by editing your work. This is done by marking problem areas and making suggestions for improvement. You should take these suggestions into consideration as you revise your assignment. Only the grade on your final submission will be recorded. Your grade will be based on the following criteria: 25 points for grammar, 25 points for content accuracy historical, theological, etc.; 25 points for logic does this make sense and is it structured well?; 25 points for rhetoric is it a joy to read? In this assignment you will be writing a chreia. A chreia is one of the ancient progymnasmata. These were rhetorical exercises meant to hone the skills of young rhetoricians like you. The chreia is an exposition of some memorable saying or deed, generally for good counsel. It means saying exercise. Some chreia are of words, others of deeds, still others of both. It must be concise. A chreia has eight paragraphs. The first is the Panegyric which is a paragraph in which you praise the person who uttered the wise saying. The second is called the Paraphrastic. In this short paragraph you put the saying into your own words. This paragraph often begins with something like: When Saint Augustine said that evil was the deprivation of good, he meant that... In the third paragraph, called From the Cause, you explain the motivation of the person. The fourth paragraph is called From the Contrary, and in it you explain what would have happened if the opposite of the saying or action had oc- curred. For example, If Diogenes had not struck the inept teacher, bad education would have continued. In the fifth paragraph, called the Analogy, you liken the saying or action to something else, usually something more concrete and easier to understand. The sixth paragraph is similar to the fifth. It is called Example, and in it you show the wisdom of the saying or deed by pointing your reader to a specific instance in which this wisdom was demonstrated. The Analogy is different from the Example in that it is about a general practice (e.g., Education is like a harvest: you work hard and reap great reward. ) whereas the Example is about a specific person, place or thing (e.g., Erasmus studied many things and became a learned man. ). The seventh paragraph is called the Testimony of the Ancients. Here you quote a sage person from Chart 1: Map of Israel

14 14 O m n i b u s IV the past who testifies to the truth of the saying. Finally, in the eighth paragraph called the Epilogue, you sum up the chreia. Here s the context for your writing assignment: Starting in Joshua 5:1 we read that the kings of the Amorites (on the west side of Jordan) and of the Canaanites (by the sea) were frightened by the report that Yahweh had dried up the waters of the Jordan from before the children of Israel. Having walked through the river on dry ground, the Jews camped at Gilgal. They made a memorial from 12 stones of the river Jordan, just as Yahweh had instructed Joshua to do (4:15 18). While at Gilgal, Yahweh instructed Joshua to circumcise all the males. These were the young men who would replace the fighting-aged men who died, wandering in the wilderness. So this is how Gilgal got its name: On that day Yahweh rolled away (literally, rolling ) the reproach of Egypt from Israel. The children of Israel celebrated the Passover and the next day ate the fruit of their promised land. Manna ceased falling from heaven; a new era had begun. Then something very strange happened to Joshua. Sometime later, he saw a man opposite him near Jericho. This man would turn out to be the Lord Himself, a pre-incarnate Christ, if you will. We suppose that s the case because it is at this point that the Lord gives Joshua instructions and encourage- ment for sacking the city of Jericho (6:1 5). At first meeting this messenger, Joshua, acting as captain of Israel s army in Moses place, asks him a critical question: Are you for us or for our adversaries? His perfectly honest question was answered in a perfectly mysterious way. Write a chreia on the statement made by the commander of the Lord s army to Joshua in chapter 5, verse 14: No, but as Commander of the army of the Lord, I have now come. I. Panegyric Praise the person who uttered the saying. The Son of God never let the children of Israel out of His sight. He was the manna that fell from heaven in the wilderness. He was the mighty conqueror who split the Red Sea in two. He was the man who approached Joshua the night before the battle for Jericho. When the second person of the Holy Trinity shows up in human form, it is called a theophany. Nothing short of a theophany is what Joshua encountered that night. II. Paraphrastic Put the saying in your own words He was only trying to challenge the man who came to him with a drawn sword. Joshua, the commander of God s army, was alone. He stood his ground. Joshua must have been dumbstruck The Maciejowski Bible is an illuminated manuscript produced in the mid-thirteenth century. It was commissioned by King Louis IX of France. This scene depicts Deborah leading the Israelites against the Canaanites.

15 Joshua, Judges, and Ruth 15 with how the man answered the question, Are you for us, or for our adversaries? But once he figured out who stood there, the answer made perfect, holy, bone-chilling sense. The man declared, No, but as Commander of the army of the Lord, I have now come. III. From the Cause Explain the motivation of the speaker In a word, the man with the sword was answering, Neither! Not that he was neither on Israel s side nor the Canaanites side. Rather, it simply wasn t relevant for Joshua to know. The Son of God is the true commander of the Lord s army, not Joshua. And He does as He pleases, no thanks to any human agent. The theophany was meant to put Joshua in his place as under the Lord Himself as commander of His armies (and those armies included myriad squadrons of angels ready to do Yahweh s bidding). IV. From the Contrary Explain the consequences if the opposite of the saying or action had occurred God doesn t always show up this way to lead His servants, but in this case, it would be strange to imagine Joshua being unprepared for such an epic and bizarre battle. It had to be clear to him and all of Israel that God himself fights their battles. Their job, and especially their commander s job, was to follow explicit instructions and trust in the Lord. That trust would come in handy in light of Yahweh s instruction to circle the walls seven times, to shout and to blow trumpets! V. Analogy Liken the saying or action to something else. Higher authorities demand respect, even from people in authority. When a crime scene is determined to be a federal concern, the FBI are likely to show up. When they flash their badges to the local police, the local force knows that someone higher than them is now in charge. Joshua, though faithful as commander, now had to bow to Yahweh Himself, the true commander of the armies of heaven. The theophany was higher than Joshua and had no obligation to answer Joshua s query. Instead, the man re-directed the conversation as he pleased. VI. Example Point the reader to a specific instance in which the wisdom of the saying was demonstrated Think of it this way. Pretend that you ask your teacher a question that seems critical to your performance as a student. Maybe you want to know if the exam on Friday will be difficult. You say, Sir, how would you grade the degree of difficulty of Friday s exam? Please give me an idea on a scale of one to ten. Now, your teacher, if he knows what s best for you, will not give you a number at all. He is more like to say, No. It s no business of yours what I think of the test. Your business is to study all for which you are responsible. I m the teacher here, remember. VII. Testimony of the Ancients Quote a sage person from the past who testifies to the truth of this saying A Roman centurion of the first century wisely made the same declaration upon meeting Jesus: Lord, I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. But just say the word, and my servant will be healed. For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, Go, and he goes; and that one, Come, and he comes. I say to my servant, Do this, and he does it. When Jesus heard this, he was astonished and said to those following him, I tell you the truth, I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith (Matthew 8:8-10). By saying this, the centurion was affirming the same principle. VIII. Epilogue Sum up your previous paragraphs To summarize, it is vital to understand that God is King. When He shows up, either in the form of Jesus of Nazareth or as an angel or a theophany, His servants see no option but to worship, tremble and listen. So it is with all of God s Word. It is authoritative not merely because we confess it to be; it is authoritative as the living Word of God. To serve Him is not merely to have warm feelings toward God, but to listen, trust, and obey. Therein lies escape from your shame because of God s mercy. Therein lies your greatest freedom. Rea d i n g As s i g n m e n t : Joshua 7 12.

16 16 O m n i b u s IV Joshua leads the children of Israel across the Jordan. The priests who carried the Ark of the Covenant stood in the middle of the riverbed until all the people had passed by. Session III: Recitation wherever you should go. Comprehension Questions He records the events that God said would happen without any other explanation. Also, the author s approach is matter-of-fact and modest (3:17). Joshua 1 12 Answer the following questions for factual recall: 1. What is the gist of Yahweh s commission to Joshua in 1:1 9? Be strong and courageous because I am with you, and I will give this land I promised to my people. Keep my words near to you, on the tip of your tongue, and be sure to do them. I am with you 2. How can you tell that the author treats events in the book as truly historical? 3. Does the author consider their crossing of the Jordan a miracle? How can you tell from the text? The river was at flood stage, which meant that no one could wade through it (3:15). It might have been feet deep with a swift current. Also, we can t forget that the whole nation would have

17 Joshua, Judges, and Ruth 17 numbered close to a million, so this river-parting was no quick event. It required about half a day. 4. Who went first into the Jordan, and why? How far ahead were they? The priests carried the Ark of the Covenant first. They represented Israel before their God and God before His people. They led by about 3,000 feet. 5. What was Yahweh s stated purpose for that special day? He wished to show Israel that He would be with Joshua just as He was with Moses, and that they should follow Him (3:7). Joshua was acting as a type of Messiah. Even his name means Yahweh Saves and is the same name as our Savior Jesus. 6. In 6:17 18 Joshua calls the inhabitants and belongings of Jericho devoted to the Lord for destruction. Why should they be destroyed? What is not to be destroyed, and why? They should be destroyed because they are under God s curse because of unbelief and sin. They deserve this judgment. The inhabitants fear the God of Israel, yet they have not surrendered to Him. However, Rahab and her household were spared because she hid the spies, thus demonstrating her surrender to Yahweh in faith. 7. Later, other towns are taken over by the Israelites. Why, then, is Jericho singled out as completely given over to destruction? Jericho is the first fruits of Israel s conquest. By devoting Jericho to the Lord, they are acknowledging that everything belongs to God. It is an act of sacrifice, which is what true worship requires. 8. What would happen if the Israelites spared some of the devoted things or spared some of the women to make them their wives? The Israelite community would then be devoted to destruction because of contamination. By utterly destroying Jericho the Israelites are reminded of the fundamental holiness of their God. Holiness is the key to understanding His wrath. 9. Why did Joshua s spies stay at a prostitute s house on the wall of Jericho? The Bible is usually embarrassingly honest about immorality, so if the spies were there for ungodly purposes, the text would have said so. The fact is her house was strategic for a few reasons: it was on the wall and therefore provided an easy way of escape. Also, being a busy place, it was easier to go unnoticed there. We might also see God s providential hand in their choice too, since this sinner turned out to be their ally. Yahweh meant to save a family from within Jericho. 10. What was the deal the spies struck with Rahab? Who was to do what? Rahab and her household would be delivered once the Israelites approached Jericho if she would not give away the spies plans, gather her family inside, and tie a scarlet cord to her wall as a sign for their deliverance. The spies, in return, would spare her household from destruction, hence introducing them into God s people. The spies told her, So it shall be that whoever goes outside the doors of your house into the street, his blood shall be on his own head, and we will be guiltless. And whoever is with you in the house, his blood shall be on our head if a hand is laid on him (2:19). 11. Describe the Israelites loss at Ai. Why did they lose the battle? Their 3,000 men fled in fear, and Joshua tore his robes in lament. They thought it would be an easy fight, and perhaps it would have been, but one man named Achan had kept some of the accursed things from the battle against Jericho. Hence, the Lord did not go out with them in battle as He did at Jericho. This oil painting, Samson Bound at the Mill by Tanja Butler, is one of a twelve-piece series exploring parallels between the life and ministry of Samson and that of Christ. The similarities are striking. Both births were announced by angels, both men were called to free their people from oppression, and both suffered and died in fulfilling their ministries. Samson Bound can be seen as a metaphor for the brutal bondage and blindness in which sin has imprisoned humanity.

18 18 O m n i b u s IV 12. What happened to Achan? He was led out from his tribe, pled guilty, and showed where he had hidden the booty. He was stoned, and his whole household (people and goods) were burned. Rea d i n g As s i g n m e n t : Joshua Ses s i o n IV: Di s c u s s i o n Joshua A Question to Consider If you own a piece of land in the United States, do you really own it? Do you have a right to do with it as you please? What does it mean to own land? The phenomenon of owning title to land is a relatively modern one, at least for common citizens. On one level, a person or family may own land, but on another level, it is contained within a commonwealth. Therefore, civil authorities sometimes exercise their own right, for the benefit of all, to take domain over private property (as in the case of road expansion or war). On a deeper level, even nations don t really own land, though they continually assert their rights and fight for land. The ongoing Palestinian problem highlights the possibility of conflicting claims to land. In the end, God alone owns the whole earth (Ps. 24:1). Ironically, the Native Americans had an un-christianized version of the view that the earth was no one s in particular. Christians must remember that no matter what happens, the meek shall inherit the earth (Matt. 5:5) and in Christ, we will inherit all things (1 Cor. 3:21). We have a stewardship over any land given to us. Out of the land, we draw our lives, because just as God provided Adam with food from the ground, so today (yet now after the Fall by the sweat of our brows) we eat the produce of the ground. As stewards, it is our responsibility to care for and make good use of the land, passing it along to our children and teaching them that they also will need to live off of the fruitfulness of the ground, eating both the fruit and vegetables that grow up from the earth and the animals. Our ownership then is provisional. We die, and we pass along our place to our descendants, so we should not do things that would spoil the land or keep them from being able to use it well and lov- ingly. Finally, we must recognize that the land on which we live should be blessed by our presence as believers on it. We should work to make our places fruitful, useful, and beautiful. Discuss or list short answers to the following questions: Text Analysis 1. After the conquest, which tribes were given land on the east side of the Jordan? Why? Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh received land on the east side because they agreed to fight for all Israel on the west side. They had previously secured this land under Moses (Num. 32:30). 2. Refer to the map in Chart 1 showing the boundaries of the tribes of Israel. Do the allotments appear welldistributed? At first glance, the size of the allotments seems to vary greatly. Yet they are diverse topographically and geographically. In fact, the amount of land given was generally dictated by the population of the tribe. But special circumstances also affected the allotments. 3. Caleb was of the tribe of Judah. What special request did he make of Joshua in chapters 14 and 15? Caleb was 45 years old when, under Moses, he spied out the land of Canaan. Being the only soldier of that generation alive besides Joshua, and now being 85 years old, he recalls how Moses promised him Hebron, the mountain where the Anikim lived. Caleb wanted to drive out these fierce giants himself. Joshua made sure that he took the land, and he did indeed drive out the three sons of Anak from there (15:14). 4. Why didn t the Levites have an allotment of land? Their inheritance was to be Yahweh Himself, the priesthood itself and the sacrifices offered to Him (13:14: 18:7). They were, though, given 48 cities (21:41, 42). Cultural Analysis 1. How was America s War for Independence centered on land? Simply put, Americans were in America, and the British Monarchy was across the pond. Both parties initially knew the great benefit of investing in the resources of the New World. Eventually, due to double-taxation, lack of Parliamentary representation and some harassment, the colonial folk moved closer to revolution. In the end, an

19 Joshua, Judges, and Ruth 19 entirely new nation, based on a certain swath of land on the globe, was birthed. Land had everything to do with our revolution. 2. Who should enforce the right use of land in our country? Federal, state, or local governments? Industry? Families? Churches? An easy way to answer this question is to affirm that each sphere of sovereignty should and must play its part in stewarding God s land. But obviously it s a very complicated issue. In our nation now, the governments and private parties dance back and forth, one group allowing development, the other restricting, taking or giving land, regulating or deregulating control, preserving or destroying natural resources. The Christian Church offers a prophetic voice to both governments and private parties to repent of abuse of the land and to embrace a godly stewardship of the land. Biblical Analysis 1. By the New Testament era, were the tribes of Israel still in a settled state throughout Canaan? Why is their location significant for the growth of the Church? In the time of Christ, the Jews were located both in their ancestral lands and scattered throughout the known world. It had been 400 years since the 70-year exile of the tribes to Assyria and Babylon. Many Jews returned with Ezra and Nehemiah, but not all had done so. Synagogues of Hebrew worship stretched all across the Roman Empire. In the book of Acts, Jews from all around the world had gathered in Jerusalem, and having believed in Jesus of Nazareth, went back to their far-flung lands to plant churches throughout the Diaspora, even as far as Rome. 2. How did Jesus Great Commission in Matthew 28:18 20 change how God s people should view the Promised Land? For one, his commission supersedes any sense that one particular geographic location will be the land of God s people by broadening the scope and reach of the Creation Mandate of Genesis 1:26, 27. Also, the Promised Land, in a sense, becomes the Church itself, the showcase of his mysterious work of reconciliation in the nations (Eph. 2:14, 15). The Church awaits a restoration of all things, a new heaven and earth, pictured in a resplendent New Jerusalem (Rev. 21:9 22:5). Ruth and Boaz Meet by Russian-Jewish artist Marc Chagall ( ).

20 20 O m n i b u s IV Sum m a Write an essay or discuss this question, integrating what you have learned from the material above. If you own a piece of land in the United States, do you really own it? Do you have a right to do with it as you please? What does it mean to own land? At the end of his life, Joshua reminds Israel of the Lord s intention for their land: I have given you a land for which you did not labor, and cities which you did not build, and you dwell in them (Josh. 24:13). We assume, as property owners, that the land is ours, but we must remember that God owns it all. We are not really owners just because our nation has made real estate title ownership a transferable right. That practice goes way back to Old Europe, but we must keep in mind that even parts of our vast nation were acquired by treaties and, sometimes, by wars with Native Americans, some of which were unjust. Proper stewardship of the land begins with acknowledging God s ownership of all creation. We must take dominion over our little bit of turf with love toward Him, our fellow man and In the book of Ruth, Boaz provides for a destitute Ruth and Naomi by leaving extra grain in his fields for them to glean and also by giving six measures of barley directly to Ruth. Her gleaning of grain from the fields is strongly reminiscent of the Israelites collecting the manna that God provided for them in their wanderings. The association of manna with the bread in communion and the even stronger association of grain with bread make this scene in Ruth a foreshadowing of Jesus giving bread and wine to his Church in the form of the elements in communion. creation itself. In the end, we enter life naked and leave the same way (Job 1:21). But the ironic twist is that Christ s kingdom people will reign with Him, owning all things. Rea d i n g As s i g n m e n t : Joshua Ses s i o n V: Ac t i v i t y Memorializing a Witness to God In this activity, your class will imitate the Israelites and Joshua by erecting two kinds of memorials that future generations of students will see. Your class may choose to work in small groups of five or so. If you are working alone, choose one of the two memorials and erect it for your family, perhaps in a garden or flower bed. The first memorial centers on collecting 12 large rocks to be placed in a pile. These rocks represent the 12 tribes of Israel in their safe deliverance across the flooded Jordan (Josh. 4:20). By erecting this memorial, your class will identify with Israel in that future generations of students will ask the question, What are these stones doing here? Your memorial will be a reminder of God s gracious hand at your school in years past. The second memorial is reminiscent of Joshua s memorial stone that he

21 Joshua, Judges, and Ruth 21 set up under the oak that was by the sanctuary of the Lord (Josh. 24:26). His memorial, as acting messiah of God s people, pre-figures the covenant Jesus initiated with His body and blood. When future groups of students observe this monument, they will be directed to meditate on the work of Christ in keeping Israel s covenant demands for the sake of sinners, both Jew and Gentile. For the first project, you will need rocks large enough to be seen from a distance yet small enough to be carried by individual students in your class. For the second memorial, each group should have access to a large, exposed rock or wall somewhere on the school property (Be sure you have permission to turn an exposed rock into a memorial!). In the absence of a permanent rock, you may also use a large, portable rock to be placed in a garden. To customize the memorials and ensure their permanence, the rocks should be inscribed or chiseled with words from Scripture or small phrases your class makes up. It will be critical to devise a simple and safe way to do this. We suggest that your inscriptions be simple, able to be etched in one or two class periods. Before you start hunting, collecting, inscribing and placing memorials stones, be sure to read carefully Joshua 4 and 24. Further optional memorial activities Once your rocks are completed, you may wish to read selections from these passages in a ceremony. For a twist you might want to make your memorial apostolic. Your 12 rock memorial could be called The Church Memorial. Inscribe the names or historical symbols of the Twelve Apostles on the rocks. To commemorate the work of Jesus Christ as the second Joshua who delivered His people, call your second memorial The Christ Rock. Inscribe it with one of many historical logos the Church has used for Christ, e.g., the Ichthus (fish), INRI (Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews), a shepherd, a loaf of bread, a chalice, a cross, a lamb. Post a framed description of your memorials and your ceremony on an inside wall of your school, pointing people to the memorial. Sign your names as a witness to future generations that God had been gracious to your class. Include a photo. Rea d i n g As s i g n m e n t : Judges 1 5 Ses s i o n VI: Writing Judges 1 5 Poetry In this session you will be witness to the power of poetry in the Bible. You will also be challenged to interpret an exciting historical event poetically. Conveniently, Judges 4 and 5 showcase for us two literary genres back to back: narrative and poetry. Think of Francis Scott Key, beholding the tattered colonial flag creeping up its pole over Baltimore harbor amid the rockets red glare. How did he respond? By writing a poem, The Star Spangled Banner which became the American national anthem. Consider also how our nation responded to the 9/11 attacks on our soil. Poets were enlisted to aid our grief, to memorialize in vivid language our national tragedy and to solidify our resolve to fight for freedom. The same thing happens in redemptive history in the Bible. For believers, at times it seems that only poetry is capable of conveying our deepest longings, immense gratitude, and honest worship of God. Read aloud about Deborah s victory over Jabin, king of Cannan, and his army commander Sisera in chapter 4. A student should read this aloud for the whole class, or if working alone, read it to your family. Notice that the language is historical and straightforward. Next, ask a student with a flare for the dramatic to read Judges 5. This passage recounts the song of Deborah and Barak after their victory. Note especially the use of vaulted language, repetition, and imagery. Discuss these questions: 1. How do chapters 4 and 5 compare? Make a list on the board of similarities and differences in word usage, structure, emotional impact, etc. The most obvious difference is that chapter 4 is written in prose and chapter 5 is in poetic stanzas. Chapter 4 is a narrative account, stating the facts in the third person using descriptive language and frequent dialogue. Chapter 5 moves swiftly among different perspectives, speaking in third person or directly to the tribes, to Deborah, or to the Lord Himself in praise. It imparts the sheer joy that inspired it. 2. Do both chapters say the same thing? If not, what s the difference? If so, why, then are there two chapters devoted to the same event? The answer is that both chapters record the same event, one historically, one poetically. One is meant to record the details and narrative. The other is to move readers to worship along with

22 22 O m n i b u s IV Deborah. 3. Why is the mixture of genres significant? It is significant because God not only gave us stories in the Old Testament, but He also made us a singing people. He is worthy of worship for His great deeds! We are human and creative like Him, so we can use language just as He does: not only to convince minds but also to move hearts. Consider how the first three chapters of Genesis are structured poetically and reveal God as a master sculptor of all creation. History and poetry can, and often do, go hand-in-hand. Now it s your turn to imitate the Song of Deborah. Using her style, write a song of praise with at least ten lines. Write about a national tragedy, a breakthrough, a broken record in athletics, or a championship victory, an act of the President, or even an outstanding school event. Use any structure you please such as acrostics, couplets, sonnets, etc. It need not rhyme, but it must convey the immensity of the occasion and aim at stirring an emotional response from your readers. Oh, rise for the Monarchs. Rise, I say! For this is their glorious day. Day of sweat, day of pain, day of cheers. The clock ticked. It ticked. It ran down. It clicked. And buzz, that glorious buzz! See the score: 98 to 97. One ball down, Down, down through the metal rim and nestled Briefly in the net. Swoosh! Game over, done. A mere breath between shame and glory. Pity the Falcons whose name is dust. And rise for the Monarchs! Rise, today! Rea d i n g As s i g n m e n t : Judges 6 16 Ses s i o n VII: Di s c u s s i o n Judges 1 16 A Question to Consider Is the Christian God really the same God Richard Dawkins describes in this quotation? The God of the Old Testament is arguably the most unpleasant character in all fiction: jealous and proud of it; a petty, unjust, unforgiving control freak; a vindictive, blood-thirsty ethnic cleanser; a misogynistic, homophobic, racist, infanticidal, genocidal, filicidal, pestilential, megalomaniacal, sadomasochistic, capriciously malevolent bully. In the opening essay the author quotes this well-known atheist author to say that though his response to the God of the Bible may not be typical, still it does express some skeptics feelings about things many Christians take for granted, like God s holiness. Many people, including Christians, also have sincere questions about God s wrath. It s very easy to compare God s wrath against sin with the moments in which we fly off the handle in rage. We need to reverse our thinking. Starting first with Yahweh, the Creator God and personal, covenantal Savior of Israel, we see that His master attribute is holiness. He is set apart from His creation by His very nature. And He is also set apart from sin and its effects. In fact, being absolutely pure, His presence by necessity burns up all unrighteousness. Our God is a consuming fire (Heb. 12:29). To a skeptic s mind, His holy wrath against sin seems like all the outrageous adjectives Dawkins uses. But to a believer s mind, God s holiness is a comfort because it allows for real justice in the universe. Discuss or list short answers to the following questions: Text Analysis 1. In Judges 1, which tribes did not fully drive out the inhabitants of the land? Judah, Benjamin, Manasseh, Ephraim, Zebulun, Asher, and Naphtali failed to fully drive out the inhabitants. 2. What effect did this partial conquest have on Israel? The angel of God told them, They shall be thorns in your side, and their gods shall be a snare to you (2:3). So it happened: they fell into idolatry (2: 11, 12). 3. A cycle of deliverance is the prevailing theme in Judges, and it s found in 2: What were the main elements of this cycle? The children of Israel fell into idol worship and away from Yahweh s law. The anger of the Lord burned hot against them.

23 Joshua, Judges, and Ruth 23 He delivered them into the hands of plunderers and their enemies so that they became powerless. Israel became distressed and called out to Yahweh for help. Yahweh gave them judges to deliver them from their enemies. The Israelites shaped up under the leadership of the judge while he lived. After the judge died, the people went back to their stubbornness and unbelief. 4. How many judges were there, and where did they come from? Twelve judges came to the aid of Israel, and they came from all over Israel. Not one tribe was dominant. A good study Bible may show you a map which makes it clear that they came from every region of Israel, from the north (Elon) to the south (Othniel) and from the west (Samson) and the east (Jephthah). 5. Why is Deborah s victory over Jabin and Sisera bittersweet for Israel? It was bittersweet because on one hand, it was a great victory for Israel, and Deborah was a godly, decisive, courageous judge and prophetess in Israel. On the other hand, when she implored Barak to lead Israel into battle, he would only comply if she went along. She warned him that a woman would receive credit. The bitterness lies in the cowardice and laziness of the men in Israel. In her wisdom (and subtlety) Deborah praises the princes of Israel who willingly fought (5:9). Cultural Analysis 1. Why do many people pray when they are in dire straights? Believers in Christ pray in hard times because they are invited to by their Father in heaven (Rom. 8:26), and they wish to cast their care on Him (Ps. 3, 4). This is proper. Yet it shouldn t be the only time we pray. We can also praise Him and make intercession for others. Unbelievers who treat prayer superstitiously or who place their faith in the power of prayer with no regard to the living God, pray in tough times in order to get through them. Suddenly, their attention is directed to God, and they cry out, but because they aren t enlightened by the Spirit, their prayers are not accompanied by repentance and true, saving faith. 2. Should Christians put stock in their political leaders to save them? No, civil servants are just that servants. Though God certainly works through them, they are not our true King as Jesus is. And our civil government, no matter how well it defers to Christ s kingdom, is still a temporary institution, liable to every sort of corruption. Our leaders are not our saviors, but they can enable us to help ourselves, or they can make life miserable for us who are Christians. Biblical Analysis 1. Is there a New Testament corollary to the cycle we see in the life of Israel in Judges? Yes and no. Eventually, God did send a Judge, the Messiah, who for all time redeemed His people from the power of their sin. Jesus declared, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent and believe the gospel. From that moment on the history of Israel changed dramatically. The cycle had been broken because all who believed would be a part of His new people, the Church. Yet it is also true that those in Christ continue to sin. Though God doesn t send a whole new Judge, He has sent His Spirit to convince us of sin and to lead us to repentance. If we don t repent, he exercises His fatherly prerogative of disciplining His Church (1 Cor. 11). 2. Read 1 Samuel 7:15 8:22. After the Book of Judges, we learn that Samuel rules Israel faithfully as judge, prophet and priest, foreshadowing the three main offices of Jesus Christ. Clearly, Yahweh was their king. Why then did God give Israel a king? 1 Samuel 8:3 says that Samuel s sons did not walk in his ways. They took bribes and perverted justice. So, the elders of Israel came to Samuel to request a king to judge them like all the nations. You might say they couldn t trust Samuel s sons, and so they were desperate. And that would be true. But a deeper reason was that they had rejected Yahweh as their king (8:7). So, God told Samuel to describe to them what servitude under a king would be like. Knowing that, they still wanted a king. On the deepest level, the Scripture says that God gave them a king partly as punishment for their disloyalty. That discipline becomes clear when you see what kind of king Saul really was. In the end, the Lord blesses Israel with a good king, the imperfect yet faithful David. His throne, then, became the focus of God s eternal promise to bring in His kingdom for all nations through the true Davidic king (2 Sam. 7:13).

24 24 O m n i b u s IV Sum m a Write an essay or discuss this question, integrating what you have learned from the material above. Is the Christian God really the same God Richard Dawkins rails against? No, Dawkins is really railing against human evils that the God of the Bible abhors. Keep in mind that Israel was no more worthy of God s attention than any other nation. All peoples were under the curse of sin, so He would have been just in wiping Israel off the face of the globe. In fact, He almost did, but Moses interceded for them. Willing to give his life to spare his people, Moses prefigured the Christ who, as God Himself, would shoulder the wrath of God against sin by His atoning death on the Cross. So, actually, the conquest of the nations and the subsequent discipline of Israel in the times of the Judges was not nearly as brutal, horrific, or unjust as God s wrath to His Son. Notice that God s purpose in giving the land to Israel was to establish them as a holy people, a light to the nations. They continually failed in that mission, but Jesus succeeded. Christians now, in Him, wage a war of conquest, too: by laying down our lives to bring the Good News of the gospel to all peoples so that they may escape the deserved punishment of God. If Dawkins is so angry at God, doesn t that make him just as hateful, murderous and despicable? Why should we trust him and not a God who willingly, painfully deals with sin in order to restore His world in love? Rea d i n g As s i g n m e n t : Judges Ses s i o n VIII: Ac t i v i t y Judges 1 21 Note to homeschoolers: This activity will prove meaningful enough to make special efforts to include others. Seek out other homeschool children near the same age or involve your family members. Judges on Trial In the letter to the Hebrews, the author urges the early Christians (most of them Jewish in his audience) to press on knowing and serving Jesus Christ. As examples of faith, he holds up a list of Old Testament witnesses. Curiously, he holds up some characters that were... let s just say, characters. In Hebrews 11:32, the following four men are said to be examples of true, saving faith in the Lord: Gideon, Barak, Samson, and Jephthah. With a quick reading, a student might not stop to contemplate the irony. Clearly, each of these men was a sinner and did not follow God perfectly. That begs the question: If these men in fact had true, saving faith, how was their faith evidenced? Why in the world are they in the list of biblical heroes? In our nation, a person on trial is presumed innocent until proven guilty. The job of the prosecution is to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the party is guilty. The defense s job is to create doubt in the judge s or jury s minds so that their party s innocence of the crime is maintained. In the case of our trial, we are not determining the defendants guilt or innocence. Rather, we are looking for evidences of true, saving faith. To use courtroom language, we might say we are seeking to determine beyond a shadow of doubt if each man had faith (despite his good or bad deeds). To be true to God s Word, we must not let the students feel that they are putting God s Word on trial. Each of these four men clearly demonstrated saving faith, even though in critical ways, they failed to act in faith. This trial should demonstrate that saving faith is not about acting perfectly, but acting in tune with God s promises. As the Puritan saying goes, God uses crooked sticks to draw straight lines. And that same God has a way of making saints out of sinners over a lifetime. Our faith should be directed toward Christ who fulfilled all righteousness, even as these heroes of the faith believed and trusted in Yahweh in the midst of their brokenness. To examine this question, your class will hold a trial of each of these men. Elect a judge. Elect four defense and four prosecuting attorneys to accuse or represent each man. To prepare for either defending or accusing the saints in question, each attorney should carefully read these pertinent passages: Gideon: Judges 6:11 9:35 Barak: Judges 4:1 24 Samson: Judges Jephthah: Judges 11, 12 The rest of the class will act as witnesses and the jury (with Bibles at hand). One prosecutor sets forth his case. Then the defender does the same. Go

25 Joshua, Judges, and Ruth 25 through each man this way. The judge should list charges made against each man that point to his acting in unbelief as well as list, in his defense, examples of each man s deeds extending from faith. Also, any statements the men make about their faith or about God should be taken into consideration. The jury should be taking notes as well. When the cases have all been heard, allow for a time of questioning of the attorneys by the jury. The judge should then call for a recess so that the jury can determine the presence of true, saving faith in each defendant s life. The judge will ask four different members of the jury to read their verdicts. For Gideon: He feared Yahweh as evidenced by his response to the angel s call on his life as a judge; he built an altar to Yahweh and destroyed the altars to Baal in Israel. Also, Gideon and his small army of 300 defeated the Midianites. After the victory, he refused the Israelites offer of kingship. For forty years he judged, and there was no war. Against Gideon: He made an ephod from 1,700 shekels of gold he spoiled from the Midianites. It became a snare of idolatry to Gideon and his family. For Barak: He went into battle with Deborah and praised God with her in victory. Against Barak: He followed Deborah into battle, showing cowardice. For Samson: He was fully devoted to the Lord as a Nazarite; he despised the Philistines, often risking his life to bring them down. Against Samson: He had a soft spot for alluring women such as Delilah, who sought to cut off the strength he had before Yahweh; he was impetuous and seemed to crave violence. For Jephthah: He was a military leader who had defeated the Philistines in the trans-jordon. As a diplomat to the king of the Ammonites, he attempted to stave off war, but the other king wouldn t have it. The Spirit of the Lord came upon him, and he was victorious in that battle. Against Jephthah: He made a rash vow that if he won the battle over the Ammonites, he would offer as a burnt offering the first person (or thing) that he met coming through his doors. That person was his only child, a virgin daughter. Instead of repenting over it, he kept the vow, thereby committing murder against his own daughter although some think that he did not kill his daughter but instead had her devoted to the service of the Lord so that she could not marry. The next session will be a student-led discussion. Students will be creating their own questions concerning the issue of the session. Students should create three Text Analysis Questions, two Cultural Analysis questions, and two Biblical Analysis questions. For more detailed instructions, please see the chapter on Death on the Nile, Session V. Issue How should the grace of God shape a believer s life? Ses s i o n IX: Rea d i n g As s i g n m e n t : Ruth Student-Led Discussion Ruth A Question to Consider How should the grace of God shape a believer s life? Grace is receiving life and redemption from God. It is not earned. It is only received, and redemption comes only through faith in Jesus Christ. So, as Paul says, Having been justified by faith, we have peace with God (Rom. 5:1). We have many other things as well, such as assurance of His affection, perseverance, and a calling to live grateful lives. Grace shapes us into godly people, or at least it should (Titus 1:1). Grace, and the appreciation of it, does not shape us into law breakers but into law keepers. That is, like Christ, we offer our lives back to God as living sacrifices to do His will (Rom. 12:1). Students should read and consider the example questions below that are connected to the Question to Consider above. Last session s assignment was to prepare three questions and answers for the Text Analysis section and two additional questions and answers for both the Cultural and Biblical Analysis sections below.

26 26 O m n i b u s IV The Story of Ruth by Thomas Matthews Rooke, Text Analysis Example: What nationality are Naomi and her husband Elimelech? Why do they move to Moab, and how does this affect their lives? Answer: Naomi and Elimelech are Israelites from Bethlehem. They move out of the Promised Land because of a famine. Things don t go very well in Moab. Though their sons find Moabite wives, those sons and Elimelech all die. Other important parts of Ruth that might be explored: The levirate marriage and kinsman redeemer provisions in Ruth 1:11 13, 4:10 17, as well as in Leviticus 25:25 55, and Deuteronomy 25: 5, 6 Naomi s perception of God s providence from bitterness (1:20) to fullness (4:13 17) The godliness of Boaz demonstrated in how he treats Ruth and Naomi generously and righteously. He serves as a wonderful picture of Yahweh under whose wings [Naomi and Ruth] have come for refuge (2:12). The importance of family, name and inheritance in Israel. The blood line leading up to King David (and eventually to Jesus of Nazareth) Cultural Analysis Example: To what degree does our culture value the input of extended families into such personal matters as money, marriage, and inheritance? Answer: Our culture today is still operating, for the most part, off the fumes of Christendom. At least formally, a young man still tends to ask for a young woman s hand in marriage by talking to her father. Ceremonies of marriage tend to be traditional as well. However, Romanticism has influenced much of what we do in marriage. We tend to ignore bigger issues surrounding marriage, like our parents wishes, our family name, our family businesses and hometowns. Where faith in Christ is lacking, young people simply marry the person they fall in love with, regardless of their relationship to Christ. The Hebrew law reminded Jews that God owned everything: the land and all money. Believers were expected to steward their possessions and run their families in ways that were in the best interest of the community and for God s glory. Breaking God s law only brought misery and disruption to their peace. As we see in Boaz s treatment of Ruth, redemption and blessing are possible if believers keep covenant with their God in light of His amazing grace. Other cultural issues to consider: Redemption and its modern equivalents, the romance of Ruth s story, and