​SUMMARY of GENESIS - The Book of Beginnings

• Generation - Creation"In the beginning God created the Heavens and the earth." Genesis 1:1
• Degeneration – Fall - Judgement"Cursed is the ground for your sake…" Genesis 3:17
• Regeneration – New Beginnings - Restoration"So God blessed Noah and his sons, and said to them: 'Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth'." Genesis 9:1

 
Why is There Suffering and Evil in the World?
God created a good and perfect world. Man's rebellion against the Creator introduced decay, disease, suffering and death into the world.
 
Who Wrote Genesis?
Genesis was written by Moses, after the Exodus from Egypt (about 1445 B.C.).
 
When Did These Things Happen?
Genesis covers over 2,000 years of history, more than all other books of the Bible combined.
 
Where Are the Main Places in Genesis?
Eden, Ararat, Babel, Ur, Canaan and Egypt. (Present day Iraq, Syria, Jordan, Turkey, Lebanon, Israel and Egypt).

​What Does Genesis Cover?
Theological foundations are laid in Genesis concerning every major Christian doctrine, including the doctrines of: God, Man, Sin, Judgement, Redemption and Covenant. Ultimately all Biblical doctrines find their roots in Genesis. God is eternal, Holy and righteous, the Creator and Eternal Judge. God sets Laws for us to obey. Sin separates us from God. Death came through sin. God punishes sin.
 
A Book of Firsts

• The first man – Adam, and woman – Eve,
• The first marriage,
• The first sin,
• The first promise of Redemption,
• The first family,
• The first murder,
• The first worldwide judgement,
• The first laws for society,
• The origin of nations.

 
The First Messianic Prophecy – Genesis 3:15
The Protoevangelium - The Gospel in seed form.

1. Salvation is initiated by and achieved by God: "I will…"
2. Salvation shall come through a Mediator related to mankind: "The Seed…"
3. Salvation will involve the suffering of the Redeemer – the enemy "shall bruise His heel…"
4. Salvation shall destroy satan: "He shall bruise your head."

 
Seeds of the Mid-East Conflict
The conflicts in the Middle East find their origins in the childless Sarah's foolish attempt to secure a descendent by having her husband Abraham take her servant Hagar for a concubine. The Ishmael born to Hagar was prophesied: "he shall be a wild man; his hand shall be against every man and every man's hand against him..." Genesis 16:12
 
How Do We See All Nations in God's Purpose?
After the Creation, Corruption, Condemnation and Confusion, the Call of God comes to Abraham to leave his home, country and family and go "to a land that I will show you… and you shall be a blessing… in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed." Genesis 12:1-3
 
Relationship
God communicates with His creation. He calls us to fellowship, to walk with Him – Adam, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Joseph…
 
The 5 Patriarchs of Genesis

• Noah              - who built the Ark. The Ark was a floating Church on the sea of God's wrath.
• Abraham       - the father of the Faithful who will be a blessing to all the families of the nations.
• Isaac              - the son of the promise, given by a miraculous birth and an object lesson of God's love and provision.
• Jacob             - whose twelve sons formed the 12 tribes of Israel – a community of nations who will possess the gates of their enemies.
• Joseph           - who was betrayed by his brothers into slavery, but whose integrity lifted him from prison to the palace. A dreamer and a doer. As imaginer and an engineer.

 
6 Types of Christ in Genesis

1. The Seed of the woman (3:15) who will crush satan's head.
2. The Door to the Ark (7) – One Door. The Way – the only Way of Salvation.
3. Isaac's sacrifice (22:1-24). God Himself will provide the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.
4. Jacob's Ladder that led to Heaven (28:12). The Way, the Truth and the Life – No one comes to the Father except through Him.
5. Joseph lifted from the pit of death to the throne (37-41), Resurrection and Ascension.
6. Judah's Sceptre (49:10). All kings will bow down to Him.

 
The Creation Mandate
"Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth." Genesis 1:28
 
Dr. Peter Hammond
Livingstone Fellowship
P.O. Box 74 Newlands 7725
Cape Town South Africa
Email: mission@frontline.org.za
Website: www.livingstonefellowship.co.za
 
The FIRE Preaching Workshop series is available as a Back to the Bible Preaching Workshop 6-disc Boxset, which can be purchased from CLB, click here.

​The New Testament Survey book consists of 304 pages and includes 14 pictures, maps and charts and the New Testament Survey Audio and Data MP3 boxset (31 audio sermons & 1 PDF book) are available from CLB.
 
The above resources are available from Christian Liberty Books (CLB), PO Box 358, Howard Place 7450, Cape Town, South Africa, Email: admin@christianlibertybooks.co.za and Website: www.christianlibertybooks.co.za. 

​"I am the Lord your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. You shall have no other gods before Me." Exodus 20:2-3
 
The Outline

• Exodus (Chapters 1-18) – Salvation
• Law (19-24) – Obedience
• Tabernacle (25-40) – Worship

 
The Message of Exodus

1. God is almighty.
2. God is sovereign over history.
3. God reveals Himself.
4. God is holy.
5. God is faithful in keeping His Covenants.
6. God acts and intervenes in history.
7. God judges sin, idolatry and false religion.
8. God forgives the sins of His people.
9. God speaks to people.
10. God calls us to service.
11. God guides His people.
12. God provides for His people's needs.
13. God protects His people.
14. God rescues and redeems His people.
15. God delivers His people from bondage.
16. God lives amongst His people.
17. The Lord alone is God. There is no other.

​The Pilgrimage of the Christian Life
Throughout the Book of Exodus we see a type of the Christian life portrayed in the pilgrimage of Israel:

• The Egyptian bondage – the bondage of sin.
• Moses as deliverer – a type of Christ.
• The Exodus – a type of the abandonment of sin.
• The Passover lamb (1 Cor. 5:7) – a type of Christ – the Lamb of God.
• The opening of the Red Sea – God makes a way.
• Pharaoh's pursuit of Israel – a type of the evil forces that pursue believers.
• The pillar of cloud and fire – God's presence with, and guidance of, believers.
• Marah – Bitter experiences.
• The Tree that sweetened Marah – the Cross.
• Elim – sweet experiences.
• The Manna (1 Cor. 10:3) – the bread of life.
• The quails – God's provision.
• The water from the rock (1 Cor. 10:4) – the living water of Christ.
• Moses raised hands – prayer.
• The journey from Egypt to Canaan – our adventure of Discipleship from the carnal to the spiritual life.
• Leaving Egypt for the promised land – leaving the slavery of sin for freedom.
• Liberation from slavery – freedom from slavery to sin.
• Passing through the Red Sea – baptism.
• Moses as prophet, leader and Law giver – Jesus is Prophet, Priest and King.
• Moses gave the Law – Jesus the New Covenant.

 
To get the manna the believers had to get up early to gather it (before it rotted). They had to get on their knees to receive it. They had to do it daily. Thus the manna in the wilderness is a type of our devotional lives.
 
Moses and the Law fell short of possessing the land. Jesus (Joshua) conquered and entered into the Promised land.
 
The Ten Plagues
The Ten Plagues were a judgement on the false religion and idolatry of Egypt, which forced pharaoh to let Israel go. (Exodus 7:4-5). God describes the Plagues as judgement executed on “all the god's of Egypt” (Exodus 12:12).

1. When the Lord turned the Nile into blood it was a judgement on the Nile god whom the Egyptians worshipped.
2. The plague of frogs was a judgement on the frog gods: Hapi and Heat.
3. The plague of lice was a judgement on Seb.
4. The plague of flies was a judgement on Scaralaeus.
5. The pestilence on the cattle was a judgement on Apis.
6. The plague of boils was a judgement on Typhon.
7. The hail and fire was a judgement on Shu.
8. The plague of locusts was a judgement on Seraphis.
9. The darkness was a judgement on Ra, the Sun god.
10. The death of the first born, including of the son of pharaoh, was a judgement on pharaoh himself who was worshipped as a god.

 
The Ten Plagues revealed the power of the Lord God over all the forces of nature and over pharaoh, Egypt and all their false gods and idols.
 
The Names of God in Exodus

• Jehovah Shalom – the Lord of peace.
• Jehovah Nissi – the Lord my banner.
• Jehovah Jireh – the Lord who provides.
• Jehovah Rapheka – the Lord who heals.
• Jehovah Zebaoth – the Lord of hosts.
• Jehovah Eoyan – the Lord most high.
• Jehovah Roe – the Lord my shepherd.
• Jehovah Zidkenu – the Lord our righteousness.
• Jehovah Mehaddishken – the Lord who sanctifies.
• Jehovah Shammah – the Lord who is there.

 
El-Shaddai – Almighty God.

• El Elyon – God most high.
• El Olan – the everlasting God.
• El Bethel – the God of peace.
• El Roi – the God who sees.
• El Elohe Yisaiel – God, the God of Israel.
• YHWH – Yahweh – Jehovah - the LORD God “I am”

 
"You shall not take the Name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes His Name in vain." Exodus 20:7
 
The Law

• 1-4: Our responsibility to God.
• 5: Our responsibility to our parents.
• 6-10: Our responsibility to people.

 
"Therefore the Law was our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith." Galatians 3:24
 
Decalogue:

• Respect for God.
• Respect for people.
• Respect for property.

 
"The Law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul." Psalm 19:7
 
Three sections of the Law:

1. Moral Law – The Ten Commandments (Exodus 20).
2. Civil Law – Social relationships and regulations (Exodus 21 - 24).
3. Ceremonial Law – Rules for worship (Exodus 25 - 40).

 
Full Salvation in Exodus

• God protected the Hebrews from the judgement of the plagues.
• God redeemed His people from death through the blood of the Lamb.
• God delivered His people from slavery.
• God rescued Israel from Pharaoh and his chariots.
• God preserved the Israelites from starvation by providing manna, water and quails.
• God defended Israel against the armies of pharaoh and the Amalekites.
• God saved the Israelites from themselves by disciplining, purging, purifying and preparing them for worship and service.

 
"You have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles wings and brought you to myself, now therefore, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My Covenant, then you will be a special treasure to me above all people: for all the earth is mine. And you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation." Exodus 19:4-6
 
Dr. Peter Hammond
Livingstone Fellowship
P.O. Box 74 Newlands 7725
Cape Town South Africa
Tel: 021-689-4480
Email: mission@frontline.org.za
Website: www.livingstonefellowship.co.za

The Back to the Bible Preaching Workshop 6-disc Boxset, from the series, FIRE Preaching Workshops, can be purchased from CLB, click here.

The Old Testament Survey book consists of 284 pages and includes 37 pictures, maps, charts and chronologies and the Old Testament Survey Audio and Data MP3 boxset (42 audio sermons & 39 PDF sermon notes - 28hrs & 18min) are available from CLB. 

​The New Testament Survey book consists of 304 pages and includes 14 pictures, maps and charts and the New Testament Survey Audio and Data MP3 boxset (31 audio sermons & 1 PDF book) are available from CLB.
 
These above resources are available from Christian Liberty Books, PO Box 358, Howard Place 7450, Cape Town, South Africa, Email: admin@christianlibertybooks.co.za and Website: www.christianlibertybooks.co.za. 

"You shall be holy, for I the Lord Your God am Holy." Leviticus 19:2
 
Genesis is a universal Book and it covers many centuries.
Exodus, focuses on the Israelites deliverance from Egypt and it covers years.
Leviticus deals with the priestly tribe of Levi and it covers just one month.
 
In Genesis we see man ruined.
In Exodus we see man redeemed.
In Leviticus we see man reverencing God.
 
Most of Leviticus is made up of direct instructions from Almighty God. More than any other Book in the Bible, Leviticus contains the Words of God to His people as to how a sinful people can be reconciled to a Holy God, and how to worship God acceptably.
 
In the second half of Exodus, the Tabernacle is built.
Leviticus focuses on how to worship God and how to live out our Faith in society.
 
Exodus talks about God's approach to man.
Leviticus deals with man's approach to God.
 
Exodus is about the deliverance that God brought to His people.
Leviticus is about the dedication of God's people to Him.
 
Exodus is about God's grace in setting His people free.
Leviticus shows how His people can show their gratitude to God for being set free.

​We are Saved in order to serve.
Exodus shows how God saves His people.
Leviticus explains how His people are to serve Him.
 
Leviticus makes clear that God expects His people to be transformed and to be holy even as He is Holy. His people are not to be conformed to the pattern of the world.
 
Sacrifice
The wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23). The only way for a sinner to be reconciled to a Holy God is through sacrifice. "Without the shedding of blood there is no remission of sins." Hebrews 9:22
 
The five offerings (burnt offering, meal offering, peace offering, sin offering and trespass offering) are pictures of how sinful people are to be reconciled to a Holy God. All the sacrifices in the Book of Leviticus point to Jesus Christ as the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world (John 1:29).
 
The burnt offering speaks of surrender.
The meal offering: service.
The peace offering: serenity.
The sin offering: substitute.
The trespass offering: satisfaction.
 
We dedicate ourselves to God.
He consecrates us to His service.
 
"Take my life and let it be consecrated, Lord to Thee."
 
The first part of Leviticus describes our way to God – Justification.
The second part of Leviticus describes our walk with God – Sanctification.
 
Consecrated Calendar
The eight feasts are pictures of how God's people are to worship God acceptably. Leviticus makes it clear that God's people are not to approach Him just any way we like. God was very specific in Exodus as to how the Tabernacle was to be built. Everything had significance.
 
In Leviticus He is even more specific as to how His people were to worship Him. The calendar was to begin with the Passover – The Feast of Unleavened Bread, which happened on the 15th day of the first month of the Hebrew New Year (March/April), to remember how God delivered the Israelites out of slavery in Egypt. On the day before the Passover began, a lamb had to be killed at the 9th hour (3pm). Three days later they had to offer the First Fruits of the harvest to God.
 
Pentecost
50 days after the First Fruits they were to hold the Feast of Pentecost. This commemorated the day that the Law was given on Sinai. When the Law was given at Sinai, 3,000 people were put to death because of their sin. When the Holy Spirit was poured out on the praying disciples at Pentecost, 3,000 people were saved!
 
As the Book of Hebrews makes clear, all the festivals of the people of Israel, including the Feasts of Trumpets, the Day of Atonement, and the Feast of Tabernacles, are all fulfilled in Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world, the First fruit of the Resurrection from the dead. He is also our Jubilee.
 
Jubilee
Every 50 years, there was to be a Jubilee where all debts were cancelled and all property reverted to the family who originally owned it. This was known as The Acceptable Day of the Lord. It was good news to the poor because captives would be set at liberty.
 
When our Lord Jesus Christ declared in Nazareth: "The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach the Gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the broken-hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and the recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed; to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord." One needs to understand Leviticus to appreciate the full significance of those momentous words. Luke 4:18-19
 
Rules for Living
Leviticus distinguishes between the holy and the common, the clean and the unclean. Most people think in terms of good and bad, but the Bible distinguished between three areas: the Sinful, the Secular and the Sacred.
 
There are two processes explained in Leviticus. The first is when Sacred, Godly and Holy things are profaned and become common. But just as there is a process of profaning the Holy to make it common and polluting the common to make it unclean, so there is a process of redeeming the situation, by cleansing the unclean and consecrating the common to make it Holy.
 
Leviticus explains the downward process that profanes and pollutes and ends in death and the upward process of cleansing the unclean and consecrating the common to make it Holy.
 
Holiness in Daily Living
Leviticus 19 is the most important chapter of the Book as it spells out what Holiness means in daily life:
 
We are to respect our parents, observe the Sabbath, honour God alone, respect the poor, respect foreigners, respect boundaries and property, honour our contracts, be considerate for the handicapped, respect life, conserve nature, protect life, and show integrity in all areas of life.
 
The health of the body is shown to be most important. Body piercing and tattoos are expressly forbidden, as are occultism. We are to show special consideration for the poor, the deaf, the blind and the aged.
 
Acceptable and unacceptable sexual relations are clearly spelled out and homosexuality and incest are expressly forbidden. Cross breeding of animals is forbidden, as is sowing mixed seed. God is a God of purity, and He prohibits mixing that which He has created for different purposes.
 
Trust and Obey
The dietary laws given in Leviticus can be shown to have good hygienic reasons to protect from disease and infection. However, God does not always give reasons for all His rules. His people are to trust and obey because of who God is, our Creator and Eternal Judge. With many of the Laws God is saying: "Do you trust Me?"
 
The sacrifices in Leviticus speak of the blood that Saves.
The feasts speak of the food that sustains.
 
Seven
Every seventh day was a Sabbath to the Lord.
Every seventh year was a sabbatical year.
Every seven times seven years was followed by a year of Jubilee.
Pentecost was seven weeks after the Passover.
In the seventh month were the feasts of Trumpets, Tabernacles and Atonement.
 
Blessings and Curses
Rewards are promised for those who trust and obey God. However severe consequences are warned for those who distrust and disobey God. Leviticus 26 spells out the blessings of obedience and the curses of disobedience.
 
In Leviticus 10, a shocking example is recorded where the Lord sent fire to consume the two sons of Aaron, Nadab and Abihu who offered unauthorised fire before the Lord, contrary to His command (Leviticus 10:1-2). Quite clearly the Laws of God are a matter of life and death.
 
Paul wrote to Timothy: "From childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for Salvation through Faith which is in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction and righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work." 2 Timothy 3:15-17
 
When this was written, the New Testament did not yet exist. The Scriptures referred to here are the Old Testament. The Lord Jesus said: "Search the Scriptures for they bear witness to Me…" On the road to Emmaus, the Lord Jesus opened their understanding that they might comprehend the Scriptures: "All things must be fulfilled which were written in the Law of Moses and the prophets and Psalms concerning Me… Thus it is written and thus it was necessary for Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day, and that Repentance and remission of sin should be preached in His Name to all nations beginning at Jerusalem." Luke 24:44-47
 
The Holiness of God
There are over 90 references to Leviticus in the New Testament. A study of Leviticus reveals to us the Holiness of God. He hates evil. "Let us worship God with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire."
 
The Depravity of Man
Leviticus shows the sinfulness of man. Human nature is capable of bestiality, incest, superstitions and abominations loathsome, vile and revolting to Almighty God. The sinfulness of man is seen not just in our polluting clean things, but also in profaning Holy things.
 
The Lamb of God
Leviticus also points to Jesus Christ as the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world, the perfect, spotless sacrifice. The just who gave His life in the place of the unjust. Leviticus also spells out how to live our lives in gratitude to Almighty God, obeying His Word in all areas of life.
 
Dr. Peter Hammond
Livingstone Fellowship
P.O. Box 74 Newlands 7725
Cape Town South Africa
Tel: 021-689-4480
Fax: 021-685-5884
Email: mission@frontline.org.za
Website: www.livingstonefellowship.co.za
 
The full message as delivered at Livingstone Fellowship is available on audio CD.

"Be sure your sin will find you out." Numbers 32:23
 
In Genesis we see man ruined.
In Exodus we see man redeemed.
In Leviticus we see man reverencing God.
In Numbers we see man rebelling against God.
 
Wilderness Wanderings
The Promised Land of Canaan was a mere 11 days march from Egypt. However, because of the negative and discouraging reports brought back by 10 of the 12 scouts, and because the people of Israel chose to ignore the positive report brought back by 2 of the scouts, Joshua and Caleb, the Israelites grumbled and rebelled against God, and it actually took them 13,780 days.
 
Because of their disbelief and disobedience, God declared that, with the exception of the two faithful scouts, Joshua and Caleb, every one of that rebellious generation over 20 years old, would die before the nation of Israel would enter the Promised Land. A new generation was trained and disciplined in the wilderness to conquer the Promised Land, 40 years after the Exodus from Egypt.
 
"Now these things became our examples, to the intent that we should not lust after evil things as they also lusted." 1 Corinthians 10:6
 
Bad Examples
Numbers provides many examples of how not to behave as the people of God. The 10 unfaithful scouts gave a negative report, which so discouraged the people that they wept aloud, grumbled against Moses and Aaron, and wanted to stone them to death. They declared that they would rather have died in Egypt! The people dismissed the exhortation of the faithful scouts, Joshua and Caleb, who said: "Let us go up at once and take possession, for we are well able to overcome it." Numbers 13:30. They wanted to go back to Egypt!

A Good Report
Joshua and Caleb declared: "The land we passed through to spy out is an exceedingly good land. If the Lord delights in us then He will bring us into this land and give it to us, a land which flows with milk and honey. Only do not rebel against the Lord, nor fear the people of the land, for they are our bread. Their protection has departed from them, and the Lord is with us. Do not fear." Numbers 14:7-9.
 
Disbelief and Disobedience
The people sought to justify their disobedience by wanting to stone them to death. At this point the Glory of the Lord appeared in the Tabernacle and God declared: "How long will these people reject Me? And how long will they not believe Me, with all the signs which I have performed among them? I will strike them with pestilence and disinherit them…" Moses interceded on behalf of the people. The Lord declared: "Because all these men who have seen My Glory and the signs which I did in Egypt and in the Wilderness, and have put Me to the test now these ten times, and have not heeded My voice, they certainly shall not see the land of which I swore to their fathers, nor shall any of those who rejected Me see it. But My servant Caleb, because he has a different spirit in him and has followed Me fully, I will bring him to the land where he went, and his descendants shall inherit it." Numbers 14:22-24
 
God's Judgement
"And the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying, how long shall I bear with this evil congregation who complain against Me? I have heard the complaints which the children of Israel make against Me… The carcases of you who have complained against Me shall fall in this wilderness, all of you who were numbered, according to the entire number, from 20 years old and above, except for Caleb, the son of Jephunneh and Joshua, the son of Nun. You shall by no means enter the land which I swore I would make you dwell in. But your little ones, whom you said would be victims, I will bring them and they shall know the land which you have despised. But as for you, your carcases shall fall in the wilderness." Numbers 14:26-32
 
The Rebellion of Korah
Korah mobilised 250 leaders in a rebellion against Moses and Aaron: "You take too much upon yourselves, for all the congregation are holy, every one of them, and the Lord is among them. Why then do you exalt yourselves above the assembly of the Lord?" Numbers 16:3. The response of Moses to this egalitarian revolution was to turn to the Lord. Do not fight your own battles. You fight God's battles. Let God fight yours. The Lord sent fire from Heaven which consumed the rebels and the earth swallowed them up (Numbers 16:31-35).
 
Discontent and Disgruntled
Yet, even after this display of the power of God, the children of Israel still complained against Moses and Aaron (Numbers 16:41). Despite the many mighty miracles and miraculous provisions, the children of Israel continually murmured, complained and rebelled. Moses even faced the sedition of his sister Miriam, and brother, Aaron, the High Priest. Jealousy, a desire for honour and a critical spirit led to Miriam being punished with leprosy for seven days until she repented.
 
Serpents
When, instead of being grateful for God's provision of food in the wilderness, the Israelites grumbled saying they would prefer to return to Egypt. God struck them with a severe plague (Numbers 11:33). "And the soul of the people became very discouraged on the way. The people spoke against God and against Moses: Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and our soul loathes this worthless bread. So the Lord sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people; and many of the people of Israel died." Numbers 21:5-6
 
The Bronze Serpent on a Pole
When the people acknowledged: "We have sinned, for we have spoken against the Lord and against you. Pray to the Lord that He take the serpents from us." The Lord commanded Moses: "Make a fiery serpent, and set it on a pole; and it shall be that everyone who has been bitten, when he looks at it, shall live. So Moses made a bronze serpent and put it on a pole; and so it was, if a serpent had bitten anyone, when he looked at the bronze serpent, he lived." Numbers 21:8-9
 
Saved to Serve
Numbers makes it clear that the children of Israel were set free from slavery in Egypt to serve God. They were saved to serve. 80 times in Numbers, we read: "God said to Moses…" From the instructions of God, we learn: carefulness; cleanliness and costliness.
 
Carefulness
Each tribe was allotted a specific place in relation to the other tribes. The camp was to be a hollow rectangle with the Tabernacle in the centre and specific places allocated to each tribe. When the pillar of cloud, or fire moved, the people of Israel were to follow. Very specific instructions were given as to the dismantling and transporting of the furniture and equipment of the Tabernacle. The order of march was specific, with the tribe of Judah leading. Numbers specifies punishments for sins of carelessness. God expects his people to be careful.
 
Cleanliness
The camp had to be spotlessly clean. The expression "cleanliness is next to Godliness," has tremendous support from the book of Numbers, which specifies God's concern for a clean, neat, tidy and orderly camp. God is Holy and He requires His people to be Holy as well.
 
Costliness
Sacrifices were required on a daily, weekly and monthly basis. Only the best could be offered to God. Worship requires sacrifice. True love is measured by sacrifice. From Numbers we can see that God is an all-consuming fire. We are to fear God and worship Him according to His requirements and nature, not our own.
 
The Frustration of Backsliding
Numbers also illustrates the frustration of being backslidden. Here the children were freed from slavery in Egypt, but they had not yet entered into the Promised Land flowing with milk and honey. This is a picture of the backslidden Christian, who has too much of the world in them to enjoy Christ and too much of Christ to enjoy the world.
 
The Sin of Moses
Moses did an exemplary job leading such a large multitude of disgruntled, dissatisfied, complaining people. However, when God commanded him to speak to the Rock, he struck the Rock twice. Because of this disobedience, God told Moses that he would not enter the Promised Land. One may ask, why such a severe punishment for what to us may seem like a small offence?
 
That Rock Was Christ
However, you read in 1 Corinthians 10:4, that the Rock from which flowed the water that sustained the children in the wilderness was Christ. Christ suffered once for our sins. He cannot be struck a second time. Nor did He need to be compelled. He willingly gave up His life for us.
 
God in Numbers
Numbers tells us much about God: He is a God of love and mercy, providing His people with food, water and protection. We also see the Holiness, justice and wrath of God, in His Laws and in His Judgment on rebellion. God is a Holy God and we must fear and worship Him.
 
Jesus in Numbers
Numbers reveals much about our Lord Jesus Christ. "And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life." John 3:14-16. The serpents of sin have bitten us all, and the wages of sin is death. We must look unto Christ, crucified for Salvation.
 
Jesus is the Bread of Life (John 6:32-3.5). Jesus is the Rock of our Salvation. Whoever thirsts must come unto Him and drink and out of his innermost being will flow rivers of living waters (John 7:37-39).
 
Jesus is the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. As Israel spent 40 years in the wilderness, so Jesus spent 40 days in the wilderness being tempted before beginning His earthly ministry.
 
To confirm Aaron's call to be the High Priest, the leaders of each of the 12 tribes were to lay their staff, or stick, before the presence of the Lord. In the morning, Aaron's stick had blossomed with leaves, flowers and budding fruit. The other twigs were still dead. In the same way, God has shown that our Lord Jesus Christ is the Messiah, our High Priest, because He alone was dead and is alive forever more.
 
"A Star shall come out of Jacob; a Sceptre shall rise out Israel." Numbers 24:17
 
Today the symbol of ambulances and paramedics is the serpent on the stake, alluded to in Numbers 21:9 and John 3:14.
 
The first words ever communicated by telegraph were from the Book of Numbers. Samuel Morse, on 24 May 1844, inaugurated the telegraph with these four words from Numbers: "What hath God wrought?" Numbers 23:23
 
"The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make His face shine upon you, and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up His countenance upon you and give you peace." Numbers 6:24-26
 
Dr. Peter Hammond
Livingstone Fellowship
P.O. Box 74 Newlands 7725
Cape Town South Africa
Tel: 021-689-4480
Fax: 021-685-5884
Email: mission@frontline.org.za
Website: www.livingstonefellowship.co.za
 
The full message as delivered at Livingstone Fellowship is available on audio CD.

​"And now, Israel, what does the Lord your God require of you, but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all His ways and to love Him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul." Deuteronomy 10:12
 
Name
Deuteronomy comes from two Greek words: Deutero, meaning second and Nomos, meaning Law. Deuteronomy is the second giving of the Law.
 
A New Generation
Deuteronomy is the fifth book of Moses, the final book of the Pentateuch. After 40 years of wilderness wanderings, the entire generation of those who, through disbelief and disobedience, were condemned by God to die in the Wilderness, had passed away. With the exception of Moses, Joshua and Caleb, every adult over the age of 20, who came out of Egypt and crossed the Red Sea had died. Now a new generation had arisen, trained, by instruction and discipline. They were on the East bank of the Jordan River, poised to enter the Promised Land.
 
Graduation Speech
Moses had forfeited his right to enter the land because he had disobeyed God concerning the provision of water from the Rock. This then is Moses' farewell address. He reminds them of their history, reiterates the Law of God, and warns them of the consequences of disobeying the Word of God.

Recollection
God's people are warned not to forget their history. They are to remember the lessons of history. Be warned of the severe consequences of breaking God's Laws. Be thankful for God's mercy and grace in provision, guidance and protection. The faithlessness of their parents is condemned. They lost their Faith and therefore they lost the land. If you keep your Faith, you will keep the land. Be faithful to God.
 
Regulation
If we are obedient, we will be blessed. If we are disobedient, we will be cursed. The word hear is repeated 50 times in Deuteronomy. Do, keep and observe, 177 times. Deuteronomy commands us to hear God's Word and to heed His warnings. Love is mentioned 31 times. To love the Lord is to keep His Laws. Love is the fulfilment of the Law. To love God is to be loyal to God and to keep His Law. The Law given through Moses is unique. It was the first time in history that a Common Law was given to people of all classes, including women and children. The same Law applies to everybody. The Lordship of God in all areas of life is applied.
 
For Our Own Good
A reoccurring phrase throughout the book is: "that it may be well with you, that you may live a long life in the land." God wants His people healthy and happy, and so He gave us the Laws that will protect and bless us.
 
Child sacrifice is condemned. All the high places, where the Canaanites sacrifice babies, were to be destroyed. Idolatry, witchcraft, necromancy, consulting the dead, are forbidden. Blasphemy, misusing the Name of the Lord and uttering false prophecy are capital offences.
If a murder occurs and the perpetrator cannot be found, the elders are to come to the gates of the city and swear that they had nothing to do with this shedding of innocent blood.
 
Murder, kidnapping and rape must be punished with the death penalty. Stubborn, rebellious and violent youth commit capital crimes. There is no provision for imprisonment. Property crimes are to be dealt with by restitution and capital crimes by execution.
 
Inflation and usury are forbidden. Financial transactions are to be made in terms of honest weights and measures. During war, soldiers must not cut down fruit trees. The environment is to be protected. Sanitation is to be strictly observed. Animals are to be treated well. No one should muzzle an ox, while it is treading out the grain. A neighbour whose animal has strayed, is to be assisted.
 
Charity to the poor is commanded. Sheaves of corn are to be left in the corner of the fields for the poor to be sustained by. Body piercing and transvestitism is detestable to God.
 
When a king comes to the throne, he is to write out the Laws of God in his own handwriting and read them regularly. Kings are instructed not to have multiple wives, nor to accumulate extravagant wealth.
 
No Syncretism
There is strict warning against syncretism. No mixing of seeds is allowed. A donkey and an ox may not be yoked together. Clothes of wool and linen may not be mixed. God is a Holy God. There are strict laws against theft and moving of boundary markers.
 
A Sabbath Day rest is to be observed by all. Servants and animals are also to enjoy one day rest out of seven.
 
To help the people to remember the great works of God in history, feasts and holy days were to be established, including Passover, Pentecost and Tabernacles.
 
We are to respect God, His Name and His Word. We are to respect our parents, people and property. The sanctity of life and the sanctity of marriage are to be protected.
 
Deuteronomy makes it clear that God is interested in every aspect of our lives. There is a right way to do everything. God wants us to be right in every area of our lives.
 
Retribution
Obedience and righteousness will bring blessing. Disobedience and wickedness will bring a curse. Immorality, injustice and idolatry demand God's judgment. Drought, famine, pestilence, and plague are promised as natural consequences of violating God's Law. If the people still will not repent, then they will suffer invasion and oppression by foreigners. The whole history of Israel, and indeed every nation, can be seen in the light of the blessings of obedience and curses of disobedience recorded in Deuteronomy 28.
 
Oppression and Exile
Their occupation of the Promised Land was conditional on whether they obeyed the Covenant required by God. When the children of Israel rebelled against God, and engaged in immorality, injustice, and idolatry, foreigners invaded and oppressed them and later they were exiled by the Assyrians and Babylonians.
 
The Land to be Possessed
Each generation must renew their Covenant with Almighty God. Moses ensures that the new generation are informed about their past and ready to face the future. A key phrase in Deuteronomy, which occurs 40 times, is: "the land the Lord Your God gives you." Psalm 24 states that "the earth is the Lord's and everything in it." Ultimately God owns all the land. He gives it to whomever He wishes. In Acts 17, Paul, in Athens, explains that God determines how much space and how much time each nation is given on earth.
 
A second key phrase in Deuteronomy is: "go in and possess the land." Everything we receive from God is a gift, but we have to take it. Salvation is a free gift from God, but we must work out our Salvation with fear and trembling, to make our call and election sure.
 
Law and Grace
Note that God delivered the children of Israel from slavery in Egypt and brought them through the Red Sea first, before giving them His Law and instructing them how to live. This is the pattern throughout the Bible. We are not saved by our good works, but unto good works. The Law does not save us, the Law is the schoolmaster that leads us to Christ, that we might be justified by Faith.
 
Faith and Works
Moses failed to enter the land. Joshua led God's people into the Promised Land. The Law can lead us to Christ, but only Christ can save us. Salvation is by the grace of God alone, received by Faith alone. Only after we are saved can we, out of gratitude, and by the grace and power of God's Holy Spirit, live in accordance with God's Law.
 
Warfare
However, also notice that possessing the land required much hard work, struggle and warfare. In every way the Exodus from Egypt and the struggle for the Promised Land are spiritual lessons illustrating our adventure of Discipleship.
 
Jesus in Deuteronomy
Jesus is the Prophet foretold by Moses.
In the wilderness, when tempted by Satan, our Lord Jesus quoted repeatedly from Deuteronomy.
In the Sermon on the Mount, our Lord assured us that Heaven and earth pass away before the least part of the Law could pass away.
 
The Summary of the Law
When our Lord was asked to summarize the Law of Moses, He used the Words from Deuteronomy: "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and soul and mind and strength." and He quoted Leviticus: "Love your neighbour as yourself."
 
Choose This Day
In the first four books of the Pentateuch, God chooses Israel. Now in Deuteronomy, He is commanding Israel to choose Him.
 
Dr. Peter Hammond
Livingstone Fellowship, P.O. Box 74 Newlands 7725, Cape Town South Africa, Tel: 021-689-4480, Fax: 021-685-5884, Email: mission@frontline.org.za, Website: www.livingstonefellowship.co.za
 
The full message as delivered at Livingstone Fellowship is available on audio CD.

"…And you know in all your hearts and in all your souls that not one thing has failed of all the good things which the Lord your God spoke concerning you. All have come to pass for you; not one word of them has failed." Joshua 23:14
 
Saved to Serve
Joshua is a Book of Faith and obedience, where God's people are united in following His anointed leader. The Word of God is central. Joshua is a book of conquest and victory.
 
Crossing the Jordan
Some Christians have imagined that the Promised Land symbolises Heaven. One famous hymn contains the line: "When I tread the verge of Jordan, bid my anxious fears subside" depicting the river Jordan as passing through death, from this world to Heaven. However, that is a misunderstanding. While many Christians do indeed seem to wander in the wilderness, between their conversion, but not quite entering into a balanced discipleship, that is not the way it is meant to be!
 
Spiritual Warfare
Across the river lay many enemies, much warfare, sacrifice, injuries and death. Entering into the Promised Land was rest from slavery, but it was hardly passivity, or inactivity. Occupying the Promised Land required real, serious warfare. So too a balanced Christian life of discipleship involves much spiritual warfare, fighting the good fight of Faith.
 
"Be strong and of good courage… Only be strong and very courageous, that you may observe to do according to all the Law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right hand, or to the left, that you may prosper wherever you go. This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night… Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go." Joshua 1:6-9

Delay of Disobedience
Moses led the children of Israel out of bondage in Egypt, through the Red Sea, and through the wilderness. If the people of Israel had been faithful and obedient, they could have entered into the Promised Land 39 years earlier. However, it was their disbelief and disobedience that led them to being condemned to die in the wilderness. Of all the men over 20-years-old that crossed the Red Sea, only two, Joshua and Caleb, entered into the Promised Land.
 
The Law leads us out of bondage to the world. Jesus leads us into battle with the world.
 
The Joshua Generation
A new generation had been trained and disciplined in the wilderness. They responded wholeheartedly: "All that you command us we will do, and wherever you send us, we will go."
                                                                                                                                                       Joshua 1:16
 
Step Out in Faith
As Moses led the children of Israel through the Red Sea, so Joshua now led them across the swollen Jordan River. However, the ministers were commanded to carry the Ark of the Covenant and step into the River Jordan first, before the Lord made a path for them through the Jordan. They had to step out in Faith.
 
As Moses led the children of Israel out of Egypt, so now Joshua led the children of Israel into the Promised Land.
 
Confrontation
As Joshua was walking outside the camp near Jericho, he was confronted by a man standing with a drawn sword. "Are you for us, or for our adversaries?" The answer came back: "Neither, but as Commander of the Army of the Lord, I have now come." Joshua fell on his face and worshipped and said to Him: "What does my Lord say to His servant?"
 
Christophany
Joshua was commanded to take off his sandals because the place where he was standing was holy. This was not an Angel of the Lord, but The Angel of the Lord. A Christophany, a pre-incarnational appearance of Jesus Christ Himself.
 
Commander
Joshua was reminded that although he was the General of the Armies of Israel, he was under the Commander of the Army of the Lord. If you are not under authority, you have no authority. The Lord does not come to bless our plans, but to give His orders. The questions is not: Is God on our side? But, Are we on God's side? "Whoever is for the Lord, come to Me." Exodus 32:26
 
Jericho
The first target was the fortified city of Jericho. With a double wall, both 30 foot high, and the inner wall 12 feet thick, it was a formidable stronghold.
 
Successful Strategy
The strategy given by the Lord to Joshua required marching around the city with all the armed men, for 6 days. On the 7th day, with the priests leading, they were to march 7 times around the city and on the 7th time, all the trumpets were to be blown and all the men were to give a mighty shout. As the fortifications fell, the armies of Israel were perfectly poised, as they surrounded the city, to charge in and take the stronghold. The harlot, Rahab, and her family were spared, to honour the promise of the spies, whom she had helped.
 
Defeat at Ai
After such an amazingly easy victory, the children of Israel became overconfident, and underestimated their next target, Ai. Only a small contingent was sent to sieze this fortified city. There they were put to flight and fled in disgrace. As the news of this shocking defeat came, Joshua fell face down on the ground before the Ark of the Lord and prayed.
 
Prayer and Action
The Lord rebuked Joshua: "Get up! Why do you lie thus on your face? Israel has sinned…" Joshua 7:10-11. There is a time to pray, and there is a time to act. Prayer must never be an excuse for disobedience and inaction. Prayer is a foundation for obedient action, not an alternative to it. We also need to understand the difference between Faith and presumption.
 
Sin in the Camp
God exposed Achan, who had stolen and hidden gold, silver and a garment, in violation of God's express command that there was to be absolutely no looting of this city. "Be sure your sin will find you out!" No one lives to himself alone. Sin can affect the whole community. Sometimes an entire nation suffers from the sin of one individual. Everything has consequences.
 
In the New Testament, Ananias and Sapphira were struck dead for lying to the Holy Spirit. Just as Achan died for the sin he brought into the camp, so the early Church was to learn that sin is serious and everything has consequences.
 
Divide and Conquer
Joshua's military strategy was to cut the Promised Land in two. By seizing Jericho and Ai in the centre, and driving to the sea, they were then able to conquer the Southern kingdoms and then the Northern kingdoms separately. After years of strenuous fighting, the land was divided amongst the tribes of Israel.
 
The Courage of Caleb
The testimony of Caleb is most inspiring: "I was 40 years old when Moses the Servant of the Lord sent me from Kadesh Barnea to spy out the land and I brought back word to him as it was in my heart. Nevertheless my brethren who went up with me made the heart of the people melt, but I wholly followed the Lord my God. So Moses swore on that day, saying, 'Surely the land where your foot has trodden shall be your inheritance and your children's forever. Because you have wholly followed the Lord my God.' Now behold, the Lord has kept me alive, as He said, these 45 years, ever since the Lord spoke this word to Moses, while Israel wandered in the wilderness; and now, here I am, this day, 85 years old. As yet I am as strong this day as on the day that Moses sent me; just as my strength was then, so now is my strength for war, both for going out and for coming in. Now therefore, give me this mountain…" Joshua 14:7-12
 
Give Me This Mountain!
We do not know the names of the other 10 scouts, but the names of Joshua and Caleb are honoured forever. They may have given the minority report, but God was with them. Caleb and Joshua were not lukewarm, passive and inactive. They were not half-hearted, nor faint-hearted. They were wholehearted. Even after 45 years of faithful service, Caleb did not hide behind any excuse, he still wanted to be involved. He did not want to retire from life, or from warfare. He did not ask for an easy assignment, but chose the honour of a hard and difficult assignment: Give me that mountain! (Joshua 14:7-12)
 
He was saved and preserved for a purpose. "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me!" Philippians 4:13
 
"Submit to God, resist the devil and he will flee from you!" James 4:7
 
Ending Well
The Bible tells us of many who began well but ended badly. Lot, King Saul, Solomon and Demas, were some of those who ended shamefully. It is not so important how we begin the race. What is of the greatest importance is how we end the race. May we be able to say with the Apostle Paul: "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the Faith." 2 Timothy 4:7
 
Memorial Stones
After crossing the Jordan River, God instructed the children of Israel to take stones from the riverbed, one for each of the twelve tribes of Israel and set up a monument that future generations would be reminded of what God had done there. At the end of his long and productive life, Joshua set up another memorial stone as a witness of the Covenant that the children of Israel had chosen to obey the Lord (Joshua 24:27).
 
Mount Ebal and Gerizim
The Covenant was renewed by the children of Israel in the centre of the Promised Land. The blessings of the Covenant were proclaimed from Mount Gerizim. The curses of disobedience were proclaimed on Mount Ebal before all the people of Israel as they responded with a hearty Amen! to each aspect of the Covenant.
 
"Israel served the Lord all the days of Joshua…" Judges 24:31
 
Moses and Joshua
In the Law of Moses there is promise, but in Joshua: Fulfilment.
In the Law is legislation, but in Joshua: Application.
In the Law the Covenant is established, in Joshua the Covenant is expressed.
The Pentateuch has the cause, Joshua shows the effect.
God blesses obedience and He punishes disobedience.
 
Joshua is both history and prophecy. God speaks to Joshua and He speaks through Joshua.
 
In the Gospels the Lord Jesus taught that before you go to battle you must count the cost.
 
Hall of Faith
Matthew's Gospel includes Rahab in the royal lineage of David and of our Lord Jesus Himself. Both Joshua and Rahab are honoured in the hall of Faith in Hebrews 11, as part of the great cloud of witnesses that should inspire us to keep our eyes fixed on Jesus and run with perseverance the race set before us.
 
The Blessings of Obedience
In his farewell speech, Joshua reminds the children of Israel of God's faithfulness, His provision, His protection and guidance. He reminds us that when we are obedient to the Lord, He blesses us with victory. When we are disobedient to the Lord, we suffer the consequences and experience defeat.
 
"Now, therefore, hear the Lord, serve Him in sincerity and in truth, and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the river and in Egypt. Serve the Lord! …Choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve… but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord!" Joshua 24:14-15
 
Balanced Discipleship
Preaching on the Book of Joshua, Charles Spurgeon commented: "Pray as if it all depended on God, and work as if it all depends on you."
 
Jesus in Joshua
The Book of Joshua makes it clear that we are Saved to serve, to fight the good fight of Faith. God's servant is mostly a soldier. The name Joshua means Yahweh Saves. Joshua is the Hebrew form of what the Greek New Testament translates as Jesus. Joshua is the Hebrew form of Jesus: Yahweh Saves.
 
Livingstone Fellowship
P.O. Box 74 Newlands 7725
Cape Town South Africa
Tel: 021-689-4480
Fax: 021-685-5884
Email: mission@frontline.org.za
Website: www.livingstonefellowship.co.za
​

"Now these are the nations which the Lord left, that He might test Israel by them, that is, all who had not known any of the wars in Canaan. (This was only so that the generations of the children of Israel might be taught to know war, at least those who had not formerly known it)." Judges 3:1-2
 
The two great themes of Judges are:
The Faithfulness of the Covenant keeping God and
The unfaithfulness of the Covenant breaking people.
 
Judges is a record of man's sin, God's judgement, and God's grace and deliverance.
In each section we can ask:
What is God's Word of promise and command?
What is man's response (rebellion, or faithful obedience)?
What is God's response (blessing, or judgement)?
 
Judges show us man's potential for greatness
and capacity for catastrophe.
 
Contrasts
Joshua is a book of conquest, Judges a book of defeat.
Joshua is a book of Faith, Judges a book of unbelief.
Joshua is a book of obedience, Judges a book of disobedience.
In Joshua, God's people are united in following God.
In Judges, there is division and ultimately anarchy.
In Joshua, God's Word is central, in Judges, God's Word is neglected.
Judges is a book of both failure and Faith. 

The basic pattern that we see between Joshua and Judges, is that in Joshua there is the Creation – the conquest of the land of Canaan.
In Judges there is the fall and decline through faithlessness and disobedience.
The result is God's judgement seen in oppression by foreigners.
Then there is re-creation – God raises up Judges for redemption and restoration of His people.
 
In the Book of Judges there are:
seven apostasies,
seven servitudes under foreign oppression and
seven deliverances.
 
Compromise with Paganism
The Book of Judges begins well with the Israelites seeking guidance from God. However, one can see the beginnings of compromise, the mutilation of the Canaanite King Adoni-Bezek, whose thumbs and big toes, were cut off. Mutilation was a pagan practise.
 
Selective Obedience
Then one sees the partial selective obedience of God's people, leading to limited victory through their lack of Faith and selective obedience.
 
From conquest in the Book of Joshua we see compromise and chastisement in Judges.
 
"Another generation arose… who did not know the Lord, nor the work which He had done…" Judges 2:10
 
Deterioration
One sees that God does not have grandchildren. The fervour of the first generation has become the formalism of the second generation and the apathy of the third generation.
 
Consequences
We see again and again the truth that what you sow is what you reap. There are consequences for incomplete obedience: Forced labour and servitude under foreign oppression.
 
No Compromise
God's Word had been clear, there was to be no peace treaties, inter-marriages, or religious syncretism. No peaceful coexistence with paganism.
 
Sin leads to servitude, which leads to supplication, which leads to Salvation. Sin leads to slavery and suffering. However supplication and seeking the Lord leads to Salvation. When God's people repented, the Lord raised up for them a judge to deliver them.
 
"So the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord. They forgot the Lord their God and served the Baals and asheras. Therefore the anger of the Lord was hot against Israel and He sold them into the hand of Cushan…" Judges 3:7-8
 
"When the children of Israel cried out to the Lord, the Lord raised up a deliverer… who delivered them." Judges 3:9
 
Downward Spiral
They lost fellowship with God by incomplete obedience. They did not consciously remind themselves of the grace of God. They neglected God's Word and became tolerant of the paganism that God had commanded them to destroy.
 
God's Strategy for Complacency
In Judges 3: 1-2, we see God's strategy for complacency. He turns sins into scourges that He might teach His people how to trust Him in battle. This is God's plan, that His people might be trained, purged, purified, and prepared through conflict to advance. Are you a spectator? Or a soldier?
 
A Test
The Lord left the heathen amongst them "that He might test Israel by them, to know whether they would obey the Commandments of the Lord…" Judges 3:4
 
Idolatry and Immorality
Time and again one sees the twin curses of immorality and idolatry blighting the people of Israel and leading them away from the Lord.
 
The Judges
In the Book of Judges, we read of 11 men and 1 woman, Deborah, raised up as Judges to deliver Israel. God used different types of people. There was Othniel, a man of proven ability, superior character, spiritual depth and distinguished ancestry. There was Ehud, a prominent, courageous and capable man with a difference. There was Shamgar, a peasant from a paganised family (they named him after a pagan god).
 
God uses men who step out in Faith, who trust Him and have the courage to take a risk, bold enough to confront the enemy.
 
Deborah
Deborah receives a large amount of space in the Book of Judges. Deborah saw a need and was determined to do something about it. She enlisted qualified help. She confronted Barak with God's command. She strengthened her general with God's promises and developed a plan. Deborah encouraged Barak with her presence. The armies of Israel were to meet the enemy at his strongest point, on the plain. Although Israel was out-manoeuvred, out-supplied and out- positioned, God intervened and sent a violent storm and flood which broke the banks of the Kishon river, that the plain was flooded and the chariots of Sisera floundered in the mud. As Sisera fled on foot to the tent of Jael, she employed Biblical body piercing by driving a tent peg through his head. (Again and again, one sees this theme of the seed of the woman crushing the serpent's head, as prophesied in Genesis 3:15.)
 
Inactivity Condemned
In the song of Deborah, she rebukes those who stayed amongst the campfires to hear the whistling of the flocks, those who had searching of heart, but whose feet did not move, those who lingered by the ships and remained on the coasts, who stayed in their coves and for various reasons failed to mobilise in the time of war. "Curse Meroz, said the Angel of the Lord, curse its inhabitants bitterly, because they did not come to the help of the Lord, to help the Lord against the mighty." Judges 5:23. "Therefore to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin." James 4:17
 
Power In Weakness
Time and again one sees God taking weak and apparently insignificant people and transforming them and using them. All of God's people have actually been weak people who did great things for God, because they reckoned on His strength being made perfect in their weakness.
 
It is notable that in Judges, God delights in using what the world may look down on. There is Ehud who used a homemade dagger. There is Deborah, a remarkable woman. Gideon, the youngest from an obscure family of the smallest tribe. There is Shamgar with an oxgoad and Samson with a jawbone. Time and again one sees that God will bring deliverance by subordinates when their leaders fail to take a stand. "Not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit says the Lord of Hosts." Zachariah 4:6
 
Gideon
There is much attention given in Judges to Gideon. The aggressive Midianites invaded the land, looting and ruining the crops, not sparing a living thing. Like a swarm of locusts, they impoverished the Israelites until they cried out to the Lord for help. The Angel of the Lord called Gideon, who at first seemed timid and discouraged. He was commanded to go in the strength of the Lord, but Gideon protested that his clan was the weakest in Manasseh and he was the least in his own family. The will of God will never lead you where the grace of God cannot keep you. Where God guides. He provides. God's servant is God's responsibility. The safest place in the world is in the centre of God's will.
 
Dismantling the Baal Altar
Before the Midianites can be expelled, the source of their political and military power, Baal worship, must be attacked. God's altar cannot be built until Baal's altar is destroyed. The first assignment of Gideon is to destroy an altar of Baal and the place where he started was in his own back yard.
 
Courage and Confrontation
Private commitment must produce public courage and confrontation. Gideon's actions showed obedient faith in spite of his fear. Faith is not fearlessness, but obedience. Gideon openly challenged Baal and lived to tell the story, proving that Baal was powerless. When God calls us, he equips and empowers us. Every time people saw Gideon, they saw a visible proof of God's power and Baal's weakness. Gideon had destroyed the altar of Baal and lived to tell about it!
 
Gideon's 300
Gideon then used a simple, secret and significant test to select his special group of soldiers. Most of the 32,000 who chose to serve God were rejected and sent home. They chose God, but He did not choose them. Anyone can drink water, but it is how we do the little things that matters. Gideon's 300 went out to defeat 135,000 Midianites.
 
Defeating the Midianites
Leading by example, Gideon mobilised a unity of action, using speed, skill and surprise to defeat the enemy. Encircling the Midianites, with perfect strategy and timing, with the noise of trumpets and the lights of their burning torches, they deceived the enemy into thinking there were vast companies of enemy on every side. The Midianites panicked and began killing one another. The plunderers were plundered and the invaders fled. Gideon then mobilised the nation to cut off their enemy's retreat.
 
Samson
More space in Judges is given to Samson than to any other judge. God answered the prayers of a devoted couple for a child. This child had a unique birth and was to have a unique lifestyle – he was to be a permanent Nazarite, set apart to maintain unbroken fellowship with God. He was to maintain a simple lifestyle (abstain from luxury – wine, to be different – visibly set apart by his long hair, and to not touch dead bodies, which would make him ritually unclean and symbolise a break in fellowship with God. In other words, he was to walk in constant fellowship with God.
 
Squandered Opportunity
The story of Samson (whose name means sunshine), is one of great potential wasted through lack of discipline. Like King Saul, Samson had great potential, but squandered it. Samson had God-fearing parents, a unique birth, a unique lifestyle, great personal strength and he was anointed by the Holy Spirit as a deliverer. But Samson became a weak man, because he never learned to control himself. "He who rules his spirit is better than he who captures a city." Proverbs 16:32
 
Downward
Samson went down to Timnah. He consorted with the enemy. He refused to submit to parental authority. It was lust at first sight, ending in marriage to an unbeliever. Samson slipped into compromise and lawlessness. Too late he realised that he had lost his bet, his honour, and his wife. Too late Samson learned that if you marry an unbeliever, you have the devil for a father-in-law.
 
Resistance
However, despite his serious flaws, Samson had a passion for freedom and he recognised the threat of the Philistines. His resistance hurt the Philistines so badly that they sent a large army to deal with him. The Hebrews, however, were so backslidden and neutralised that they were ignored by the Philistines who mobilised 3,000 men to apprehend Samson. The Hebrews not only missed the opportunity to join God's freedom fighter, they co-operated with the oppressors to betray Samson into their hands! These Hebrews preferred slavery to freedom! Compromise was more comfortable to them than commitment and confrontation. They did the enemy's dirty work for them.
 
Courage and Faith
Samson acted with courage and faith, allowing himself to be tied up and walked unarmed and helpless into the vast army of screaming Philistines. This event earned him honourable mention in the Hall of Faith in Hebrews 11. As the Philistines shouted in triumph and rushed towards him the Spirit of God came upon Samson in power and he burst the ropes that tied him. He picked up the only weapon he could lay his hands on, the jawbone of a donkey, and struck down a thousand Philistines. This was followed by 20 years of peace and stability for Israel under Samson. Peace comes through strength. Stability comes through victory. Compromise and cowardice led to captivity. But the courage of Samson led to conquest.
 
Pride Comes Before a Fall
However, "pride goes before a fall" Proverbs 16:18. Samson became so self-confident and careless that he deliberately exposed himself to the enemy. Samson dishonoured his parents, distorted his purpose, defiled his purity, diluted his power, disgraced his profession and dissipated his potential. "Do not be deceived: bad company ruins good character." 1 Corinthians 15:33
 
Toying with Temptation
Samson toyed with temptation and sought out a Philistine prostitute in the very stronghold of his enemy – Gaza. Sins may start small, but they do not end that way. The Scripture warns us to "flee sexual immorality" 1 Corinthians 6:18, but Samson chose not to flee, and he lost his character.
 
Sin will take you further than you want to go.
Sin will keep you longer than you want to stay.
Sin will cost you more than you want to pay.
 
Moral compromise makes us vulnerable.
Temptation comes in attractive packages.
 
We see the stubborn self-confidence of Samson.
The seduction of Delilah and
the stupidity of sin.
 
The result was: disgrace, defeat, and disaster.
 
The Message of Judges
The story of Samson summarises the messages of Judges: Sin blinds. Sin binds. Sin grinds. Whoring leads to blindness, powerlessness, slavery, and death. An object lesson for Israel and for us. Samson went from victor to vanquished. There is a high cost to low living.
 
"Do not be deceived: God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption; but he who sows to the Spirit, will of the Spirit reap everlasting life." Galatians 6:7-8
 
But God did not give up on Samson. His discipline led to restoration. Blinded, in chains, enslaved and imprisoned, Samson returned to God in repentance. God heard his heartfelt prayer and accomplished a great victory over evil through Samson. So Samson is honourably mentioned in Hebrews 11 - the Hall of Faith.
 
Sin does not have to have the last word in our life.
 
Sin cannot win. Faith cannot fail.
 
Jesus is the Eternal Judge.
 
Dr. Peter Hammond
Livingstone Fellowship
P.O. Box 74 Newlands 7725
Cape Town South Africa
Tel: 021-689-4480
Fax: 021-685-5884
Email: mission@frontline.org.za
Website: www.livingstonefellowship.co.za

"Wherever you go, I will go; and wherever you lodge, I will lodge; your people shall be my people, and your God, my God." Ruth 1:16
 
A Famine in the Land
In the days when the Judges ruled, there was a famine in the land of Israel. Elimelech took his wife, Naomi and their two sons, Mahlon and Chilion, away from Bethlehem, Judea, to the country of Moab. Bethlehem means 'the house of bread' and yet there was famine in Bethlehem. The land flowing with milk and honey was being judged by the Lord with famine. The name Elimelech means 'my God a King'. Naomi means 'pleasant'. However, their childrens' names were Mahlon (sickness) and Chilion (consumption). It must have been a terrible time in the history of Israel.
 
The rabbis of Israel believed that Elimelech's family left Israel in the days of Ehud, and that Naomi and Ruth returned during the judgeship of Deborah. It is also believed that Samuel edited and included the book of Ruth in the Scriptures.
 
Disobedience Leads to Disaster
By taking his family for so long into the land of the heathen, Elimelech dishonoured God and set a bad example. His sons married Moabite women and Orpah is said to have returned to her gods (1:15). It does not appear that the Moabite women converted to the Jewish religion before their marriage to the sons of Elimelech. Naomi lost her husband Elimelech, and then her children. The country of Moab now held no attraction at all. Naomi determined to return to Bethlehem.

A Time to Leave
Naomi then urged her daughters-in-law to return to their father's house. She dismissed them with commendation and prayer: "Go, return each to her mother's house. The Lord deal kindly with you, as you have dealt with the dead and with me. The Lord grant that you may find rest, each in the house of her husband." (1:8-9)
 
Discouragement or Discernment?
Was Naomi right to discourage her daughters-in-law from going with her, when by taking them with her she might save them from the idolatry of Moab and bring them to the Faith and worship of the God of Israel? Naomi probably did want them to come, but she wanted them to make a deliberate choice, to count the cost (Matthew 8:19-20).
 
Two Different Decisions
Orpah kissed her mother-in-law and bade her farewell forever. Orpah's kiss showed that she had affection for Naomi and was sad to leave her but she did not love her enough to leave her country. Ruth however, put an end to the debate by a most solemn profession of her immovable resolution never to forsake her, nor to return to her own country and her old relations again.
 
Determination and Dedication
"Entreat me not to leave you, or to turn back from following after you; for wherever you go, I will go; and wherever you lodge, I will lodge; your people shall be my people, and your God my God."
 
Here we have resolution, dedication, and conversion. "I have decided to follow Jesus! No turning back!" Ruth's loyalty and determination resound through the ages and provide a solid testimony and inspiring example to each one of us.
 
Ruth presents a most admirable testimony. She is modest, meek, courteous, loyal, responsible, gentle, and yet decisive. Ruth always seems to be doing the right thing at the right time. She does it gracefully. Ruth never swerves from her unselfish purpose during the many trials that followed. She did not seem to complain because she had given up everything: her country, her relationships, or the chance to marry a man from her own country. She gave up everything with the resolution of fierce quietness. 
 
When Naomi saw that she was determined, she stopped trying to persuade her to change her mind. They both turned their faces resolutely towards Israel, the young and beautiful Ruth, and the old and wise Naomi. 
 
A Difficult Journey
The distance they had to travel was under 200km, but this represented a long fatiguing and dangerous journey. For two women alone, with neither money nor protection, with no transport, they had to ascend mountains and descend into deep valleys on foot, crossing the Arnon and Jordan rivers. The journey would have taken them to desolate places, which would have tried them severely.
 
They arrived in Bethlehem at the beginning of the barley harvest. This was the first of the harvests, with the wheat harvest following shortly thereafter. They now had an opportunity to provide for the coming winter. 
 
Gleaning
When we take God for our God, we must take His people for our people and we must be willing to enjoy both the good and endure the bad. In Bethlehem, in order to support herself and her mother-in-law, Ruth performed the lowliest of tasks. Gleaning was a provision in the poor laws of Israel. The poor were allowed to follow the reapers and gather up the fragments of grain, which fell, or were left behind, for the poor. This was no free hand out; it was back-straining, long and hard work. Plainly, Ruth had a high work ethic. Her humility and industry were evident to all. She worked long and hard, from early till late.
 
In the Field of Boaz
Here we also see the hand of God's providence. "And she happened to come to the part of the field belonging to Boaz, who was of the family of Elimelech." (2:3). Boaz is described as a mighty man, of great wealth, mighty in the law. The name Boaz means 'in Him is strength.' The first time we read of Boaz he is coming to encourage the reapers: "The Lord be with you!" They answered him: "The Lord bless you!" (2:4). Boaz is evidently not only a diligent master, but also God-honouring believer. He is also observant and concerned as he asked after the gleaner, Ruth. 
 
The Generosity of Boaz
Boaz encouraged Ruth and generously made provision for her. Boaz was kind to Ruth and showed her favour. He ordered his servants to be respectful to her and helpful. He commended her diligence on behalf of her mother-in-law, and prayed a blessing from the Lord God upon her labours.
 
Boaz was evidently a man of God, a man of intelligence and observant. He appreciated Ruth's quiet industry, her modesty and purity. He made many provisions for her, and invited her to join his workers for the mid-day meal. When Ruth returned to Naomi at the end of the day with a bushel of barley and she hears that the man who has favoured her so is Boaz, Naomi exclaims: "This man is a relation of ours, one of our close relatives."
 
A Kinsman Redeemer
The Law of God provided for a close relative to be a kinsman redeemer to avenge wrongful death in a case of murder (Numbers 35:19-21); to buy back property which a poor relative many have been forced to sell to settle their debts (Leviticus 25:25); to redeem relatives who had been sold into slavery to settle their debts and set them free (Leviticus 25:47-49); and to marry the widow of a deceased relative (Deuteronomy 25:5-10).
 
While Naomi makes her schemes in order to provide for Ruth a bright future, the Law of God had already done so. Boaz did not actually need to be manipulated into doing his duty by a mother-in-law's schemings; he was committed to doing the right thing anyway. Naomi advises Ruth to place herself at the feet of Boaz and seek his protection as a kinsman redeemer. 
 
Upon hearing the report back from her daughter-in-law, Naomi declared: "Sit still, my daughter, until you know how the matter will turn out; for the man will not rest until he has concluded the matter this day." (3:18)
 
Boaz displays honourable and business-like character traits, going to the gates of the city before the elders and challenging the closer relative as to whether he was willing to fulfil his duty, then publicly informing all that he had the intention of becoming engaged to Ruth the Moabitess, the widow of Mahlon, to be his wife.
 
A God-Honouring Marriage
Some have tried to describe the romance in Ruth as an example of a mixed marriage. Of course, it was nothing of the sort. The people of Moab were descendants of Lot, the nephew of Abraham. The rabbis teach that Ruth had golden red hair and warm eyes, and the Scriptures tell us that David had red hair. Ruth was a convert to Yahweh; she had embraced the people, the culture, the language and the God of Israel. This was neither an inter-racial marriage, nor an inter-faith marriage. In the words of the Psalmist, Ruth could say: "I have chosen the way of Truth, I have set my heart on Your Laws." Psalm 119:30
 
Ruth turned her back on the idolatry of Moab and embraced the God of Israel. The book of Ruth is about wise choices. Many years before Joshua had challenged the people of Israel: "Choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve... but as for me and my household we will serve the Lord." Joshua 24:15
 
As Solomon had prayed: "So give your servant a discerning heart... to discern between right and wrong." 1 Kings 3:9, so both Ruth and Boaz evidenced a discerning heart.
 
A Missionary Call
The story of Ruth is a type of God's call to the gentiles. God's Sovereignty is seen throughout this beautiful story. We can see how everything was done in the light and in accordance with God's Law. Ruth was lifted out of obscurity and poverty to influence and prosperity. From the marriage of Ruth and Boaz sprang an auspicious lineage, the house of David (Matthew 1:5). Before the birth of her son Obed (which means servant) Ruth was assured that her child's name would be "famous in Israel" (Ruth 4:4).
 
Naomi was told that the child would be a nourisher of her old age. Her neighbours, rejoicing with her declared "and may he be to you a restorer of life and a nourisher of your old-age; for your daughter-in-law who loves you, who is better to you than seven sons, has borne him." Ruth 4:15
 
An Ancestor of David
Obed was the father of Jesse, who was the father of David. Ruth, the Moabitess who had chosen to follow her mother-in-law, and Naomi, who went back to Bethlehem, and who had embraced the God of Israel, became the great-grandmother of King David, and an ancestor of the Messiah Himself.
 
"Wherever you go, I will go; and wherever you will lodge I will lodge; your people shall be my people, and your God my God." Ruth 1:16
 
Livingstone Fellowship
P.O. Box 74 Newlands 7725
Cape Town South Africa
Tel: 021-689-4480
Fax: 021-685-5884
Email: mission@frontline.org.za
Website: www.livingstonefellowship.co.za

"Speak Lord, for your servant listens…" 1 Samuel 3:9
 
Leaders of Israel
From 2000 to 1500 B.C. Israel was led by Patriarchs.
From 1500 to 1000 B.C. they were led by Prophets.
From 1000 to 500 B.C. they were led by Princes (or Kings).
In the 500 years leading up to the time of Christ, they were led by Priests.
 
Main Characters
First Samuel begins with
Hannah, the anxious wife, desperate to have a child,
Eli, the ailing high priest,
Israel the arrogant army, and
Saul, the anointed king.
 
The main characters in the first Book of Samuel are: Samuel - the last judge; Saul - the first king; David - the best king of Israel and Jonathan, the adventurous son of King Saul.
 
Samuel, the prophet, pronounced God's judgement upon Saul, and anointed David as the future king.
 
David, the steadfast shepherd, the skilled musician, the superb warrior, then the suspected courtier, the stalked outlaw, and the soldier in exile.

A Time of Transition
Royal history of Israel begins with the Book of Samuel. The long period of the rule of the Judges ends with Samuel. 1 Samuel begins the 500-year period of the Kings of Israel.
 
Samuel
Samuel, the last of the judges, was God's answer to the earnest prayers of his mother, Hannah. Received from the Lord, she consecrated him back to the Lord. Samuel was trained under Eli, who was both a judge and a high priest.
 
Eli
Eli had ruled Israel for 40 years. However, he was an indulgent father and a permissive priest, allowing his wicked sons, Hophni and Phinehas, who were also his priests, to behave in a most immoral and disgraceful manner. Young Samuel was given a Word from the Lord of judgement upon the house of Eli, because he had failed to deal with his sons and priests who were abusing their positions through immorality, dishonesty and blasphemy.
 
Disaster
Israel was invaded by the Philistines, their armies defeated, the Ark of the Covenant seized by the idol-worshipping Philistines and placed into the temple of Dagon, and Eli's sons were killed. Eli died of shock when he heard of these calamities.
 
The Power of God
The people of Israel learned that they could not manipulate God. The Ark of God was a poor substitute for the God of the Ark. It was not that God had deserted them, but they had deserted God. The Philistines soon learned that their idols were no match for the God of Israel. The huge idol of Dagon was found smashed face down in front of the Ark of the Covenant, in their own temple. As God afflicted the Philistines with a terrible plague, they surrendered the Ark back to Israel.
 
Idols for Destruction
Samuel the prophet called on the Israelites to repent and destroy their idols. Then he led them in battle against the Philistines. This time they were victorious. Whenever the Israelites disobeyed God an enemy was sent to defeat them. Whenever they repented and destroyed their idols, God enabled them to defeat their enemies.
 
The Demand for a King
As the Israelites demanded a king that they may be like the nations around them, God told Samuel to warn the people of the consequences: a king would want a palace and an army, so taxation and conscription would follow. When the Israelites persisted in demanding a king, Samuel gave them the kind of king the wanted: tall, handsome, strong and powerful in battle.
 
Saul
Saul proved a successful leader in battle, defeating the Philistines, the Amalakites and Ammonites. However, although he began well, he grew proud and presumptuous. Saul violated the separation between the role of a king and that of a priest. He presumed to offer the sacrifice at God's altar. Saul was disobedient when commanded to destroy King Agag and the Amalakites.
 
Deteriorating Discernment
Saul's relationships deteriorated, first with his adventurous son, Jonathan, whom he sentenced to death for disobeying some ridiculous instruction that his son was not even aware of. Only the firm action of his army prevented Saul from unjustly executing his own son.
 
Disastrous Disobedience
Saul's relationship with the prophet Samuel also deteriorated drastically. In response to Saul's repeated disobedience of the Commands of the Lord, Samuel declared: "To obey is better than sacrifice… for rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the Word of the Lord, He has also rejected you from being king." 1 Samuel 15:22-23. Ritual is no substitute for righteousness. Obedience is better than any religious sentiment.
 
Disgraceful Defeat
King Saul's relationship towards the young shepherd, David, who had boldly challenged the giant Goliath and defeated him in combat, poisoned the last years of Saul as king. Saul deteriorated morally and mentally. His jealousy and hatred of David twisted his final years as king and distracted him from his duties. Finally, King Saul descended to seeking out and enquiring of a witch at Endor. Ultimately King Saul died in disgrace and defeat, committing suicide on the field of battle, where three of his sons also died. Saul left his nation in defeat, divided and in disgrace.
 
1 Samuel focuses on man's choice as king - Saul.
2 Samuel focuses on God's choice for king – David.
 
David
David is the most versatile character in the Bible: a shepherd, a musician, a soldier, a writer of Psalms, a fugitive and outlaw, and the greatest King of Israel. David is one of the most prominent figures in the history of the world. There is more space given to the character of David than any other person in the Old Testament. He is described as "a man after God's own heart" (1 Samuel 13:14). He was athletic, a gifted musician, and his poetical skill was of the highest order.
 
The Treasury of David
The Psalms, the treasury of David, are the largest Book of the Bible, the middle Book of the Bible, the Prayer book and Hymn book of the Bible. Our Lord Jesus Christ quoted more from the Psalms than from any other Book in the Bible.
 
Defeating Goliath
David was the youngest of the eight sons of Jesse. The story of David and Goliath must be one of the best known in the Bible. It is the mis-match of the ages. Goliath of Gath was 9 feet, 6 inches tall. The head of his spear was 10kg. King Saul and all his soldiers were dismayed and terrified. Only young David, the shepherd boy, was willing to go down into the valley of the shadow of death and confront this giant. With no breastplate, but his shepherd's coat, no spear, but his staff, no sword or bow, but a sling, no quiver, but 5 smooth stones, David came in the Name of the Lord. David relied on the Lord, as Goliath relied on his sword and spear. David's victory over Goliath is a type of Christ's victory over satan. David epitomises our calling to be more than conquerors through Christ Jesus our Lord.
 
Contrasting Kings
Both Saul and David ruled as kings of Israel, both for 40 years. Yet Saul was a failure and David was a success. It was not that David was perfect, but he wholeheartedly confessed and repented of his sins and transgressions against the Lord. David displayed humility, faithfulness, patience, and courage. He repeatedly spared the life of his tormentor, Saul, refusing to assassinate God's anointed king. Saul, an unrepentant sinner, went to death and destruction, dragging his family and country with him. David refused to take the law into his owns hands. He trusted in God's timing. David, a repentant sinner, achieved glorious victories over his enemies. He left us some of the greatest songs of worship ever composed in history.
 
Jerusalem
After the death of Saul, David was made king of Judea, and 7 years later, king over all the 12 tribes of Israel. He conquered Jerusalem from the Jebusites and made it the new capital of the nation of Israel.
 
Sincerity is Not Enough
When he sought to bring the Ark of God into Jerusalem, it indicated a desire to put God at the centre of the political and cultural life of the nation. However, sincerity is not enough. Neither David, nor the priests, followed God's specific directions for how the Ark was to be transported. As a result, Uzzah was struck dead for reaching out and touching the Ark. Here we learn that it is not what we think, but what God says, that is important. The Ark was not to be transported on an oxcart, but carried on poles by priests.
 
The Danger of Inactivity
David also fell into sin by remaining in Jerusalem at a time when kings went out to war. Some temptations come to the industrious, but all temptations come to the idle. Although David's repentance was wholehearted and sincere (Psalm 51), the terrible episode of David and Bathsheba confirm the truth of Numbers 32:23, "be sure your sin will find you out", and "what a man sows that shall he reap". The baby died, David's son, Absolom treacherously sowed division and led the nation into civil war, and much death and destruction resulted. Beware when you think you stand, lest you fall.
 
Parenthood and Personal Responsibility
The books of Samuel also show us the importance of parenthood. Both Eli and Samuel failed to adequately discipline their children, and severe consequences resulted. Yet, one also learns the responsibility of individual choices. Although Jonathan was the son of a bad king (Saul), he was an exemplary soldier and a friend who stuck closer than a brother. Although Absolom was the son of a good king (David), he became selfish and treacherous.
 
A Golden Age
David took a single tribe, developed it into a settled nation and expanded it into a sizable empire. Although he inherited a divided and chaotic state, he lifted Israel to the heights of becoming the dominant military and political power in Western Asia.
 
Preparations for the Temple
David captured Jerusalem and established the capital of Israel there. He brought the Ark back to Jerusalem and made all the preparations necessary for the building of the Temple, which his son King Solomon would accomplish. When God sent a plague to judge the nation, David bought a threshing floor to establish an altar. It was on this very spot that the Temple was later built under his son, King Solomon.
 
Livingstone Fellowship
P.O. Box 74 Newlands 7725
Cape Town South Africa
Tel: 021-689-4480
Fax: 021-685-5884
Email: mission@frontline.org.za
Website: www.livingstonefellowship.co.za

"How long will you falter between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow Him; but if Baal, follow him." 1 Kings 18:21
 
1 Samuel: Samuel to King Saul.
2 Samuel: reign of King David.
1 Kings: Solomon to Ahab.
2 Kings: Ahab to Zedekiah.
 
The Kingdom of Israel
The Kingdom of Israel went through three stages:
 
1.    United Kingdom:  

• Saul - 40 years.
• David - 40 years.
• Solomon - 40 years.

 
2.    Divided Kingdom:            

• 10 Tribes in the North - Israel or Samaria.
• 2 Tribes in the South - Judah.
• Israel exiled by Assyria 721BC

 
3.    Single Kingdom:

• 140 years until Judah is exiled to Babylon 587BC.

 
The Books of 1 & 2 Kings cover 400 years.

Who wrote Kings?
Parts of Kings are identical to the Prophecies of Jeremiah. Although Jeremiah was a contemporary of King Josiah and at the heart of many of the events described, he is not mentioned in the book, indicating that he was probably the author. Most of 1 & 2 Kings was probably written by the prophet Jeremiah.
 
Why Was Kings Written?
When Jerusalem fell, and the Temple was destroyed, the nation exiled, effectively slaves again, in a foreign land, inevitably the people would have asked: What went wrong? Why did God allow all this to happen to us? The Book of Kings provides the answers.
 
The Blessings and Curses of the Covenant
In keeping with the Covenant God made with the people of Israel and recorded in the Book of Deuteronomy, He warned that if the people turned to idols and broke His Law, He would bring foreigners to destroy Jerusalem, to destroy the Temple, and to scatter them in foreign lands. Deuteronomy 28 solemnly listed the blessings of obedience and the curses of disobedience. Yet even here there is hope, because God promises that although His people may break the Covenant, He never will. God promised to bring His people back from exile. Their punishment would be for a limited time only – 70 years.
 
The Message of Kings
We generally get the governments we deserve. A wicked people will be oppressed by a wicked government. If we reject God, He will reject us. If we obey God, He will bless us. If we repent, He will restore us. Kings records history from God's perspective.
Evaluation
Each king is evaluated in terms of their worship, whether they were faithful to the Lord God or not, and their ethics and policies, whether they upheld justice and morality, or not. God is no respecter of persons.
 
The Kings of Judah
The Southern kingdom of Judah had six good and two very good kings. They also had one, who was the worst of all, Manasseh. Idolatry and immorality marked his evil reign. Manasseh worshipped Molech and sacrificed his baby sons in the Valley of Hinnon (Gehenna). Manasseh also murdered the prophet Isaiah. The good kings of the Southern kingdoms of Judah included Asa who did what was right in the eyes of the Lord. He expelled the prostitutes from the land and got rid of all the idols, casting down the pornographic Asherah poles and burning them in the Kidron Valley. Asa's heart was fully committed to the Lord all his life (1 Kings 15:11-14).
 
The Wicked Queen
There was a very bad Queen Athaliah. She was Jezebel's daughter and married the King of Judah in the South. She killed all the children of David's royal line and seized power. However, an aunt protected the youngest boy, Joash, and concealed him to preserve the royal line.
 
Hezekiah
Hezekiah, who was contemporary with Isaiah, was a good king who dug the tunnel to bring water into Jerusalem and secured its defences. However, he made a huge mistake when he welcomed to his palace men from Babylon and showed them all the secrets and treasures of his palace and the Temple. Isaiah delivered the Word of the Lord to Hezekiah, that because of this, the Babylonians would take away everything that he had showed off to them. That was fulfilled when the Babylonians destroyed Jerusalem 588BC.
 
Reformation Under Josiah
Another good king of Judah was Josiah, who was born in the same year as the prophet Jeremiah. When the Book of Deuteronomy was discovered by men cleaning the Temple, King Josiah was shocked to read of the requirements of God's Law and of the judgements warned for disobedience. He ordered the population to assemble for the full reading of the Law of God and initiated a national Reformation, destroying all the high places where babies were sacrificed, destroying the idols which had subverted the land and brought about a nation-wide renewal.
 
Defeat
However, King Josiah foolishly went to war with Egypt when he did not need to and was killed at the Battle of Megiddo.
 
The Southern Kingdom
The South had 19 kings and 1 queen. 12 of them were condemned for having done evil in the eyes of the Lord. 8 were commended, 2, Hezekiah and Josiah, were highly praised for their diligence in uprooting idolatry and opposing immorality.
 
Prophets to Judah
The main prophets to the South during the times of the kings were: Obadiah, Joel, Isaiah, Micah, Naham, Jeremiah, Zephaniah, and Habakkuk and during the time of the exile to Babylon: Daniel and Ezekiel.
 
The Kings of Israel
In the Northern kingdom of Israel, all 20 kings were bad, 14 of which were severely condemned for being exceptionally evil. While the South had just one dynasty, the North had nine, with the succession precipitated by assassination six times.
 
Ahab and Jezebel
Ahab stands out as one of the worst of the kings of Israel. He married a Phoenician princess from Sidon, Jezebel. It was her scheming which arranged for the false charges against Naboth, so that Ahab could seize his vineyard. It was this event which marked the beginning of the Prophet Elijah's ministry. He confronted Ahab and Jezebel and famously challenged the prophets of Baal to a contest on Mount Carmel, where God answered his fervent prayer for fire from heaven on his altar.
 
Prophets to Israel
The main prophets to the Northern kingdom of Israel were: Elijah, Elisha, Jonah, Amos and Hosea.
 
Elijah and Elisha
The prophets Elijah and Elisha were very different. Elijah was the preacher, the fighter, the one who challenged the people and the false prophets. Elisha was more pastoral and nurturing in his ministry. On one occasion, Elisha raised to life a widow's son in the village of Shumen, just half a mile from the village of Nain, where the Lord Jesus would also raise a widow son. Elisha fed 100 people with a few barley loaves. Later the Lord Jesus would feed thousands with five barley loaves and two fish. Elijah's confrontational ministry was likened to that of John the Baptist, who was said to have the Spirit of Elijah, as he prepared the way for the Lord. "The Law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul." "The Law of God is the schoolmaster that leads us to Christ."
 
Warnings Before Judgement
Kings makes it clear that God always gives His people warnings before bringing punishment upon them for what they know is wrong. Yet, generally Israel and Judah ignored the warnings of God's messengers and preferred the soothing reassurances of the false prophets. The prophets God sent were frequently ridiculed, beaten, punished and often martyred.
 
Where Were the Priests?
Throughout the spiritual decline of Israel and Judah, the priests should have been reminding the people of the Law of God and calling them to repentance. However, their silence and ineffectiveness led to God raising up prophets to call the people to repentance.
 
Verbal, Visual and Violent
God's warnings came in stages. First they were verbal, through the prophets. Then they were visual and, finally, violent. The Israelites lost territory, they lost their independence. The ten Northern tribes were deported to Assyria and finally the kingdom of Judah in the South was deported to Babylon in three stages. No one is judged without first receiving multiple warnings.
 
Solomon's Falling Away
Solomon's reign, which began so well, deteriorated as he accumulated excessive wealth and multiple wives, in clear violation of the specific instructions of God that kings were not to accumulate for themselves, excessive wealth or multiple wives.
 
Immorality and Idolatry
The sins of the people which led to the fall of Jerusalem, the destruction of the Temple and the exile of the people to Babylon, were immorality and idolatry. They hardened their hearts against the repeated warnings of God, stubbornly refusing to repent of their sins and return to the Lord.
 
Unequally Yoked
The Word of God commands us not to be unequally yoked together with unbelievers (2 Corinthians 6:14). Solomon, although he authored Proverbs, a great Book of wisdom, did not practise wisdom in his own life. He married many wives, many of them unbelievers, and fell into idolatry with them. He also overtaxed and burdened his people to maintain his lavish lifestyle. Solomon laid the foundations for the break up of the United Kingdom and provoked the revolt of the ten Northern tribes when his foolish son, Rehoboam, took up the throne. Immorality and religious apostasy go together. Nothing erodes the foundations of a nation faster than spiritual decline.
 
Character and Conduct Determines Destiny
The Books of Samuel and Kings make clear that the character and conduct of a king decides the fate of the nation. Kings catalogues why Israel and Judah were judged, defeated, exiled and scattered.
 
Jesus in Kings
The Gospels tell us that Jesus is greater than Solomon. Christ is our wisdom. Hebrews teachers us that Jesus is greater than the temple. He likened His Body to the Temple. When our Lord died on Calvary, the curtain in the Temple separating the Holy place from the most Holy Place, was split from top to bottom, indicating that the Lord had made open the way for us to come to the Father.
 
The Sign of Jonah
The prophet Jonah, mentioned in Kings, was referred to by our Lord, when He said that just as Jonah was in the belly of the fish for three days and three nights, so He would be raised to life.
 
The Son of David
The prophet Elijah met with the Lord Jesus on the Mount of Transfiguration. Just as Elisha had raised the widow's son, so Jesus raised a boy from the dead, in the village of Nain. Just as Elisha had fed 100 with bread, so the Lord fed over 5,000 with bread and fish. Jesus Christ is the King of kings and the Lord of lords. He is the true son of David, whose reign will never end. Christ's Kingdom will replace and outlast all others.
 
Do We Have Idols Today?
Many reading the Books of Kings may assume that we no longer have idols today. However, if you look around it will be clear that there are many. We speak of Hollywood idols, sports idols, sex idols, political idols. There are even programmes called "Idols"! Many Christians even make idols of religious musicians and TV personalities. The Scriptures make clear that God hates all idolatry. The division of Israel, the fall of Jerusalem, the exile and scattering of the tribes of Israel make clear that God is serious. He is a Holy God and we cannot break His Law with impunity. What we sow we shall reap.
 
Dr. Peter Hammond
Livingstone Fellowship
P.O. Box 74 Newlands 7725
Cape Town South Africa
Tel: 021-689-4480
Fax: 021-685-5884
Email: mission@frontline.org.za
Website: www.livingstonefellowship.co.za