Joshua’s Job. 

Joshua  One…(1-18)

Moses has died and is buried and the people have completed their time of mourning for him…a man who has gone down in history as the “meekest man” in all the earth (Numbers 12:3)….what a tremendous task he had to undertake!

1.  Verses  1-9

a. What was the job that God was laying out before Joshua?  (verses 1-2)

You are to take over from Moses and lead these people over the river Jordan into the land which I am giving them.

b.   That was Joshua’s part….what did God promise him as His part?         (verses 5-7)

No one will be able to stand against you….just as I was with Moses, so I will be with you and will never leave you nor forsake you.

c.  What a wonderful promise God gave to Moses….do we have access to this sort of help too? (Hebrews 13:5b-6)

Yes, God promises all His people that He will always be with them and will never leave them…we are to trust Him for this and always seek to please Him.

d.  What causes us to stumble at times and feel as though God is not there?           ( Isaiah 59:2)

It is not that God has moved, but that WE have! We have some wrong attitude or done something wrong and allowed unconfessed sin to come into our lives, and until we put it right this feeling will remain.

e.  What was God’s threefold command to Joshua?         (verses 6-7)

Be strong and of good courage, and keep on keeping on in My commands.

f.  Do you think this applies to believers today?      (Ephesians 6:11-14; Hebrews 10:23, 35)

Yes! We are to stand firm and remember we are in a spiritual warfare and to use the weapons which God has given us…the sword of the Lord (His Word), His truth and faith, prayer.

g. What was to be the basis of Joshua’s strength in God?      (verse 8)

Knowledge of, and obedience to, the law of God….he was to think  about God’s commands continually and to do them.

h. Does this still apply to us today?          (John 14:23; 15:4-5, 14-15;)

Yes, to be strong in the Lord we must abide in His Word continually…love creates obedience…if we love God and His Word, we will obey what He says and He will abide with us….this will give us all the strength we need.

i.   What should our attitude be to God’s Word?  (Psalm 119: 16, 24, 97, 103, 127)

We should delight in it, love it, meditate in it and find it sweeter than honey and more valuable than gold.

2.  Verses  10-18

a. What did Joshua do next?  (verses 10-15)

He sent messengers through the camp of Israel and told them it was time to move, and also reminded the ones who were staying put that they had promised to help the others get settled.

b.   How did the people respond to Joshua’s leadership?         (verses 16-18)

They said that just as they had listened to Moses, so they would follow him….they encouraged him to do as God had said.

c.  How are believers to follow their leaders?     (Hebrews 13:17)

They are to submit to their leadership, and if they can’t agree, then they should move to some other place that fits in with their ideas instead of staying and making trouble!

Joshua  Two…(1-24)

1.  Verses  1-9

a. What did Joshua do first?  (verse 1a)

He sent two men to spy out Jericho.

b.   Where did they stay and what happened?         (verse 1b)

They went into the city and stayed with a prostitute who obviously ran a boarding house.

c.  Did they get in there unnoticed? Who was told?       (verse 2)

Someone reported to the king that these strangers had come in to spy out the place and were staying at Rahab’s house.

d.  What did the king do when he heard this? What had Rahab done with them?           ( verses 3-6)

He immediately sent to Rahab and told her to give the men up…she had taken them up to the flat roof and hidden them under the crop of flax she had drying there, so when the king’s men came she said they had left again and she didn’t know where they were.

e.  What did Rahab do after the king’s men left?         (verses 8-10)

She went up to the roof top and told the men what had happened, and how everyone was afraid of the approaching Israelis

f.  What did Rahab acknowledge? What was her request?      (verses 11-13)

Rahab acknowledged that their  God was the God of Heaven, and asked that she and her family would be kept safe when Israel took the city.

g. What did they say? What did she do?      (verses 14-21)

They told her that if she kept quiet about them, and left the red rope in her window frame that they would keep her safe with everyone in her house.

h. What did the men then do?          (verses 22-24)

They went and hid in the hills for three days then went back and told Joshua how God was going to give them the city as everyone there was afraid of them.

i.  What is the contrast between the words of Rahab and the men’s words about the Lord?  (verses 9, 14)

Rahab said the Lord HAS given you the land, and the men said WHEN the Lord gave them the land….Rahab had faith that this was going to happen, it was a done deal as far as she was concerned.

j.  What does the New Testament say about this?   (James 2:24-25)

It says that Rahab not only had faith but she showed this by her actions.

k.   What colour was Rahab’s  rope? What had she used it for?     (verses 15, 21)

The rope was scarlet red, and the  men had been delivered from the city by it…she was to keep it in her window for her own safety.

l.   What significance is there in this for us?                 (1 John 1:7b; 1 Peter 1:18-19)

Red is the colour of blood, and we are saved by the precious  blood of Christ, having been delivered from the kingdom of sin and death.

Joshua  Three…(1-17)

1.  Verses  1-17

a. What did the people do once the spies had come back?  (verse 1)

They packed up and moved towards the river Jordan.

b.   What were the people told to do next?         (verses 2-5)

Joshua sent messengers through the camp telling the people to watch carefully  for the priests carrying the Ark of the Lord, and follow behind them, but to keep their distance nevertheless….God was going to do wonderful things for them.

c.  What time of the year was it? What was the river like?       (verse 15)

It was the time of harvest and the river was full to overflowing.

d.  What confidence did Joshua have in doing all this?           ( verse 7)

God told him that He would be with him at all times, just as He had been with Moses.

e.  What happened?         (verses 8-17)

As the priests went forward with the Ark, and their feet went into the water, it suddenly disappeared….the water stopped coming downstream from above and what was below them just vanished into the sea miles downstream. The priests with the Ark stayed still until all the people with their gear and animals had gone across.

f.  What city saw this all happen?  How do you imagine they would have felt at this sight?    (verse 16c; chapter 2:9)

They were afraid of Israel to start with  and were now terrified.

g. What lesson can we get out of this story for ourselves today?      

When we come to an impasse in our lives and we don’t know which way to turn, we have to stand still and wait for God to open up a way. We are not to race ahead until we are sure everything is in place.

Joshua  Four…(1-24)

1.  Verses  1-24

a. Read this whole chapter through at once….what is it all about?  (verses 1-24)

It is about the memorial cairn of stones that Joshua told them to take out of the river and pile up on the spot they came from the river bed, and how  once the priests came onto the river bank, the water all came rushing down again as though it had never been stopped.

b.   Who else went across the river with the main body of people?         (verses 12-13)

The armed men of Reuben, Gad and half the tribe of Manasseh….40,000 of them.

c.  Why was this? Where were the rest of their people?       (Deuteronomy 3:12-20)

They had wanted to stay on the other side of the river and settle there, and agreed to send their men of war across with the main lot of people to help them get settled in their parts of the land.

d.  What was the purpose of this pile of stones that were taken out of the river?           ( verses 20-24)

It was to be a reminder to them and their descendants of the way that God had taken them into the land in the time when the river was in flood.

e.  What reminder do we as believers need in this day and age?  (1 Corinthians 11:23-29)

The Lord Jesus asked His followers to take bread and wine to remind them of His death  for them….they were to do it often and were to examine themselves before partaking of it.

f.  What did this memorial of stones also do?    (verse 24)

It served as a witness to the other nations of the greatness of God in doing this miraculously.

Joshua  Five…(1-15)

1.  Verses  1-15

a. What did the people of the land feel like now Israel was across the river? Why?      (verse 1)

It was a miraculous crossing with the river bed suddenly dry for them to cross over and they felt defeated before the takeover began.

b.   What was one point of obedience that Israel had not done that needed to be rectified?     (verses 2-7)

None of the present generation of males had been circumcised….all those who came from Egypt had been,  but they had not seen to it that their sons were done while they were travelling in the wilderness for those forty years.

c.  What did Joshua tell them to do? What was this rite a symbol of? (Genesis 17:1-14; Deuteronomy 10:16; 30:6)

They had to be circumcised before they could go any further into the land, Circumcision has a double meaning….it was a physical sign of the covenant between God and Abraham’s descendants….no other nation had this rite. It was also a symbol of the heart attitude that the people had to have in cutting away everything that would come between them and God….their stubbornness and rebellion against Him.

d.  What sort of circumcision does God require of His people today?       ( Acts 15:1-29;Colossians 2:11)

Peter pointed out how Israel could not keep the law which circumcision stood for and it was unnecessary for the Gentiles to have this physical burden put on them; God requires believers  to put away all the deeds of the flesh such as temper, dishonesty unkindness etc. and circumcise their heart and minds as it were of all the deeds of the flesh.

e.  What did the people do when all this was pointed out to them?         (verse 8)

They immediately obeyed God’s rule and stayed put until they were all feeling better again.

f.  What was their next step?    (verses 9-10)

They kept their first Passover in the new land.

g. What did they find after that?      (verses11-12)

They were able to enjoy the blessings of this new land and then the manna stopped coming….they never needed it again.

h. What progression do you see here in their spiritual life that applies to us too?  (Hebrews 12:28)

There was obedience to God’s rule, and then they were able to worship God with a clear conscience, and from there they were fed from the land. As we obey God’s Word, whether it be in baptism or other things we know we should be doing, then we can worship God acceptably, and we will grow in the things of God. We cannot grow if there is any disobedience of any sort in our lives.

i.  Who came to help and encourage Joshua in this time of need?   (verses 13-15)

The Captain of the Lord’s army.

j.   Who are we to look to in order to keep going on in our Christian life?     (Hebrews 2 :9-10; 12:2a)

We are to look to our Lord Jesus who is the author and finisher of our faith and the Captain of our salvation.

Joshua  Six…(1-27)

Numbers are very important in the Scriptures and in this chapter we see the number six and the number seven (or seventh)  are very prominent. Remember that six is the number of sinful man, and seven is the number of perfection.

1.  Verses  1-27

a. How did the people of Jericho feel when they saw the people of Israel camped  in the plains near their city?      (verse 1; 5:1)

They were very afraid and kept the city locked up for safety.

b.   Where did Joshua get his instructions for attacking the city from?     (verses 2-5)

God told Joshua exactly what to do, and what the result would be.

c.  Was this a normal way to attack a city?  

No, it was very strange and totally unheard of before or since.

d.  Describe what they were to do…       ( verses 3-5)

The soldiers were to march in front, then seven priests with trumpets blowing were next with the four priests carrying the  Ark of the Covenant behind them  and the rear guard coming up behind them. They were to march in this formation around the city once  for six days in complete silence except for the blowing trumpets. The seventh day they were to march around the city seven times with the priests blowing their trumpets, and at the end of the seventh time there was to be a long blast on the ram’s  horn and everyone was to shout at the top of their voices.

e. How do you think the people of Jericho felt when they saw this happen for six days and nothing more happen?         (verse 8)

They would have been afraid at first, but probably got used to it and start to make fun of it.

f.  What did Rahab do when Israel started to march around?    (verse 23)

She gathered all her family to her house and told them to stay there…her parents and siblings.

g. What happened on the seventh day?      (verses15-16, 20)

They got started really early and marched around the city seven times still without a sound except for the trumpets blowing, then Joshua shouted out, “Shout!” and as they did the walls of the city fell down, all except for the part where Rahab’s house was, and they were rescued alive.

h. What did the people do as they took the city?  (verses 20-21)

They destroyed every person in it (except for Rahab’s household) and only took the precious metals that could be purified by fire.

i.  Why was this done? What was the city under?   (verses 18-19, 24)

The city was under a curse and everything in it was cursed because of the idolatry that was practiced there…..God was showing how much He detests idolatry and sin.

j.   What did Joshua pronounce against the city after all this was done?     (verse 26)

He said that if anyone rebuilt the city, there would be a curse on him…a son would die when he started and another one die when he finished it.

k.   Did this happen?                 (1 Kings 16:34)

Yes, it happened exactly as Joshua said it would.

l.   What lesson is there in this story for us?                 (Colossians 3:3-9)

We are to destroy everything to do with the flesh, and get rid of these old habits, counting them as dead

2.  Overview of this Story

a. What is Jericho a picture of?    

It was a place where God was left out of people’s lives…a heathen and idolatrous city, just as the world is largely today.

b.   What was the trumpet blast a picture of?     (Revelation 10:7; 11:15)

A picture of the destruction of all evil and of the end of time with the ushering in of a new age.

c.  What was Rahab ? What is she a picture of?  

A Gentile sinful woman seeking God, obeying God and being saved from destruction and received into God’s family….truly a picture of those who have turned to God today!

d.  What really saved Rahab and how does that relate to us today  ( verse 25; Hebrews 11:31; James 2:24-25)

It was Rahab’s faith , backed up by her works, that saved her and that is the same for us today. Our faith, backed up by our works is what stands to us.

e. Was Jericho ever meant to be rebuilt? What happens to the world system at the end of time?  (Revelation 18:1-24)

Jericho and all that it stood for was meant to be destroyed for ever, and so the world system and all that it stands for will likewise be destroyed never to be rebuilt….it was founded on evil!

f.  What could the six days of marching around with the seventh followed by victory be an overview  picture of?    (Revelation 21:5-8)

The world of mankind has been going on for six thousand years undisturbed (apart from Noah’s flood) and when the seventh thousandth year proceeds, God’s judgment will fall, sin be destroyed and God’s kingdom will reign for ever!

Joshua  Seven…(1-26)

1.  Verses  1-26

a. We have just seen the victory Israel had….what is the big “BUT” that spoils the whole picture? (verse 1)

SIN! Someone in Israel had disobeyed God’s command, greed had got the better of him, and he had taken some of the loot for himself when God said not to.

b.   Joshua sent some spies to look around Ai, a much smaller city…what was their report?     (verses 2-3)

They felt they could easily take the city and there was no need for all the army to go to war.

c.   After the wonderful victory of taking Jericho, what happened this time when they tried to take Ai?     (verses 4-5)

They suffered defeat, lost 36 men and were chased away.

d.  How did all the people, including Joshua, feel at this defeat?   (verses 6-9)

They were all devastated and wished they had never had the idea of taking the rest of the land, and wondered why God had allowed a defeat like this

e. Have you ever had an experience like this of seeing a wonderful answer to prayer and then immediately faced other problems?         (3 John :3-10)

Yes, this seems to often happen….God gives a great time to build up our faith for the tough times ahead….joy and sorrow often go together.

f.  What did God tell Joshua the problem was  and what was he to do about it?    (verses 10-15)

The problem was sin in the camp…someone had stolen loot, hidden it and pretended he hadn’t. Joshua was to find this person and destroy him.

g. What was the end of this story?      (verses 16-26)

Joshua called all the people together and God showed him which tribe and family it was, the sin was admitted, the loot produced and the people concerned were dealt with as God said.

h. What is the parallel story in the young church?  (Acts 5:1-11)

The story of Ananias and Sapphira who lied to God and the apostles by making out they had given ALL their money to the Lord when they hadn’t….God struck them both dead within hours of each other.

i.  Why was this done?       (Acts 5:4, 11)

To show how much God detests sin…we cannot lie to God and get away with it.

j.   What lessons can we see in this story , especially in a church situation?     (Psalm 66:18; 1 Corinthians 5:1-7)

That if ONE person habitually sins, it affects the whole church….God cannot bless where there is sin, open or hidden . Sin MUST be dealt with before there can be blessing

k.   What lessons can we see in this story for our own personal life?     (1 John 1:8-9)

When we sin (and we ALL sin sometimes) we are to confess it and put it right immediately.

Joshua  Eight…(1-35)

1.  Verses  1-35

a. We have just seen the result of sin and what it deserves…death! What is God telling Joshua to do now? (verses 1-2)

Get up and go against Ai once more…this time they were to set an ambush behind the city and they were to destroy all the people but were allowed to keep everything else for themselves.

b.   What happened in this battle?     (verses 3-29)

They followed God’s instructions and as the people of Ai saw Joshua’s contingent coming  and then running away, they all chased them leaving the city wide open with no defences. The ambush went in and took the city, killing all the rest of the people, taking the loot and animals and then setting it on fire

c.   What did Joshua do after the victory?     (verses 30-35)

He called the people together, built an altar and made sacrifices to God. Then he read all the law of Moses out to everyone there, all the blessings and curses as well.

d.  What lesson is there in this for us?   (1 Samuel 15:22)

To keep ourselves clean before God, confessing our sins, and then do as He tells us to….if we have to put a matter right with others or whatever, BEFORE we go out to do battle for Him. We must always DO things how God ordains, not how we think best.

e. What do you think the significance of the whole stones was that the altar was to be built with? (verses 30-31; John 19:36 )

Because Jesus Christ died with no broken bones as a fulfillment of the Old Testament  Scriptures.

Joshua  Nine…(1-27)

1.  Verses  1-27

a. What did the kings of the various nations round about now do?      (verses 1-2)

They called a council meeting and decided to amalgamate forces to fight against Israel

b.   This was an active and expected attack…but what did the Gibeonites decide to do ?     (verses 3-13)

They decided to try to make an agreement with Israel rather than attack them….they made out they lived in a far off country and had travelled many miles to make this agreement with them. They even produced mouldy bread and worn out shoes to prove their point!

c.   What was Joshua’s downfall at this story?     (verse 14)

He listened to their story, he looked at their evidence and believed what they said without asking the Lord’s advice.

d.  What did all the leaders and Joshua decide to do? How long did it take to find out their mistake?   (verses 15-16)

They thought it was all OK and truthful so they made a binding peace agreement with them and then found out three days later that they were living in the land where God had told them to destroy everyone!

e. What is the lesson in this for us? Have you ever been caught out like this?         (1 Timothy 5:22)

Not to take people at face value, or make a snap decision without spending time in prayer over it. People can easily deceive us if we are in a hurry…do your homework carefully first! It never pays to take things at face value when doing a deal with ANYONE….sometimes Christians are deceitful in their dealings too!

f.  What was the next problem for Israel as they journeyed on into the land?    (verses 17-19)

They came to the cities of the Gibeonites who they had made a treaty with, and had to pass them by. They had made a mistake and now had to honour their decision.

g. What is the lesson in this for us?      (Psalm 76:11)

That our decisions always have consequences and if we have made the wrong one, we have to abide by it….two wrongs don’t make a right! For instance, if we marry a non Christian in our willfulness, and then return to the Lord later, we must stay in that relationship….leaving them fixes nothing (unless it is a violent relationship).

h. What did Israel do about the present situation in making this agreement and not being able to fully do what God told them to do?  (verses 20-23)

They had to abide by their decision, and the Gibeonites had to suffer the consequences of their deceit and dishonesty by being servants to Israel.

i.  How did God regard this treaty made with Gibeon, even though it was made without His direction? How long did it stand for?       (2 Samuel 21:1-9)

God regarded it very seriously, and when Saul broke it years later, the people had to suffer a famine because of it. It seems the treaty lasted for ever. Saul’s family had to suffer because of it.

j.   What lessons can we see in this story?     (Ecclesiastes 5:4-5)

If we make a promise, we HAVE to keep it! If we speak carelessly, we must honour what we say….if we say, “I’ll let you know later”, make sure we DO let them know later! If we don’t, our statement becomes a lie.

Joshua  Ten…(1-43)

1.  Verses  1-43

a. What did the king of Jerusalem hear and then do?      (verses 1-5)

He heard how Israel had conquered and destroyed Jericho and Ai, and how the Gibeonites had made a treaty with them for safety, so he got together with four other nearby kings, and went to war  against Gibeon.

b.   What did the Gibeonites do when they saw the army coming against them  ?     (verses 6-7)

They called on Joshua to come and help them on account of the treaty he had made with them.

c.   What was God’s message to Joshua about this matter?     (verse 8)

Don’t be afraid, go ahead because I’m going to give them into your hand.

d.  How did God use this battle to achieve His purposes?   (verse 5)

All these kings were gathered together in one place and were thus easy to destroy.

e.  What methods did God use to destroy this great army? How could you describe it?   (verses 10-11)

God sent a localised hailstorm with enormous hailstones that pelted down on the heathen army, and more were killed with the hailstones than  by Joshua. Obviously the hailstones only fell on  the enemy because Joshua’s men weren’t affected by them.

f. What phenomena occurred at this time that has never happened before or since?         (verses 12-14)

Joshua called on the Lord to stop the sun and moon to lengthen the day so they could finish off the enemy.

g.  How long did this phenomena last for?  How do we know this is right?   (verse 13c)

It lasted a whole day..,..scientists have proved this night is missing in their calculations. It is the only time that God has granted this request from a man because He was fighting for Israel. We can expect miracles whenever any nation tries to take Israel’s land from them.

h. What promise can we fall back on in the greater miracle of our rescue from sin and Satan? (Romans 8:31-39)

Nothing can separate us from the love of God and His protection over evil.

i. What is the rest of the chapter about?  (verses 15-43)

The execution of the five kings who fled to a cave for safety and which proved to be a prison for them, and the rest of Joshua’s victories as his army swept through the land.

j.  How was it that Joshua was victorious through the whole land at this time?       (verse 42)

Because God was fighting for Israel.

k.   How can we get the victory over the fears and worries that sometimes swamp us? (Philippians 4:6-7)

By taking them all to the Lord in prayer, giving thanks for whatever the  answers are BEFORE we get them; His peace will surround us when we do this.

Joshua  Eleven…(1-23)

1.  Verses  1-23

a. What was the attitude of the heathen nations to Israel?      (verses 1-5)

Their attitude was one of war….they came to fight against God’s people.

b.   What did God say to Joshua  ?     (verse 6)

Don’t be afraid of them…I will fight for you and deliver them to you.

c.   What did our Lord say to His disciples (and to us)?     (John 16:33)

You will have troubles in this world, but don’t worry, I have overcome the world!

d.  What enemies do we have that continually harass us?   (2 Corinthians 10:3-5 1 Peter 2:11)

Anything that exalts itself against God and Christ…evolution, science, educators, new age teachings, other world religions, our fleshly lusts (our wants, ambitions, immoral thoughts, worldly things that suck us into their mould), everything that comes from Satan to devour us.

e.  What does God say to us about these enemies? How do we get the victory?   (1 Peter 5:8-10; Romans 8:37-39)

Resist Satan’s temptations, keep right away from them and God will settle you….nothing can separate us from the love of Christ, and we CAN conquer these things through Him.

f. What did Joshua do that guaranteed him victory?         (verses 9, 15, 23)

He obeyed God implicitly…everything that God told him to do, he did exactly.

g.  Which lot of people were spared from destruction? What was the basic reason for this?   (Ch 9:9-11)

The basic reason for the Gibeonites safety was the fact they believed in God and acknowledged His existence….none of the other people did this. They had heard of His fame and how He fought for Israel and knew He was a force to reckon with.

h. What was the last nation to be destroyed? Did Joshua get rid of all of them? Why did God allow them to stay? (verses 21-23; Judges 3:1-3)

Joshua destroyed all but a corner of the Anakims which were the Philistines….God allowed them to stay to prove whether Israel would follow the Lord with all their hearts, and to teach the generations of Israel how to fight to protect their borders..

i. We see that in spite of Israel’s wonderful victories, there were still some enemies tucked away in the corners….how does this apply to us in our lives?  (Colossians  3:8-10)

As long as we live on earth, we are not totally free of the old man (our fleshly nature), and every so often these things will come popping up to harass us.

Joshua  Twenty…(1-9)

Chapters 13-19 deal with the division of the land amongst the people. It seems that some of them were too slack to go and take the land but expected it to just happen. In the same way, we have to be pro-active in learning the Bible for ourselves….it won’t just happen if it sits on the shelf! Joshua had to tell the people to go and take their share for themselves.

1.  Verses  1-9

a. What did the people do with the tabernacle?      (18:1; 1 Samuel 14:1-3)

They set it up in Shiloh and it remained there for many years…..right until the time of King Saul.

b.   What is chapter 20 dealing with ?   (verse 6) 

The appointment of six cities of refuge for anyone who committed manslaughter unwittingly….as long as they stayed inside a city of refuge, they were safe from any revenge by relatives. When the current high priest died, then they were free to go back to their own land.

c.   What was the refuge of the people of Israel as a nation?     (Deuteronomy 33:27a)

The Eternal God was their refuge.

d.  How did David put this thought?   (Psalm 46:1-11)

God was his refuge and strength….no matter what happened around him, he could still trust in God.

e.  Who is our Refuge?   (Hebrews 6:18-20; 1 John 1:7)

Our Lord Jesus is our refuge from all evil, it is His blood that cleanses us from all sin.

f. It is interesting to note the meaning of the names of these six cities of refuge….

Kedesh…Holiness                    Shechem….Strength                 Hebron….Fellowship

Bezer….Happiness                   Ramoth….Uplifting                    Golan…. Fortress

f. How can we relate each of these things in Jesus Christ to ourselves?         (John 15:10)

He is each of these things to us and if we hide ourselves in Him and abide in Him, we will be kept from the enemies of fear and doubt. He is our holiness, our strength and fellowship; He gives true happiness and uplifts our souls and is our fortress from evil….He is everything we need!

Joshua  Twenty-two…(1-34)

Chapter 21 deals with the tribe of Levi having their possession among all the other tribes…their possessions were not geographical but spread throughout the land…..

1.  Verses  1-34

a. The land was all settled now….what did Joshua do next?      (verses 1-4; Numbers 32:16-27)

Joshua called the soldiers of the Reubenites, Gadites and the half tribe of Manasseh that had gone with the rest of Israel to fight with them,  to him and told them they could go back to their families who had stayed across the other side of the  river Jordan. They had faithfully discharged their duty.

b.   What warning did Joshua give them ?   (verse 5) 

Make sure you continue to follow the Lord your God and keep His commands.

c.   What did Joshua do for them as they left?     (verses 6-8)

He blessed them, and told them to take what they gained from their victories with them for their own benefit.

d.  What does the believer gain from obeying the Lord’s Word?   (Ephesians 1:3-14)

The believer knows his position in Christ before the Living God…that he is chosen by God, and given all the spiritual blessings he needs; he is part of God’s family, because he has acknowledged his need of the blood of Jesus Christ. Even though the blood of Christ is sufficient to cover every single human being, it does them no good unless each individual takes it for themselves…it is a personal and individual thing, not a national or world encompassing blanket..

e.  What did these 2 ½ tribes do as they got back to the river Jordan?   (verse 10)

They built an enormous altar to the Lord….it was a huge monument.

f. What did the rest of Israel do when they heard this?         (verses 11-20)

They rose up in righteous anger thinking that these tribes were setting themselves up an alternative God….they were going to go and sort this thing out!

g.  What was the real reason the 2 ½ tribes had done this?   (verses 21-29)

They wanted this altar to be a memorial to the succeeding generations that they were all part of the same nation and people of God….it was not to be an altar of alternative sacrifice, but an altar of memorial signifying they all had the same God.

h. What was the end result of this episode? (verses 30-34)

The rest of Israel was satisfied with the explanation and went quietly back home, so the 2 ½ tribes went across the river and back to their families.

i. What is the lesson in this for ourselves today?  ()

Not to act too hastily in making our judgments, but to find out the truth of the matter before acting!

Joshua  Twenty-three…(1-16)

1.  Verses  1-16

a. What do we see about Joshua  in these first verses? How old was he?     (verses 1-2; 24:29)

Now everything was sorted out and the people were settled, Joshua began to feel his age….he was 110 years old by now.

b.   Joshua called the elders of the people together and recapped all that God had done for them (verses 2-5)….what encouragement did he now give them?   (verse 6) 

Stay strong and courageous, and never leave God out of your lives! Don’t turn away from His commands!

c.   What warning did he give?     (verses 7-12)

Keep away from the heathen people that lurk in your borders, and don’t have anything to do with them. Do NOT intermarry with them or be curious about their gods.

d.  What would happen if they did?   (verse 13)

God would not fight for them or protect them any more and they would be persecuted by these people they were among.

e.  How are believers to live in the world today in the light of this warning Joshua gave to Israel?   (Matthew 5:13-15; John 17:13-16;  2 Corinthians 6:14-18)

Believers are to be a light in this dark world of ignorance about God, and to be separate from evil ways and things….they are on no account to marry or go into partnership with an unbeliever, as it will not work, no matter how attractive it all seems. Christians are IN the world, but not part OF it!

f. What final warning did Joshua give the people?         (verses 14-16)

I am going to die and leave you, so remember how good God has been to you, and also remember that if you turn away from Him, His anger will fall upon you and you will perish from this land

g.  Did this happen in time?   (Judges 2:12-14; 3:8)

Yes, it happened frequently….every time they left God out and worshipped idols, God’s anger fell on them and He punished them.

h. What happens when believers get caught up in a similar trap? Do they lose their salvation? (1 Corinthians 3:9-15)

They don’t lose their salvation, but they lose their reward if their works and deeds don’t survive the fires of God’s judgment.

i. What do we have to be aware of?  (Hebrews 11:25b)

The pleasures of sin only last a very short time, and have no eternal value!

Joshua  Twenty-four…(1-32)

1.  Verses  1-32

a. What was the gist of Joshua’s speech to the leaders of Israel?     (verses 1-13)

He gave them a recap of the history of the nation from Abraham to his present day.

b.   What was this history basically showing?   (verses 3, 6,13) 

How good God had been to them and how He had led them all the way

c.   He was going to die and leave them….what two choices did he give them?     (verses 14-15)

Choose who they were going to serve…the one true God or the heathen idols. He had made up his mind his family was going to follow the Lord.

d.  What did the people reply?   (verses 16-18)

We wouldn’t dream of serving other gods….the Lord is our God and has brought us here!

e.  Joshua had his doubts…what did he remind them once more of?   (verses 19-20)

That God was a holy God and would not tolerate them turning away from Him in any way at all.

f. The people were adamant that they were going to follow the Lord…what did Joshua say they had to do to prove this?         (verses 21-23)

They had to follow their promises up with their deeds by putting away all the little idols they still had tucked away.

g.  What lesson is there in this for us?   (James 2:14-26)

We have to back our faith up with our deeds….we have to put our money where our mouth is, as the saying goes. It is no use talking without doing what we say!

h. What ceremony did Joshua finalise this meeting with? (verses 25-28)

He wrote their promise in the book of the law, and planted a large stone under an oak tree beside the tabernacle’s resting place.

 i. What are we told next?  (verses 29-30)

Joshua had done his job…he died at the age of 110 and was buried in his family plot

j.  How well did Israel do after that?       (verse 31)

Israel continued following the Lord while all the older folk who remembered how God had led and provided for them  were still alive.

k.   What duty did the people discharge? (verses 32-33; Genesis 50:22-26)

They fulfilled Joseph’s wish by burying his bones in his father’s  family plot. When Aaron’s son eleazor died, they buried him on land that was given to his son.

                                                      Judges Judging

Judges  One…(1-36)

1.  Verses  1-11

a. Joshua had died and Israel was left to itself….what did they do?  (verses 1-36)

They proceeded to live in the land and to drive most of the locals out, but there were still some lurking in the corners.

b.   Jerusalem is mentioned in this chapter….who took it and what did they do with it?         (verse 8)

Judah took it and destroyed it, burning it with fire.

c.  What other tribe was connected with Jerusalem? What was the original name of Jerusalem? (verse 21; Joshua 18:28)

The original name of the city was Jebusi.   Benjamin also tried to drive the Jebusites out, but failed to get rid of all of them.

d. It seems that the borders of both Judah and Benjamin converged on Jerusalem….what was the name of the people who had lived in Jerusalem and where did they go? (verse 21; 1 Chronicles 11:4-5)

The people were called Jebusites and the city was originally called Jebusi (or Jebus) ….the people went and lived with the Benjamites next door.

e. When did the city of Jebusi come into prominence and always known as Jerusalem?   (2 Samuel 5:5-9)

David took the city from the Jebusites completely , changed the name permanently to Jerusalem and referred to it as Zion and the City of David and ruled there for thirty-three years.

2.  Verses  12-36

a.  Who seemed to take the lead now Joshua was gone?           ( verses 12-15)

Caleb came to the fore in giving the land, and then Othniel who became his son-in-law took the reins..

b.  Who was Caleb and how did he step into Joshua’s position?         (Numbers 14: 6, 24, 30, 38)

Caleb was one of the twelve spies who went into the land to spy it out and he, along with Joshua, gave a good report of being able to take it, but when the other ten moaned about it, God put it on hold for forty years. Caleb believed God and when Joshua died, he just naturally took his place.

c.  What interesting information do we see next?      (verse 16; Exodus 3:1)

Descendants of Moses’ father-in-law had gone across Jordan with Israel and now they also took land and settled in the south in the barren country which they were used to.

d. What did the different tribes of Israel proceed to do?      (verses 9-36)

They proceeded to take the land but didn’t completely destroy all the indigenous people. In some cases they intermarried and eventually ended up worshipping their idols, while others of the tribes made the original people work for them and pay heavy taxes.

e. What do we notice the Amorites did with the people of Dan?          ( verse 34)

They took over all the best part of the land and kept Dan up in the mountains.

f. How can we liken this state of affairs to believers today?          ( Galatians 5:16-25)

Believers  are citizens of the heavenly land, but they often don’t live as they should and allow the enemies of the flesh (their old nature) to take over their lives, thus not having complete victory. Believers are to put the old nature to death and not live like they used to before they became Christians, but to get rid of all their old ways. If they don’t they will find the old nature taking control of their behaviour and attitudes again.

 It’s like this story….An old Indian was telling  his younger friend that he once kept two dogs which roamed the property. One couldn’t be trusted and one was a good pet. The friend said “Which one takes charge?” The old man replied, “The one I feed the most!”

So it is with our two natures….the one we feed the most is the one that takes charge of our lives!

Judges  Two…(1-23)

1. 1.      Verses  1-23

a. One more incident is recorded that happened before Joshua died (almost as though the writer suddenly remembered this!)….what was it?  (verses 1-9)

An angel came and spoke the word of the Lord to the people, telling them that they had disobeyed God’s command not to intermarry with the local people which they had done. The people repented of this, and changed their ways, coming back to the Lord.

b.   What happened after Joshua and all his generation had died?         (verses 10-15)

The people forgot the Lord and what He had done for them, and worshipped the original gods of the land….they became just like the heathen that were still there.

c.   What was the cause of this? What had been neglected?         (Deuteronomy 6:3-7)

The people had not taught their children about God or even the history of His doings with the Israel, and they didn’t know the Lord at all.

d.   What lesson is there in all this for us?         (2 Timothy 1:5; 3:14-17)

We must teach our children from the time they are small by example and grounding in the Scriptures.

e.   What was the result of the people’s neglect of this and their disobedience to God’s Word? (verses 11-15)

The people completely forgot the Lord and what He had done for them, and fell into idolatry with the result that God became angry with them and no longer protected them.

f.  What was the history of Israel for many years after that? Did God completely leave them? (verses 16-19)

As they forsook the Lord, so the enemies came in and took over, treating Israel badly. God raised up various judges which delivered them, but then they went back to their old ways again….it became a vicious cycle.

g.  Why did God allow these heathen people to remain?           ( verses 20-23)

The people were easily led and did not remain faithful to the Lord. He allowed the enemies to remain to prove to Israel how weak they were and He used them to chastise  His people.

h.  How does God deal with His people today?         (Hebrews 12:5-11)

He chastises them to bring them back to Himself; the more we see Him dealing with us, the more we learn of His grace and goodness, and the more we are strengthened. A plant that never suffers the buffeting of the wind remains weak and spindly, but one out in the weather grows strong and sturdy.

i.   What did God do for His people? Did He leave them to flounder along going from bad to worse?         (verses 16-23)

God raised up various judges to lead them in the way of the Lord, but as soon as each one died, they fell back into their idolatrous ways. As a result, God continued to  allow the enemies of Israel to remain among them to prove whether they would follow Him with all their heart or not.

j.   Are we like this in our Christian life? Do we only go on for the Lord while we have a dynamic pastor? How can we avoid being like this?         (2 Timothy 2:15, 22)

We must each one be fervent in spirit and study the Word for ourselves….we are not to rely on being fed spiritually one day a week when we go to church, we must do it for ourselves EVERY day!

Judges  Three…(1-31)

1. 1.      Verses  1-31

a. What was the first thing that Israel did that caused them to fall into heathen ways?  (verses 1-7)

They disobeyed God’s command to be separate form the people around them and intermarried with them thus making the line of Israel a mixture and then following their heathen ways, so that God’s people quickly became neither one thing nor the other!

b.   What view did God take of this?         (verse 8)

He took a dim view of it and allowed a neighbouring king to conquer them and make them serve him for eight years.

c.  What was the result of this  occupation? (verses 9–11)

The people turned back to the Lord and cried to Him for help, so God enabled Othniel to take charge of the situation, and lead the people against their oppressors. He remained as their leader for forty years, keeping the people on the right track.

d.  What is the principle for the people of God today?         (Hebrews 13:7, 17; 1 Peter 5:1-5)

To have responsible, godly leaders who will lead the people and feed them by example as well as teaching, and the people are to respect and follow them humbly.

e.  What happened after Othniel died?           ( verses 12-14)

The people fell into sinful ways again, and God allowed Eglon, the king of Moab, to over-run them, and they served him for eighteen years.

f.  When did the Lord raise up the next deliverer?      (verse 15)

When the people realised  their need and their own helplessness, and cried out to God for help.

g. Who did God appoint as leader this time? How did he defeat Moab?      (verses 16-29)

God put into Ehud’s heart how to kill Eglon the king…Ehud was left handed and he went to the king with a present which he gave to him, then when the room was empty he killed him with a dagger he had hidden on his left side, locked the door and gathered the Israeli army together. The Moabites were so demoralised without their king, that Israel killed 10,000 prime soldiers.

h. How long did the land have rest this time?          (verse 30)

For eighty years and then the people fell into sin again.

i.   What do we learn from all of this?  (1 Timothy 3:14-17)

That we should each be responsible believers, keeping ourselves as an example to others and not neglecting God’s Word so we can teach others. As long as the people followed the Lord, they had peace in the land.

Judges  Four…(1-24)

1. 1.      Verses  1-24

a. What is this chapter all about?  (verses 1-24)

It is the story of how God delivered Israel when they cried to Him through three courageous people (two of them women!).It is the same cycle as always….sin brings oppression, the people cry to the Lord and He delivers them BUT they have to DO it and He helps them.

b.   What can we take out of this for  ourselves?         (Romans 10:9-10)

It’s no use expecting things to fall into our lap….we not only have to believe in our heart, but we have to confess this belief and act upon it….others have to see we are different to what we used to be. As we take one step towards God, He takes nine towards us. We have to be consistent in our walk with God.

c.  Israel had lapsed into its old cycle of sinning and n leaving God out of their lives…who was the oppressor in this chapter? (verses 1-2)

The king of Canaan, Jabin, and Sisera his army general.

d.  How large was the army of Jabin? How long did he oppress Israel?        (verses 3, 7)

He oppressed Israel for twenty years, and had an army of nine hundred chariots as well as a multitude of  footmen.

e.  Who are the other characters in this story?           ( verses 5-6, 17)

Deborah was a prophetess who judged Israel at this time; Barak was a leader in Zebulon and Naphtali; Heber was one of Moses’ in-law relatives who kept himself neutral in this war along with Jael his wife (they seemed to know Sisera the enemy captain)

f.  Who did she appoint to get an army together to fight Jabin?      (verse 6)

She called Barak to get an army together.

g. What were the two conditions he agreed to this under?      (verses 6-8)

God had promised He would fight for them, and Barak wanted Deborah to go with him.

h. Because of Barak’s weakness of faith, what would happen (which was considered a disgrace) ?          (verse 9)

Barak would not have the actual victory over the enemy Captain, but it would be a woman who would be the means of killing him.

i.   What happened in this battle?  (verses 12-22)

When Deborah gave the word, Barak and his men routed the enemy, completely destroying them all. When Sisera saw what was happening he left his chariot and fled on foot to Heber’s tent and arrived completely worn out. Jael gave him a drink and a mat to rest on, and went about her work (obviously Heber wasn’t home). When Sisera had fallen asleep, she got a large tent peg and hammered it through his temples to the ground. Barak was chasing Sisera, and when he came to Jael’s tent, she told him to come and see what she had for him

j.  What happened then?      (verses 23-24)

The enemy was destroyed by God’s might and a woman’s bravery, and Israel had peace and turned back to the Lord as a result.

k. How can we relate this to our Christian life?     (1 Corinthians 1:25-27; 2 Corinthians 12:9-10)

No matter how insignificant we feel, if we are in touch with God He can use us in some way. What the world considers great is of no consequence in God’s plan….our weakness is God’s opportunity. When the opportunities arise, we must take them with both hands and ACT!

Judges  Five…(1-31)

1.  Verses  1-31

a. What is this chapter all about?  (verses 1-31)

It is the song of victory that Deborah and Barak sang before the Lord.

b.   Who are they giving the praise to?         (verses 2-3)

The Lord God of Israel.

c.  What do we see here about the state of Israel? Why?    (verses 6-8)

The highways were empty…there was no travel and no commerce….if people moved around at all, it was through the back trails. The people were driven out of their villages by the enemy because they had turned away from the God of Heaven.

d.  Who were Deborah and Barak encouraged by?        (verses 9-12)

It seems that some of the leaders turned back to the Lord and began to teach the people about the Lord and His mighty acts again

e.  Which tribes rallied around Deborah and Barak?           ( verses 14-15a)

Ephraim came forward, and the leaders from Benjamin were there; the letters and papers were sent out from Zebulon and Issachar backed them up.

f.  Which tribes stood aloof and why?      (verses 15b-17)

Reuben was divided and there were great discussions….some felt they should go and others didn’t want to leave their livelihood. The people of Gilead stayed put, they felt they weren’t affected so why should they help. Dan and Asher didn’t offer any help either.

g. What other tribes came forward and to what extent?      (verses 18-19)

Zebulon and Naphtali risked their lives in battle.

h. How did the Lord over-rule in this battle ?          (verses 20-22)

The river flooded, the horses panicked, the skies seemed to fall in heavy rain and the army fled.

i.   Verses 24-30 tell of Jael killing Sisera and his mother waiting in vain for his return….what does the chapter conclude with?  (verse 31)

Let the enemies of the Lord perish, and let those who love Him prosper!

j.  How many years did the land have peace for after that? What is significant about that?      (verse 31c)

They had peace for forty years….forty is the number of testing, it is also the number of years the people wandered in the wilderness until all that generation had died off, so by the time forty years had passed, all the people of that generation who experienced God’s deliverance had died and the next generation didn’t know the Lord.

k. What does the attitude of the various tribes remind you of in a church situation ?       

There are always those who are the doers and those who do nothing but stand aloof!

Judges  Six…(1-40)

1.  Verses  1-40

a. What was Israel foolish enough to do? What was the result?  (verses 1-6)

Israel turned away from the Lord again, and took up idolatry. As a result the Midianites came up against them for seven years and over-ran the land, bringing their flocks, and literally eating Israel out of house and home, so that they ran to the mountains for safety, living in caves and were dreadfully impoverished.

b.   What did Israel do when they got into this condition?   What happened?      (verses 7-10)

Their thoughts turned to God once more and they cried to Him for help. He sent them a prophet who reminded them of how God had delivered them from Egypt, given them this land and was the One who they were responsible to, but  had turned away from.

c.  Who did God speak to, to deliver the people?  How did God view Gideon?   (verses 11-16)

God chose Gideon and sent His angel to tell him to get an army together and go fight Midian….God knew he could do it with His help…He viewed Gideon as a brave and strong man.

d.  What was Gideon’s reaction to this?        (verses 17-18)

He felt too small and insignificant and unequal to the task; he asked the angel speaking to him to give him a sign, and to wait while he prepared some food.

e.  What happened when Gideon brought it to him?           ( verses 19-21)

The angel told Gideon to lay the meat and bread on  a rock there and pour out the soup on the ground, then he touched it with the end of  the stick in his hand, and fire came out of the rock and burnt it all up. He then disappeared in front of his eyes!

g. What was Gideon’s reaction when he realised he was talking to the Lord after thinking he was just an angel?      (verses 22-24)

He was afraid and built an altar to worship Him.

h. What did God ask Gideon to do before he could go to war? What happened?          (verses 25-32)

Gideon had to get rid of the idols of the town that his father had installed in his house. He did at night because he was afraid of the people and when they found their idol fallen and broken they called for Gideon’s death.

i.   What was the current situation at this moment?  (verses 33-35)

The armies of the enemy were all gathered together against Israel ready to strike.

1. j.       Are things any different today? What do we see about the current situation in the Middle East?

Israel is still being threatened with annihilation by its enemies.

k. What did Gideon ask God for  before he went into battle?    (verses 36-40)       

He asked for a sign that God and His promises were for real, the sign of the wet fleece on dry ground and then vice versa.

Judges  Seven…(1-25)

1. 1.      Verses  1-25

a. What is this chapter about?  (verses 1-25)

It is all about how God delivered Israel from the Midianites by the hand of Gideon.

b.   What did God particularly want to show Gideon in this battle?      (verse 2)

He wanted Gideon and the people to know for sure that it was God’s victory, not their’s.

c.  How was this accomplished?   (verses 3-7)

When the men were gathered together for war, Gideon told those who were afraid to go home….22,000 left, leaving 10,000 men. God told Gideon this was still too many, and to sort the rest out by taking them to the stream to drink and see how they did it. Most of them put their heads down into the water, while 300 of them stayed alert and  picked the water up in their hands to drink. These were the ones that God chose.

d.  This seemed an impossible battle….how did God encourage Gideon?        (verses 8-14)

He told him to take his servant and go down among the enemy that night and listen to the soldiers’ conversation. As Gideon did this he overheard them discussing a dream that one had had, which they felt foretold Gideon’s victory.

e.  What did Gideon then do? How did he tackle this battle?           ( verses 15-22)

Gideon was greatly encouraged and divided his men into three companies, every man armed with a trumpet and a lit lamp concealed in and earthenware  jar (as well as his sword). Each company approached the enemy from different angles, and Gideon told them to watch for his signal and do the same thing. At the beginning of the second watch when everyone was asleep, Gideon smashed his jar and blew his trumpet, and shouted out “The sword of the Lord and of Gideon!” With the men still half asleep being surrounded (as they thought) by all these flashing lights and great noise, the enemy grabbed their swords and began slashing each other wildly in panic, running in all directions.

g. This was a huge host of men to disperse….what did the rest of Israel do?      (verses 23-25)

The men who had left to go back home were waiting anxiously to see what happened, and when the news came of this great rout, they joined in and continued to chase the enemy back across the river Jordan. They caught up with the two princes and cut their heads off.

Judges  Eight…(1-35)

1.   Verses  1-35

a. Which lot of people were angry with Gideon and why?  (verses 1-3)

The men of Ephraim were cross with Gideon for not calling them to battle at the beginning, but after he pointed out that they had done bigger things in killing the two enemy kings, they were appeased.

b.   What did Gideon continue to do?      (verses 4-12)

He continued to chase the enemy and two remaining kings across the river Jordan until he caught  them. He had asked for food for his men on the way but they were refused, so he promised to deal with them when he returned!

c.  What did he do when he returned to these two towns?   (verses 13-17)

He punished them for not supplying him with his needs on the way past.

d.  What question did he ask Zebah and Zalmunna?  What did he do?       (verses 18-21)

He asked them what the men were like that they had killed at Tabor, and when he found out they were his brothers, he killed these two kings.

e.  How does the story of Gideon end?           ( verses 22-32)

Israel wanted Gideon to be their king but he refused and asked instead that they would give him the golden ornaments from the enemy. He gathered these up and made an ephod from the gold and erected it in his home town. The people of Israel began to worship this thing, and it became a snare to them.

g. What happened after Gideon’s death?      (verses 33-35)

After Gideon’s death they reverted to full time idolatry the same as the surrounding nations, completely forgetting how God had delivered them and all that Gideon had done for the nation.

h. How long did Israel have peace?          (verse 28b)

They enjoyed peace for forty years while Gideon lived.

i.   What lessons can we learn from the life of Gideon?       (1 Corinthians 10:11-12)

Gideon started off well in depending on the Lord for victory in battle and in leading the people , but then he made this idol which the people all embraced with fervour, completely forgetting it was the Lord who had given them the victory. We have to be careful that we maintain  our stand for the Lord as long as we live and not become foolish older people pushing our own ideas.

Judges  Nine…(1-57)

1. 1.      Verses  1-57

a. Read the whole chapter through at once….what is it all about in one sentence?  (verses 1-57)

The rise and fall of Abimelech and those who were both for and against him.

b.   When did Israel first have dealings and problems with Shechem?      (Genesis 34: 1-2, 25-27)

Back in Jacob’s time when Shechem  raped Jacob’s daughter and her brothers killed him and his relatives.

c.  What dealings had Gideon with the people of Shechem?   (verse 1; ch. 8:30)

He had married a woman of Shechem, and now her son was scheming against Gideon’s other sons.

d.  What did Abimelech do?       (verses 1-6)

He went to his mother’s relatives in Shechem, got their backing and then killed all his half-brothers (but one) and they made him their king.

e.  What did Jotham (the remaining half brother) do when he heard this?           ( verses 7-20, 57)

He told a parable in which he pronounced a curse on all the men of Shechem, including Abimelech.

g. How was this fulfilled?      (verses 22-24)

Abimelech fell out with the men of Shechem and Gaal rose up against him and Abimelech destroyed Shechem

h. How was the last bastion destroyed?          (verses 46-49)

All the people rushed to the tower of their idol for safety, and Abimelech set fire to the tower and everyone was burnt alive.

i.   How did Abimelech’s end finally come?       (verses 50-54)

He was besieging another tower when a woman heaved a millstone down which cracked his skull….he got his armour bearer to finish him off and the war finished with that.

j. How do we see God’s hand in all of this?    (verses 56-57)

God used these incidents to bring about justice on Abimelech for the killing of his brothers, and the curse of Jotham was fulfilled on the men of Shechem.

k. What NT truth do we see in this story?    (Galatians 6:7-8a)       

Whatever we sow, we will reap. Abimelech sowed bloodshed and discord and this eventually turned on him and he was killed himself as a result. If we sow only to earthly things in our life, we will reap only those things that will perish….whatever is done for Christ will last into eternity.

l.   What are believers to sow?  (Galatians 5:22-26; 6:8b-10)

Believers are to sow the things of the Spirit and that is what they will reap….they are to follow peace, love and joy.

Judges  Ten…(1-18)

1.  Verses  1-18

a. Read the whole chapter through at once….what is the situation of Israel here?  (verses 1-18)

There were a couple of judges who more or less kept Israel in the right way, but then they took to themselves all the idols of the surrounding nations, and God gave them up allowing those nations to oppress and rule over them. After a period of time Israel repented, and turned back to the Lord, and God felt sorry for them.

b.   Who were the two judges who judged Israel, and for how long?      (verses 1-5)

Tola, an Ephraimite (23 years), and Jair a Gileadite (22 years)

c.  What happened next?  For how long?  (verses 6-8)

Israel forgot the Lord and began to serve the idols of the surrounding nations….God became angry with their behaviour and allowed the Philistines and Ammonites to oppress them for 18 years.

d.  What did Israel then do?       (verses 9-10)

Israel realised why this calamity was upon them and cried to the Lord….they acknowledged it was because of their sin in forsaking the Lord.

e.  What did God say to them?           ( verses 11-14)

I’ve delivered you time and time again, yet you’ve left me and turned to these idols….go and ask them to deliver you and see how you get on!

g. How did Israel react to this ultimatum?      (verses 15-16)

They really repented and cleaned up their act by getting rid of all the idols among them, and turned back to the Lord.

h. What happened next?          (verses 17-18)

The Ammonites gathered their army together against Israel, and Israel began to look for someone to lead the army to battle.

i.   What principle do we see here that still holds good today?    How does God view people leaving Him out of their lives and following other things?   (Genesis 6:3a, 5-6; Romans 1:18-32)

God will not strive with man forever…if they continue to disregard Him, He will give up on them and they will go from bad to worse, and eventually suffer His judgment.

j. How do we put matters right in our own lives?    (verses 15-16; 1 John 1:9)

We have to truly repent first, confess our sins and turn away from everything that takes our minds off God and then follow Him with a sincere heart and mind….in other words, have a complete turnaround and stick to it!

Judges  Eleven…(1-40)

1.  Verses  1-40

a. Who is the main character in this chapter? Describe him……              (verses 1-40)

Jephthah was a brave and notable person, but his mother was a prostitute, and his half brothers refused to acknowledge him, so he left his home town and lived in another place.

b.   What was the political situation in Israel at this time?      (verse 4)

There was no leader and because of the people’s sin, the Ammonites over-ran them

c.  What happened next?    (verses 5-8)

The elders of Israel went to Jepthah and asked him to go and lead an army to deliver them.

d.  What did Jephthah reply?       (verses 9-11)

I   He said hat he would do this if he could continue to lead the nation after the war.

e.  The men agreed to this….what message did Jephthah then send to the king of Ammon?    ( verses 12-27)

He recapped the history of Israel, and how God gave them this land, and said they  had no right to take it from them, and if they wanted it why hadn’t they taken it sooner?

g. How does this apply to present day Israel?     

God’s promises stand for ever, and no other nation will ever be able to take away the land from Israel.

h. How long had Israel been in the land at this time?          (verse 26)

Three hundred years.

i.   What gave Jephthah the power to gain the victory?   (verse 29)

God’s Spirit came upon him as he took charge, and gave him the power and victory.

j. In hindsight, what foolish thing did Jephthah do?    (verses 30-31)

He made a vow without thinking it through.

k. What do we see God doing with Jephthh’s vow ?    (verses 32-34)       

God took him up on it, and tested him by sending his daughter to meet him

l.   What sort of girl was she?  (verses 34-36)

She was a loving daughter, and a godly girl who loved the Lord.

m. What suggestion did she make and then do?  (verses 36-38)

She asked to be given two months to go with her friends and bewail the fact she would never be married and have a  family.

n.   How did Jephthah’s vow affect him?  (verses 34c, 39)

It meant he would have no descendants, and that his family inheritance would have to revert to his brothers.

Judges  Twelve…(1-15) and Thirteen (1-25)

1.  Verses  1-15

a What happened the rest of Jephthah’s life?              (verses 1-15)

He judged Israel for the rest of his life, but that was only six years.

b.   What happened after Jephthah’s great victory ver Ammon?      (verse 1)

The men of Epraim came against him complaining that they hadn’t been asked to help in the previous battle and threatening to burn him and his house.

c.  What happened next?    (verses 2-6)

Jephthah pointed out that they had been given the opportunity to join in and had refused, so he fought against them and slaughtered 42,000 of them.

d.  How many judges were next?  How many years were involved in their leadership?     (verses 8-15)

There were three judges covering a period of fifteen years.

e.  Who is the next character to appear?    ( 13:24)

Samson

g. What were the circumstances of his birth?  (13: 2-7)   

An angel appeared to an older woman one day and told her that she and her husband would have a special son who was to be a Nazarite to the Lord..

h. How did the woman’s husband take this news?          (13:8-18)

He didn’t really believe his wife and asked the Lord to send the man again. When he came Manoa asked how they should bring him up, and then asked him to wait while got some food for him, but he said that he must make an offering to the Lord  instead.

i.   What happened when the offering was brought ?   (13:15-20)

The man (angel) touched  the offering and it burst into flames and he disappeared up to the sky in the flames.

j. What did Manoa realise at that point?    (13:20-23)

That the man was an angel sent from God with this message for them.

k. What are we told in the New Testament about this sort of thing ?    (Hebrews 1:14; 13:2)       

That God uses angels to look after His people and we are to entertain strangers in our home because one of them might be an angel!

Judges Fourteen  (1-20)

1.  Verses  1-20

a.   What sort of person did Samson grow up to be?  (verses 1-2; 13:5, 24-25)

He was brought up as a Nazarite, so he had long hair, and God’s Spirit was with him.

b. Even though it seems he was used to getting his own way, how did God use this?  (verse 4)

God used this against the Philistines towards delivering Israel from their oppression

c. What else do we see about Samson?  (verses 5-6)

That he had incredible strength

d. What was Samson as a Nazarite, not supposed to do?   (verses 4-5; 16:17)

He was not to drink wine or eat anything classed as unclean, as well as not cut his hair.

e. How did he break the rules in this incident?   (verses 8-9)

He ate honey from the carcase of a dead animal which was classed as unclean

f. What was Samson’s downfall?    (verses 10-18)

Socialising with the Philistines, and falling in love with one of the girls.

g.  What are we as believers told about this?         (2 Corinthians 6:14)

We are not to allow ourselves to get caught up in being tied up with non Christians.

h. .How did God use Samson’s foolishness for His purposes?   (verses 4, 19)

Because He knew that the heathen Philistines would let Samson down and he would fall out with them and begin to destroy them.

i. What are we told in the New Testament about this sot of thing, even when things seem to going wrong?

That everything works together for good in the end for those who love God….we just have to keep trusting God

Judges Fifteen….(1-20)

1.  Verses  1-20

a.  What was Samson finding out about the Philistines?    (verses 1-2)

That they couldn’t be trusted…..his father-in-law had given his wife to someone else.

b. What did he do in retaliation?    (verses 3-6)

He burnt their crops and then they killed the man who deceived  Samson.

c. Samson wasn’t satisfied with this….what further vengeance did he make on them?  (verses 7-8)

It seems that he fought them single handed, making a great slaughter of them.

d. This didn’t solve the problem, it just continued…what did the Philistines do next?   (verses 9-10)

They went and camped against Judah, and when Judah asked why, they said they were after Samson.

e. What happened next?   (verses 11-15)

The men of Judah went to Samson and asked why he had aggravated the Philistines…he replied that he was paying them back. So they tied him up with a new rope and gave him over to the Philistines.

f. We see here God’s man completely tied up with ropes, and given to the enemy….had God deserted him?    (verses 14-17)

No, the Spirit of the Lord came upon him in his hour of need, and he broke the ropes as though they were rotten and then killed a thousand men with the jawbone of a donkey that he picked up. When he had finished, he threw the jawbone away.

g.  How did he feel after this victory?         (verses 18-19)

Very tired and thirsty….for some reason he picked up the jawbone again and saw that it was wet, so he drunk of the water that God provided by this means and recovered.

h. .What does this show us about God?   (verse 19a)

God is a God of miracles and is not confined to working  how we expect.

i.  What is the popular conception of Samson?   What do we see here about him?         (verse 20)

We tend to only remember his great strength and his foolishness with women, but we see here that he judged Israel for twenty years, during which they had a time of peace and relief from the enemy.

j.  What was God’s purpose for Samson? How many times do we see that the Spirit of the Lord came upon him?   (13:24-25; 14:6, 19; 15:14)

Samson was a special person raised up by God to deliver his people Israel….we see that the Spirit of the Lord came upon him mightily in his times of need at four different times.

k.  What are we told in the New Testament about him?         (Hebrews 11:32-34, 39a)

That it was by his faith in God that he was able to do these things

l.  If we are asked to do something for the Lord and feel too weak and bound by fear, what are we to remember?         (1 Corinthians 1:27-29; 2 Corinthians 12:9-10)

Even though we may be weak, if we rely on the Lord, He will give us the strength that we need…it will be He Who is working through us and  not we ourselves.

m.  What is the greatest case of a Man’s weakness of body bringing about God’s purposes?   (1 Corinthians 11:23-24; 2 Corinthians 13: 4a)

When Jesus Christ allowed Himself to be beaten until He was too weak to carry His cross and was  crucified, then God was able to make salvation available to all who would believe.

n.  So is our weakness a valid reason to do nothing for God?         (2 Corinthians  12:10b)

No! It is only a weak excuse with no validity at all!

Judges Sixteen….(1-31)

1.  Verses  1-3

Samson judged Israel for twenty years. During this time we don’t read that he took another wife or that he had sons. He reappears in this chapter in trouble with the wrong woman again!

a.  What was Samson’s weakness and ultimate downfall ?    (verses  1, 4)

It was the wrong sort of women, and Philistine women at that!

b. He walked right into trouble with the first one….what happened?    (verses 1-3)

He visited a prostitute one night and when the people of her city found out, they locked the gates and planned to kill him the next day. Samson must have heard of this because he got up at midnight and walked away with the whole gate on his shoulders and dumped them on a hill top outside the city.

c. Was Samson living a holy life style by visiting prostitutes? What are we told this sort of thing does for a man?  (Proverbs 5:3-5)

It is not profitable and only leads to death  and hell ultimately.

d. How can a man avoid this trap?   (Psalm 119:9, 11)

By reading God’s word and obeying it….hiding it in his heart.

2.  Verses  4-31

a.  What was the next foolish thing that Samson did ?    (verse  4)

He started socialising with the Philistines and fell for one of the women he met

b. What did Delilah set out to do? Why?    (verse 5)

She immediately set out to find the source of Samson’s great strength for the Philistines who had promised to pay big money for the information.

c. How did Samson cope with this ?  (verses 6-14)

He kept going back to see her and just told her untruths about his great strength until she got to crying and accusing him of not really loving her.

d. How did she eventually wear him down?   (verses 15-16)

By nagging him every day until he got fed up with it.

e. What happened next?   (verses 17-20)

One wonders if he was drunk when he told her the truth about being a Nazarite to God and leaving his hair long….it seems she may have drugged him when she called the Philistines in to cut his hair off. When she woke him up he was unaware that his hair was gone and with it, his great strength (this is what disobedience to God does for a person)

f. What happened this time when she called the Philistines in?    (verse 21)

They were able to take him prisoner and to make sure he was finished, they put his eyes out and he was totally blind .

g.  What is the saddest thing about this whole episode?         (verse 20c)

God had left him when he disobeyed Him.

h. .Does God ever leave His people today when they disobey Him?   (Ephesians 4:30; Hebrews 12: 6-11; 13:5b)

No, God will never leave His people; however He can be grieved with them and/or chastise them.

i.  What state was Samson brought to now? What did he lose through his foolishness?         (verse 21)

He not only lost his long hair, but he lost his sight, his strength and his freedom and self respect.

j.  What warning can we take out of this for ourselves?   (Numbers 32:23; 1 Corinthians 10:11-12)

That if we flirt with sin, it will beat us in the end….we CANNOT handle doubtful situations we put ourselves into, if we play with sin, God will not protect us or hear us

k.  What did the Philistines give the credit to for taking Samson?         (verses 23- 24)

To their heathen god, Dagon.

l.  What was happening to Samson while he was grinding the corn in his blind state?    (verse 22)

He was no doubt regretting his folly in trusting Delilah; his thoughts would have turned back to the Lord and all the time his hair was growing again.

m.  What was the end of the story?   (verses24-31)

The Philistines held a great feast to their idol and called for Samson to make them sport and torment him. Samson felt for the pillars of the temple and called on God for his strength to return again. As he flexed his muscles, he  reached for the two main pillars where he was standing, bowed himself and brought the whole  temple crashing to the ground. There were over three thousand people that were killed at this time, more than all those he had killed in his entire life. He died with them, and his brothers retrieved his corpse and buried him in the family tomb.

n.  What comfort can we take when we realise we have made some dreadful mistake?    (1 John 1:9)

We know that if we humble ourselves and confess our sin to God, that He will forgive and cleanse us, and we can start again.

Judges Seventeen….(1-13) and Eighteen …(1-31)

1.  Verses  1-13

a.  What spiritual condition was Israel in at this time after Samson’s death?    (verses 3, 6)

They were all mixed up with ideas about idols and God.

b. Why was this?    (Exodus 20:1-5a)

They had completely forgotten God’s law where He said they were NOT to make any idol or image and then serve it….they were breaking God’s command.

c. How does this story start and show this?  (verses 1-5)

There was a man named Micah who had stolen silver from his mother and then confessed to it. She then told him that she had dedicated it to the Lord for the purpose of him making an idol.

d. What does it seem that Micah was collecting?   (verse 5)

He had a collection of idols and heathen artifacts in his house and added this one to it, and made one of his sons a priest to worship these things.

e. What happened next?   (verses 7-12)

A young Levite was seeking fame and fortune and happened to come by Micah’s house. Micah gave him the job of being a priest to these idols.

f. What did Micah think he would gain by doing this?    (verse 13)

He thought he would gain favour with Gold by having a Levite for his priest.

g.  What do we see happening when people mix religion and idolatry together?   (2 Corinthians 6:14-17 )

Utter confusion! The two cannot mix…Christians are to remain totally separate from such things as idol worship or the occult; Christ and Satan cannot mix, Christians are the temple of the living God and must live totally clean and holy lives…Satan is the prince of darkness.

h. .How does this state of affairs begin?   (Deuteronomy 6:4-7)

By people not teaching their children the way of the Lord…we MUST teach our children by word and example.

2.  Chapter 18:  1-31

a.  What group of people come into the story now?    (verses 1-2)

Some of the Danites wanted to find more land to occupy, so they sent out five men to spy the land out, and stayed at Micah’s house on their way.

b. What did they find there?    (verses 3-5)

They recognised the Levite and he told them what he was doing there, so they asked him to ask the Lord if they should carry on with their quest….he said to carry on.

c. What happened?  (verses 6-12)

They went back to their people who then got an army together and went out to conquer this particular area. As they arrived at Micah’s place on the way, the five spies told them that there was a priest there with a collection of idols and artifacts, so they approached him and asked if he would like to go with them and bring along his collection…he was glad to do this.

d. What did Micah think of this state of affairs?   (verses 22-26)

He didn’t like it and set off after them until he realised he had better retreat and take his losses.

e. What happened next?   (verses 27-31)

The Danites continued on their way and fought against the city and took it and settled there. They set up Micah’s idols and worshipped them rather than go to the Lord’s house in Shiloh.

f. Is there any lesson in all of this story for us?    (1 Corinthians 3:11-15; 1 John 2: 15-17)

Micah’s idols let him down….if he had trusted in the Lord, NOTHING could have taken that away from him, but he lost what he was trusting in. If we spend our time dabbling in the world, we will be left with nothing at the end of our life….we will be saved but as by fire with nothing to show the Lord.

g.  What continued on in Dan after this?         (1 Kings 12:28-31)

When Jeroboam became king, he made two golden calf idols and put one of them in Dan….this tribe never followed the Lord, but had idol worship all the way and were among the first lot taken into captivity by Nebuchnezzar.

h. .What serious warning is there in all of this for us today?   (Amos 8:11-14; Hebrews 10:26-31)

If we turn away from the Lord when we have known all about Him, there will be no hope for us…God respects our decision and we will die in our sins.

Judges Nineteen to Twenty….

1.  Nineteen 1-30

a.  What happened in this chapter?    (verses 1-30)

A man’s concubine (servant/wife) left him and went bck to her father for four months. He went to bring her back and on the way they stopped overnight at Gibeah  (which belonged to the tribe of Benjamin) near the city of the Jebusites. An old man took them in for the night, and the men of the town came by demanding to be let in so they could have sexual relations with the stranger. The host refused, but they continued to  badger them so the traveller sent his lady out to them and they abused her all night until she died on the doorstep. He then cut her into pieces and sent her throughout the land as an example of what had happened.

2.  Twenty 1-48

a. What did the rest of Israel do about this thing?    (verses 1-3)

Israel came together with an army of four hundred thousand to decide what to do., and asked the man concerned what had happened.

b. It is easy to read this, but just try to imagine the scene….what would the practicalities of such a thing be? 

It is hard to imagine….without modern aids of TV, mobiles, radio, how would they get the word around? What about food and sanitation for a crowd like this? There must have been a host of messengers to go around the leaders of the army with messages from the main council group.

c. How did the council react to the man’s story?   (verses 4-13)

They were horrified and said they would have to deal with the town of Gibeah of Benjamin.

d. What did they do next?   (verses 12-14)

They sent messengers through the land of Benjamin and told them to send out the men who had done this dastardly deed, but they refused to do this and gathered together to fight against the rest of Israel.

e. What were the numbers of the opposing armies?   (verses 14-17)

Benjamin’s was 26,700 men and Israel’s was 400,000 men.

f. What did Israel do that was right?    (verse 18)

They took the matter to the Lord before they moved and asked what they should do.

g.  They did what God said….what happened? How many men were lost?   (verses 19-25)

Israel went to battle two days running and lost 40,000 men altogether.

h.  They couldn’t understand it….they had done what God said and things still went wrong….what did they then do?         (verses 26-28)

They went back to the Lord with fasting and offerings for sin, and asked again what they should do.

j.  What do we see in how they tackled the battle in the first place?   (verses 26, 28c)

It seems as though they had done without first putting their own house in order….this time they were totally reliant on the Lord for the outcome.

k.  How did they tackle the battle this time?         (verses 29-46)

They set soldiers hiding at strategic points near the city and the attacked as before. The men of Benjamin poured out of the city after them and Israel fled before them. When they were a certain distance away, the others went into the city and set it on fire.

l.  How many men of Benjamin fell in this battle?    (verse 46)

They lost 25,000 men, almost their entire army, plus all of their towns and villages were burned to the ground.

m.  Why do you think God allowed such carnage among His people?   (Genesis 6:11-13; 18:23, 32)

Because they had sinned and refused to repent and put things right…whenever a nation (or person)  sins, God will only put up with it for a certain time and then He will step in and punishment will fall.

n.  What can you see happening in the world today that will bring God’s judgment on the human race?    (Romans 1: 20-32;  Galatians 5:19-21)

Men indulging in the works of the flesh and making these wicked practices legal in the land….taking individual’s sins and making them the nation’s sin.

Judges Twenty-one….

1.  Verses 1-25

a. What had Israel vowed before the Lord?    (verse 1)

That they wouldn’t allow their daughters to marry into the tribe of Benjamin on account of their horrendous crime with this other woman.

b. What was left of the tribe of Benjamin at this point?  (chapter 21:47-48)

Israel had destroyed the whole tribe except for 600 men who had fled into the wilderness and were there for four months.

c. What did the people of Israel realise at this point?   (verses 3, 7)

That the tribe of Benjamin would die out seeing they had vowed to not give their daughters to these remaining men.

d. We have already seen the result of Jephtha’s vow…..what do we learn from that and now this one?   (Ecclesiastes 5:4-5)

A vow is made to be kept and was in each of these cases, but it must be very carefully thought out of what may be further ahead  before making one….it is better to not vow at all than to vow and then change one’s mind.

e. What did Israel do about the situation now?   (verses 8-15)

They looked around for any place that had not sent men to war with them, and then destroyed the town keeping only the single girls alive and giving them to Benjamin for their wives.

f. Did this completely solve the problem?    (verses 14-16)

No, because they were still 200 short.

g.  How did they get around their dilemma in the end?   (verses 16-23)

They said that although they wouldn’t GIVE their daughters to Benjamin, there was nothing to stop Benjamin kidnapping during the time of festival when the girls were out dancing!

h.  The men of Benjamin did this….what were they then able to do?         (verse 23).

They started all over again, repairing their cities, making a fresh start  and new beginning.

j.  Everyone was happy, honour was maintained, and Benjamin’s continuity was assured….but what was lacking in Israel at this time? What did they fail to recognise?   (verses 24-25; 1 Samuel 8:6-7)

There was no leader or king in the nation;  they failed to recognise that God was their king, and as such was to be obeyed.

k.  What lesson is there in verse 25 for us today?         (verse 25; 1 Timothy 1:17)

We are to realise that God is still the same today, and as such is our King to be obeyed, revered and followed.

                                                  Ruth’s Reward

Ruth One…(1-22)

1.  Verses  1-22

a. We now meet a family beset by problems…what were their names and what was their problem ?    (verses 1-36)

Elimelech and Naomi and their two sons, Mahlon and Chilion….they had struck hard times in their land with famine and drought so they went to the land of Moab and lived there. They thought conditions would be better there.

b.   What connections did Elimelech have with Moab and what happened to the family while they were there?         (verses 3-5; 2:1; Matthew 1:5a)

Elimelech was a relative (possibly cousin) of Boaz whose mother was Rahab of Moab. While in the land of Moab, Elimelech died, and the two boys married heathen girls, and then they both died as well.

c.  How long had Naomi been in the land of Moab? What did she decide to do?     (verses 4, 6-7)

She had been there for ten years and when she heard that better times had come on her home land, she decided to go back.

d. It seems her two daughters-in-law were living with her…..what did she tell them to do?    (verses 8-13)

She told them what she was planning to do and said they would be better off going back to their parent’s homes and think of remarrying.

e. What was the reaction of the two girls?   (verses 14-15, 18)

Orpah accepted this,  kissed Naomi goodbye and went back, but Ruth went with her.

f. What was Ruth’s reason for staying with Naomi? What did she say?          ( verses 16-17)

She wanted to stay with Naomi regardless, integrate with Naomi’s people and know Naomi’s God.

g.  So what happened?       (verse 19)

Naomi accepted this and they returned to her home town of Bethlehem.

h. What did all the locals say when they saw them? What was Naomi’s attitude?   (verses 19b-21)

They could hardly believe it was Naomi, she was so changed. Her attitude was one of bitterness, and blaming God rather than herself.

i. What time of the year was it?   (verse 22)

It was autumn,  at the beginning of the barley harvest.

f. We can  attribute all sorts of reasons and attitudes to Naomi and Elimelech as they left Bethlehem to escape bad times, but we will never be sure what the real one was….what are some of the various possibilities?         

Naomi could have been the one to instigate her husband’s move to see better times; she would have gone out with high hopes of a better life in a different country; maybe her neighbours thought they were chasing a rainbow.

g.  What should we as Christians learn from this part of the story?       (Psalm 37:3; Proverbs 3:5-6)

We should trust in the Lord for the future, and not do what seems a good idea to us!  When hard times come we may as well stick it out and make the best of it in familiar surroundings…good times will come again, and there is no guarantee that everything will go right in another place.

h. What did Orpah’s decision lead her to?    (verse 15)

Back to her people and their gods and idols and a complete disappearance from further Scriptural records.

i. What did Ruth’s decision lead her to?   (Matthew 1:5)

Integration into Israel and a place in the genealogy of Jesus Christ …she was the great-grandmother of King David.

j.  What do we see about Ruth here?       (verses 16-18)

She had made up her mind that she did not want to leave Naomi….she was steadfast in her determination, she loved Naomi and wanted to stay with her, and she wanted Naomi’s God for herself.

k. What happened when they arrived back at Bethlehem?   What did Naomi have to say about herself? (verses 19-21)

People thought they remembered her, but how changed she was! She said not to call her Naomi (which means “Pleasant”), but to call her “Mara” which means bitter….she said she had gone out full with a husband and sons and now she was coming back empty on her own.

l. What lesson can we learn from Naomi and the following verses?  (Ephesians 4:31; Hebrews 12:15b)

Naomi wasn’t counting her blessings….we are not to have our roots in bitterness but in the Lord Jesus Christ . No matter how bad things are, there is always something to be thankful for.

m.  What will having our roots in the Lord, produce in our lives?       (Hebrews 13:15; Colossians 2:7)

Thanksgiving and praise….we are to give thanks IN everything (not necessarily FOR everything) and this makes a big difference to our attitude….we will not become bitter if we do this.

l. Who was Naomi basically blaming for  her condition? Whose fault was it really? What can we learn from this?  (verse 21c)

Naomi was blaming God when it was her own fault (or maybe Elimelech’s) …she may have persuaded him to go. Sometimes we have to pay bitterly for our own mistakes as Naomi did.

m.  But ALL is not lost….what comfort can we take even in these conditions?       (Genesis 50:20; Romans 8:28)

That something good will come out of our mistakes….even if it is only a valuable lesson learned! When other people are involved, God can turn that around into something good for us.

Ruth Two …(1-23)

1.  Verses  1-23

a. What were Naomi’s first blessings?   (verses 1-3)

She had a wealthy in-law in the town and a daughter-in-law who was willing to work.

b.   Remembering the general spiritual state of Israel in the time of the Judges, what do we find encouraging here?         (verse 4)

The fact that there were still some godly people in the land.

c.  What did Boaz notice when he went out into the field to see the reapers?       (verses 5-7)

He saw this strange girl there and asked who she was.

d. What was Naomi’s next blessing?    (verses 8-10, 18)

The fact that Boaz looked kindly on Ruth,  that she was a good worker, and that there was plenty of left over grain for her to pick up and take home.

e. Where did the custom of gleaning originate? Why was it given?   (Leviticus 19:9-10)

It was part of God’s law to the people in Moses’ time to not completely clean out their harvest fields but to leave the corners for the poor people with no other means of support.

f. What did Boaz tell Ruth?          ( verses 8-14)

To stay in his fields and not go anywhere else, and come and eat and drink with my workers.

g.  What did he tell his reapers?       (verses  15-16)

Don’t touch her and let some extra grain fall where she’s working.

h. What had Boaz heard about Ruth?   (verse 11)

How she had left her own country and relatives, and come with Naomi to Israel.

i. What was the most important thing about Ruth that people had noticed?   (verse 12)

That she was prepared to trust in the God of Israel.

f. What was Ruth most conscious of?          (verse 13)

The friendliness of Boaz to her, a stranger who probably both looked and sounded different.

g.  What was Ruth able to take back to Naomi?       (verses 17-18)

A good proportion of grain for her day’s work.

h. What comment did Naomi make?    (verses 19-20)

When she found out that Ruth had been working in Boaz’ fields, she told her that he was a near relative, and to be sure to stay with his workers.

i. How long did Ruth stay in the fields of Boaz?   (verse 23)

Right to the end of the barley and wheat harvests.

j.  What likeness can you see in Boaz’ dealings with Ruth and Jesus Christ ?       (Ephesians 1:3; 2:11-17)

Just as Boaz took pity on Ruth, a stranger and foreigner, and provided for her (eventually taking  her into his home) so Jesus Christ took pity on the human race which by their sin had become strangers and foreigners to Him, and provided salvation for them so they could become part of His family. Boaz protected and provided for Ruth, and so the Lord does for His people.

Ruth Three …(1-18)

1.  Verses  1-18

a. What was Naomi suggesting to Ruth here?   (verse 1)

She would look for a husband for her…presumably marriages were made with a go-between in those days.

b.  Who was the obvious choice? What were his advantages?         (verse 2a; Deuteronomy 25:5-6)

Boaz….he seemed to be still single, he was a close relative and able to buy back Naomi’s inheritance….in fact it was his duty to do so according to Moses’ law.

c.  What did Naomi tell Ruth to do?       (verses 2b-6)

She was to dress up and when Boaz had lain down to sleep after threshing the grain, she was to go in and lie at his feet, thus signifying she was willing for him to do as the law said.

d. What happened when she did this?    (verses 7-13)

Boaz was startled to wake and find someone at his feet, but when she told him why she was there, he was flattered and pleased and said he would see to the matter straightaway….however, there was one other relative closer to Naomi than he was, and he would have to be notified.

e. What does verse 10 suggest?  

Boaz thought Ruth would have preferred a younger man, so it seems that he must have been older, maybe old enough to be her father.

f. What did Boaz tell Ruth?          ( verses 13-15)

That he would get on to the matter first thing in the morning….she was to go home and not let anyone know she had been there. He gave her another lot of barley to take home.

g.  What did Naomi say about the matter?       (verses  16-18)

She wanted to know what Boaz’ reaction was and then said that he would get it sorted out that very day.

h. What do we see about the attitude of our Lord Jesus Christ to gaining a bride?   (Luke 22:42)

He was willing to do His Father’s will no matter what the cost, and in doing so gained a bride (His people) for Himself.

Ruth Four  …(1-22)

1.  Verses  1-22

a. How were legal matters sorted out in those days?  What did Boaz do?  (verses 1-3)

Legal matters were done at the city gate in the presence of the elders of the town. Boaz called ten of them together with the relative who had first claim to Elimelech’s land, and laid the matter of the land before him.

b.  What did the other man say?         (verse 4)

He was quite happy to buy the land at first.

c.  What put him off?       (verses 5-6)

The fact that Ruth went with the land, and he felt it would complicate things too much for him….any son born to her would mess up his existing inheritance he thought.

d. How did  they seal a deal back then?    (verses 7-8).

They would take off one shoe and give it to the other party.

e. What did Boaz say then?   (verses 9-10)

He confirmed before all those present that he was buying the land with the intention that Ruth be his wife.

f. What did the men there say?          ( verses 11-12).

They acknowledged the deal and gave him their blessing

g.  What was the result of all this?       (verses  13-16).

Ruth and Boaz had a son and the women gave the glory to God saying to Naomi how fortunate she was in having a daughter-in-law like Ruth who was better than ten sons….now she had someone who would look after her in her old age!

h. What else did they say about this baby?   (verse 14b)

They hoped he would become famous in Israel.

i. He did indeed become famous …how did this hope come true?   (verse 22)

His grandson was David, the sweet psalmist of Israel who became king of the land.

j.  What interesting fact do we see in David’s genealogy ?       (Genesis 38;  Matthew 1:3, 5-6)

That three of his paternal female ancestors were from outside of Israel…there was Tamar  who played the prostitute, there was Rahab who was a Moab prostitute, and now Ruth, also from Moab

k. What picture of our Lord Jesus Christ can we see in Boaz?  

He was a mighty man of wealth who took pity on the poor stranger from Moab who deserved nothing and took her into his family giving her all that he had, by buying back the land and taking her as his wife. In the same way, the Lord Jesus  came from heaven to redeem a bride for Himself by bringing salvation to the world of men.

l.  What do we see about Ruth that is like believers today ?       (Ephesians 2:11-19)

She was a Gentile and a stranger to God, so were we; she had a desire to find God, so did we; she was poor and helpless, so were we in spiritual things; the wealthy man took pity on her, in the same way our Lord had pity on us; she had everything that she needed in her husband, and so do we in our Lord Jesus Christ; her name was put for ever in the genealogy of heaven, and so our names are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life for eternity.

m.  In what ways do we see the guiding hand of the Lord in the affairs of Naomi and Ruth after their return to Israel ?       (2:3; 5-6, 11, 12, 20; 3:11b; 4:13)

The way that Ruth just “happened” to start gleaning in the field of Boaz; the way that he noticed her and asked who she was; how impressed Boaz was by what he had heard of her and her response to God; the way that Naomi remembered who he was and his duty to them; the way the closer relative backed off from being the “redeemer” thus enabling Boaz to step in; the fact that it is said that it was God who gave Ruth conception and the bearing of a son.

n.  Can you remember any time that God over-ruled in your affairs ?

 

                                                  Joshua’s Job.

 

 

Joshua  One…(1-18)

Moses has died and is buried and the people have completed their time of mourning for him…a man who has gone down in history as the “meekest man” in all the earth (Numbers 12:3)….what a tremendous task he had to undertake!

1.  Verses  1-9

a. What was the job that God was laying out before Joshua?  (verses 1-2)

You are to take over from Moses and lead these people over the river Jordan into the land which I am giving them.

b.   That was Joshua’s part….what did God promise him as His part?         (verses 5-7)

No one will be able to stand against you….just as I was with Moses, so I will be with you and will never leave you nor forsake you.

c.  What a wonderful promise God gave to Moses….do we have access to this sort of help too? (Hebrews 13:5b-6)

Yes, God promises all His people that He will always be with them and will never leave them…we are to trust Him for this and always seek to please Him.

d.  What causes us to stumble at times and feel as though God is not there?           ( Isaiah 59:2)

It is not that God has moved, but that WE have! We have some wrong attitude or done something wrong and allowed unconfessed sin to come into our lives, and until we put it right this feeling will remain.

e.  What was God’s threefold command to Joshua?         (verses 6-7)

Be strong and of good courage, and keep on keeping on in My commands.

f.  Do you think this applies to believers today?      (Ephesians 6:11-14; Hebrews 10:23, 35)

Yes! We are to stand firm and remember we are in a spiritual warfare and to use the weapons which God has given us…the sword of the Lord (His Word), His truth and faith, prayer.

g. What was to be the basis of Joshua’s strength in God?      (verse 8)

Knowledge of, and obedience to, the law of God….he was to think  about God’s commands continually and to do them.

h. Does this still apply to us today?          (John 14:23; 15:4-5, 14-15;)

Yes, to be strong in the Lord we must abide in His Word continually…love creates obedience…if we love God and His Word, we will obey what He says and He will abide with us….this will give us all the strength we need.

i.   What should our attitude be to God’s Word?  (Psalm 119: 16, 24, 97, 103, 127)

We should delight in it, love it, meditate in it and find it sweeter than honey and more valuable than gold.

2.  Verses  10-18

a. What did Joshua do next?  (verses 10-15)

He sent messengers through the camp of Israel and told them it was time to move, and also reminded the ones who were staying put that they had promised to help the others get settled.

b.   How did the people respond to Joshua’s leadership?         (verses 16-18)

They said that just as they had listened to Moses, so they would follow him….they encouraged him to do as God had said.

c.  How are believers to follow their leaders?     (Hebrews 13:17)

They are to submit to their leadership, and if they can’t agree, then they should move to some other place that fits in with their ideas instead of staying and making trouble!

Joshua  Two…(1-24)

1.  Verses  1-9

a. What did Joshua do first?  (verse 1a)

He sent two men to spy out Jericho.

b.   Where did they stay and what happened?         (verse 1b)

They went into the city and stayed with a prostitute who obviously ran a boarding house.

c.  Did they get in there unnoticed? Who was told?       (verse 2)

Someone reported to the king that these strangers had come in to spy out the place and were staying at Rahab’s house.

d.  What did the king do when he heard this? What had Rahab done with them?           ( verses 3-6)

He immediately sent to Rahab and told her to give the men up…she had taken them up to the flat roof and hidden them under the crop of flax she had drying there, so when the king’s men came she said they had left again and she didn’t know where they were.

e.  What did Rahab do after the king’s men left?         (verses 8-10)

She went up to the roof top and told the men what had happened, and how everyone was afraid of the approaching Israelis

f.  What did Rahab acknowledge? What was her request?      (verses 11-13)

Rahab acknowledged that their  God was the God of Heaven, and asked that she and her family would be kept safe when Israel took the city.

g. What did they say? What did she do?      (verses 14-21)

They told her that if she kept quiet about them, and left the red rope in her window frame that they would keep her safe with everyone in her house.

h. What did the men then do?          (verses 22-24)

They went and hid in the hills for three days then went back and told Joshua how God was going to give them the city as everyone there was afraid of them.

i.  What is the contrast between the words of Rahab and the men’s words about the Lord?  (verses 9, 14)

Rahab said the Lord HAS given you the land, and the men said WHEN the Lord gave them the land….Rahab had faith that this was going to happen, it was a done deal as far as she was concerned.

j.  What does the New Testament say about this?   (James 2:24-25)

It says that Rahab not only had faith but she showed this by her actions.

k.   What colour was Rahab’s  rope? What had she used it for?     (verses 15, 21)

The rope was scarlet red, and the  men had been delivered from the city by it…she was to keep it in her window for her own safety.

l.   What significance is there in this for us?                 (1 John 1:7b; 1 Peter 1:18-19)

Red is the colour of blood, and we are saved by the precious  blood of Christ, having been delivered from the kingdom of sin and death.

Joshua  Three…(1-17)

1.  Verses  1-17

a. What did the people do once the spies had come back?  (verse 1)

They packed up and moved towards the river Jordan.

b.   What were the people told to do next?         (verses 2-5)

Joshua sent messengers through the camp telling the people to watch carefully  for the priests carrying the Ark of the Lord, and follow behind them, but to keep their distance nevertheless….God was going to do wonderful things for them.

c.  What time of the year was it? What was the river like?       (verse 15)

It was the time of harvest and the river was full to overflowing.

d.  What confidence did Joshua have in doing all this?           ( verse 7)

God told him that He would be with him at all times, just as He had been with Moses.

e.  What happened?         (verses 8-17)

As the priests went forward with the Ark, and their feet went into the water, it suddenly disappeared….the water stopped coming downstream from above and what was below them just vanished into the sea miles downstream. The priests with the Ark stayed still until all the people with their gear and animals had gone across.

f.  What city saw this all happen?  How do you imagine they would have felt at this sight?    (verse 16c; chapter 2:9)

They were afraid of Israel to start with  and were now terrified.

g. What lesson can we get out of this story for ourselves today?      

When we come to an impasse in our lives and we don’t know which way to turn, we have to stand still and wait for God to open up a way. We are not to race ahead until we are sure everything is in place.

Joshua  Four…(1-24)

1.  Verses  1-24

a. Read this whole chapter through at once….what is it all about?  (verses 1-24)

It is about the memorial cairn of stones that Joshua told them to take out of the river and pile up on the spot they came from the river bed, and how  once the priests came onto the river bank, the water all came rushing down again as though it had never been stopped.

b.   Who else went across the river with the main body of people?         (verses 12-13)

The armed men of Reuben, Gad and half the tribe of Manasseh….40,000 of them.

c.  Why was this? Where were the rest of their people?       (Deuteronomy 3:12-20)

They had wanted to stay on the other side of the river and settle there, and agreed to send their men of war across with the main lot of people to help them get settled in their parts of the land.

d.  What was the purpose of this pile of stones that were taken out of the river?           ( verses 20-24)

It was to be a reminder to them and their descendants of the way that God had taken them into the land in the time when the river was in flood.

e.  What reminder do we as believers need in this day and age?  (1 Corinthians 11:23-29)

The Lord Jesus asked His followers to take bread and wine to remind them of His death  for them….they were to do it often and were to examine themselves before partaking of it.

f.  What did this memorial of stones also do?    (verse 24)

It served as a witness to the other nations of the greatness of God in doing this miraculously.

Joshua  Five…(1-15)

1.  Verses  1-15

a. What did the people of the land feel like now Israel was across the river? Why?      (verse 1)

It was a miraculous crossing with the river bed suddenly dry for them to cross over and they felt defeated before the takeover began.

b.   What was one point of obedience that Israel had not done that needed to be rectified?     (verses 2-7)

None of the present generation of males had been circumcised….all those who came from Egypt had been,  but they had not seen to it that their sons were done while they were travelling in the wilderness for those forty years.

c.  What did Joshua tell them to do? What was this rite a symbol of? (Genesis 17:1-14; Deuteronomy 10:16; 30:6)

They had to be circumcised before they could go any further into the land, Circumcision has a double meaning….it was a physical sign of the covenant between God and Abraham’s descendants….no other nation had this rite. It was also a symbol of the heart attitude that the people had to have in cutting away everything that would come between them and God….their stubbornness and rebellion against Him.

d.  What sort of circumcision does God require of His people today?       ( Acts 15:1-29;Colossians 2:11)

Peter pointed out how Israel could not keep the law which circumcision stood for and it was unnecessary for the Gentiles to have this physical burden put on them; God requires believers  to put away all the deeds of the flesh such as temper, dishonesty unkindness etc. and circumcise their heart and minds as it were of all the deeds of the flesh.

e.  What did the people do when all this was pointed out to them?         (verse 8)

They immediately obeyed God’s rule and stayed put until they were all feeling better again.

f.  What was their next step?    (verses 9-10)

They kept their first Passover in the new land.

g. What did they find after that?      (verses11-12)

They were able to enjoy the blessings of this new land and then the manna stopped coming….they never needed it again.

h. What progression do you see here in their spiritual life that applies to us too?  (Hebrews 12:28)

There was obedience to God’s rule, and then they were able to worship God with a clear conscience, and from there they were fed from the land. As we obey God’s Word, whether it be in baptism or other things we know we should be doing, then we can worship God acceptably, and we will grow in the things of God. We cannot grow if there is any disobedience of any sort in our lives.

i.  Who came to help and encourage Joshua in this time of need?   (verses 13-15)

The Captain of the Lord’s army.

j.   Who are we to look to in order to keep going on in our Christian life?     (Hebrews 2 :9-10; 12:2a)

We are to look to our Lord Jesus who is the author and finisher of our faith and the Captain of our salvation.

Joshua  Six…(1-27)

Numbers are very important in the Scriptures and in this chapter we see the number six and the number seven (or seventh)  are very prominent. Remember that six is the number of sinful man, and seven is the number of perfection.

1.  Verses  1-27

a. How did the people of Jericho feel when they saw the people of Israel camped  in the plains near their city?      (verse 1; 5:1)

They were very afraid and kept the city locked up for safety.

b.   Where did Joshua get his instructions for attacking the city from?     (verses 2-5)

God told Joshua exactly what to do, and what the result would be.

c.  Was this a normal way to attack a city?  

No, it was very strange and totally unheard of before or since.

d.  Describe what they were to do…       ( verses 3-5)

The soldiers were to march in front, then seven priests with trumpets blowing were next with the four priests carrying the  Ark of the Covenant behind them  and the rear guard coming up behind them. They were to march in this formation around the city once  for six days in complete silence except for the blowing trumpets. The seventh day they were to march around the city seven times with the priests blowing their trumpets, and at the end of the seventh time there was to be a long blast on the ram’s  horn and everyone was to shout at the top of their voices.

e. How do you think the people of Jericho felt when they saw this happen for six days and nothing more happen?         (verse 8)

They would have been afraid at first, but probably got used to it and start to make fun of it.

f.  What did Rahab do when Israel started to march around?    (verse 23)

She gathered all her family to her house and told them to stay there…her parents and siblings.

g. What happened on the seventh day?      (verses15-16, 20)

They got started really early and marched around the city seven times still without a sound except for the trumpets blowing, then Joshua shouted out, “Shout!” and as they did the walls of the city fell down, all except for the part where Rahab’s house was, and they were rescued alive.

h. What did the people do as they took the city?  (verses 20-21)

They destroyed every person in it (except for Rahab’s household) and only took the precious metals that could be purified by fire.

i.  Why was this done? What was the city under?   (verses 18-19, 24)

The city was under a curse and everything in it was cursed because of the idolatry that was practiced there…..God was showing how much He detests idolatry and sin.

j.   What did Joshua pronounce against the city after all this was done?     (verse 26)

He said that if anyone rebuilt the city, there would be a curse on him…a son would die when he started and another one die when he finished it.

k.   Did this happen?                 (1 Kings 16:34)

Yes, it happened exactly as Joshua said it would.

l.   What lesson is there in this story for us?                 (Colossians 3:3-9)

We are to destroy everything to do with the flesh, and get rid of these old habits, counting them as dead

2.  Overview of this Story

a. What is Jericho a picture of?    

It was a place where God was left out of people’s lives…a heathen and idolatrous city, just as the world is largely today.

b.   What was the trumpet blast a picture of?     (Revelation 10:7; 11:15)

A picture of the destruction of all evil and of the end of time with the ushering in of a new age.

c.  What was Rahab ? What is she a picture of?  

A Gentile sinful woman seeking God, obeying God and being saved from destruction and received into God’s family….truly a picture of those who have turned to God today!

d.  What really saved Rahab and how does that relate to us today  ( verse 25; Hebrews 11:31; James 2:24-25)

It was Rahab’s faith , backed up by her works, that saved her and that is the same for us today. Our faith, backed up by our works is what stands to us.

e. Was Jericho ever meant to be rebuilt? What happens to the world system at the end of time?  (Revelation 18:1-24)

Jericho and all that it stood for was meant to be destroyed for ever, and so the world system and all that it stands for will likewise be destroyed never to be rebuilt….it was founded on evil!

f.  What could the six days of marching around with the seventh followed by victory be an overview  picture of?    (Revelation 21:5-8)

The world of mankind has been going on for six thousand years undisturbed (apart from Noah’s flood) and when the seventh thousandth year proceeds, God’s judgment will fall, sin be destroyed and God’s kingdom will reign for ever!

Joshua  Seven…(1-26)

1.  Verses  1-26

a. We have just seen the victory Israel had….what is the big “BUT” that spoils the whole picture? (verse 1)

SIN! Someone in Israel had disobeyed God’s command, greed had got the better of him, and he had taken some of the loot for himself when God said not to.

b.   Joshua sent some spies to look around Ai, a much smaller city…what was their report?     (verses 2-3)

They felt they could easily take the city and there was no need for all the army to go to war.

c.   After the wonderful victory of taking Jericho, what happened this time when they tried to take Ai?     (verses 4-5)

They suffered defeat, lost 36 men and were chased away.

d.  How did all the people, including Joshua, feel at this defeat?   (verses 6-9)

They were all devastated and wished they had never had the idea of taking the rest of the land, and wondered why God had allowed a defeat like this

e. Have you ever had an experience like this of seeing a wonderful answer to prayer and then immediately faced other problems?         (3 John :3-10)

Yes, this seems to often happen….God gives a great time to build up our faith for the tough times ahead….joy and sorrow often go together.

f.  What did God tell Joshua the problem was  and what was he to do about it?    (verses 10-15)

The problem was sin in the camp…someone had stolen loot, hidden it and pretended he hadn’t. Joshua was to find this person and destroy him.

g. What was the end of this story?      (verses 16-26)

Joshua called all the people together and God showed him which tribe and family it was, the sin was admitted, the loot produced and the people concerned were dealt with as God said.

h. What is the parallel story in the young church?  (Acts 5:1-11)

The story of Ananias and Sapphira who lied to God and the apostles by making out they had given ALL their money to the Lord when they hadn’t….God struck them both dead within hours of each other.

i.  Why was this done?       (Acts 5:4, 11)

To show how much God detests sin…we cannot lie to God and get away with it.

j.   What lessons can we see in this story , especially in a church situation?     (Psalm 66:18; 1 Corinthians 5:1-7)

That if ONE person habitually sins, it affects the whole church….God cannot bless where there is sin, open or hidden . Sin MUST be dealt with before there can be blessing

k.   What lessons can we see in this story for our own personal life?     (1 John 1:8-9)

When we sin (and we ALL sin sometimes) we are to confess it and put it right immediately.

Joshua  Eight…(1-35)

1.  Verses  1-35

a. We have just seen the result of sin and what it deserves…death! What is God telling Joshua to do now? (verses 1-2)

Get up and go against Ai once more…this time they were to set an ambush behind the city and they were to destroy all the people but were allowed to keep everything else for themselves.

b.   What happened in this battle?     (verses 3-29)

They followed God’s instructions and as the people of Ai saw Joshua’s contingent coming  and then running away, they all chased them leaving the city wide open with no defences. The ambush went in and took the city, killing all the rest of the people, taking the loot and animals and then setting it on fire

c.   What did Joshua do after the victory?     (verses 30-35)

He called the people together, built an altar and made sacrifices to God. Then he read all the law of Moses out to everyone there, all the blessings and curses as well.

d.  What lesson is there in this for us?   (1 Samuel 15:22)

To keep ourselves clean before God, confessing our sins, and then do as He tells us to….if we have to put a matter right with others or whatever, BEFORE we go out to do battle for Him. We must always DO things how God ordains, not how we think best.

e. What do you think the significance of the whole stones was that the altar was to be built with? (verses 30-31; John 19:36 )

Because Jesus Christ died with no broken bones as a fulfillment of the Old Testament  Scriptures.

Joshua  Nine…(1-27)

1.  Verses  1-27

a. What did the kings of the various nations round about now do?      (verses 1-2)

They called a council meeting and decided to amalgamate forces to fight against Israel

b.   This was an active and expected attack…but what did the Gibeonites decide to do ?     (verses 3-13)

They decided to try to make an agreement with Israel rather than attack them….they made out they lived in a far off country and had travelled many miles to make this agreement with them. They even produced mouldy bread and worn out shoes to prove their point!

c.   What was Joshua’s downfall at this story?     (verse 14)

He listened to their story, he looked at their evidence and believed what they said without asking the Lord’s advice.

d.  What did all the leaders and Joshua decide to do? How long did it take to find out their mistake?   (verses 15-16)

They thought it was all OK and truthful so they made a binding peace agreement with them and then found out three days later that they were living in the land where God had told them to destroy everyone!

e. What is the lesson in this for us? Have you ever been caught out like this?         (1 Timothy 5:22)

Not to take people at face value, or make a snap decision without spending time in prayer over it. People can easily deceive us if we are in a hurry…do your homework carefully first! It never pays to take things at face value when doing a deal with ANYONE….sometimes Christians are deceitful in their dealings too!

f.  What was the next problem for Israel as they journeyed on into the land?    (verses 17-19)

They came to the cities of the Gibeonites who they had made a treaty with, and had to pass them by. They had made a mistake and now had to honour their decision.

g. What is the lesson in this for us?      (Psalm 76:11)

That our decisions always have consequences and if we have made the wrong one, we have to abide by it….two wrongs don’t make a right! For instance, if we marry a non Christian in our willfulness, and then return to the Lord later, we must stay in that relationship….leaving them fixes nothing (unless it is a violent relationship).

h. What did Israel do about the present situation in making this agreement and not being able to fully do what God told them to do?  (verses 20-23)

They had to abide by their decision, and the Gibeonites had to suffer the consequences of their deceit and dishonesty by being servants to Israel.

i.  How did God regard this treaty made with Gibeon, even though it was made without His direction? How long did it stand for?       (2 Samuel 21:1-9)

God regarded it very seriously, and when Saul broke it years later, the people had to suffer a famine because of it. It seems the treaty lasted for ever. Saul’s family had to suffer because of it.

j.   What lessons can we see in this story?     (Ecclesiastes 5:4-5)

If we make a promise, we HAVE to keep it! If we speak carelessly, we must honour what we say….if we say, “I’ll let you know later”, make sure we DO let them know later! If we don’t, our statement becomes a lie.

Joshua  Ten…(1-43)

1.  Verses  1-43

a. What did the king of Jerusalem hear and then do?      (verses 1-5)

He heard how Israel had conquered and destroyed Jericho and Ai, and how the Gibeonites had made a treaty with them for safety, so he got together with four other nearby kings, and went to war  against Gibeon.

b.   What did the Gibeonites do when they saw the army coming against them  ?     (verses 6-7)

They called on Joshua to come and help them on account of the treaty he had made with them.

c.   What was God’s message to Joshua about this matter?     (verse 8)

Don’t be afraid, go ahead because I’m going to give them into your hand.

d.  How did God use this battle to achieve His purposes?   (verse 5)

All these kings were gathered together in one place and were thus easy to destroy.

e.  What methods did God use to destroy this great army? How could you describe it?   (verses 10-11)

God sent a localised hailstorm with enormous hailstones that pelted down on the heathen army, and more were killed with the hailstones than  by Joshua. Obviously the hailstones only fell on  the enemy because Joshua’s men weren’t affected by them.

f. What phenomena occurred at this time that has never happened before or since?         (verses 12-14)

Joshua called on the Lord to stop the sun and moon to lengthen the day so they could finish off the enemy.

g.  How long did this phenomena last for?  How do we know this is right?   (verse 13c)

It lasted a whole day..,..scientists have proved this night is missing in their calculations. It is the only time that God has granted this request from a man because He was fighting for Israel. We can expect miracles whenever any nation tries to take Israel’s land from them.

h. What promise can we fall back on in the greater miracle of our rescue from sin and Satan? (Romans 8:31-39)

Nothing can separate us from the love of God and His protection over evil.

i. What is the rest of the chapter about?  (verses 15-43)

The execution of the five kings who fled to a cave for safety and which proved to be a prison for them, and the rest of Joshua’s victories as his army swept through the land.

j.  How was it that Joshua was victorious through the whole land at this time?       (verse 42)

Because God was fighting for Israel.

k.   How can we get the victory over the fears and worries that sometimes swamp us? (Philippians 4:6-7)

By taking them all to the Lord in prayer, giving thanks for whatever the  answers are BEFORE we get them; His peace will surround us when we do this.

Joshua  Eleven…(1-23)

1.  Verses  1-23

a. What was the attitude of the heathen nations to Israel?      (verses 1-5)

Their attitude was one of war….they came to fight against God’s people.

b.   What did God say to Joshua  ?     (verse 6)

Don’t be afraid of them…I will fight for you and deliver them to you.

c.   What did our Lord say to His disciples (and to us)?     (John 16:33)

You will have troubles in this world, but don’t worry, I have overcome the world!

d.  What enemies do we have that continually harass us?   (2 Corinthians 10:3-5 1 Peter 2:11)

Anything that exalts itself against God and Christ…evolution, science, educators, new age teachings, other world religions, our fleshly lusts (our wants, ambitions, immoral thoughts, worldly things that suck us into their mould), everything that comes from Satan to devour us.

e.  What does God say to us about these enemies? How do we get the victory?   (1 Peter 5:8-10; Romans 8:37-39)

Resist Satan’s temptations, keep right away from them and God will settle you….nothing can separate us from the love of Christ, and we CAN conquer these things through Him.

f. What did Joshua do that guaranteed him victory?         (verses 9, 15, 23)

He obeyed God implicitly…everything that God told him to do, he did exactly.

g.  Which lot of people were spared from destruction? What was the basic reason for this?   (Ch 9:9-11)

The basic reason for the Gibeonites safety was the fact they believed in God and acknowledged His existence….none of the other people did this. They had heard of His fame and how He fought for Israel and knew He was a force to reckon with.

h. What was the last nation to be destroyed? Did Joshua get rid of all of them? Why did God allow them to stay? (verses 21-23; Judges 3:1-3)

Joshua destroyed all but a corner of the Anakims which were the Philistines….God allowed them to stay to prove whether Israel would follow the Lord with all their hearts, and to teach the generations of Israel how to fight to protect their borders..

i. We see that in spite of Israel’s wonderful victories, there were still some enemies tucked away in the corners….how does this apply to us in our lives?  (Colossians  3:8-10)

As long as we live on earth, we are not totally free of the old man (our fleshly nature), and every so often these things will come popping up to harass us.

Joshua  Twenty…(1-9)

Chapters 13-19 deal with the division of the land amongst the people. It seems that some of them were too slack to go and take the land but expected it to just happen. In the same way, we have to be pro-active in learning the Bible for ourselves….it won’t just happen if it sits on the shelf! Joshua had to tell the people to go and take their share for themselves.

1.  Verses  1-9

a. What did the people do with the tabernacle?      (18:1; 1 Samuel 14:1-3)

They set it up in Shiloh and it remained there for many years…..right until the time of King Saul.

b.   What is chapter 20 dealing with ?   (verse 6) 

The appointment of six cities of refuge for anyone who committed manslaughter unwittingly….as long as they stayed inside a city of refuge, they were safe from any revenge by relatives. When the current high priest died, then they were free to go back to their own land.

c.   What was the refuge of the people of Israel as a nation?     (Deuteronomy 33:27a)

The Eternal God was their refuge.

d.  How did David put this thought?   (Psalm 46:1-11)

God was his refuge and strength….no matter what happened around him, he could still trust in God.

e.  Who is our Refuge?   (Hebrews 6:18-20; 1 John 1:7)

Our Lord Jesus is our refuge from all evil, it is His blood that cleanses us from all sin.

f. It is interesting to note the meaning of the names of these six cities of refuge….

Kedesh…Holiness                    Shechem….Strength                 Hebron….Fellowship

Bezer….Happiness                   Ramoth….Uplifting                    Golan…. Fortress

f. How can we relate each of these things in Jesus Christ to ourselves?         (John 15:10)

He is each of these things to us and if we hide ourselves in Him and abide in Him, we will be kept from the enemies of fear and doubt. He is our holiness, our strength and fellowship; He gives true happiness and uplifts our souls and is our fortress from evil….He is everything we need!

Joshua  Twenty-two…(1-34)

Chapter 21 deals with the tribe of Levi having their possession among all the other tribes…their possessions were not geographical but spread throughout the land…..

1.  Verses  1-34

a. The land was all settled now….what did Joshua do next?      (verses 1-4; Numbers 32:16-27)

Joshua called the soldiers of the Reubenites, Gadites and the half tribe of Manasseh that had gone with the rest of Israel to fight with them,  to him and told them they could go back to their families who had stayed across the other side of the  river Jordan. They had faithfully discharged their duty.

b.   What warning did Joshua give them ?   (verse 5) 

Make sure you continue to follow the Lord your God and keep His commands.

c.   What did Joshua do for them as they left?     (verses 6-8)

He blessed them, and told them to take what they gained from their victories with them for their own benefit.

d.  What does the believer gain from obeying the Lord’s Word?   (Ephesians 1:3-14)

The believer knows his position in Christ before the Living God…that he is chosen by God, and given all the spiritual blessings he needs; he is part of God’s family, because he has acknowledged his need of the blood of Jesus Christ. Even though the blood of Christ is sufficient to cover every single human being, it does them no good unless each individual takes it for themselves…it is a personal and individual thing, not a national or world encompassing blanket..

e.  What did these 2 ½ tribes do as they got back to the river Jordan?   (verse 10)

They built an enormous altar to the Lord….it was a huge monument.

f. What did the rest of Israel do when they heard this?         (verses 11-20)

They rose up in righteous anger thinking that these tribes were setting themselves up an alternative God….they were going to go and sort this thing out!

g.  What was the real reason the 2 ½ tribes had done this?   (verses 21-29)

They wanted this altar to be a memorial to the succeeding generations that they were all part of the same nation and people of God….it was not to be an altar of alternative sacrifice, but an altar of memorial signifying they all had the same God.

h. What was the end result of this episode? (verses 30-34)

The rest of Israel was satisfied with the explanation and went quietly back home, so the 2 ½ tribes went across the river and back to their families.

i. What is the lesson in this for ourselves today?  ()

Not to act too hastily in making our judgments, but to find out the truth of the matter before acting!

Joshua  Twenty-three…(1-16)

1.  Verses  1-16

a. What do we see about Joshua  in these first verses? How old was he?     (verses 1-2; 24:29)

Now everything was sorted out and the people were settled, Joshua began to feel his age….he was 110 years old by now.

b.   Joshua called the elders of the people together and recapped all that God had done for them (verses 2-5)….what encouragement did he now give them?   (verse 6) 

Stay strong and courageous, and never leave God out of your lives! Don’t turn away from His commands!

c.   What warning did he give?     (verses 7-12)

Keep away from the heathen people that lurk in your borders, and don’t have anything to do with them. Do NOT intermarry with them or be curious about their gods.

d.  What would happen if they did?   (verse 13)

God would not fight for them or protect them any more and they would be persecuted by these people they were among.

e.  How are believers to live in the world today in the light of this warning Joshua gave to Israel?   (Matthew 5:13-15; John 17:13-16;  2 Corinthians 6:14-18)

Believers are to be a light in this dark world of ignorance about God, and to be separate from evil ways and things….they are on no account to marry or go into partnership with an unbeliever, as it will not work, no matter how attractive it all seems. Christians are IN the world, but not part OF it!

f. What final warning did Joshua give the people?         (verses 14-16)

I am going to die and leave you, so remember how good God has been to you, and also remember that if you turn away from Him, His anger will fall upon you and you will perish from this land

g.  Did this happen in time?   (Judges 2:12-14; 3:8)

Yes, it happened frequently….every time they left God out and worshipped idols, God’s anger fell on them and He punished them.

h. What happens when believers get caught up in a similar trap? Do they lose their salvation? (1 Corinthians 3:9-15)

They don’t lose their salvation, but they lose their reward if their works and deeds don’t survive the fires of God’s judgment.

i. What do we have to be aware of?  (Hebrews 11:25b)

The pleasures of sin only last a very short time, and have no eternal value!

Joshua  Twenty-four…(1-32)

1.  Verses  1-32

a. What was the gist of Joshua’s speech to the leaders of Israel?     (verses 1-13)

He gave them a recap of the history of the nation from Abraham to his present day.

b.   What was this history basically showing?   (verses 3, 6,13) 

How good God had been to them and how He had led them all the way

c.   He was going to die and leave them….what two choices did he give them?     (verses 14-15)

Choose who they were going to serve…the one true God or the heathen idols. He had made up his mind his family was going to follow the Lord.

d.  What did the people reply?   (verses 16-18)

We wouldn’t dream of serving other gods….the Lord is our God and has brought us here!

e.  Joshua had his doubts…what did he remind them once more of?   (verses 19-20)

That God was a holy God and would not tolerate them turning away from Him in any way at all.

f. The people were adamant that they were going to follow the Lord…what did Joshua say they had to do to prove this?         (verses 21-23)

They had to follow their promises up with their deeds by putting away all the little idols they still had tucked away.

g.  What lesson is there in this for us?   (James 2:14-26)

We have to back our faith up with our deeds….we have to put our money where our mouth is, as the saying goes. It is no use talking without doing what we say!

h. What ceremony did Joshua finalise this meeting with? (verses 25-28)

He wrote their promise in the book of the law, and planted a large stone under an oak tree beside the tabernacle’s resting place.

 i. What are we told next?  (verses 29-30)

Joshua had done his job…he died at the age of 110 and was buried in his family plot

j.  How well did Israel do after that?       (verse 31)

Israel continued following the Lord while all the older folk who remembered how God had led and provided for them  were still alive.

k.   What duty did the people discharge? (verses 32-33; Genesis 50:22-26)

They fulfilled Joseph’s wish by burying his bones in his father’s  family plot. When Aaron’s son eleazor died, they buried him on land that was given to his son.

                                                      Judges Judging

Judges  One…(1-36)

1.  Verses  1-11

a. Joshua had died and Israel was left to itself….what did they do?  (verses 1-36)

They proceeded to live in the land and to drive most of the locals out, but there were still some lurking in the corners.

b.   Jerusalem is mentioned in this chapter….who took it and what did they do with it?         (verse 8)

Judah took it and destroyed it, burning it with fire.

c.  What other tribe was connected with Jerusalem? What was the original name of Jerusalem? (verse 21; Joshua 18:28)

The original name of the city was Jebusi.   Benjamin also tried to drive the Jebusites out, but failed to get rid of all of them.

d. It seems that the borders of both Judah and Benjamin converged on Jerusalem….what was the name of the people who had lived in Jerusalem and where did they go? (verse 21; 1 Chronicles 11:4-5)

The people were called Jebusites and the city was originally called Jebusi (or Jebus) ….the people went and lived with the Benjamites next door.

e. When did the city of Jebusi come into prominence and always known as Jerusalem?   (2 Samuel 5:5-9)

David took the city from the Jebusites completely , changed the name permanently to Jerusalem and referred to it as Zion and the City of David and ruled there for thirty-three years.

2.  Verses  12-36

a.  Who seemed to take the lead now Joshua was gone?           ( verses 12-15)

Caleb came to the fore in giving the land, and then Othniel who became his son-in-law took the reins..

b.  Who was Caleb and how did he step into Joshua’s position?         (Numbers 14: 6, 24, 30, 38)

Caleb was one of the twelve spies who went into the land to spy it out and he, along with Joshua, gave a good report of being able to take it, but when the other ten moaned about it, God put it on hold for forty years. Caleb believed God and when Joshua died, he just naturally took his place.

c.  What interesting information do we see next?      (verse 16; Exodus 3:1)

Descendants of Moses’ father-in-law had gone across Jordan with Israel and now they also took land and settled in the south in the barren country which they were used to.

d. What did the different tribes of Israel proceed to do?      (verses 9-36)

They proceeded to take the land but didn’t completely destroy all the indigenous people. In some cases they intermarried and eventually ended up worshipping their idols, while others of the tribes made the original people work for them and pay heavy taxes.

e. What do we notice the Amorites did with the people of Dan?          ( verse 34)

They took over all the best part of the land and kept Dan up in the mountains.

f. How can we liken this state of affairs to believers today?          ( Galatians 5:16-25)

Believers  are citizens of the heavenly land, but they often don’t live as they should and allow the enemies of the flesh (their old nature) to take over their lives, thus not having complete victory. Believers are to put the old nature to death and not live like they used to before they became Christians, but to get rid of all their old ways. If they don’t they will find the old nature taking control of their behaviour and attitudes again.

 It’s like this story….An old Indian was telling  his younger friend that he once kept two dogs which roamed the property. One couldn’t be trusted and one was a good pet. The friend said “Which one takes charge?” The old man replied, “The one I feed the most!”

So it is with our two natures….the one we feed the most is the one that takes charge of our lives!

Judges  Two…(1-23)

1. 1.      Verses  1-23

a. One more incident is recorded that happened before Joshua died (almost as though the writer suddenly remembered this!)….what was it?  (verses 1-9)

An angel came and spoke the word of the Lord to the people, telling them that they had disobeyed God’s command not to intermarry with the local people which they had done. The people repented of this, and changed their ways, coming back to the Lord.

b.   What happened after Joshua and all his generation had died?         (verses 10-15)

The people forgot the Lord and what He had done for them, and worshipped the original gods of the land….they became just like the heathen that were still there.

c.   What was the cause of this? What had been neglected?         (Deuteronomy 6:3-7)

The people had not taught their children about God or even the history of His doings with the Israel, and they didn’t know the Lord at all.

d.   What lesson is there in all this for us?         (2 Timothy 1:5; 3:14-17)

We must teach our children from the time they are small by example and grounding in the Scriptures.

e.   What was the result of the people’s neglect of this and their disobedience to God’s Word? (verses 11-15)

The people completely forgot the Lord and what He had done for them, and fell into idolatry with the result that God became angry with them and no longer protected them.

f.  What was the history of Israel for many years after that? Did God completely leave them? (verses 16-19)

As they forsook the Lord, so the enemies came in and took over, treating Israel badly. God raised up various judges which delivered them, but then they went back to their old ways again….it became a vicious cycle.

g.  Why did God allow these heathen people to remain?           ( verses 20-23)

The people were easily led and did not remain faithful to the Lord. He allowed the enemies to remain to prove to Israel how weak they were and He used them to chastise  His people.

h.  How does God deal with His people today?         (Hebrews 12:5-11)

He chastises them to bring them back to Himself; the more we see Him dealing with us, the more we learn of His grace and goodness, and the more we are strengthened. A plant that never suffers the buffeting of the wind remains weak and spindly, but one out in the weather grows strong and sturdy.

i.   What did God do for His people? Did He leave them to flounder along going from bad to worse?         (verses 16-23)

God raised up various judges to lead them in the way of the Lord, but as soon as each one died, they fell back into their idolatrous ways. As a result, God continued to  allow the enemies of Israel to remain among them to prove whether they would follow Him with all their heart or not.

j.   Are we like this in our Christian life? Do we only go on for the Lord while we have a dynamic pastor? How can we avoid being like this?         (2 Timothy 2:15, 22)

We must each one be fervent in spirit and study the Word for ourselves….we are not to rely on being fed spiritually one day a week when we go to church, we must do it for ourselves EVERY day!

Judges  Three…(1-31)

1. 1.      Verses  1-31

a. What was the first thing that Israel did that caused them to fall into heathen ways?  (verses 1-7)

They disobeyed God’s command to be separate form the people around them and intermarried with them thus making the line of Israel a mixture and then following their heathen ways, so that God’s people quickly became neither one thing nor the other!

b.   What view did God take of this?         (verse 8)

He took a dim view of it and allowed a neighbouring king to conquer them and make them serve him for eight years.

c.  What was the result of this  occupation? (verses 9–11)

The people turned back to the Lord and cried to Him for help, so God enabled Othniel to take charge of the situation, and lead the people against their oppressors. He remained as their leader for forty years, keeping the people on the right track.

d.  What is the principle for the people of God today?         (Hebrews 13:7, 17; 1 Peter 5:1-5)

To have responsible, godly leaders who will lead the people and feed them by example as well as teaching, and the people are to respect and follow them humbly.

e.  What happened after Othniel died?           ( verses 12-14)

The people fell into sinful ways again, and God allowed Eglon, the king of Moab, to over-run them, and they served him for eighteen years.

f.  When did the Lord raise up the next deliverer?      (verse 15)

When the people realised  their need and their own helplessness, and cried out to God for help.

g. Who did God appoint as leader this time? How did he defeat Moab?      (verses 16-29)

God put into Ehud’s heart how to kill Eglon the king…Ehud was left handed and he went to the king with a present which he gave to him, then when the room was empty he killed him with a dagger he had hidden on his left side, locked the door and gathered the Israeli army together. The Moabites were so demoralised without their king, that Israel killed 10,000 prime soldiers.

h. How long did the land have rest this time?          (verse 30)

For eighty years and then the people fell into sin again.

i.   What do we learn from all of this?  (1 Timothy 3:14-17)

That we should each be responsible believers, keeping ourselves as an example to others and not neglecting God’s Word so we can teach others. As long as the people followed the Lord, they had peace in the land.

Judges  Four…(1-24)

1. 1.      Verses  1-24

a. What is this chapter all about?  (verses 1-24)

It is the story of how God delivered Israel when they cried to Him through three courageous people (two of them women!).It is the same cycle as always….sin brings oppression, the people cry to the Lord and He delivers them BUT they have to DO it and He helps them.

b.   What can we take out of this for  ourselves?         (Romans 10:9-10)

It’s no use expecting things to fall into our lap….we not only have to believe in our heart, but we have to confess this belief and act upon it….others have to see we are different to what we used to be. As we take one step towards God, He takes nine towards us. We have to be consistent in our walk with God.

c.  Israel had lapsed into its old cycle of sinning and n leaving God out of their lives…who was the oppressor in this chapter? (verses 1-2)

The king of Canaan, Jabin, and Sisera his army general.

d.  How large was the army of Jabin? How long did he oppress Israel?        (verses 3, 7)

He oppressed Israel for twenty years, and had an army of nine hundred chariots as well as a multitude of  footmen.

e.  Who are the other characters in this story?           ( verses 5-6, 17)

Deborah was a prophetess who judged Israel at this time; Barak was a leader in Zebulon and Naphtali; Heber was one of Moses’ in-law relatives who kept himself neutral in this war along with Jael his wife (they seemed to know Sisera the enemy captain)

f.  Who did she appoint to get an army together to fight Jabin?      (verse 6)

She called Barak to get an army together.

g. What were the two conditions he agreed to this under?      (verses 6-8)

God had promised He would fight for them, and Barak wanted Deborah to go with him.

h. Because of Barak’s weakness of faith, what would happen (which was considered a disgrace) ?          (verse 9)

Barak would not have the actual victory over the enemy Captain, but it would be a woman who would be the means of killing him.

i.   What happened in this battle?  (verses 12-22)

When Deborah gave the word, Barak and his men routed the enemy, completely destroying them all. When Sisera saw what was happening he left his chariot and fled on foot to Heber’s tent and arrived completely worn out. Jael gave him a drink and a mat to rest on, and went about her work (obviously Heber wasn’t home). When Sisera had fallen asleep, she got a large tent peg and hammered it through his temples to the ground. Barak was chasing Sisera, and when he came to Jael’s tent, she told him to come and see what she had for him

j.  What happened then?      (verses 23-24)

The enemy was destroyed by God’s might and a woman’s bravery, and Israel had peace and turned back to the Lord as a result.

k. How can we relate this to our Christian life?     (1 Corinthians 1:25-27; 2 Corinthians 12:9-10)

No matter how insignificant we feel, if we are in touch with God He can use us in some way. What the world considers great is of no consequence in God’s plan….our weakness is God’s opportunity. When the opportunities arise, we must take them with both hands and ACT!

Judges  Five…(1-31)

1.  Verses  1-31

a. What is this chapter all about?  (verses 1-31)

It is the song of victory that Deborah and Barak sang before the Lord.

b.   Who are they giving the praise to?         (verses 2-3)

The Lord God of Israel.

c.  What do we see here about the state of Israel? Why?    (verses 6-8)

The highways were empty…there was no travel and no commerce….if people moved around at all, it was through the back trails. The people were driven out of their villages by the enemy because they had turned away from the God of Heaven.

d.  Who were Deborah and Barak encouraged by?        (verses 9-12)

It seems that some of the leaders turned back to the Lord and began to teach the people about the Lord and His mighty acts again

e.  Which tribes rallied around Deborah and Barak?           ( verses 14-15a)

Ephraim came forward, and the leaders from Benjamin were there; the letters and papers were sent out from Zebulon and Issachar backed them up.

f.  Which tribes stood aloof and why?      (verses 15b-17)

Reuben was divided and there were great discussions….some felt they should go and others didn’t want to leave their livelihood. The people of Gilead stayed put, they felt they weren’t affected so why should they help. Dan and Asher didn’t offer any help either.

g. What other tribes came forward and to what extent?      (verses 18-19)

Zebulon and Naphtali risked their lives in battle.

h. How did the Lord over-rule in this battle ?          (verses 20-22)

The river flooded, the horses panicked, the skies seemed to fall in heavy rain and the army fled.

i.   Verses 24-30 tell of Jael killing Sisera and his mother waiting in vain for his return….what does the chapter conclude with?  (verse 31)

Let the enemies of the Lord perish, and let those who love Him prosper!

j.  How many years did the land have peace for after that? What is significant about that?      (verse 31c)

They had peace for forty years….forty is the number of testing, it is also the number of years the people wandered in the wilderness until all that generation had died off, so by the time forty years had passed, all the people of that generation who experienced God’s deliverance had died and the next generation didn’t know the Lord.

k. What does the attitude of the various tribes remind you of in a church situation ?       

There are always those who are the doers and those who do nothing but stand aloof!

Judges  Six…(1-40)

1.  Verses  1-40

a. What was Israel foolish enough to do? What was the result?  (verses 1-6)

Israel turned away from the Lord again, and took up idolatry. As a result the Midianites came up against them for seven years and over-ran the land, bringing their flocks, and literally eating Israel out of house and home, so that they ran to the mountains for safety, living in caves and were dreadfully impoverished.

b.   What did Israel do when they got into this condition?   What happened?      (verses 7-10)

Their thoughts turned to God once more and they cried to Him for help. He sent them a prophet who reminded them of how God had delivered them from Egypt, given them this land and was the One who they were responsible to, but  had turned away from.

c.  Who did God speak to, to deliver the people?  How did God view Gideon?   (verses 11-16)

God chose Gideon and sent His angel to tell him to get an army together and go fight Midian….God knew he could do it with His help…He viewed Gideon as a brave and strong man.

d.  What was Gideon’s reaction to this?        (verses 17-18)

He felt too small and insignificant and unequal to the task; he asked the angel speaking to him to give him a sign, and to wait while he prepared some food.

e.  What happened when Gideon brought it to him?           ( verses 19-21)

The angel told Gideon to lay the meat and bread on  a rock there and pour out the soup on the ground, then he touched it with the end of  the stick in his hand, and fire came out of the rock and burnt it all up. He then disappeared in front of his eyes!

g. What was Gideon’s reaction when he realised he was talking to the Lord after thinking he was just an angel?      (verses 22-24)

He was afraid and built an altar to worship Him.

h. What did God ask Gideon to do before he could go to war? What happened?          (verses 25-32)

Gideon had to get rid of the idols of the town that his father had installed in his house. He did at night because he was afraid of the people and when they found their idol fallen and broken they called for Gideon’s death.

i.   What was the current situation at this moment?  (verses 33-35)

The armies of the enemy were all gathered together against Israel ready to strike.

1. j.       Are things any different today? What do we see about the current situation in the Middle East?

Israel is still being threatened with annihilation by its enemies.

k. What did Gideon ask God for  before he went into battle?    (verses 36-40)       

He asked for a sign that God and His promises were for real, the sign of the wet fleece on dry ground and then vice versa.

Judges  Seven…(1-25)

1. 1.      Verses  1-25

a. What is this chapter about?  (verses 1-25)

It is all about how God delivered Israel from the Midianites by the hand of Gideon.

b.   What did God particularly want to show Gideon in this battle?      (verse 2)

He wanted Gideon and the people to know for sure that it was God’s victory, not their’s.

c.  How was this accomplished?   (verses 3-7)

When the men were gathered together for war, Gideon told those who were afraid to go home….22,000 left, leaving 10,000 men. God told Gideon this was still too many, and to sort the rest out by taking them to the stream to drink and see how they did it. Most of them put their heads down into the water, while 300 of them stayed alert and  picked the water up in their hands to drink. These were the ones that God chose.

d.  This seemed an impossible battle….how did God encourage Gideon?        (verses 8-14)

He told him to take his servant and go down among the enemy that night and listen to the soldiers’ conversation. As Gideon did this he overheard them discussing a dream that one had had, which they felt foretold Gideon’s victory.

e.  What did Gideon then do? How did he tackle this battle?           ( verses 15-22)

Gideon was greatly encouraged and divided his men into three companies, every man armed with a trumpet and a lit lamp concealed in and earthenware  jar (as well as his sword). Each company approached the enemy from different angles, and Gideon told them to watch for his signal and do the same thing. At the beginning of the second watch when everyone was asleep, Gideon smashed his jar and blew his trumpet, and shouted out “The sword of the Lord and of Gideon!” With the men still half asleep being surrounded (as they thought) by all these flashing lights and great noise, the enemy grabbed their swords and began slashing each other wildly in panic, running in all directions.

g. This was a huge host of men to disperse….what did the rest of Israel do?      (verses 23-25)

The men who had left to go back home were waiting anxiously to see what happened, and when the news came of this great rout, they joined in and continued to chase the enemy back across the river Jordan. They caught up with the two princes and cut their heads off.

Judges  Eight…(1-35)

1.   Verses  1-35

a. Which lot of people were angry with Gideon and why?  (verses 1-3)

The men of Ephraim were cross with Gideon for not calling them to battle at the beginning, but after he pointed out that they had done bigger things in killing the two enemy kings, they were appeased.

b.   What did Gideon continue to do?      (verses 4-12)

He continued to chase the enemy and two remaining kings across the river Jordan until he caught  them. He had asked for food for his men on the way but they were refused, so he promised to deal with them when he returned!

c.  What did he do when he returned to these two towns?   (verses 13-17)

He punished them for not supplying him with his needs on the way past.

d.  What question did he ask Zebah and Zalmunna?  What did he do?       (verses 18-21)

He asked them what the men were like that they had killed at Tabor, and when he found out they were his brothers, he killed these two kings.

e.  How does the story of Gideon end?           ( verses 22-32)

Israel wanted Gideon to be their king but he refused and asked instead that they would give him the golden ornaments from the enemy. He gathered these up and made an ephod from the gold and erected it in his home town. The people of Israel began to worship this thing, and it became a snare to them.

g. What happened after Gideon’s death?      (verses 33-35)

After Gideon’s death they reverted to full time idolatry the same as the surrounding nations, completely forgetting how God had delivered them and all that Gideon had done for the nation.

h. How long did Israel have peace?          (verse 28b)

They enjoyed peace for forty years while Gideon lived.

i.   What lessons can we learn from the life of Gideon?       (1 Corinthians 10:11-12)

Gideon started off well in depending on the Lord for victory in battle and in leading the people , but then he made this idol which the people all embraced with fervour, completely forgetting it was the Lord who had given them the victory. We have to be careful that we maintain  our stand for the Lord as long as we live and not become foolish older people pushing our own ideas.

Judges  Nine…(1-57)

1. 1.      Verses  1-57

a. Read the whole chapter through at once….what is it all about in one sentence?  (verses 1-57)

The rise and fall of Abimelech and those who were both for and against him.

b.   When did Israel first have dealings and problems with Shechem?      (Genesis 34: 1-2, 25-27)

Back in Jacob’s time when Shechem  raped Jacob’s daughter and her brothers killed him and his relatives.

c.  What dealings had Gideon with the people of Shechem?   (verse 1; ch. 8:30)

He had married a woman of Shechem, and now her son was scheming against Gideon’s other sons.

d.  What did Abimelech do?       (verses 1-6)

He went to his mother’s relatives in Shechem, got their backing and then killed all his half-brothers (but one) and they made him their king.

e.  What did Jotham (the remaining half brother) do when he heard this?           ( verses 7-20, 57)

He told a parable in which he pronounced a curse on all the men of Shechem, including Abimelech.

g. How was this fulfilled?      (verses 22-24)

Abimelech fell out with the men of Shechem and Gaal rose up against him and Abimelech destroyed Shechem

h. How was the last bastion destroyed?          (verses 46-49)

All the people rushed to the tower of their idol for safety, and Abimelech set fire to the tower and everyone was burnt alive.

i.   How did Abimelech’s end finally come?       (verses 50-54)

He was besieging another tower when a woman heaved a millstone down which cracked his skull….he got his armour bearer to finish him off and the war finished with that.

j. How do we see God’s hand in all of this?    (verses 56-57)

God used these incidents to bring about justice on Abimelech for the killing of his brothers, and the curse of Jotham was fulfilled on the men of Shechem.

k. What NT truth do we see in this story?    (Galatians 6:7-8a)       

Whatever we sow, we will reap. Abimelech sowed bloodshed and discord and this eventually turned on him and he was killed himself as a result. If we sow only to earthly things in our life, we will reap only those things that will perish….whatever is done for Christ will last into eternity.

l.   What are believers to sow?  (Galatians 5:22-26; 6:8b-10)

Believers are to sow the things of the Spirit and that is what they will reap….they are to follow peace, love and joy.

Judges  Ten…(1-18)

1.  Verses  1-18

a. Read the whole chapter through at once….what is the situation of Israel here?  (verses 1-18)

There were a couple of judges who more or less kept Israel in the right way, but then they took to themselves all the idols of the surrounding nations, and God gave them up allowing those nations to oppress and rule over them. After a period of time Israel repented, and turned back to the Lord, and God felt sorry for them.

b.   Who were the two judges who judged Israel, and for how long?      (verses 1-5)

Tola, an Ephraimite (23 years), and Jair a Gileadite (22 years)

c.  What happened next?  For how long?  (verses 6-8)

Israel forgot the Lord and began to serve the idols of the surrounding nations….God became angry with their behaviour and allowed the Philistines and Ammonites to oppress them for 18 years.

d.  What did Israel then do?       (verses 9-10)

Israel realised why this calamity was upon them and cried to the Lord….they acknowledged it was because of their sin in forsaking the Lord.

e.  What did God say to them?           ( verses 11-14)

I’ve delivered you time and time again, yet you’ve left me and turned to these idols….go and ask them to deliver you and see how you get on!

g. How did Israel react to this ultimatum?      (verses 15-16)

They really repented and cleaned up their act by getting rid of all the idols among them, and turned back to the Lord.

h. What happened next?          (verses 17-18)

The Ammonites gathered their army together against Israel, and Israel began to look for someone to lead the army to battle.

i.   What principle do we see here that still holds good today?    How does God view people leaving Him out of their lives and following other things?   (Genesis 6:3a, 5-6; Romans 1:18-32)

God will not strive with man forever…if they continue to disregard Him, He will give up on them and they will go from bad to worse, and eventually suffer His judgment.

j. How do we put matters right in our own lives?    (verses 15-16; 1 John 1:9)

We have to truly repent first, confess our sins and turn away from everything that takes our minds off God and then follow Him with a sincere heart and mind….in other words, have a complete turnaround and stick to it!

Judges  Eleven…(1-40)

1.  Verses  1-40

a. Who is the main character in this chapter? Describe him……              (verses 1-40)

Jephthah was a brave and notable person, but his mother was a prostitute, and his half brothers refused to acknowledge him, so he left his home town and lived in another place.

b.   What was the political situation in Israel at this time?      (verse 4)

There was no leader and because of the people’s sin, the Ammonites over-ran them

c.  What happened next?    (verses 5-8)

The elders of Israel went to Jepthah and asked him to go and lead an army to deliver them.

d.  What did Jephthah reply?       (verses 9-11)

I   He said hat he would do this if he could continue to lead the nation after the war.

e.  The men agreed to this….what message did Jephthah then send to the king of Ammon?    ( verses 12-27)

He recapped the history of Israel, and how God gave them this land, and said they  had no right to take it from them, and if they wanted it why hadn’t they taken it sooner?

g. How does this apply to present day Israel?     

God’s promises stand for ever, and no other nation will ever be able to take away the land from Israel.

h. How long had Israel been in the land at this time?          (verse 26)

Three hundred years.

i.   What gave Jephthah the power to gain the victory?   (verse 29)

God’s Spirit came upon him as he took charge, and gave him the power and victory.

j. In hindsight, what foolish thing did Jephthah do?    (verses 30-31)

He made a vow without thinking it through.

k. What do we see God doing with Jephthh’s vow ?    (verses 32-34)       

God took him up on it, and tested him by sending his daughter to meet him

l.   What sort of girl was she?  (verses 34-36)

She was a loving daughter, and a godly girl who loved the Lord.

m. What suggestion did she make and then do?  (verses 36-38)

She asked to be given two months to go with her friends and bewail the fact she would never be married and have a  family.

n.   How did Jephthah’s vow affect him?  (verses 34c, 39)

It meant he would have no descendants, and that his family inheritance would have to revert to his brothers.

Judges  Twelve…(1-15) and Thirteen (1-25)

1.  Verses  1-15

a What happened the rest of Jephthah’s life?              (verses 1-15)

He judged Israel for the rest of his life, but that was only six years.

b.   What happened after Jephthah’s great victory ver Ammon?      (verse 1)

The men of Epraim came against him complaining that they hadn’t been asked to help in the previous battle and threatening to burn him and his house.

c.  What happened next?    (verses 2-6)

Jephthah pointed out that they had been given the opportunity to join in and had refused, so he fought against them and slaughtered 42,000 of them.

d.  How many judges were next?  How many years were involved in their leadership?     (verses 8-15)

There were three judges covering a period of fifteen years.

e.  Who is the next character to appear?    ( 13:24)

Samson

g. What were the circumstances of his birth?  (13: 2-7)   

An angel appeared to an older woman one day and told her that she and her husband would have a special son who was to be a Nazarite to the Lord..

h. How did the woman’s husband take this news?          (13:8-18)

He didn’t really believe his wife and asked the Lord to send the man again. When he came Manoa asked how they should bring him up, and then asked him to wait while got some food for him, but he said that he must make an offering to the Lord  instead.

i.   What happened when the offering was brought ?   (13:15-20)

The man (angel) touched  the offering and it burst into flames and he disappeared up to the sky in the flames.

j. What did Manoa realise at that point?    (13:20-23)

That the man was an angel sent from God with this message for them.

k. What are we told in the New Testament about this sort of thing ?    (Hebrews 1:14; 13:2)       

That God uses angels to look after His people and we are to entertain strangers in our home because one of them might be an angel!

Judges Fourteen  (1-20)

1.  Verses  1-20

a.   What sort of person did Samson grow up to be?  (verses 1-2; 13:5, 24-25)

He was brought up as a Nazarite, so he had long hair, and God’s Spirit was with him.

b. Even though it seems he was used to getting his own way, how did God use this?  (verse 4)

God used this against the Philistines towards delivering Israel from their oppression

c. What else do we see about Samson?  (verses 5-6)

That he had incredible strength

d. What was Samson as a Nazarite, not supposed to do?   (verses 4-5; 16:17)

He was not to drink wine or eat anything classed as unclean, as well as not cut his hair.

e. How did he break the rules in this incident?   (verses 8-9)

He ate honey from the carcase of a dead animal which was classed as unclean

f. What was Samson’s downfall?    (verses 10-18)

Socialising with the Philistines, and falling in love with one of the girls.

g.  What are we as believers told about this?         (2 Corinthians 6:14)

We are not to allow ourselves to get caught up in being tied up with non Christians.

h. .How did God use Samson’s foolishness for His purposes?   (verses 4, 19)

Because He knew that the heathen Philistines would let Samson down and he would fall out with them and begin to destroy them.

i. What are we told in the New Testament about this sot of thing, even when things seem to going wrong?

That everything works together for good in the end for those who love God….we just have to keep trusting God

Judges Fifteen….(1-20)

1.  Verses  1-20

a.  What was Samson finding out about the Philistines?    (verses 1-2)

That they couldn’t be trusted…..his father-in-law had given his wife to someone else.

b. What did he do in retaliation?    (verses 3-6)

He burnt their crops and then they killed the man who deceived  Samson.

c. Samson wasn’t satisfied with this….what further vengeance did he make on them?  (verses 7-8)

It seems that he fought them single handed, making a great slaughter of them.

d. This didn’t solve the problem, it just continued…what did the Philistines do next?   (verses 9-10)

They went and camped against Judah, and when Judah asked why, they said they were after Samson.

e. What happened next?   (verses 11-15)

The men of Judah went to Samson and asked why he had aggravated the Philistines…he replied that he was paying them back. So they tied him up with a new rope and gave him over to the Philistines.

f. We see here God’s man completely tied up with ropes, and given to the enemy….had God deserted him?    (verses 14-17)

No, the Spirit of the Lord came upon him in his hour of need, and he broke the ropes as though they were rotten and then killed a thousand men with the jawbone of a donkey that he picked up. When he had finished, he threw the jawbone away.

g.  How did he feel after this victory?         (verses 18-19)

Very tired and thirsty….for some reason he picked up the jawbone again and saw that it was wet, so he drunk of the water that God provided by this means and recovered.

h. .What does this show us about God?   (verse 19a)

God is a God of miracles and is not confined to working  how we expect.

i.  What is the popular conception of Samson?   What do we see here about him?         (verse 20)

We tend to only remember his great strength and his foolishness with women, but we see here that he judged Israel for twenty years, during which they had a time of peace and relief from the enemy.

j.  What was God’s purpose for Samson? How many times do we see that the Spirit of the Lord came upon him?   (13:24-25; 14:6, 19; 15:14)

Samson was a special person raised up by God to deliver his people Israel….we see that the Spirit of the Lord came upon him mightily in his times of need at four different times.

k.  What are we told in the New Testament about him?         (Hebrews 11:32-34, 39a)

That it was by his faith in God that he was able to do these things

l.  If we are asked to do something for the Lord and feel too weak and bound by fear, what are we to remember?         (1 Corinthians 1:27-29; 2 Corinthians 12:9-10)

Even though we may be weak, if we rely on the Lord, He will give us the strength that we need…it will be He Who is working through us and  not we ourselves.

m.  What is the greatest case of a Man’s weakness of body bringing about God’s purposes?   (1 Corinthians 11:23-24; 2 Corinthians 13: 4a)

When Jesus Christ allowed Himself to be beaten until He was too weak to carry His cross and was  crucified, then God was able to make salvation available to all who would believe.

n.  So is our weakness a valid reason to do nothing for God?         (2 Corinthians  12:10b)

No! It is only a weak excuse with no validity at all!

Judges Sixteen….(1-31)

1.  Verses  1-3

Samson judged Israel for twenty years. During this time we don’t read that he took another wife or that he had sons. He reappears in this chapter in trouble with the wrong woman again!

a.  What was Samson’s weakness and ultimate downfall ?    (verses  1, 4)

It was the wrong sort of women, and Philistine women at that!

b. He walked right into trouble with the first one….what happened?    (verses 1-3)

He visited a prostitute one night and when the people of her city found out, they locked the gates and planned to kill him the next day. Samson must have heard of this because he got up at midnight and walked away with the whole gate on his shoulders and dumped them on a hill top outside the city.

c. Was Samson living a holy life style by visiting prostitutes? What are we told this sort of thing does for a man?  (Proverbs 5:3-5)

It is not profitable and only leads to death  and hell ultimately.

d. How can a man avoid this trap?   (Psalm 119:9, 11)

By reading God’s word and obeying it….hiding it in his heart.

2.  Verses  4-31

a.  What was the next foolish thing that Samson did ?    (verse  4)

He started socialising with the Philistines and fell for one of the women he met

b. What did Delilah set out to do? Why?    (verse 5)

She immediately set out to find the source of Samson’s great strength for the Philistines who had promised to pay big money for the information.

c. How did Samson cope with this ?  (verses 6-14)

He kept going back to see her and just told her untruths about his great strength until she got to crying and accusing him of not really loving her.

d. How did she eventually wear him down?   (verses 15-16)

By nagging him every day until he got fed up with it.

e. What happened next?   (verses 17-20)

One wonders if he was drunk when he told her the truth about being a Nazarite to God and leaving his hair long….it seems she may have drugged him when she called the Philistines in to cut his hair off. When she woke him up he was unaware that his hair was gone and with it, his great strength (this is what disobedience to God does for a person)

f. What happened this time when she called the Philistines in?    (verse 21)

They were able to take him prisoner and to make sure he was finished, they put his eyes out and he was totally blind .

g.  What is the saddest thing about this whole episode?         (verse 20c)

God had left him when he disobeyed Him.

h. .Does God ever leave His people today when they disobey Him?   (Ephesians 4:30; Hebrews 12: 6-11; 13:5b)

No, God will never leave His people; however He can be grieved with them and/or chastise them.

i.  What state was Samson brought to now? What did he lose through his foolishness?         (verse 21)

He not only lost his long hair, but he lost his sight, his strength and his freedom and self respect.

j.  What warning can we take out of this for ourselves?   (Numbers 32:23; 1 Corinthians 10:11-12)

That if we flirt with sin, it will beat us in the end….we CANNOT handle doubtful situations we put ourselves into, if we play with sin, God will not protect us or hear us

k.  What did the Philistines give the credit to for taking Samson?         (verses 23- 24)

To their heathen god, Dagon.

l.  What was happening to Samson while he was grinding the corn in his blind state?    (verse 22)

He was no doubt regretting his folly in trusting Delilah; his thoughts would have turned back to the Lord and all the time his hair was growing again.

m.  What was the end of the story?   (verses24-31)

The Philistines held a great feast to their idol and called for Samson to make them sport and torment him. Samson felt for the pillars of the temple and called on God for his strength to return again. As he flexed his muscles, he  reached for the two main pillars where he was standing, bowed himself and brought the whole  temple crashing to the ground. There were over three thousand people that were killed at this time, more than all those he had killed in his entire life. He died with them, and his brothers retrieved his corpse and buried him in the family tomb.

n.  What comfort can we take when we realise we have made some dreadful mistake?    (1 John 1:9)

We know that if we humble ourselves and confess our sin to God, that He will forgive and cleanse us, and we can start again.

Judges Seventeen….(1-13) and Eighteen …(1-31)

1.  Verses  1-13

a.  What spiritual condition was Israel in at this time after Samson’s death?    (verses 3, 6)

They were all mixed up with ideas about idols and God.

b. Why was this?    (Exodus 20:1-5a)

They had completely forgotten God’s law where He said they were NOT to make any idol or image and then serve it….they were breaking God’s command.

c. How does this story start and show this?  (verses 1-5)

There was a man named Micah who had stolen silver from his mother and then confessed to it. She then told him that she had dedicated it to the Lord for the purpose of him making an idol.

d. What does it seem that Micah was collecting?   (verse 5)

He had a collection of idols and heathen artifacts in his house and added this one to it, and made one of his sons a priest to worship these things.

e. What happened next?   (verses 7-12)

A young Levite was seeking fame and fortune and happened to come by Micah’s house. Micah gave him the job of being a priest to these idols.

f. What did Micah think he would gain by doing this?    (verse 13)

He thought he would gain favour with Gold by having a Levite for his priest.

g.  What do we see happening when people mix religion and idolatry together?   (2 Corinthians 6:14-17 )

Utter confusion! The two cannot mix…Christians are to remain totally separate from such things as idol worship or the occult; Christ and Satan cannot mix, Christians are the temple of the living God and must live totally clean and holy lives…Satan is the prince of darkness.

h. .How does this state of affairs begin?   (Deuteronomy 6:4-7)

By people not teaching their children the way of the Lord…we MUST teach our children by word and example.

2.  Chapter 18:  1-31

a.  What group of people come into the story now?    (verses 1-2)

Some of the Danites wanted to find more land to occupy, so they sent out five men to spy the land out, and stayed at Micah’s house on their way.

b. What did they find there?    (verses 3-5)

They recognised the Levite and he told them what he was doing there, so they asked him to ask the Lord if they should carry on with their quest….he said to carry on.

c. What happened?  (verses 6-12)

They went back to their people who then got an army together and went out to conquer this particular area. As they arrived at Micah’s place on the way, the five spies told them that there was a priest there with a collection of idols and artifacts, so they approached him and asked if he would like to go with them and bring along his collection…he was glad to do this.

d. What did Micah think of this state of affairs?   (verses 22-26)

He didn’t like it and set off after them until he realised he had better retreat and take his losses.

e. What happened next?   (verses 27-31)

The Danites continued on their way and fought against the city and took it and settled there. They set up Micah’s idols and worshipped them rather than go to the Lord’s house in Shiloh.

f. Is there any lesson in all of this story for us?    (1 Corinthians 3:11-15; 1 John 2: 15-17)

Micah’s idols let him down….if he had trusted in the Lord, NOTHING could have taken that away from him, but he lost what he was trusting in. If we spend our time dabbling in the world, we will be left with nothing at the end of our life….we will be saved but as by fire with nothing to show the Lord.

g.  What continued on in Dan after this?         (1 Kings 12:28-31)

When Jeroboam became king, he made two golden calf idols and put one of them in Dan….this tribe never followed the Lord, but had idol worship all the way and were among the first lot taken into captivity by Nebuchnezzar.

h. .What serious warning is there in all of this for us today?   (Amos 8:11-14; Hebrews 10:26-31)

If we turn away from the Lord when we have known all about Him, there will be no hope for us…God respects our decision and we will die in our sins.

Judges Nineteen to Twenty….

1.  Nineteen 1-30

a.  What happened in this chapter?    (verses 1-30)

A man’s concubine (servant/wife) left him and went bck to her father for four months. He went to bring her back and on the way they stopped overnight at Gibeah  (which belonged to the tribe of Benjamin) near the city of the Jebusites. An old man took them in for the night, and the men of the town came by demanding to be let in so they could have sexual relations with the stranger. The host refused, but they continued to  badger them so the traveller sent his lady out to them and they abused her all night until she died on the doorstep. He then cut her into pieces and sent her throughout the land as an example of what had happened.

2.  Twenty 1-48

a. What did the rest of Israel do about this thing?    (verses 1-3)

Israel came together with an army of four hundred thousand to decide what to do., and asked the man concerned what had happened.

b. It is easy to read this, but just try to imagine the scene….what would the practicalities of such a thing be? 

It is hard to imagine….without modern aids of TV, mobiles, radio, how would they get the word around? What about food and sanitation for a crowd like this? There must have been a host of messengers to go around the leaders of the army with messages from the main council group.

c. How did the council react to the man’s story?   (verses 4-13)

They were horrified and said they would have to deal with the town of Gibeah of Benjamin.

d. What did they do next?   (verses 12-14)

They sent messengers through the land of Benjamin and told them to send out the men who had done this dastardly deed, but they refused to do this and gathered together to fight against the rest of Israel.

e. What were the numbers of the opposing armies?   (verses 14-17)

Benjamin’s was 26,700 men and Israel’s was 400,000 men.

f. What did Israel do that was right?    (verse 18)

They took the matter to the Lord before they moved and asked what they should do.

g.  They did what God said….what happened? How many men were lost?   (verses 19-25)

Israel went to battle two days running and lost 40,000 men altogether.

h.  They couldn’t understand it….they had done what God said and things still went wrong….what did they then do?         (verses 26-28)

They went back to the Lord with fasting and offerings for sin, and asked again what they should do.

j.  What do we see in how they tackled the battle in the first place?   (verses 26, 28c)

It seems as though they had done without first putting their own house in order….this time they were totally reliant on the Lord for the outcome.

k.  How did they tackle the battle this time?         (verses 29-46)

They set soldiers hiding at strategic points near the city and the attacked as before. The men of Benjamin poured out of the city after them and Israel fled before them. When they were a certain distance away, the others went into the city and set it on fire.

l.  How many men of Benjamin fell in this battle?    (verse 46)

They lost 25,000 men, almost their entire army, plus all of their towns and villages were burned to the ground.

m.  Why do you think God allowed such carnage among His people?   (Genesis 6:11-13; 18:23, 32)

Because they had sinned and refused to repent and put things right…whenever a nation (or person)  sins, God will only put up with it for a certain time and then He will step in and punishment will fall.

n.  What can you see happening in the world today that will bring God’s judgment on the human race?    (Romans 1: 20-32;  Galatians 5:19-21)

Men indulging in the works of the flesh and making these wicked practices legal in the land….taking individual’s sins and making them the nation’s sin.

Judges Twenty-one….

1.  Verses 1-25

a. What had Israel vowed before the Lord?    (verse 1)

That they wouldn’t allow their daughters to marry into the tribe of Benjamin on account of their horrendous crime with this other woman.

b. What was left of the tribe of Benjamin at this point?  (chapter 21:47-48)

Israel had destroyed the whole tribe except for 600 men who had fled into the wilderness and were there for four months.

c. What did the people of Israel realise at this point?   (verses 3, 7)

That the tribe of Benjamin would die out seeing they had vowed to not give their daughters to these remaining men.

d. We have already seen the result of Jephtha’s vow…..what do we learn from that and now this one?   (Ecclesiastes 5:4-5)

A vow is made to be kept and was in each of these cases, but it must be very carefully thought out of what may be further ahead  before making one….it is better to not vow at all than to vow and then change one’s mind.

e. What did Israel do about the situation now?   (verses 8-15)

They looked around for any place that had not sent men to war with them, and then destroyed the town keeping only the single girls alive and giving them to Benjamin for their wives.

f. Did this completely solve the problem?    (verses 14-16)

No, because they were still 200 short.

g.  How did they get around their dilemma in the end?   (verses 16-23)

They said that although they wouldn’t GIVE their daughters to Benjamin, there was nothing to stop Benjamin kidnapping during the time of festival when the girls were out dancing!

h.  The men of Benjamin did this….what were they then able to do?         (verse 23).

They started all over again, repairing their cities, making a fresh start  and new beginning.

j.  Everyone was happy, honour was maintained, and Benjamin’s continuity was assured….but what was lacking in Israel at this time? What did they fail to recognise?   (verses 24-25; 1 Samuel 8:6-7)

There was no leader or king in the nation;  they failed to recognise that God was their king, and as such was to be obeyed.

k.  What lesson is there in verse 25 for us today?         (verse 25; 1 Timothy 1:17)

We are to realise that God is still the same today, and as such is our King to be obeyed, revered and followed.

                                                  Ruth’s Reward

Ruth One…(1-22)

1.  Verses  1-22

a. We now meet a family beset by problems…what were their names and what was their problem ?    (verses 1-36)

Elimelech and Naomi and their two sons, Mahlon and Chilion….they had struck hard times in their land with famine and drought so they went to the land of Moab and lived there. They thought conditions would be better there.

b.   What connections did Elimelech have with Moab and what happened to the family while they were there?         (verses 3-5; 2:1; Matthew 1:5a)

Elimelech was a relative (possibly cousin) of Boaz whose mother was Rahab of Moab. While in the land of Moab, Elimelech died, and the two boys married heathen girls, and then they both died as well.

c.  How long had Naomi been in the land of Moab? What did she decide to do?     (verses 4, 6-7)

She had been there for ten years and when she heard that better times had come on her home land, she decided to go back.

d. It seems her two daughters-in-law were living with her…..what did she tell them to do?    (verses 8-13)

She told them what she was planning to do and said they would be better off going back to their parent’s homes and think of remarrying.

e. What was the reaction of the two girls?   (verses 14-15, 18)

Orpah accepted this,  kissed Naomi goodbye and went back, but Ruth went with her.

f. What was Ruth’s reason for staying with Naomi? What did she say?          ( verses 16-17)

She wanted to stay with Naomi regardless, integrate with Naomi’s people and know Naomi’s God.

g.  So what happened?       (verse 19)

Naomi accepted this and they returned to her home town of Bethlehem.

h. What did all the locals say when they saw them? What was Naomi’s attitude?   (verses 19b-21)

They could hardly believe it was Naomi, she was so changed. Her attitude was one of bitterness, and blaming God rather than herself.

i. What time of the year was it?   (verse 22)

It was autumn,  at the beginning of the barley harvest.

f. We can  attribute all sorts of reasons and attitudes to Naomi and Elimelech as they left Bethlehem to escape bad times, but we will never be sure what the real one was….what are some of the various possibilities?         

Naomi could have been the one to instigate her husband’s move to see better times; she would have gone out with high hopes of a better life in a different country; maybe her neighbours thought they were chasing a rainbow.

g.  What should we as Christians learn from this part of the story?       (Psalm 37:3; Proverbs 3:5-6)

We should trust in the Lord for the future, and not do what seems a good idea to us!  When hard times come we may as well stick it out and make the best of it in familiar surroundings…good times will come again, and there is no guarantee that everything will go right in another place.

h. What did Orpah’s decision lead her to?    (verse 15)

Back to her people and their gods and idols and a complete disappearance from further Scriptural records.

i. What did Ruth’s decision lead her to?   (Matthew 1:5)

Integration into Israel and a place in the genealogy of Jesus Christ …she was the great-grandmother of King David.

j.  What do we see about Ruth here?       (verses 16-18)

She had made up her mind that she did not want to leave Naomi….she was steadfast in her determination, she loved Naomi and wanted to stay with her, and she wanted Naomi’s God for herself.

k. What happened when they arrived back at Bethlehem?   What did Naomi have to say about herself? (verses 19-21)

People thought they remembered her, but how changed she was! She said not to call her Naomi (which means “Pleasant”), but to call her “Mara” which means bitter….she said she had gone out full with a husband and sons and now she was coming back empty on her own.

l. What lesson can we learn from Naomi and the following verses?  (Ephesians 4:31; Hebrews 12:15b)

Naomi wasn’t counting her blessings….we are not to have our roots in bitterness but in the Lord Jesus Christ . No matter how bad things are, there is always something to be thankful for.

m.  What will having our roots in the Lord, produce in our lives?       (Hebrews 13:15; Colossians 2:7)

Thanksgiving and praise….we are to give thanks IN everything (not necessarily FOR everything) and this makes a big difference to our attitude….we will not become bitter if we do this.

l. Who was Naomi basically blaming for  her condition? Whose fault was it really? What can we learn from this?  (verse 21c)

Naomi was blaming God when it was her own fault (or maybe Elimelech’s) …she may have persuaded him to go. Sometimes we have to pay bitterly for our own mistakes as Naomi did.

m.  But ALL is not lost….what comfort can we take even in these conditions?       (Genesis 50:20; Romans 8:28)

That something good will come out of our mistakes….even if it is only a valuable lesson learned! When other people are involved, God can turn that around into something good for us.

Ruth Two …(1-23)

1.  Verses  1-23

a. What were Naomi’s first blessings?   (verses 1-3)

She had a wealthy in-law in the town and a daughter-in-law who was willing to work.

b.   Remembering the general spiritual state of Israel in the time of the Judges, what do we find encouraging here?         (verse 4)

The fact that there were still some godly people in the land.

c.  What did Boaz notice when he went out into the field to see the reapers?       (verses 5-7)

He saw this strange girl there and asked who she was.

d. What was Naomi’s next blessing?    (verses 8-10, 18)

The fact that Boaz looked kindly on Ruth,  that she was a good worker, and that there was plenty of left over grain for her to pick up and take home.

e. Where did the custom of gleaning originate? Why was it given?   (Leviticus 19:9-10)

It was part of God’s law to the people in Moses’ time to not completely clean out their harvest fields but to leave the corners for the poor people with no other means of support.

f. What did Boaz tell Ruth?          ( verses 8-14)

To stay in his fields and not go anywhere else, and come and eat and drink with my workers.

g.  What did he tell his reapers?       (verses  15-16)

Don’t touch her and let some extra grain fall where she’s working.

h. What had Boaz heard about Ruth?   (verse 11)

How she had left her own country and relatives, and come with Naomi to Israel.

i. What was the most important thing about Ruth that people had noticed?   (verse 12)

That she was prepared to trust in the God of Israel.

f. What was Ruth most conscious of?          (verse 13)

The friendliness of Boaz to her, a stranger who probably both looked and sounded different.

g.  What was Ruth able to take back to Naomi?       (verses 17-18)

A good proportion of grain for her day’s work.

h. What comment did Naomi make?    (verses 19-20)

When she found out that Ruth had been working in Boaz’ fields, she told her that he was a near relative, and to be sure to stay with his workers.

i. How long did Ruth stay in the fields of Boaz?   (verse 23)

Right to the end of the barley and wheat harvests.

j.  What likeness can you see in Boaz’ dealings with Ruth and Jesus Christ ?       (Ephesians 1:3; 2:11-17)

Just as Boaz took pity on Ruth, a stranger and foreigner, and provided for her (eventually taking  her into his home) so Jesus Christ took pity on the human race which by their sin had become strangers and foreigners to Him, and provided salvation for them so they could become part of His family. Boaz protected and provided for Ruth, and so the Lord does for His people.

Ruth Three …(1-18)

1.  Verses  1-18

a. What was Naomi suggesting to Ruth here?   (verse 1)

She would look for a husband for her…presumably marriages were made with a go-between in those days.

b.  Who was the obvious choice? What were his advantages?         (verse 2a; Deuteronomy 25:5-6)

Boaz….he seemed to be still single, he was a close relative and able to buy back Naomi’s inheritance….in fact it was his duty to do so according to Moses’ law.

c.  What did Naomi tell Ruth to do?       (verses 2b-6)

She was to dress up and when Boaz had lain down to sleep after threshing the grain, she was to go in and lie at his feet, thus signifying she was willing for him to do as the law said.

d. What happened when she did this?    (verses 7-13)

Boaz was startled to wake and find someone at his feet, but when she told him why she was there, he was flattered and pleased and said he would see to the matter straightaway….however, there was one other relative closer to Naomi than he was, and he would have to be notified.

e. What does verse 10 suggest?  

Boaz thought Ruth would have preferred a younger man, so it seems that he must have been older, maybe old enough to be her father.

f. What did Boaz tell Ruth?          ( verses 13-15)

That he would get on to the matter first thing in the morning….she was to go home and not let anyone know she had been there. He gave her another lot of barley to take home.

g.  What did Naomi say about the matter?       (verses  16-18)

She wanted to know what Boaz’ reaction was and then said that he would get it sorted out that very day.

h. What do we see about the attitude of our Lord Jesus Christ to gaining a bride?   (Luke 22:42)

He was willing to do His Father’s will no matter what the cost, and in doing so gained a bride (His people) for Himself.

Ruth Four  …(1-22)

1.  Verses  1-22

a. How were legal matters sorted out in those days?  What did Boaz do?  (verses 1-3)

Legal matters were done at the city gate in the presence of the elders of the town. Boaz called ten of them together with the relative who had first claim to Elimelech’s land, and laid the matter of the land before him.

b.  What did the other man say?         (verse 4)

He was quite happy to buy the land at first.

c.  What put him off?       (verses 5-6)

The fact that Ruth went with the land, and he felt it would complicate things too much for him….any son born to her would mess up his existing inheritance he thought.

d. How did  they seal a deal back then?    (verses 7-8).

They would take off one shoe and give it to the other party.

e. What did Boaz say then?   (verses 9-10)

He confirmed before all those present that he was buying the land with the intention that Ruth be his wife.

f. What did the men there say?          ( verses 11-12).

They acknowledged the deal and gave him their blessing

g.  What was the result of all this?       (verses  13-16).

Ruth and Boaz had a son and the women gave the glory to God saying to Naomi how fortunate she was in having a daughter-in-law like Ruth who was better than ten sons….now she had someone who would look after her in her old age!

h. What else did they say about this baby?   (verse 14b)

They hoped he would become famous in Israel.

i. He did indeed become famous …how did this hope come true?   (verse 22)

His grandson was David, the sweet psalmist of Israel who became king of the land.

j.  What interesting fact do we see in David’s genealogy ?       (Genesis 38;  Matthew 1:3, 5-6)

That three of his paternal female ancestors were from outside of Israel…there was Tamar  who played the prostitute, there was Rahab who was a Moab prostitute, and now Ruth, also from Moab

k. What picture of our Lord Jesus Christ can we see in Boaz?  

He was a mighty man of wealth who took pity on the poor stranger from Moab who deserved nothing and took her into his family giving her all that he had, by buying back the land and taking her as his wife. In the same way, the Lord Jesus  came from heaven to redeem a bride for Himself by bringing salvation to the world of men.

l.  What do we see about Ruth that is like believers today ?       (Ephesians 2:11-19)

She was a Gentile and a stranger to God, so were we; she had a desire to find God, so did we; she was poor and helpless, so were we in spiritual things; the wealthy man took pity on her, in the same way our Lord had pity on us; she had everything that she needed in her husband, and so do we in our Lord Jesus Christ; her name was put for ever in the genealogy of heaven, and so our names are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life for eternity.

m.  In what ways do we see the guiding hand of the Lord in the affairs of Naomi and Ruth after their return to Israel ?       (2:3; 5-6, 11, 12, 20; 3:11b; 4:13)

The way that Ruth just “happened” to start gleaning in the field of Boaz; the way that he noticed her and asked who she was; how impressed Boaz was by what he had heard of her and her response to God; the way that Naomi remembered who he was and his duty to them; the way the closer relative backed off from being the “redeemer” thus enabling Boaz to step in; the fact that it is said that it was God who gave Ruth conception and the bearing of a son.

n.  Can you remember any time that God over-ruled in your affairs ?