FBI Semester 3 OT

Know the 8 steps through the Bible in order.

Beginning, Hebrew Fathers, Exodus, Promised Land, Judges, Kingdom, Exile, Restoration

What are the books of Step Five, the Judges?

Judges, Ruth, and the first 7 chapters of 1 Samuel

Were the Judges just legal experts, or were they military and spiritual leaders too?

They were legal, military, and spiritual leaders.

How many Judges were there in total?

15 Judges

How many times was this phrase found: “In those days there was no king in Israel; every man did that which was right in his own eyes”, in the book of Judges?

4 times

What was the purpose of God in the period of the Judges?

to “prove Israel, whether they will keep the way of the Lord”

True/false: Israel was rule by God through the Judges, who only administered God’s Law. However, Israel rejected God’s leadership and substituted what was right in their own eyes.

true

What does the time of the Judges end with?

Israel rejecting rule by Judges who administer God’s Laws and asking for a King, who would deliver laws of man

True/false: When man rejects God’s moment by moment leadership and does what he considers to be right, he always will move toward sin because of his own sin nature.

true

What is the ultimate end of any nation that abandons the absolute morals commanded by God in the Bible and adopts mere human ethical standard instead?

When man lives by what is right in his own eyes, it ends with a nation filled with rampant homosexuality, perversion, violence, division, virtual anarchy, morally corrupt leadership, corrupt religious hypocrisy, and military defeat by their enemies.

What was Israel’s sin of omission?

Israel compromised by failing to do what God commanded her to do - drive out her enemies.

What was Israel’s sin of commission?

Israel apostatized by choosing to do what God commanded her not to do - worship the gods of their enemies.

True/false: When God’s chastening caused Israel to cry out to God in repentance, God responded in grace and raised up the Judges to deliver Israel.

true

How many times is the “Messenger of Jehovah” or “angel of the LORD” mentioned in the OT and specifically in the book of Judges?

80 times in the OT and 20 of these occur in the book of Judges (1/4th of His appearances are in Judges)

Which book (Joshua or Judges) tells of victory+freedom; faith+progress; obedience+heavenly visitor; joy+strength; unity+a strong leader?

Joshua

Which book (Joshua or Judges) tells of defeat+slavery; unbelief+regress; disobedience+earthly emphasis; sorrow+weakness; disunity+no leader?

Judges

What is the subtitle of the book of Judges?

“The Dark Ages of Israel”

What is the main content of the book of Judges?

The book of Judges records the ministry of 12 Military reformers, 13 if the team of Deborah and Barak are counted individually.

What is the theme of the book of Judges?

the Regression of Israel

True/false: The spiritual regression of Israel brought about their physical regression.

true

Who authored the book of Judges? And when did he write it?

Samuel, the Prophet wrote the book of Judges during the reign of Saul or early in David’s reign

Who were the recipients of the book of Judges?

Judges was written to the inhabitants of the early Kingdom of Israel

In the book of Judges, how was it revealed to Israel about their need to obey God?

done by recording the disastrous consequences of Israel’s past disobedience and the glorious consequences when they had walking in faith and obedience

What is the picture of the book of Judges?

the self-willed Christian life (life controlled by the Flesh)

Do the events of the book of Judges take place over all Israel?

yes

Were the Judges ruling over all of Israel or only limited tribal areas?

limited tribal areas

What is the practical purpose of the book of Judges?

shows the danger of not passing the faith on to the next generation, of replacing God’s moral absolutes with what is right in our own eyes, of compromising with sin and its resultant defeat and bondage, of walking in the flesh, and of backsliding

What is the importance and distinctives of the book of Judges?

Judges pictures the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ as perhaps no other book. This is the book of Israel’s Dark Ages, of her Seven Sinful Cycles, of her self-willed, flesh controlled depravity.

True/false: The book of Ruth sees more of the personal ministry of the Pre-Incarnate Christ, the Angel of the LORD, than any other book.

false; the book is Judges

Be familiar the failure of Israel to drive out the Canaanites in Judges 1.

This chapter tells how that when Israel was strong, they did not drive out all the Canaanites, but rather put them to tribute. Israel therefore became too weak to drive out the Canaanites.

What was God’s purpose in not driving out he Canaanites? What is an important truth seen in that?

to test Israel - to see whether they would obey His covenant. God will often allow us to struggle with (not be defeated by) a sin in order to test our resolve to conquer that sin. If we pass the test, He will give us the power for victory! But if we fail, the sin will then rise up to enslave us. If all our battles with sin were easy, it would take no real love or commitment to serve God.

Which Judge became the son-in-law of Caleb when he won Achsah for his wife by defeating the might city of Debir [Kirjath-sepher]. He was already Caleb’s nephew. He defeated the king of Mesopotamia and delivered southern Israel from their oppressors.

Othniel

Which Judge is this about? God raised up a left handed warrior in response to Israel’s prayers. He was sent to pay Eglon the annual tribute, but prepared a special 2 edges 18” dagger and hid it under his garment. He intrigued the king with a secret message from God and secured a private meeting with him. He takes the king by surprise with his left handed assault and stabs the king before he can cry out. The king is so fat that the entire knife disappears into his belly. He leaves, locking the doors behind him, and flees for Israel. The servants delay in checking on Eglon, assuming that he “covereth his feet” (an expression meaning to use the bathroom). He sounds a trumpet in Israel, raises an army for a sudden attack on Moab, and slays 10,000 troops, the entire Moabite army, delivering Central Israel.

Ehud

Which Judges is this referring to? God raises up a female Judge over Israel who was also a Prophetes; the spiritual and the military arm of this duo. She summons her partner and informs him that God has chosen him to mobilize an army of 10,000 men from the tribes of Naphtali and Zubulun and conquer Sisera at Mount Tabor.

Deborah and Barak

Be familiar with Gideon and the fleece. What are fleeces a symbol of?

Gideon again seeks a sign from God to reassure him that God would deliver Israel by his hand. Fleeces are a symbol of fear and unbelief, not faith. They should be rarely used and then only to confirm, not discover God’s will.

True/false: Contrary to popular perception, the fleece was to help Gideon find God’s will.

false; it was not to help him find God’s will. God had audibly spoken His will and Gideon wanted a sign to build his faith and conquer his fear before the battle.

What are some cautions concerning the use of “fleeces” (tests/signs to determine God’s will)?

They should never be used when the Bible has already spoken; when it would limit the plan of God; as a shortcut to avoid prayer, patience, and sensitivity to the Spirit.

True/false: Israel asks Gideon to be their king.

true; but he refuses. Gideon realized God’s purpose for this period was the “that Lord [not any man or king] shall rule over you”.

Be familiar with Gideon and the Ephod.

Gideon does ask for the gold from the Midianite earrings and forms an Ephod (priestly garment) of gold. This later becomes a snare to Gideon as Israel begins to worship it.

Why was Gideon included in the great “Hall of Faith” of Hebrews 11?

It was not because of his greatness, but because he had enough faith to allow God to overcome his weakness.

What nation did Samson oppose?

the Philistines

What are the three parts of the Samson’s Nazarite vow?

do not touch wine (or anything from the vine); do not touch anything dead; hair was never to be touched by a razor

Know how many Philistines Samson killed with the jawbone of a donkey.

The Spirit comes upon him and he snaps his bonds. He picks up the jawbone of a donkey and slays 1,000 men. The exhausted Samson collapses and prays that God not allow him to die of thirst. God answers by providing water from the jawbone.

Know how many Philistines Samson killed at his death.

Samson is brought to the temple of Dagon to be mocked. With restored strength, Samson “bowed himself with all his might, and the house fell”, killing the 3,000 on the roof, perhaps thousands more inside, and the strongest man who ever lived. Samson thus slew more in his death than in his entire life

What is Samson’s life a warning of?

warning to any believer tempted to toy with a sensual lifestyle; men who are great for God are able to do great things, not because of themselves, but in spite of themselves, because the power of God is on them

What is the subtitle of Ruth?

“The Kinsman Redeemer and His Bride”

What is the main content of Ruth?

Ruth is the story of how a Moabite widow was redeemed and came to be included in the genealogy of Christ as the great grandmother of David. This is the Beautiful Pearl of the era of the Judges, the story of the Kinsman-Redeemer, and the story of how a pagan widow became the heroine of a Biblical book.

What is the key word of Ruth? How many times is it used?

Kinsman-Redeemer; used 13 times

Who is considered to be the author (by Jewish tradition) of the book of Ruth?

Samuel

What is the background of the book of Ruth?

Ruth has been referred to as “a pure lily floating on a stagnant pond”. The book of Ruth “is in stark contrast to that depressing and depraved era” of the Judges Stage. It has been called “a beautiful pearl against a jet-blacked background”.

Be familiar with the rules of the Kinsman-Redeemer.

a married man who died without bearing children was to have his family line carried on by a near kinsman who would marry his widow and then raise up a son in the name of the deceased. This son was to inherit the properties of the deceased.

What is the picture of the book of Ruth?

Practically, Ruth provides a picture of the faithful Christian life, as Ruth remained faithful in a time of unfaithfulness by the people of God. Theologically, Ruth provides a beautiful picture of the Redemption of the Church, a gentle Bride, through her Kinsman-Redeemer.

What is the practical picture of Ruth?

faithful Christian life (Ruth remained faithful in a time of unfaithfulness by the people of God)

What is the theological picture of Ruth?

the Redemption of the Church, a gentle Bride, through her Kinsman-Redeemer

What is the Soteriological (doctrine of salvation) purpose of the book of Ruth?

To set forth the all important Biblical doctrine of redemption through our great Kinsman, Jesus Christ, Who became our Kinsman through the Incarnation that He might redeem us from our great sin debt.

What is the importance and distinctives of the book of Ruth?

Ruth is one of only two Biblical books named for a woman. The other book is Esther.