Bible 100 Lenten Edition Summary 3

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This Lent we are learning the Bible, Bible 100 style. In other words, we’re developing an overview of the entire collection of 66 books. Here’s a summary of what we covered this week. If any of this sparks your curiosity, I hope you will watch the short videos I recorded through Facebook Live.  Of course, you can always turn to the Bible to learn even more!

Lessons 13-18

Lesson 13: Israel’s Judges (Judges 1-21)

  • Judges 2:16-19 gives us a glimpse of the unsatisfying ending this period of Israel’s history will have.
  • In the book of Judges, there are 12 Tribes who work together when necessary; there is no “nation of Israel.”
  • In the book of Judges, there are 12 Judges (rulers) over the course of several hundred years.
  • There are interlude periods when the Israelites are ruled by non-Israelite leaders. For example, Judges 3:14 tells us they were ruled by a Moabite king for 18 years.
  • There is a left-handed judge named Ehud. (Judges 3:15-30)
  • Abimelech, a usurper, dies after a woman drops a stone on his head. (Judges 9:52-55)
  • The period of the Judges ends with everyone doing what is right in his/her own eyes (Judges 21:25), harkening back to Genesis 6:5 where every thought was evil all the time.

Lesson 14: Looking at One Judge, The Honorable Gideon? (Judges 6-8)

  • Gideon is the least of the least. (Judges 6:15)
  • He is chosen by God to lead the Israelites against the Midianites. (Judges 6:33-35)
  • Gideon tests God with two rounds of dew and fleece. (Judges 6:36-40)
  • God tells Gideon that 32,000 troops is too many because “Israel would only take the credit away from [God] saying, ‘My own hand has delivered me.’” (Judges 7:2)
  • God reduces Gideon’s army to only 300 troops. (Judges 7:3,8)
  • Gideon and his 300 troops successfully defeat Midian. (Judges 7:25)
  • The Israelites wanted Gideon to establish a dynastic monarchy, but he refused. (Judges 8:22-23)
  • Despite having spoken with God face to face (Judges 6:22), Gideon made an idol and worshiped it. (Judges 8:24-27) The idol “became a snare to Gideon and to his family” and “all Israel prostituted themselves to it.” (Judges 8:27)

Lesson 15: The Epic Love Story of Ruth (Ruth 1-4)

  • Ruth tells how one family lived during the time of the Judges. (Ruth 1:1)
  • Elimelech and Naomi are Israelites who are forced to move from Bethlehem to Moab because of a famine. (Ruth 1:1-2)
  • To understand Moab, we have to know the story of Lot and his daughters. (Genesis 19:30-38)
  • Elimelech and Naomi have two sons who both marry Moabite women; one of these women is Ruth. (Ruth 1:4)
  • Ruth, a widow, marries Boaz, an Israelite; he is her Kinsman Redeemer. (Ruth 2:1, 3:9‑12)
  • Ruth is a love story. Ruth loves her mother-in-law (Naomi), treating her with respect, love, and loyalty. It’s also the story of how Ruth and Boaz love each other.
  • It seems like the covenant God established with Abraham (Genesis 17:6) has failed because everyone is doing what is right in their own eyes (Judges 21:25), but the book of Ruth tells us the story is still unfolding because one of Ruth’s descendants will become King David (Ruth 4:13-17).

Lesson 16: Israel Moves from Rule by Judges to Rule by Kings (1-2 Samuel)

  • In 1 Samuel 8, the Israelites declare they want to be ruled by a king. (1 Samuel 8:4-5,19-20)
  • Saul is the very first King of Israel. (1 Samuel 9:27-10:1)
  • David is the second King of Israel. He gains the position through political strategy, manipulation, and targeted assassinations.
  • God establishes a covenant with David saying, “I will raise up your offspring after you who shall come forth from your body and I will establish his kingdom.” (2 Samuel 7:12)
  • David forges the 12 Tribes into a united monarchy, conquers strategic trade points, and makes Israel a strong nation.
  • David has sons with several women, creating uncertainty about who would rule after him. Ultimately, he chooses Solomon. (1 Chronicles 23:1)
  • Solomon is the son of Bathsheba and David. To read the story about how Bathsheba and David met, read 2 Samuel 11.
  • To read how Solomon became King, read 1 Kings 1.

Lesson 17: King David to King Solomon (2 Samuel, 1 Kings, 1 Chronicles)

  • David wants to build an altar in Jerusalem, but it is controlled by the Jebusites. (2 Samuel 24:24, 1 Chronicles 21:22-25, 2 Chronicles 3:1)
  • David gets control of Jerusalem by sending a soldier up the water shaft. (2 Samuel 5:8)
  • You can read about the Ark of the Covenant in 1 Kings 8.
  • The Israelites know they still have a Covenant with God because the stone tablets of Moses are still in the Ark. (1 Kings 8:9)
  • Solomon becomes the third king of Israel. He reinforced his father’s political alliances using marriage.
  • Solomon has 700 wives and 300 concubines. (1 Kings 11:3)
  • Solomon asks God for wisdom. (1 Kings 3:9)
  • Ultimately, Solomon’s wives turn him to idolatry and worship of false gods.
  • Solomon’s son, Rehoboam, causes a civil war –Israel (North) versus Judah (South).

Lesson 18: Civil War in Israel, plus Elijah and Elisha (1 Kings, 2 Kings)

Want to sum up this week’s lessons in just a handful of verses? Try these:

 

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