The Story of the Old
Testament
Session 4: Joshua, Judges, Ruth
(The Promised Land)
1
Recap Of Covenants
#1
Adamic Covenant
Genesis 2
#2
Noahic Covenant
Genesis 9
Recap of Covenants
#3
Abrahamic Covenant
Genesis 12, 15, 17
#4
Mosaic Covenant
Exodus 19-24
Recap Of Covenants
#5
Davidic Covenant
2 Samuel 7
#6
New Covenant
Jeremiah 31:31-34; Ezekiel
36:22-32 (hints before this –
e.g., Deut. 30:6)
Joshua
As we begin Joshua, where are we in the
fulfillment of God’s promises to Abraham:
Land – a new generation, with a new leader,
stands at the edge of the land poised for
conquest!
Numerous offspring – fulfilled!
Worldwide blessing - closer than ever, Israel as
God’s covenant people, his treasured
possession, are to mediate the Lord’s presence
(blessing) to the nations by being a kingdom
of priests & a holy nation!
Israel Enters the Promised Land (1-5)
Joshua Commissioned (1:2)
“Moses my servant is dead. Now therefore
arise, go over this Jordan, you and all this
people, into the land that I am giving to
them, to the people of Israel.”
The Lord’s Presence Promised (1:5)
“Just as I was with Moses, so I will be with
you. I will not leave or forsake you.”
Israel Enters the Promised Land (1-5)
The Lord’s covenant promises central (1:6)
“Be strong and courageous, for you shall
cause this people to inherit the land that I
swore to their fathers to give them.”
Reminder that only obedience enjoy the
blessing of the Lord’s covenant promises
(1:7-8)
“[D]o according to all the law that Moses
my servant commanded you. Do not turn
Israel Enters the Promised Land (1-5)
from it to the right hand or to the left, that
you may have good success wherever you go.
This Book of the law shall not depart from
your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day
and night, so that you may be careful to do
according to all that is written in it. For then
you will make your way prosperous, and then
you will have good success.”
Israel Enters the Land (6-11)
Joshua sends spies into the land (2:1)
Rahab protects the spies because she has cast
her lot in with Israel and put her faith in
Israel’s God (2:9-11)
“I know that the Lord has given you the
land, and that the fear of you has fallen
upon us, and that all the inhabitants of
the land melt away before you. For we
have heard how the Lord dried up the
water of the Red Sea before you when you
Israel Enters the Land (6-11)
came out of Egypt, and what you did to the
two kings of the Amorites who were beyond
the Jordan, to Sihon and Og, whom you
devoted to destruction. And as soon as we
heard it, our hearts melted, and there was
spirit left in any man because of you, for the
Lord your God, he is God in the heavens
above and on the earth beneath.”
Israel Enters the Land (6-11)
Rahab’s confession takes us back to Exodus
9:15-16
“For by now I could have put out my hand
and struck you and your people with
pestilence, and you would have been cut
off from the earth. But for this purpose I
have raised you up, to show you my power,
so that my name may be proclaimed in all
the earth.”
Alignment with line of restoration=salvation
Israel Enters the Land (6-11)
Spies give a faith-filled report (2:24)
“Truly the Lord has given all the land into
our hands. And also, all the inhabitants of
the land melt way because of us.”
The Lord parts the Jordan as He parted the
Red Sea (3:7-17)
Israel obeys the Lord in circumcising the males
of the wilderness generation & in observing
the Passover (5:2-10) because only the obedient
experience the blessing of fulfillment
Israel Takes Possession of the Land (6-11)
The First Battle in the Land – Jericho (6)
Victory pronounced (6:2)
“See, I have given Jericho into your
hand, with its king and mighty men of
valor.”
Strange strategy given (6:3-5)
March around the city, blow trumpets,
and shout
Schreiner: “The bizarre strategy
confirmed that Israel could not attribute
Israel Takes Possession of the Land (6-11)
victory to its own military prowess. Their
victory was a gift of grace-an astounding
work of the Lord.”
Victory realized through obedience
The people did as the Lord commanded.
For six days, the people marched around
Jericho. On the seventh day, the people
raised a collective shout of faith and the
walls of Jericho “fell down flat, so that the
people went up into the city, every man
Israel Takes Possession of the Land (6-11)
straight before him, and they captured the
city.” (6:20)
Reason for complete destruction of certain
Canaanite cities – Back in Genesis 15!
“Know for certain that your offspring will
be sojourners in a land that is not theirs
and will be servants there, and they will be
afflicted for four hundred years. But I will
bring judgment on the nation that they
Israel Takes Possession of the Land (6-11)
serve, and afterward they shall come out
with great possessions. As for you, you
shall go to your fathers in peace; you shall
be buried in a good old age. And they shall
come back here in the fourth generation,
for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet
complete.” (Gen. 15:13-16)
This reality puts God’s incomprehensible and
all-encompassing sovereignty on full display!
Israel Takes Possession of the Land (6-11)
Achan’s Disastrous Disobedience (7:1-26)
Took items under the ban & “the anger of the
Lord burned against the people” (7:1)
Israel defeated by Ai – 36 men die
Israel spiraled in fear (hearts melted)
Joshua doubts and calls out to the Lord –
“Alas, O Lord God, why have you brought
this people over the Jordan at all, to give us
into the hands of the Amorites, to destroy
us? Would that we had been content to
Israel Takes Possession of the Land (6-11)
dwell beyond the Jordan! O Lord, what
can I say, when Israel has turned their
backs before their enemies! For the
Canaanites and all the inhabitants of the
land will hear of it and will surround us
and cut off our name from the earth. And
what will you do for your great name?” (7:78)
Achan’s entire family put to death (7:25-26)
Israel Takes Possession of the Land (6-11)
Schreiner: Israel “would experience the
same fate as the inhabitants of Jericho if
they violated the provisions of the
covenant.”
“Israel has sinned; they have transgressed
my covenant that I commanded them; they
have taken some of the devoted things; they
have stolen and lied and put them among
their own belongings. Therefore the
people of Israel cannot stand before their
Israel Takes Possession of the Land (6-11)
enemies. They turn their backs before
their enemies, because they have become
devoted for destruction. I will be with you
no more, unless you destroy the devoted
things from among you.” (7:11-12)
Defeat Turned To Victory (8:1-2)
After justice of the Lord satisfied through
judgment, the Lord gives Israel victory over
Ai
Israel Takes Possession of the Land (6-11)
Deuteronomy 28 Comes to Life!
Israel Takes Possession of the Land (6-11)
“[A]ll Israel, sojourner as well as native born,
with their elders and officers and their
judges, stood on opposite sides of the ark
before the Levitical priests who carried the
ark of the covenant of the Lord, half of them
in front of Mount Gerizim and half of them
in front of Mount Ebal, just as Moses the
servant of the Lord had commanded at the
first, to bless the people of Israel. And
afterward he read all the words of the law,
Israel Takes Possession of the Land (6-11)
the blessing and the curse, according to all
that is written in the Book of the Law. There
was not a word of all that Moses commanded
that Joshua did not read before all the
assembly of Israel, and the women, and the
little ones, and the sojourners who lived
among them.” (8:33-35)
Israel Takes Possession of the Land (6-11)
Gibeonite deception (9:3-21)
While the majority of the peoples in
Canaan responded in rebellion to the
revelation of the Lord’s glory through his
awesome acts on behalf of his people (9:12), the inhabitants of Gibeon responded
like Rahab and made a covenant with Israel
so that they would not be destroyed by
them.
Israel Takes Possession of the Land (6-11)
Gibeonite faith (9:24)
“[I]t was told to your servants for a
certainty that the Lord your God had
commanded his servant Moses to give you
all the land and to destroy all the
inhabitants of the land from before you-so
we feared greatly of our lives because of you
and did this thing.”
Another echo of Exodus 9:15-16!
Israel Takes Possession of the Land (6-11)
Israel’s Foolishness in Entering Covenant
Exodus 34:12 - “Take care, lest you make a
covenant with the inhabitants of the land
to which you go, lest it become a snare in
your midst.”
Consequence of Israel’s Foolishness
Pulled into a war between Gibeon and the
5 kings of the Amorites (Joshua 10)
Israel Takes Possession of the Land (6-11)
God’s Grace Triumphs Over Israel’s
Foolishness
“Do not fear them, for I have given them
into your hands. Not a man of them shall
stand before you.” (Joshua 10:8)
Israel prevails primarily because of a
hailstorm sent from the Lord (10:10-11)
The rest of Joshua 10 outlines the
“Southern Campaign”
Israel Takes Possession of the Land (6-11)
The Southern Campaign (10:29-42)
Libnah (10:29-30),
Lachish (10:31-32),
Horam king of Gezer (10:33),
Eglon (10:34-35),
Hebron (10:36-37),
10:38-39), and
“the whole land, the hill country and the
Negeb and the lowland and the slopes, and
Israel Takes Possession of the Land (6-11)
all their kings. He left none remaining, but
devote to destruction all that breathed, just as
the Lord God of Israel commanded. And
Joshua struck them from Kadesh-barnea as
far as Gaza, and all the county of Goshen, as
far as Gibeon. And Joshua captured all these
kings and their land at one time, because the
Lord God of Israel fought for Israel.” (10:4042)
Israel Takes Possession of the Land (6-11)
Israel Takes Possession of the Land (6-11)
Joshua 11 traces the Northern Campaign
Israel Takes Possession of the Land (6-11)
At the end of Joshua 11, we encounter
profound words of fulfillment: “So Joshua
took the whole land, according to all that the
Lord had spoken to Moses. And Joshua gave
it for an inheritance to Israel according to
their tribal allotments. And the land had rest
from war.” (11:23)
Israel Makes the Land Their Home (12-22)
Review & Introduction to Third Section
1-5 – Israel Entered Land
6-11 – Israel Took Possession of Promised Land
12-22 – Israel Makes Promised Land Home
Work Left to Do – Land Yet to Conquer (13:1)
The Lord Will Go Before Them (13:6)
“I myself will drive them out from before
the people of Israel. Only allot the land to
Israel for an inheritance, as I have
commanded you.”
Israel Makes the Land Their Home (12-22)
½ of Manasseh, Reubenites, Gadites take
inheritance East of the Jordan
Promised Land Divided Among Other Tribes
(save the Levites) (13:7-8, 14)
Entered, taken, possessed, now owned as
an inheritance!
Israel Makes the Land Their Home (12-22)
Israel Makes the Land Their Home (12-22)
The Experience of Fulfillment (21:43-45)
“Thus the Lord gave to Israel all the land
that he swore to give to their fathers. And
they took possession of it, and they settled
there. And the Lord gave them rest on
every side just as he had sworn to their
fathers. And they took possession of it,
and they settled their. And the Lord gave
them rest on every side just as he had
sworn to their fathers. Not one of all their
Israel Makes the Land Their Home (12-22)
enemies had withstood them, for the Lord
had given all their enemies into their hands.
Not one word of all the good promises that
the Lord had made to the house of Israel had
failed; all came to pass.”
Israel Dwells in the Land (23-24)
In Joshua 23, Joshua Reminds Israel that:
they have possession of the Promised Land
because the Lord fought on their behalf
(23:3);
that he allocated a portion of the Promised
Land to the respective tribes as an
inheritance pursuant to the Lord’s
instructions (23:4);
that the Lord will drive out the peoples
that still remain in the Promised Land so
Israel Dwells in the Land (23-24)
that they can fully come into their
inheritance (23:5);
they must “be very strong to keep and to
do all that is written in the Book of the
Law of Moses, turning aside from it
neither to the right hand nor to the left”
so that they (a) don’t become led astray by
the surrounding nations and (b) can
continue to “cling to the Lord your God”
Israel Dwells in the Land (23-24)
and “[b]e very careful . . . to love the Lord
your God” (23:8-11);
if they turn from the Lord and cling to the
gods of the nations then they will experiences
the curses set forth in Leviticus 26 and
Deuteronomy 28 (23:12-13, 15-16);
“not one word has failed of all the good
things that the Lord your God promised
concerning you. All have come to pass for
you; not one of them has failed.” (23:14)
Israel Dwells in the Land (23-24)
In Joshua 24:2-13, Joshua recounts the Lord’s
progressive fulfillment of his redemptive
promises:
Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, ‘Long
ago, your fathers lived beyond the Euphrates,
Terah, the father of Abraham and Nahor;
and they served other gods. Then I took
your father Abraham from beyond the River
and led him through all the land of Canaan,
and made his offspring many. I gave him
Isaac. And to Isaac I gave Jacob and Esau.
Israel Dwells in the Land (23-24)
And I gave Esau the hill country of Seir to
possess, but Jacob and his children went
down to Egypt. And I sent Moses and
Aaron, and I plagued Egypt with what I did
in the midst of it, and afterward I brought
you out.
Then I brought your fathers out of Egypt,
and you came to the sea. And the Egyptians
pursued your fathers with chariots and
horsemen to the Red Sea. And when they
cried to the Lord, he put darkness between
Israel Dwells in the Land (23-24)
you and the Egyptians and made the sea come
upon them and cover them; and your eyes saw
what I did in the Egypt. And you lived in the
wilderness a long time. Then I brought you to
the land of the Amorites, who lived on the
other side of the Jordan. They fought with you,
and I gave them into your hand, and you took
possession of their land, and I destroyed them
before you. Then Balak the son of Zippor, king
of Moab, arose and fought against Israel. And
he sent and invited Balaam the son of Beor to
Israel Dwells in the Land (23-24)
curse you, but I would not listen to Balaam.
Indeed, he blessed you. So I delivered you out
of his hand. And you went over the Jordan and
came to Jericho, and the leaders of Jericho
fought against you, and also the Amorites, the
Perizzites, the Canaanites, the Hittites, the
Grigashites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. And
I gave them into your hand. And I sent the
hornet before you, which drove them out before
you, the two kings of the Amorites; it was not by
your sword or by your bow. I gave you a land on
Israel Dwells in the Land (23-24)
which you had not labored and cities that you
had not built, and you dwell in them. You eat
of the fruit of vineyards and olive orchards that
you did not plant.”
In light of the Lord’s relentless faithfulness to
them, the people of Israel are called to respond
in faith: “Now therefore fear the Lord and serve
him in sincerity and in faithfulness. Put away
the gods that your fathers served beyond the
River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord.”
(24:14)
Israel Dwells in the Land (23-24)
Joshua famously declares his alignment with
the Lord: “[A]s for me and my house, we will
serve the Lord.” (24:15)
The people of Israel claim that they will obey
(24:16-18)
Joshua makes it clear that they will not obey
but, rather, rebel, experience the curses that
naturally flow from that rebellion (24:19-20)
Joshua dies, Joseph’s bones buried, Joshua’s
generation obeyed the Lord (24:29-33)
Where are We At the End of Joshua?
Land – we are finally in the Promised Land,
this promise has been fulfilled!
Numerous offspring – we are an exceedingly
numerous people, this promise has been
fulfilled!
Worldwide blessing – partial fulfillment by
people mediating the Lord’s presence to the
nations by being his treasured possession,
kingdom of priests, holy nation (e.g. Rahab,
Gibeonites)
Judges: The Story Continues
As we begin Judges, we pick the story up
right were we left off in Joshua.
2/3 of the Lord’s promises to Abraham have
been fulfilled, progress is being made on the
third promise, and Joshua is dead
Cycle of Rebellion, Judgment, Repentance,
Salvation Introduced (1:1-3:6)
While Judges begins with the optimistic
mood carried throughout the book of Joshua
(1:4-26), the mood quickly changes
7 of the 12 tribes are mentioned in the last ½
of Judges 1 as failing to complete the task of
driving the Canaanites from their respective
portions of the Promised Land!
Cycle of Rebellion, Judgment, Repentance,
Salvation Introduced (1:1-3:6)
The angel of the Lord confronts Israel’s in
Judges 2:1-3: “I brought you up from Egypt and
brought you into the land that I swore to give
your fathers. I said, ‘I will never break my
covenant with you, and you shall make no
covenant with the inhabitants of this land; you
shall break down their altars.’ But you have not
obeyed my voice. What is this you have done?
So now I say, I will not drive them out before
you, but they shall become thorns in your sides,
and their gods shall be a snare to you.”
Cycle of Rebellion, Judgment, Repentance,
Salvation Introduced (1:1-3:6)
Israel’s rebellion was caused by the rise of a
new generation: “there arose another
generation after them who did not know the
Lord or the work that he had done for
Israel.” (2:10)
Schreiner: “Apparently, the Deuteronomic
ideal of teaching children to love, fear, and
hold fast to the Lord had failed (see Deut.
4:4; 10:20; 11:22; 13:5; 30:20). Israel was in
the land but not in the Lord.”
Cycle of Rebellion, Judgment, Repentance,
Salvation Introduced (1:1-3:6)
This new generation “did what was evil in
the sight of the Lord and served the Baals.
And they abandoned the Lord, the God of
their fathers, who had brought them out of
the land of Egypt. They went after other
gods, from among the gods of the peoples
who were around them, and bowed down to
them. And they provoked the Lord to
anger.” (2:11-12)
Cycle of Rebellion, Judgment, Repentance,
Salvation Introduced (1:1-3:6)
Schreiner: “The book of Judges dashes any
hopes that worldwide blessing would come
soon through Israel.”
Promised Curses Come (2:14-15)
“So the anger of the Lord was kindled
against Israel, and he gave them over to
plunderers, who plundered them. And he
sold them into the hand of their
surrounding enemies, so that they could
no longer withstand their enemies.
Cycle of Rebellion, Judgment, Repentance,
Salvation Introduced (1:1-3:6)
Whenever they marched out, the hand of the
Lord was against them for harm, as the Lord
had warned, and as the Lord had sworn to
them. And they were in terrible distress.”
Sadly, we are seeing what was pronounced in
Leviticus 26, Deuteronomy 4 & 30
Cycle of rebellion, judgment, repentance,
salvation spelled out clearly in Judges 2:16-19
Cycle of Rebellion, Judgment, Repentance,
Salvation Introduced (1:1-3:6)
“Then the Lord raised up judges, who saved
them out of the hand of those who
plundered them. Yet they did not listen to
their judges, for they whored after other gods
and bowed down to them. They soon turned
aside from the way in which their fathers had
walked, who had obeyed the commandments
of the Lord, and they did not do so.
Whenever the Lord raised up judges for
them, the Lord was with the judge, and he
Cycle of Rebellion, Judgment, Repentance,
Salvation Introduced (1:1-3:6)
saved them from the hand of their enemies
all the days of the judge. For the Lord was
moved to pity by their groaning because of
those who afflicted and oppressed them. But
whenever the judge died, they turned back
and were more corrupt than their fathers,
going after other gods, serving them and
bowing down to them. They did not drop any
of their practices or their stubborn ways.”
Cycle of Rebellion, Judgment, Repentance,
Salvation Recounted (3:7-16:31)
Series of Judges
Othniel (Judges 3:7-11)
Ehud (Judges 3:12-30)
Shamgar (Judges 3:31)
Deborah (Judges 4:1-5:31)
Gideon (Judges 6:1-8:35)
Abimelech (Judges 9:1-57)
Tola (Judges 10:1-2)
Jair (Judges 10:3-5)
Cycle of Rebellion, Judgment, Repentance,
Salvation Recounted (3:7-16:31)
Series of Judges
Jephthah (Judges 10:6-12:7)
Ibzan (Judges 12:8-10)
Elon (Judges 12:11-13)
Abdon (Judges 12:14-15)
Samson (Judges 13:1-16:31)
Need for a King
Schreiner: “As the story goes on in Judges,
it becomes apparent, despite the victories
Cycle of Rebellion, Judgment, Repentance,
Salvation Recounted (3:7-16:31)
won by the judges, that they are weak and
fallible. . . . The faults of the judges whom
Yahweh raised up to deliver Israel indicate
that Israel needed a king-a man after God’s
own heart.”
Genesis 49:8-12 (blessing of Judah), Numbers
24:17 (king will crush head of Moab), Deut.
17:14-20 (laws for kings) point to restoration
coming about through a king
Cycle of Rebellion, Judgment, Repentance,
Salvation Recounted (3:7-16:31)
Placement of Judges in OT argues that
need for king is a theme – Ruth provides
genealogy of future king, 1-2 Samuel tells
the story of how the future king rose to
power
Several false steps toward kingship in
Judges
People ask Gideon to be king – he refuses
by saying: ““I will not rule over you, and
Cycle of Rebellion, Judgment, Repentance,
Salvation Recounted (3:7-16:31)
my son will not rule over you; the Lord will
rule over you.” (Judges 8:23)
Abimelech, Gideon’s evil son, seizes power
as king by killing 69/70 of Gideon’s other
sons
Abimelech only ruled 3 years – cursed time
filled with needless bloodshed
Cycle of Rebellion, Judgment, Repentance,
Salvation Recounted (3:7-16:31)
These chapters in Judges are anything but
boring
Schreiner: “The narrator often calls attention
to how unusual [the judges] were, indicating
that they are unexpected saviors . . . . Yahweh
was ‘realizing his providential designs by
means which completely overturn human
expectations.’”
Cycle of Rebellion, Judgment, Repentance,
Salvation Recounted (3:7-16:31)
The “highlight reel” from Judges
Ehud (left-handed!) delivered Israel by first
stabbing Eglon the king of Moab (who was
very fat) while he was going to the restroom
causing “the dung” to come out. Eglon’s
attendants “waited till they were
embarrassed” and then went in to find him
dead. Once the fat king was dead, Ehud led
Israel in battle against the Moabites and
defeated them (3:12-30);
Cycle of Rebellion, Judgment, Repentance,
Salvation Recounted (3:7-16:31)
The “highlight reel” from Judges
Shamgar killed 600 Philistines with an oxgoad
(3:31);
Sisera, a general on a Canaanite army, was
killed by a tent peg being driven through his
head while he slept (4:21);
Gideon famously asks, twice, for a sign by
laying a fleece of wool on the threshing floor
(6:36-40);
Cycle of Rebellion, Judgment, Repentance,
Salvation Recounted (3:7-16:31)
The “highlight reel” from Judges
Gideon’s army was reduced from 32,000 to
10,000 with every fearful person having the
opportunity to go home and then reduced
from 10,000 to 300 based upon how they
took a water break. Then, the “army” of 300
defeated a great army by blowing trumpets,
shouting, and smashing jars (7:1-25);
Jephthah bizarrely made a vow that he would
sacrifice “to the Lord” the first person who
Cycle of Rebellion, Judgment, Repentance,
Salvation Recounted (3:7-16:31)
The “highlight reel” from Judges
came out to greet him from his tent which
led to the killing of his only child (11:29-40)
The Spirit of the Lord of the Lord rushed
upon Samson and he tore a lion in pieces
with his bare hands and then several days
later ate honey from the lion’s carcass (14:5-6)
Samson burned the fields of the Philistines by
Cycle of Rebellion, Judgment, Repentance,
Salvation Recounted (3:7-16:31)
The “highlight reel” from Judges
catching 300 foxes, and connected flaming
torches to the tails and set them free (15:4-5)
Samson killed 1,000 Philistines with the
jawbone of a donkey (15:14-17)
Samson is eventually taken down through his
relationship with Delilah and her deceptive
cunning. The Lord left him and “the
Philistines seized him and gouged out his
Cycle of Rebellion, Judgment, Repentance,
Salvation Recounted (3:7-16:31)
The “highlight reel” from Judges
eyes and brought him down to Gaza and
bound him with bronze shackles.” (16:20-21)
But, the Lord’s presence returned to him as
“the hair on his head began to grow again
after it had been shaved” and in his last act
killed 3,000 Philistines by breaking down the
pillars of the house in which they were
gathered to worship their god. (16:22-31)
Cycle of Rebellion, Judgment, Repentance,
Salvation Recounted (3:7-16:31)
The battle between the line of restoration
and the line of rebellion is nothing short of
bizarre in the book of Judges!
NT casts the judges as people who trusted the
Lord and “acted on that trust and thereby
delivered Israel from its enemies. In other
words, the judges should be remembered
primarily as people of faith, not as those who
disobeyed the Lord.” (Schreiner)
Cycle of Rebellion, Judgment, Repentance,
Salvation Recounted (3:7-16:31)
But, how do these judges and these accounts
point to Jesus?
Goldsworthy: “We need to distinguish
between the pattern of events and their
perfection. The events of saving history in the
Old Testament prefigure and demonstrate the
pattern of the one true and perfect saving act
yet to come. They do it well enough to point
the people of that time to the way of
salvation by grace through faith. God is not
Cycle of Rebellion, Judgment, Repentance,
Salvation Recounted (3:7-16:31)
playing games with Israel for the sake of us who
come afterward. His promises are true for
them, and the way of salvation is made plain.
Yet the failures of the saving figures, the
prophets, the priests, and the kings, as well as
the overall failure of Israel, all point to the fact
that the real saving event still lies in the future. .
. . . Thus, we not only distinguish between the
pattern and the perfection . . . but also between
the inadequacy of the Old Testament type to save
and its function of pointing forward
Cycle of Rebellion, Judgment, Repentance,
Salvation Recounted (3:7-16:31)
to the only true basis of salvation in Jesus Christ.
The epistle to the Hebrews shows us that a
principal point of unity between the two
Testaments is the pattern of redemption, while the
real distinction lies in the fact that only the saving
work of Jesus suffices to save anyone.”
Judges were imperfect; Jesus is perfect!
Judges brought about temporary victory; Jesus
brings about eternal victory!
The Downward Trajectory of Israel’s
Rebellion (17:1-21:25)
The book of Judges closes with 2 disturbing
stories
Schreiner: “Israel was supposed to be the
offspring of the woman, but they were
virtually indistinguishable from the offspring
of the serpent.”
The root of the problem set forth in Judges
17:6: “In those days there was no king in
Israel. Everyone did what was right in his
own eyes.”
The Downward Trajectory of Israel’s
Rebellion (17:1-21:25)
First Disturbing Story – Judges 17-18
Great-grandson of Moses ordained to a
priesthood devoted to the worship of idols!
Second Disturbing Story – Judges 19-21
Inhabitants of Gibeah sexually abuse and kill the
concubine of a Levite
Levite cuts the body of the dead concubine into
12 pieces and sent pieces to the 12 tribes
Israel assembles against the tribe of Benjamin
and almost wipes them out
The Downward Trajectory of Israel’s
Rebellion (17:1-21:25)
The Closing Verse of Judges Again Restates the
Problem And Points to the Need For A King
“[I]n those days there was no king in Israel.
Everyone did what was right in his own eyes.”
(21:25)
Where Are We As We Leave Judges?
Land – the people of Israel are still in the
Promised Land – still fulfilled
Numerous offspring – still exceedingly numerous,
but the tribe of Benjamin greatly reduced.
Worldwide blessing – the partial fulfillment of the
promise of worldwide blessing through the
mediation of the Lord’s presence by Israel being
a kingdom of priests and a holy nation has
completely evaporated. Israel is many things
but holy is not one of them at this point.
Ruth
Ruth does not progress the storyline of the
Old Testament but, rather, shines a ray of
hope into the darkness set by the book of
Judges
The story of Ruth takes place during the time
of the judges (1:1)
I Left Full & Return Empty (1:1-22)
Elimelech, Naomi, and 2 sons leave
Bethlehem to seek refuge from the famine in
the land of Moab
Ebimelech & 2 sons die leaving Naomi with 2
daughters-in-law
In her distress Naomi exclaims that the “hand
of the Lord has gone out against me” and “I
went away full, and the Lord has brought me
back empty. Why call me Naomi, when the
Lord has testified against me and the
I Left Full & Return Empty (1:1-22)
Almighty has brought calamity upon me?”
Schreiner: “Naomi’s theology here is quite
sophisticated, anticipating the book of Job.
She does not maintain that her sufferings are
the result of her sin, nor does she argue that
what happened to her was outside of the
Lord’s control. Yahweh brought calamity
upon her. His hand was stretched against
her. He made her bitter. And yet Naomi was
not suggesting that the Lord was defiled by
I Left Full & Return Empty (1:1-22)
any evil in what he did to her; the Lord was
just and good despite the evils that Naomi
experienced from his hand. The Lord
remained King even in the midst of difficult
times. Naomi did not minimize the evils that
she experienced; she did not give a
saccharine response that was contrary to the
depth of human experience. She lamented
and grieved over the pain that had come her
way.”
I Left Full & Return Empty (1:1-22)
But, not is all lost for Naomi, for Ruth clings to
her in her distress (1:14) and famously
pronounces her undying loyalty: “Do not urge
me to leave you are to return from following
you. For where you go I will go, and where you
lodge I will lodge. Your people shall be my
people, and your God my God. Where you die
I will die, and there will I be buried. May the
Lord do so to me and more also if anything but
death parts me from you.”
I Left Full & Return Empty (1:1-22)
Ruth’s faith points us back to Rahab and the
Gibeonites and even further back to the
promise of worldwide blessing made to
Abraham!
Ruth’s faith is a ray of light shining through the
darkness of the book of Judges & this ray of
light shines brighter as we learn that the Lord
visited his people and gave them food
With this news, Naomi and Ruth return to
Bethlehem
Refuge & Blessing in Israel (2:1-4:22)
Ruth works diligently in Boaz’s fields
Boaz is “one of our redeemers” – Deut. 25:5-6
Boaz protects, blesses, and generously
provides for Ruth & Naomi
Staggering loss to unexpected blessing – the
ray of hope shines even brighter!
Boaz fulfills the duties of a redeemer and
takes Ruth as his wife
The blessing of the people is profound!
Refuge & Blessing in Israel (2:1-4:22)
“Then all the people who were at the gate
and the elders said, ‘We are witnesses. May
the Lord make the woman, who is coming
into your house, like Rachel and Leah, who
together built up the house of Israel. . . .
[M]ay your house be like the house of Perez,
whom Tamar bore to Judah, because of the
offspring that the Lord will give you by this
young woman.” (4:11-12)
Refuge & Blessing in Israel (2:1-4:22)
Rachel & Leah gave birth to 8/12 of the tribes
of Israel!
Judah was the chosen tribe through whom the
promised restoration would come!
All included in genealogy of Christ: “The book
of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of
David, the son of Abraham. Abraham was the
father of Isaac, and Isaac the father of Jacob,
and Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers,
and Judah the father of Perez and Zerah by
Tamar. . . .”
Refuge & Blessing in Israel (2:1-4:22)
The genealogy in Ruth 4:18-22 is the most
important part of the book: “Now these are the
generations of Perez:
Perez fathered Hezron,
Hezron fathered Ram,
Ram fathered Amminadab,
Amminadab fathered Nahshon,
Nahshon fathered Salmon,
Salmon fathered Boaz,
Boaz fathered Obed,
Refuge & Blessing in Israel (2:1-4:22)
Obed fathered Jesse, and
Jesse fathered David.”
This is the exact genealogy we find in Matthew
1:3-6 (with some important additions!):
Perez the father of Hezron, and
Hezron the father of Ram, and
Ram the father of Amminadab, and
Amminadab the father of Nahshon, and
Nahshon the father of Salmon, and
Salmon the father of Boaz by Rahab, and
Refuge & Blessing in Israel (2:1-4:22)
Boaz the father of Obed by Ruth, and
Obed the father of Jesse, and
Jesse the father of David the king.
Rahab is the same prostitute from Jericho
that protected the Israelite spies, Ruth is a
Moabite, and David is not just described by
name but also by title – KING!
Where Are We As We Leave Ruth?
Ray of light is shining through the darkness
of the judges
It is becoming clearer that the promised
restoration would come through a king
Judges shows the need for a king, Ruth gives
the kings genealogy, and 1-2 Samuel shows
how the promised king rose to power!
Where Are We As We Leave Ruth?
But what about the Abrahamic promises?
Land – still in state of fulfillment.
Numerous offspring – still in state of
fulfillment.
Worldwide blessing – the partial fulfillment of
the promise of worldwide blessing through
the mediation of the Lord’s presence by
Israel being a kingdom of priests and a holy
nation that was completely evaporated in the
book of Judges has been somewhat revived