Monday, April 27, 2015

The Gospel According to Judges: Part 3, (Judges 2) Questions for Reflection

Dig Deeper

The first chapter of Judges looks back at the faithful example of Caleb and the the failure of each tribe to wholeheartedly obey the Lord. Chapter two begins with God confronting the Isrealites for their disobedience, “And you shall not make a covenant with the people of this land, but you shall break down their altars. Yet you have disobeyed Me. Why have you done this?” (Judges 2:2).

Chapter 2 ends with God explaining that He would use the nations who still remained in the land following the death of Joshua to test Israel, “I will use them to test Israel and see whether they will keep the way of the Lord and wlak in it as their ancestors did” (Judges 2:22). Scripture reveals that God tests His people to deterimine the genuiness of their faith. Compare Judges 2:20-3:2 with following other examples of God testing His people. What insights do these scriptures reveal as to the purpose of testing?

Job 23:10--

Exodus 16:4; 20:20 and Deuteronomy 8:2-3--

Zechariah 13:9--

1 Peter 1:7--

James 1:2-3--

What positive results of testing do you observe in the following individuals who were tested by God?

Abraham, Genesis 22:1-18--

Solomon, 2 Chronicles 1:7-12--

Hezekiah, 2 Chronicles 32:31; 2 Kings 19:14-36--

Paul, 2 Corinthians 12:7-9--


Memorize This


James 1:2-3-- Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. NIV

Monday, April 20, 2015

On one occasion of Jesus preaching to a crowd of followers John observes, “many of his disciples said, ‘This is a hard teaching. who can accept it?’” (John 6:60, NIV). Certainly God’s command to Joshua and ancient Israel are “hard teaching.” Working through hard teachings is a part of a Christian's duty to study to show himself approved... In his book to fellow pastors, Brothers, We are Not Professionals, John Piper writes in his chapter, Brothers, Show Your People Why God Inspired Hard Texts
And if God ordained for some of that precious, sacred, God-breathed book to be hard to understand, then God unleashed in the world not only an impulse to teach people how to read but also to think about what they read-- how to read hard things and understand them and how to use the mind in a rigorous way.

Here are a few additional thoughts to keep in mind and we teach through Judges:

1. God is sovereign over life and death. Job 1:21 And said, Naked came I out of my mother's womb, and naked shall I return thither: the LORD gave, and the LORD hath taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD. (KVJ)

2. God is a righteous Judge. Psalm 7:11 “God is a righteous judge…”

3. The ancient world was cruel, inhumane and brutal.  In Joshua and Judges God uses ancient Israel as His instrument of judgment. Death, war, and hatred toward one another are all results of the fall, the entrance of sin into the human experience.

Remember, war and death were not a part of God’s original plan at creation. Following His creation God declared all that He had made, “very good.” It was Adam’s rebellion against God that brought death into the human experience, “Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all people, because all sinned” Romans 5:12, NIV.

4. Even in judgment there are glimpses of God’s mercy and grace.

Genesis 15:16 reads, “In the fourth generation your descendants will come back here, for the sin of the Amorites has not yet reached its full measure.” One commentary observes of this scripture, “God would wait centuries giving opportunity for this people to repent! His grace and mercy waited to see if they would repent and turn from their headlong plummet into self destruction” (Hard Sayings of the Bible).


Read Timothy Keller’s excellent article The Issue of Holy War here

Sunday, April 19, 2015

The Gospel According to Judges: Judges 1:19-36 Questions for Reflection

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The focus of the first verses of the book of Judges is on the family of Caleb. Timothy Keller in his book Judges for You observes, “The family of faithful Caleb here, in miniature, is what all Israel should be like.” Caleb was one of the twelve scouts sent out by Moses to investigate the land of Canaan (Numbers 13:6). Only he and Joshua brought back a positive report that Israel indeed should proceed into Canaan. This is not because Caleb and Joshua minimized the threat the people of Canaan posed but rather their faith in the power of God to keep His Word was sure. After the other scouts spread word of the strength of inhabitants of Canaan urging the Israelites to retreat Caleb was the first to speak up, “The land we passed through and explored is exceedingly good. If the Lord is pleased with us, He will lead us into that land, a land flowing with milk and honey, and will give it to us” (Numbers 14:7b-8). It is Caleb’s partner Joshua who rises to prominence and is chosen by the Lord to lead the Israelites after the death of Moses, but Caleb remains an example of life-long faithfulness to the Lord and his family.  

What examples of faithfulness do you glean from Caleb in the following Scriptures?

Numbers 13:30; & 14:1-9--

Numbers 14:24; 14:30, 38 & 26:65--

Deuteronomy 1:35-36--

Joshua 14:6-7--

Joshua 15:13-19 & Judges 1:12-15--

Judges 1:20--


Memorize This


Joshua 1:9-- Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” NIV

Sunday, April 12, 2015

Judges Week One: Judges 1:1-15 Questions for Reflection

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The book of Judges picks up the history of ancient Israel from the time of Joshua’s death, “After the death of Joshua…” (Judges 1:1a) until the time just prior to the reign of King Saul, “In those days Israel had no king…” (Judges 21:25). Judges chronicles twelve of Israel’s fourteen judges, with the prophets Eli and Samuel also referred to as a judge in 1 Samuel. Samuel is the likely author of Judges.

The Hebrew word Shopetim has a much broader definition than judges does in English. While the judge Deborah did “hold court,” she is the exception among the judges (Judges 4:4). The Hebrew word includes the role of “deliverers” or “saviors.” (Thomas Nelson, 2006) If you have a study Bible read the introduction to the book of Judges. What insight about the role of judges do you glean? (See also, mystudybible.com.)

Read Genesis 15. What evidence for the Abrahamic Covenant being unconditional do you find in this passage and the following Scriptures?

Genesis 22:18--

Deuteronomy 30:1-10--

Galatians 3:16-18--

 What evidences for the Land Covenant (also called the Palestinian Covenant) being conditional do you observe in the following Scriptures?

Deuteronomy 28:1-68--

Judges 2:1-3--

Psalm 106:34-39--

Memorize This


2 Corinthians 1:20-- For no matter how many promises God has made, they are "Yes" in Christ. And so through him the "Amen" is spoken by us to the glory of God. NIV

Sunday, April 5, 2015

Resurrection Evidences-- Questions for Reflection

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In 1 Corinthians 15:3-4 the apostle Paul reminds the Corinthian Christians of the gospel he proclaimed to them, “For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scripture.” Christ’s resurrection validated His sacrifice on the cross for our sins and provides us evidence for our salvation, victory over sin, purposeful service and security in Him.  

Read 1 Corinthians 15:12-24. What evidences for the Christian’s salvation do you observe in these verses?

Read 1 Corinthians 15:25-34; 56-57. What evidences for the Christian’s victory over sin do you observe in these verses?

Read 1 Corinthians 15:35-44; 58. What evidences and motivation for the Christian’s service (ministry) is observed in these verses?

Read 1 Corinthians 15:45-54. What evidences for the Christian’s security in
Christ are observed in these verses?

What additional benefits to the Christian on account of Christ’s resurrection do you observe in the following Scriptures?

Ephesians 2:4-6; Ezekiel 37:1-14--

John 5:24-26; Romans 6:3-5; and Colossians 2:13--

Philippians 3:10; 4:13; and Galatians 2:20--

Memorize This

                1 Corinthians 15:57-58--But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord,      because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain. NIV