The Kinsman-Redeemer (October 28, 2018)

Review: We just completed the book of Judges which covered a period of time characterized by disobedience and violence. Today we will be looking at family that lived during this time and see how God was working even then to save His people.
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Read Ruth 1:1-2. Here we are introduced the family of Elimelek and Naomi. They along with their two sons Mahlon and Kilion have decided to move from Bethlehem to Moab. If you were them do you think you would have made the decision to move there?

Before answering look at Deuteronomy 23:2-6 and Judges 3:12-14. Moab was Israel’s enemy, but there was famine in Bethlehem.  Would you have gone to Moab, and if so how would you feel moving there?

Despite any reservations they may have had, Naomi and Elimelek’s family did move to Moab and with very devastating consequences.

Read Ruth 1:3-5. 
Naomi is now a widow and both her sons have died. As a widow with no children to take care of her, Naomi would have faced a life of extreme poverty.

Read Ruth 1:6. 
We see that despite the famine the Lord provided for His people back in Bethlehem. How do you think Naomi might be feeling about this news?

Read Ruth 1:7-22.
So, Naomi is preparing to go back to Bethlehem. Both her daughters-in-law, Ruth and Orpah weep for Naomi and say that they want to go with Naomi too (vs. 10). Which one do you think loves Naomi more?
We see that only one daughter-in-law, Ruth, actually goes with Naomi. Orpah ends up going back to her family but Ruth refuses too. Ruth shows her love for and commitment to Naomi through her action of staying with her. Not only this but Ruth shows her love for God. She says that the God of Israel will be her God. She is willing to leave Moab and give up all the gods in Moab in order to follow the one true God.
Love always requires more than words. Actions must back up those words. This is true with our love for God. Read John 14:21&23. What action do we need to take to show our love from Jesus?

Read Ruth 2.
Ruth goes to the field of Boaz, a relative of Naomi’s, to glean wheat from the field, so they would have food to eat. This provision was set up in Leviticus 23:22, which commands “When you reap the harvest of your land, moreover, you shall not reap to the very corners of your field nor gather the gleaning of your harvest; you are to leave them for the needy and the alien. I am the LORD your God.” Boaz was a worthy man, who trusted God. He understood this law and obeyed it. So, even though Naomi may be feeling like the Lord is against her, He is actually taking care of Naomi through this law and Boaz.

In Ruth 2 we are also introduced to a very important term in vs. 20, which is redeemer or kinsman redeemer. In those times a kinsman-redeemer was a male relative who had the responsibility to rescue another relative in need. This may require the redeemer to buy his relative out of slavery (Leviticus 25:48), to be an avenger of blood for a murdered relative (Numbers 35:19), to buy back family land (Leviticus 25:25), or to marry the childless widow of a relative to carry on the family name (Deuteronomy 25:5-10).

Read Ruth 3
In Ruth 3 we see Naomi’s hopes for Ruth. She believes that Boaz, as one of their kinsman redeemers, will be able to provide protection and security for their family by marrying Ruth. Naomi tells Ruth what to do so this might happen and Ruth in faith follows Naomi’s plan. Boaz is happy that Ruth has come to him for help. He agrees to act as her redeemer so long as another family member who is more closely related to Ruth does not want to redeem her instead.

Read Ruth 4
Boaz is able to redeem Ruth and they marry. God gives them a son, Obed. Obed becomes the father of Jesse, who is the father of David. If you look at the genealogy chart of Christ, you will see that these are Christ’s ancestors. Isn’t is amazing how God used a Moabite to bring about His plan of salvation?

Just as Ruth was rescued by her kinsman-redeemer, Boaz, Jesus acts as our kinsman-redeemer. We have a great need to be rescued from our sins but we cannot rescue ourselves, only Jesus can. Ephesians 1:7 says “In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace.”

“Blessed be the LORD, who has not left [us] this day without a redeemer.” (Ruth 4:14).

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Going Deeper

Boaz, as a Kinsman Redeemer is a picture of Christ. Just as Boaz took his Gentile bride Ruth, who he redeemed, one day Christ will take His Gentile bride, the church, who He has redeemed (Revelation 19:7-9).  During Biblical times the bridegroom and the bride were separated until the wedding just as the church is separated from Christ now. During this time of separation, the bride was to remain faithful to the bridegroom. As we wait for Christ’s return, we too should strive to remain faithful to Christ. Take time to ask God to reveal areas in your life where you need to be more faithful. 

Praise God in Song:

The Terrible Cycle of Sin and the Real Hero (October 14, 2018)

Review: Last week we saw how Israel under the command of Joshua finally took possession of the Promised Land. They won many battles against their enemies but unfortunately, they did not drive everyone out of the land as the Lord had commanded (Judges 1:27-36). In Judges we will see the consequences of this failure and what happens to the people of Israel following Joshua’s death.
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When reading through the book of Judges we will see a pattern begin.
(http://www.deanbower.com/jail/RoseCycleOfHebrewDisobedience.pdf)

Read Judges 2:11- 13. 
So, following the death of Joshua, with no leader, the people of Israel fall into sinful actions.
As a result, what does God do?

Read Judges 2:14-15.
God lets Israel’s enemies defeat them. Is God going back on his promise to prosper Israel?

To answer this question read Judges 2:1-2. 
God said that he would not break his covenant with them as long as the Israelites obeyed God and drove out the inhabitants of the land with their false gods. Since Israel did not obey the voice of the Lord (i.e. They did not drive the people out. Israel either lived with their enemies or made them slaves and they worshiped the false gods of their enemies), God did not have to give them victory over their enemies.

God, however, does not leave Israel defeated. Read Judges 2:16-23.
In vs. 18 we see that when the Israelites were oppressed by their enemies they called out to God, and so God having compassion for his people raised up Judges (were mighty warriors and leaders, not like the judges we think of today) to save them from their enemies.

Unfortunately, as we just read, Israel does not learn from their mistakes and continues the cycle. They repeatedly turn from God, become oppressed by their enemies, and then call out to God who raises a judge to save them.

After many repeats of this cycle, the Israelites once again find themselves oppressed by their enemies, (this time the Philistines) after turning from God. They cry out to God, but this time God says something very interesting to them.

Read Judges 10:10-14. Do you think that God really wanted the Israelites to follow other gods?

Read Judges 10:15-16. When God told them, He would not save them anymore, it forced the people to really think about what they had done. Instead of simply admitting that they had served other gods, they took action and put away all the foreign gods they had been serving in order to show God that they truly believed He was the only God that should be feared and worshiped. As a result of this act we read that God “became impatient over the misery of Israel” and so He once again raises a judge to save them. It wasn’t enough for them just to say they were sorry, their actions had to prove it as well.

Read Psalm 103: 
The Lord works righteousness
    and justice for all who are oppressed.
7 He made known his ways to Moses,
    his acts to the people of Israel.
8 The Lord is merciful and gracious,
    slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.
9 He will not always chide,
    nor will he keep his anger forever.
10 He does not deal with us according to our sins,
    nor repay us according to our iniquities.
11 For as high as the heavens are above the earth,
    so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him;
12 as far as the east is from the west,
    so far does he remove our transgressions from us.
13 As a father shows compassion to his children,
    so the Lord shows compassion to those who fear him.
14 For he knows our frame; he remembers that we are dust.

The good news is that whenever we truly repent and choose to follow God, He is faithful to forgive us.

Let’s see how this pattern plays out in Judges 6.

Read Judges 6:1-6.
So, we see that Israel has returned to doing “what was evil in the sight of the Lord.” In response, God lets the Midianites oppress Israel for seven years. The Israelites then cry out to the Lord for help.
What do you think God is going to do?

Later in chapter 6 we read how God calls a man Gideon to save Israel. Read Judges 6:11-24.
Gideon is very fearful and doubts how he will save the people in Israel, so he asks God for a sign to make sure it is really God speaking to him. God gives him a sign and tells Gideon not to be afraid and that he will not die.

Despite this, as we keep reading we see that Gideon often is fearful. In Judges 6:25-27. God tells Gideon to destroy an alter of Baal but “because he was too afraid of his family and the men of the town to do it by day, he did it by night.”

Later in the chapter we see how Gideon tests God again. Read Judges 6:36-40. Gideon is still fearful and does not truly trust what God has said.

God then tests Gideon’s faith (Judges 7: 1-7). Before going to battle the Midianites, Gideon starts with 32,000 men, but God tells Gideon this is too many. God does not want Israel to win and boast in their own power, so he tells Gideon to send home any men who are afraid. Gideon is left with 10,000 men. God, however, says this is still too many so, He tells Gideon that when his army goes down to take a drink of water only those that lap the water by putting their hands to their mouth will fight. Gideon is left with only 300 men. Acting in faith Gideon despite all odds, defeats the Midianites with only these 300 men. God gave them the victory.

After this victory, Gideon tells the people that he will not rule over them but instead it is God who will rule them (Judges 8:22-23). Despite this great acknowledgement that God is king, Gideon himself falls into sin when he makes a golden ephod for himself which we read became a snare/trap to Gideon and his family. We are not told exactly why it was a trap but it is clear that it took Gideon’s focus away from worshiping God.

Gideon along with other people in the Bible (Noah, Abraham, Moses, Samson, etc.) are often called heroes. According to the Oxford dictionary, a hero is “a person who is admired for their courage, outstanding achievements, or noble qualities.” A hero is often someone that you look up to and want to be like.

           
Do you think we should try to be just like these heroes in the Bible? 
No, there were many times that these heroes made sinful choices that we should not repeat. For example, Gideon was often fearful and tested God which we are told not to do (Deuteronomy 6:16, Matthew 4:7, Luke 4:12).

It has been said that there are no great men of God, only men of a great God. It is only by God’s power working through these people that they were able to achieve anything.

Read Hebrews 11. 
If these Bible heroes do set any good examples for us it is often in times where they show great faith in God. This is definitely something that we should strive for as well.

Is there anyone in the Bible that we should always try to be like?
Jesus is our ultimate example. In 1 Corinthians 11:1 we read how Paul tells us to be imitators of him but only as he imitates Christ.

At the very end of the book of Judges we read “in those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in their own eyes.”

Christians should not be like this because we have a king, King Jesus. By following Jesus’ example, we will do what is right in God’s eyes.

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Going Deeper

You may have heroes in your life that you look up to and want to be like. It is important to remember, however, that we should only follow someone else example if they follow Christ's example. Take time to think of a hero in your life. You can use a table like the one below to write ways that their actions are like Jesus' actions and ways that they are not. No hero is perfect, so even though we may admire someone and want to be like them we should only want to be like them in ways that are God honoring. 

My Hero:
Ways My Hero is Like Jesus	Ways My Hero is Not Like Jesus

Praise God in Song:

God Wins the Battle (October 7, 2018)

Review: Last week we left off in Deuteronomy with Israel ready to enter the Promised Land after the disobedient generation has all died. Moses warns the next generation to do better than their parents by remaining faithful to God. The book of Deuteronomy ends with the death of Moses. His second in command, Joshua, now is the new leader of Israel. _____________________________________________________________________

The book of Joshua opens with God instructing Joshua to take the land that was promised by God to Israel.

*The book includes many battles, which troubles some people. If we believe that God is love (1 John 4:8), why would He order the death of so many people? What we must remember when we read through Joshua is that God hates sin and we should too. Sin creates brokenness in our relationship with God. It is also important to understand the wickedness of the people who Israel was commanded to destroy. In Deuteronomy 18:9-12 we read how the people living in the Promised Land practiced all sorts of horrible things including child sacrifice, sorcery, talking to the dead, etc. God in His love for Israel, did not want Israel to be influenced by these evil practices and so He promises that the people who practice these thing will be driven out of the land.  

Read Joshua 1: 1-9.

What warning does God give His people? He tells them to be careful to obey His commandments, so they will experience success and prosper.

What reason does God give for why the people of Israel should be strong and courageous? God says that He will be with Israel wherever they go.

In Joshua 2 we see Joshua send spies into the land. The spies end up at the house of Rahab an Amorite. The King of Jericho finds out about this and goes to her house to find the spies. Rahab could have given the spies to the king but instead she hides them. Why do you think she did this?

Read Joshua 2:8-11.

Rahab had heard of the mighty things God had done for Israel and she believed that the God of Israel was God. Because of her faith, she and her family are not killed like the rest of the people in Jericho. In fact, she ends up being an ancestor of Jesus Christ (Matthew 1:5).

After the spies return with a good report (Joshua 2:24), Israel, led by Joshua, crosses the Jordan. In the same way that God parted the Red Sea in Exodus, God once again holds back the waters so that the people can cross safely (Joshua 3). In Joshua 4, Israel builds a memorial to remember these events and “so that all the peoples of the earth may know that the hand of the LORD is mighty” (Joshua 4: 24).

In Joshua 6 we then read about the battle plan God gives Joshua to defeat Jericho. Read Joshua 6:1-7.

Does this seem like a smart military plan? If you were Joshua would you have followed this plan, or would you have questioned it?

Joshua acted in faith and followed God’s plan and what God had spoken happened. The walls of Jericho fell, and Israel won the battle. Many of you are probably familiar with the song Joshua Fought the Battle of Jericho. It goes like this:

Joshua fought the battle of Jericho, Jericho, Jericho

Joshua fought the battle of Jericho

And the walls came a-tumbling down

You may talk about your men of Gideon

You may talk about the men of Saul

But there's none like good old Joshua

At the battle of Jericho (that mornin')

Up to the walls of Jericho

They marched with spears in hand

"Come blow them ram horns," Joshua said

"'Cause the battle is in our hands."

Then the lamb ram sheep horns began to blow

The trumpets began to sound

Joshua commanded the children to shout

And the walls came a-tumblin' down (that mornin')

Joshua fought the battle of Jericho, Jericho, Jericho

Joshua fought the battle of Jericho

And the walls came a-tumbling down

Joshua fought the battle of Jericho, Jericho, Jericho

Joshua fought the battle of Jericho

And the walls came a-tumbling down

This song unfortunately, makes Joshua the hero of this story. But who is the real hero in this story? God is the one who won this battle. Yes, Joshua showed great faith by following God’s commands but Joshua himself recognizes that it was by God’s power that the people won when on the seventh trumpet blow he says “Shout, for the LORD has given you the city.”

God’s hand in Israel’s victories can also be seen in the next chapter. Joshua 7, however, actually opens with the defeat of Israel at Ai. Why did this happen? Read Joshua7:1.

Achan, an Israelite, had broken God’s command. As a result, God did not cause Israel to be successful in battle. This one man’s sin not only affected himself but all of Israel. Only after Achan’s sin has been dealt with (Joshua 7: 25-26) does Israel defeat Ai.

Then again, in Joshua 9 we see the negative consequences of the people taking matters into their own hands. Joshua being tricked by a group of Gibeonites makes a deal with them so that Israel cannot destroy them. Why did this happen?

Read Joshua 9: 14-15. Before making this big decision, the people of Israel failed to ask God what to do. They trusted their own wisdom. Compare this to Proverbs 3:5-6 which says, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.” If we ask God for guidance and listen to Him, we will always make the right choice.

In Joshua 10 we see Israel back on the right path. Five Amorite kings have gone to war against Israel, but God tells Joshua not to fear, “for I have given them into your hands.” God caused the armies to panic and as Israel chases them away, God send hailstones to crush them. Once again it is by God’s hand that Israel wins this battle.

In the remaining chapters of Joshua, we see a summary of the battle victories given to Moses and Joshua by God (Joshua 12), the division of the Promised Land between the tribes of Israel (see map below), and the creation of cities of refuge (Joshua 20).

Then in Joshua 23, Joshua reminds the Israelite leaders of how they should live and the consequences for their choices. Read Joshua 23:6-16.

Joshua warns the people to follow God’s law. This obedience, however, should flow from the love they have for God. Joshua reminds the people that is the LORD that fights for them and that because of this they should love God (Joshua 23:10-11).

Joshua, then challenges Israel to make a very important choice. Read Joshua 24: 14-15.

Joshua says choose whom you will serve. Israel could choose to serve and trust the God who fought for them or they could choose to serve the false gods of other nations.

All people today are faced with the same choice. We can choose to follow Jesus, the one who has fought the battle against sin and won for us, or we can reject Him.

Hopefully, many will come to repeat the words of Joshua, “as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord” (Joshua 24: 15).  

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Going Deeper

In Joshua 4 we read about the Memorial Stones that the Israelites set up to remember the mighty things God had done for them. Just like the Israelites, God has probably done many wonderful things in your life too. Use the sheet below to write down the things that God has done in your life that you want to remember.

Praise God in Song:

God's Mercy and Changed Hearts (September 30, 2018)

Review: We left off in Exodus with Israel traveling to the Promised Land. We were introduced to the 10 Commandments and we discussed how our inability to keep these commandments points to our need of Christ. The next three chapters in the Bible (Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy) cover the Israelite's journey to the Promised Land. While looking at these chapters we will continue to focus on the pattern we have so far seen in the Bible of human failure and God's faithfulness and love for his people. 

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Leviticus-

The book of Leviticus solves a problem that we were introduced to at the end of Exodus. In Exodus 40:34-35 we read that "the cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. And Moses was not able to enter the tent of meeting because the cloud settled on it, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle." 

This is a problem because as we remember from last week the priests were supposed to go into the temple to meet with God.  

Why was Moses not able to enter the tent of meeting? The glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. When God's holy presence is in the tabernacle, sinful human beings cannot enter, or they will be destroyed. God hates sin and cannot allow it to be in His presence.

So, how will this problem be solved? As we read through Leviticus, we see God’s plan to make Israel holy, so they can be in His presence (Leviticus 11:45). This plan includes rituals and purity laws. Today, we are going to focus on the rituals.

There are two main types of ritual sacrifices found in Leviticus. First, we see instructions for grain offerings (chapter 2) and peace offerings (chapter 3). These are both offerings that the Israelites were to do to give thanks to God. Then we have burnt offerings (chapter 1), sin offerings (chapter 4) and guilt offerings (chapter 5). All these offerings were given to say sorry to God and atone for the people’s sin.

Leviticus also outlines yearly sacred days that the Israelites were to keep including Passover (Leviticus 23:4-8), Pentecost (Leviticus 23:15-22) the feast of Tabernacles (Leviticus 23:33-43), etc. In chapter 16 we see another one of these sacred days which is the Day of Atonement. On this day, the priest was to take two goats and confess Israel’s sins while putting his hands on the goats to transfer the sins to them. One of the goats (the sacrificial goat) was to be killed, taking the punishment for the sins. The other goat (the scapegoat) was to be let out into the wilderness in a remote area so that the sin would be completely removed from Israel.

How are these two goats like Jesus?

Read Galatians 3:13-15

When Jesus died for us he paid the penalty for our sins just like the sacrificial goat died for Israel’s sins.

Read 1 John 1:7

Jesus is also our scapegoat because when he died we were cleansed from all our sins. They are completely removed from us.

So, by following God’s directions given to them in Leviticus, the people of Israel were able to become temporarily pure. This meant that the priests would be able to enter the temple where God was without dying. The problem we saw at the end of Exodus is solved.

Numbers-

The next book in the Bible is Numbers. Throughout this book we continue to see Israel’s journey to the Promised Land. Along the way, Israel continually complains and rebels against God. When they rebel, God judges them, but He does not completely destroy Israel. Why do you think He doesn’t just wipe them out?

God’s faithfulness and love for His people, causes God to continually show mercy to Israel.

A great example of this can be seen in Numbers 21:4-9. Read Numbers 21:4-9. The Israelites spoke against God so God judged this evil by sending serpents. The people, however, repented, and looked toward the bronze serpent which God provided to save them.

Another great example of God’s mercy in this book is in chapters 23-25. In these chapters, the King of Moab hires Balaam to curse Israel. Even though Israel has been continually rebelling against God, God prevents Balaam from being able to curse Israel and instead he blesses them.

Deuteronomy-

By the time we get to Deuteronomy, it is time for Israel to enter the Promised Land. After wandering in the wilderness for 40 years, the generation that was constantly disobedient to God has dies off and their children can now go into the Promised Land. Before they do, however, Moses takes time to call this next generation of Israel to be faithful to God. He reminds them of the 10 Commandments and then delivers the Shema which became a very important daily prayer in Judaism. 

Read Deuteronomy 6: 4-5.

In this prayer “listen” means more than just to hear.  It also means that Israel needs to respond and obey God’s words.  The people of Israel were also to choose to love God, giving Him their full devotion every day.

At the end of Deuteronomy, Moses gives the people of Israel a warning.

Read Deuteronomy 30:15-18.

So, what will happen to Israel if they obey God? Israel will be blessed

What will happen to them if they do not obey God? Israel will be driven out of the Promised Land.

In Deuteronomy 30:4-6, Moses believing that Israel will rebel, tells them that while they are in exile they can turn back to God and He will circumcise (change) their hearts, so they can love God and live.

The Israelites hearts were hard and not able to love God completely. This is the condition of every man's heart. Thankfully, through the death of Jesus Christ and the working of the Holy Spirit in us, we are made able to love God fully. We no longer seek man’s praise but desire above all else to please God.

Vocabulary

Atonement- covering over of wrongdoing/sin bringing a restored relationship

Mercy- compassion or forgiveness shown toward someone whom it is within one's power to punish or harm.

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Going Deeper

Read Psalm 103. Take time to thank God for His love and mercy.


Praise God in Song: