Cycles of Sin, Kinsman Redeemer (Judges,Ruth)

JUDGES

“Every man did what was right in his own eyes”

God allows oppression with the expectation of repentance

People want God to do His part, without doing their part.

Where do judges come from? [Not blood lines. Not best and brightest. Willing workers! You?]

Freedom/Undisturbed ---> Cultural influences ---> Unrepentant/My Way ---> Curse

Curse/Bondage ---> Judges influence ---> Repentance/God's Way --->Blessing

Cycle repeats again and again.

Always goes one way. Down is easy, up takes effort.

Culture leads to failure to serve (assimilation)

Judges lead to opportunity to serve (set apart)

Wanting something doesn’t make it happen.

Same cycle for Church, Marriage, Employment, Dieting, etc.?

Judges.1

1:4 Judah defeats 10,000 Canaanites and Perizzites.

1:9-26 Jerusalem and many other cities conquered.

1:21,27-36 Jebusites, Canaanites, and Amorites not conquered.

How many points do you get for partial obedience?

Incomplete obedience = disobedience.

Judges 2:2-3 “...and as for you, you shall make no covenant with the inhabitants of this land; you shall tear down their altars.' But you have not obeyed Me; what is this you have done? "Therefore I also said, 'I will not drive them out before you; but they will become as thorns in your sides and their gods will be a snare to you... "

2:10 “...All that generation also were gathered to their fathers; and there arose another generation after them who did not know the Lord, nor yet the work which He had done for Israel...”

We must teach!

Judges 2:16,17,19 “Then the Lord raised up judges who delivered them from the hands of those who plundered them. Yet they did not listen to their judges, for they played the harlot after other gods and bowed themselves down to them. They turned aside quickly from the way in which their fathers had walked in obeying the commandments of the Lord; they did not do as their fathers ...it came about when the judge died, that they would turn back and act more corruptly than their fathers, in following other gods to serve them and bow down to them; they did not abandon their practices or their stubborn ways...”

Judges 3:1-2 “...Now these are the nations which the Lord left, to test Israel by them (that is, all who had not experienced any of the wars of Canaan; only in order that the generations of the sons of Israel might be taught war, those who had not experienced it formerly)...”

Why were the nations left? [to teach Israel war?]

Are we untrained in the ways of war?

With what weapons are we unfamiliar?

2 Cor.10:4 “...for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses...”

We must be ready for warfare!

Cyclical life during Judges:

OPPRESSED by, yrs, DELIVERED by, yrs

Mesopotamians, 8, Othniel, 40

Moabites, 18, Ehud/Shamgar, 80

Canaanites, 20, Deborah/Barak, 40

Midianites, 7, Gideon, 40

Abimilech, 3, Tolah, 23 / Jair,22

Philistines, 18, Jephthah, 6 /Ibzan, 7 / Elon 10 /Abdon 8

Philistines, 40, Samson, 20

114 years of oppression, 296 years of freedom

First 7 judges had significantly more “undisturbed” time than oppression.

Last 5 judges had more oppression, and didn’t even mention “undisturbed” or “rest” for the land.

OTHNIEL - Judges 3

3:9 Caleb’s younger brother.

EHUD - Judges 3

3:15 Left-handed

SHAMGAR - Judges 3

3:31 Struck down 600 Philistines with an oxgoad [sharp metal-tipped stick about 8 or 10 feet long used to direct animals]

DEBORAH - Judges 4,5

4:21 - Woman puts a tent peg through the head of Sisera.

GIDEON - Judges 6 - 8

6:11-12 “...Then the angel of the Lord came and sat under the oak that was in Ophrah, which belonged to Joash the Abiezrite as his son Gideon was beating out wheat in the wine press in order to save it from the Midianites. The angel of the Lord appeared to him and said to him, "The Lord is with you, O valiant warrior..."

Was he valiant? [He was hiding from the Midianites]

6:14 “...go in this your strength...”. The call of God brings into existence things that were not.

6:16 “...surely I will be with you...” [God+you=majority]

THE CALL: I’m going to use you.

THE PREPARATION: Provoked by tearing down his own father’s altar of Baal ...at night.

THE REACTION: Those who have given themselves to false gods are unhappy. The Midianite and Amalekite armies assemble.

THE FLEECE: Twice for assurance - Wet fleece,dry ground. Dry fleece, wet ground.

THE VICTORY: Three companies of 100 blow trumpets, break pitchers, Midianites fight each other, 135,000 are defeated by 300 + 1.

Why was the army reduced from 32,000 to 300? [7:2 “...The Lord said to Gideon, "The people who are with you are too many for Me to give Midian into their hands, for Israel would become boastful, saying, 'My own power has delivered me...”

Do you ever feel outnumbered? [the side that has God has victory assured]

Does God see us differently than we see ourselves? What can He accomplish through us? [anything He wants, providing we obey]

THE SNARE: 8:24-27 Gideon makes a gold ephod, which leads to idolatry.

TOLAH/JAIR - Judges 10

What moves God to anger? [serving the gods of the land] 10:6-7 “...Then the sons of Israel again did evil in the sight of the Lord, served the Baals and the Ashtaroth, the gods of Aram, the gods of Sidon, the gods of Moab, the gods of the sons of Ammon, and the gods of the Philistines; thus they forsook the Lord and did not serve Him. The anger of the Lord burned against Israel, and He sold them into the hands of the Philistines and into the hands of the sons of Ammon...”

What moves God to have mercy on His people? 10:16 “...So they put away the foreign gods from among them and served the Lord; and He could bear the misery of Israel no longer...”

JEPTHAH - Judges 11

11:1 Son of a harlot.

11:2,3 Outcast.

11:30-31 Tragic, foolish vow.

Why would he say such a thing?

Why do we say what we say? [careless]

IBZAN, ELON, ABDON - Judges 12

SAMSON - Judges 13-16

13:2 Born to a barren nameless woman.

13:5 Told even before conception, that he would be a Nazerite.

13:25 Spirit of the Lord began to stir him.

What spirit stirs you?

14:6 tears up a lion with his bare hands.

14:19 kills 30 people in Ashkelon for their clothes.

15:14 broke the ropes that bound him and killed 1000 men with the jawbone of a donkey.

What was his weakness?

Had a thing for women.

Failed to learn from past mistakes (previous wife exposed his riddle (14:17)

Weakness put him in position for failure. 16:16 Delilah “...pressed him daily ...his soul was annoyed to death”

16:19-21 Head shaved while sleeping?

His strength left him (the Lord had departed)

Nazarite symbol of “set apart” disappeared, but more importantly, the real source of his strength departed.

Eyes gouged out (weakness removed?)

16:30 “...the dead whom he killed at his death were more than those whom he killed in his life...”

Judges 17

17:6 “...In those days there was no king in Israel; every man did what was right in his own eyes...”

Description of the times of the Judges.

Description of our time?

Judges 18 - Things are really degrading.

Danites failed to conquer the territory assigned to them.

Move north, stealing a priest and some idols.

Wipe out the “quiet and secure” people of Laish.

Foolish? Insignificant? Typical?

Worshiping images of God shouldn’t be confused with worshiping God, even though it may resemble true worship.

Godliness is not merely a verbal claim, it must be a manifest reality in our heart motives and actions.

How do people repeat the same mistake today? [claims of Christianity without conduct changing to match His expectations]

Judges 19 - 21 The nation hits rock bottom.

Levite’s concubine (extra bride) plays the harlot and leaves.

He goes to retrieve her.

She ends up killed, not by foreigners, but by “God’s people”.

[city acting much like Sodom]

Levite sends out emails with eye-catching attachments.

Benjamin is very nearly annihilated.

26,000 against 400,000

20:21 - 22,000 Israelites die on first day.

20:25 - 18,000 Israelites die on second day.

20:31 - 30 Israelites die on third day.

20:35 - 25,100 Benjaminites die (20:46 says 25,000), with only 600 escaping.

21:12 - 400 virgins are taken from Jabish Gilead to help propagate the tribe.

21:23 - The rest were kidnapped from Shiloh.

How do you explain, or justify all this behavior?

Judges 21:25 “...In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes...”

And isn’t this a perfect description of America in 2011?

Should it surprise us that our land is full of foolish and self-destructive behavior?

RUTH

As the time of the Judges wore on, the apostasy deepened until the book ended in corruption and bloody civil strife.

What is the brief story of Ruth?

1:4 A Moabite who married Naomi’s son -they had left Bethlehem in Judah to sojourn in Moab.

1:3-5 Naomi’s husband and both sons died and she decided to return to Judah.

1:16 Famous passage where Ruth joins herself to Naomi - “...But Ruth said, "Do not urge me to leave you or turn back from following you; for where you go, I will go, and where you lodge, I will lodge. Your people shall be my people, and your God, my God...”

2:23 She gleaned with the maids of Boaz (remember that God had this system for caring for widows, orphans and aliens).

4:13 Boaz takes Ruth as his wife.

Where does Ruth fit in?

God’s blessing was withdrawn from Bethlehem (the house of bread) because of the apostasy during the time of the Judges.

This forces Naomi’s family to move to Moab, and to ultimately lose their property and place in Judah.

Upon return, a kinsman redeems Naomi’s property and gives Ruth a place in the royal line.

Ruth 4:13 “...Boaz took Ruth, and she became his wife, and he went in to her. And the Lord enabled her to conceive, and she gave birth to a son...”

Ruth 4:17 “...The neighbor women gave him a name, saying, "A son has been born to Naomi!" So they named him Obed. He is the father of Jesse, the father of David...”

She was the great grandmother of King David, which puts her at approximately the time of Gideon

What is the spiritual story of Ruth?

Boaz, the kinsman redeemer, a type of Christ. Doing for someone what they couldn’t do for themselves.

Naomi, the blood line descendent, a type of Israel, restored to her rightful place.

Ruth, the non-Jew (Gentile), a type of the Church, given a place in the kingdom.

Traditionally, the book of Ruth is read by rabbis on the Feast of Pentecost, the very day the church was born.

Ruth 1 - Love’s RESOLVE: your people shall be my people, and your God my God

Ruth 2 - Love’s RESPONSE: working in the field.

Ruth 3 - Love’s REQUEST: at the feet of Boaz.

Ruth 4 - Love’s REWARD: redemption.

Which would you rather have, the land, or the bridegroom?

Entering the Promise (Joshua)

JOSHUA

Unlike the wilderness wanderings, these are more faithful times.

Joshua is moving the people into the promises of God.

Joshua parallels the second coming of Jesus

Military commander dispossessing the usurpers

2 messengers sent ahead (Rev.11 - 2 witnesses)

Adoni-Zedek, king of Jerusalem (Rev. Anti-Christ)

Trumpets, hailstones and fire, hiding in caves

Twelve relevant steps found in Joshua:

1. Be strong and courageous.

2. Meditate on God’s truth day and night.

3. God goes first.

4. Remember His-Story.

5. Remove Abominations.

6.The Valley of Achor (trouble) IS the door of Hope.

7. Remember the how AND why.

8. Father May I?

9. Leave nothing undone.

10. The Lord gives rest.

11. Be very careful. Hold fast.

12. Choose this, and every, day.

Josh.1

1:4 Again states the territory size (Med.Sea to Euphrates).

1:5 I will not fail you nor forsake you.

1:6,7 Be strong and courageous (10x, 7 in Deut/Josh).

Josh.1:8 “...This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it; for then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have success...”

When is a good time for devotions?

Does the morning and evening news get priority over morning and evening devotions?

Josh.2

2:2 How many spies sent out? [Two, not twelve]

Rahab hides them, tells them: 2:10-11 “...For we have heard how the Lord dried up the water of the Red Sea before you when you came out of Egypt, and what you did to the two kings of the Amorites who were beyond the Jordan, to Sihon and Og, whom you utterly destroyed. "When we heard it, our hearts melted and no courage remained in any man any longer because of you; for the Lord your God, He is God in heaven above and on earth beneath...”

Notice that God is recognized, both as above, but on earth.

Josh.3

Joshua’s stature of authority is being solidified.

People, as always, need to know (3:10) "...that the living God is among you...”

They cross the flood stage Jordan on dry ground, just as Moses took their parents through the Red Sea 40 years earlier.

3:15 First in? The Ark (Miracles always require God is first)

4:18 Last out? The Ark

Josh.4

Standing stones taken from?

4:3 “...out of the middle of the Jordan...”

Where were the stones placed?

4:9 “...Joshua set up twelve stones in the middle of the Jordan...”

4:20 “...twelve stones which they had taken from the Jordan set up at Gilgal...”

Fast forward almost 1500yrs to the Jordan river at the time of John the Baptist:

Matt.3:5-9 “...Then Jerusalem was going out to him, and all Judea and all the district around the Jordan; and they were being baptized by him in the Jordan River, as they confessed their sins. But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming for baptism, he said to them, "You brood of vipers, who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? "Therefore bear fruit in keeping with repentance; and do not suppose that you can say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham for our father'; for I say to you that from these stones God is able to raise up children to Abraham...”

What stones? Remember His-Story.

Josh.5

Those born in the wilderness hadn’t been circumcised.

What do you think about the timing - they have just crossed the Jordan and are about to do battle?

1. God did His part - exalted Joshua as their new leader.

2. They need to do their part - commit to the Lord, deny the flesh, and all reliance on it.

5:12 Manna ceases, after 40 years.

5:13-15 Joshua must remove sandals, holy ground, before the captain of host of the Lord (Jesus?). Moses was given an assignment on Holy ground. Joshua is about to embark on his assignment, and he finds himself on Holy ground.

INTERACTION in the affairs of men.

Moses to get them OUT of captivity.

Joshua to get them INTO the promise.

Josh.6

NOTE: Jericho is now the P.L.O. Headquarters for Islamic interests in the region. Bot-Yerah - house of the moon god.

Who fought the battle of Jericho? [God, Joshua, Israel]

Battle plan? [Walk quietly around city once a day for six days, 7 times on the 7th day, trumpet, shout, walls collapsed.

Josh.6:18 “...But as for you, only keep yourselves from the things under the ban, so that you do not covet them and take some of the things under the ban, and make the camp of Israel accursed and bring trouble on it...”

Clear instructions?

Josh.7:1 “...But the sons of Israel acted unfaithfully in regard to the things under the ban, for Achan, the son of Carmi, the son of Zabdi, the son of Zerah, from the tribe of Judah, took some of the things under the ban, therefore the anger of the Lord burned against the sons of Israel...”

Clear disobedience? Living life from “self desires” rather than from “God intentions”?

World promotes Self gratification. God promotes Self denial.

Josh.7:7 “...Joshua said, "Alas, O Lord God, why did You ever bring this people over the Jordan, only to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites, to destroy us? If only we had been willing to dwell beyond the Jordan!...”

Not a “be strong and courageous” response.

Seeing current events without the context of heaven.

Josh.7:12 “...Therefore the sons of Israel cannot stand before their enemies; they turn their backs before their enemies, for they have become accursed. I will not be with you anymore unless you destroy the things under the ban from your midst...”

What prevents God’s intended outcomes? [Not the world’s resistance, but His people’s sin]

God’s intentions for America?

Must get rid of Abominations.

What was Achan’s sin? Josh.7:21

1. Keeping something God wanted destroyed - mantle.

2. Keeping something that belonged to God - silver/gold.

Can one man thwart God’s purposes for a whole nation?

Josh.7:26 “...They raised over him a great heap of stones that stands to this day, and the Lord turned from the fierceness of His anger. Therefore the name of that place has been called the valley of Achor to this day...”

The Valley of Achor is “a door of hope” in Hos.2:15

We walk through our trouble with God - it’s a doorway of Hope.

Josh.8

8:3 30,000 troops sent out at night to set up an ambush.

8:12 5,000 more the next day set between Bethel and Ai

How do you hide 35,000 people?

What took place at the conclusion of the victory?

Josh.8:34-35 “...Then afterward he read all the words of the law, the blessing and the curse, according to all that is written in the book of the law. There was not a word of all that Moses had commanded which Joshua did not read before all the assembly of Israel with the women and the little ones and the strangers who were living among them...”

Why? [Remember how (why) things work]

Josh.9

Gibeonites trick Joshua into a treaty (old clothes, moldy food).

Are they inhabitants (destruction) or aliens (compassion)?

This is like a game of “mother may I”, which Israel lost because they forgot the “Father may I” Josh.9:14 “...So the men of Israel took some of their provisions, and did not ask for the counsel of the Lord...”

Josh.10

5 Kings attack Gibeon.

Joshua marches all night from Gilgal(10:9)

How did they win the battle?

1. God “threw large stones from heaven (10:11)

2. The sun stood still a whole day (10:13)

Was this natural or supernatural?

Interesting astronomy lesson about the orbit of Mars, which at one time passed close to earth

Why was there a calendar shift in 701 BC, when the Romans added 5 ¼ days to a year? Did the orbit of Mars change?

Is this an explanation for why the ancients had such a fear of Mars, which passed close to earth every 108 years, rising over the horizon at 50x the size of the moon?

10:29-43 Completed the southern campaign without any spectacular interventions from God.

Josh.11

Northern kings unite against Joshua.

Josh.11:15 “...Just as the Lord had commanded Moses his servant, so Moses commanded Joshua, and so Joshua did; he left nothing undone of all that the Lord had commanded Moses....”

Reminds me of Jesus saying “It is finished” when He completed what He was sent to do.

Was everything done? [Yes and no. Finishing what a person is called to do doesn’t mean there’s nothing left to do]

Joshua: Sinful men died at the hand of God.

Jesus: God died at the hands of sinful men.

Josh.12

List of the kings that were defeated.

What did they have in common? [they all thought that they were controlling their own destiny, but God had the final say]

Every kingdom on earth has this same erroneous thought.

Josh.13

Land is divided.

Still have issues with the Philistines to the south and the Geshurites to the northeast.

Josh.14

Caleb “...followed the Lord my God fully...”, was “...eighty-five years old...”, and “...still as strong...”

Josh.15,16,17

Not all were driven out (unfinished)

15:63 Jebusites in Jerusalem

16:10 Canaanites in Gezer

Joshua finished his job, but there was more to do.

Josh.18,19

Tabernacle set up at Shiloh.

Land distributed to the last seven tribes by lot (chance?)

Josh.20

48 cities for the Levites (by lot)

Josh.21:44-45 “...And the Lord gave them rest on every side, according to all that He had sworn to their fathers, and no one of all their enemies stood before them; the Lord gave all their enemies into their hand. Not one of the good promises which the Lord had made to the house of Israel failed; all came to pass...”

Josh.22

Reuben, Gad and ½ tribe of Manasseh sent back across the Jordan, with warnings:

Josh.22:5 “...Only be very careful to observe the commandment and the law which Moses the servant of the Lord commanded you, to love the Lord your God and walk in all His ways and keep His commandments and hold fast to Him and serve Him with all your heart and with all your soul..."

Josh.22:18 “...that you must turn away this day from following the Lord? If you rebel against the Lord today, He will be angry with the whole congregation of Israel tomorrow...”

Does the whole congregation suffer if some are unfaithful?

Josh.23,24

Joshua’s farewell comments:

23:3 the Lord ...has been fighting for you

23:6 be very firm ...to keep and do all that is written ...that you may not turn ...to the right ...or the left

23:7 no syncretism

23:8 cling to the Lord

23:11 take diligent heed to love the Lord your God

23:16 when you transgress ...and serve other gods ...you will perish quickly.

24:14 fear ...serve Him in sincerity and truth.

24:15 choose for yourselves today whom you will serve ...but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.

24:23 put away the foreign gods which are in your midst, and incline your hearts to the Lord.

Joshua dies at 110 years old.

God's Expectations (Deut.8-34)

Genesis covered 2500 years of history. Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy covered 40yrs. Why so much press for so little time? God was putting together a nation that was to represent Him to the world. To represent Him correctly, the nation was to be a "set apart" people, living according to God's intentions and expectations.

As you finished the book of Deuteronomy, I hope you noticed the revelation of God's priorities:

No syncretism (melding of differing religious viewpoints)

Devotion (to His truth and word)

Justice (especially for the defenseless)

Compassion (aliens, widows, orphans)

Caring for the poor

Deut.8:11-17 “...Beware that you do not forget the Lord your God by not keeping His commandments and His ordinances and His statutes which I am commanding you today; otherwise, when you have eaten and are satisfied, and have built good houses and lived in them, and when your herds and your flocks multiply, and your silver and gold multiply, and all that you have multiplies, then your heart will become proud and you will forget the Lord your God who brought you out from the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. "He led you through the great and terrible wilderness, with its fiery serpents and scorpions and thirsty ground where there was no water; He brought water for you out of the rock of flint. "In the wilderness He fed you manna which your fathers did not know, that He might humble you and that He might test you, to do good for you in the end. "Otherwise, you may say in your heart, 'My power and the strength of my hand made me this wealth...”

What is the danger? [if forget, blessing leads to pride]

What does this lead to)? Deut.8:19 “...It shall come about if you ever forget the Lord your God and go after other gods and serve them and worship them, I testify against you today that you will surely perish...”

Deut.9:4-6 “...Do not say in your heart when the Lord your God has driven them out before you, 'Because of my righteousness the Lord has brought me in to possess this land,' but it is because of the wickedness of these nations that the Lord is dispossessing them before you. "It is not for your righteousness or for the uprightness of your heart that you are going to possess their land, but it is because of the wickedness of these nations that the Lord your God is driving them out before you, in order to confirm the oath which the Lord swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. "Know, then, it is not because of your righteousness that the Lord your God is giving you this good land to possess, for you are a stubborn people...”

Three times they’re told it’s not because of their righteousness!

What’s the difference? [privilege vs purpose]

Deut.9:13 “...The Lord spoke further to me, saying, 'I have seen this people, and indeed, it is a stubborn people...”

How does God see us?

Are we privilege (entitlement) or purpose (His intentions) oriented?

Deut.9:23 “...When the Lord sent you from Kadesh-barnea, saying, 'Go up and possess the land which I have given you,' then you rebelled against the command of the Lord your God; you neither believed Him nor listened to His voice...”

Two aspects of rebellion? [Failure to believe and failure to listen. Lord help us.]

Deut.10:12-13 “...Now, Israel, what does the Lord your God require from you, but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all His ways and love Him, and to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to keep the Lord's commandments and His statutes which I am commanding you today for your good?...”

What does the Lord require of you? [fear, walk, love, serve, keep - with ALL your heart]

Deut.10:16 “...So circumcise your heart, and stiffen your neck no longer...”

What? [Fleshly desires must be severed and resisting His purposes must stop]

His Purposes? [v.18 ...justice for the orphans and widows, love for the alien... Caring for those with the greatest need. (SODOM?)

Deut.11:13-15 “...It shall come about, if you listen obediently to my commandments which I am commanding you today, to love the Lord your God and to serve Him with all your heart and all your soul, that He will give the rain for your land in its season, the early and late rain, that you may gather in your grain and your new wine and your oil. "He will give grass in your fields for your cattle, and you will eat and be satisfied...”

People’s part? [listen, love, serve]

God’s part? [rain, grass, satisfaction]

Deut.11:16-17 “...Beware that your hearts are not deceived, and that you do not turn away and serve other gods and worship them. "Or the anger of the Lord will be kindled against you, and He will shut up the heavens so that there will be no rain and the ground will not yield its fruit; and you will perish quickly from the good land which the Lord is giving you...”

Blessings or curse depend on listening (11:27,28).

Why is there a difference between the promise (11:24 "...Every place on which the sole of your foot treads shall be yours; your border will be from the wilderness to Lebanon, and from the river, the river Euphrates, as far as the western sea...” ) and the reality?

Isn’t it sad that we never seem to enter into all that God has prepared for His people?

Deut.12:2-3 “...You shall utterly destroy all the places where the nations whom you shall dispossess serve their gods, on the high mountains and on the hills and under every green tree. "You shall tear down their altars and smash their sacred pillars and burn their Asherim with fire, and you shall cut down the engraved images of their gods and obliterate their name from that place...”

Is this harsh?

What is God insisting upon? [no melding of beliefs]

Is God intolerant? Is this a hate crime?

Deut.12:8 “...You shall not do at all what we are doing here today, every man doing whatever is right in his own eyes;...”

Taken out of context, this is a great verse to combat the pluralism (a diversity of views) of our society.

Taken in context, it’s still a great verse to combat the religious pluralism of our society. God has a prescribed way. That way trumps every preference of man.

Is this just O.T. Stuff?

2 Cor.6:14,17 “...Do not be bound together with unbelievers; for what partnership have righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship has light with darkness? ..."Therefore, come out from their midst and be separate," says the Lord. "And do not touch what is unclean; And I will welcome you...”

Rev.18:4 “...I heard another voice from heaven, saying, "Come out of her, my people, so that you will not participate in her sins and receive of her plagues;...”

Deut.12:30-32 “...beware that you are not ensnared to follow them, after they are destroyed before you, and that you do not inquire after their gods, saying, 'How do these nations serve their gods, that I also may do likewise?' "You shall not behave thus toward the Lord your God, for every abominable act which the Lord hates they have done for their gods; for they even burn their sons and daughters in the fire to their gods. "Whatever I command you, you shall be careful to do; you shall not add to nor take away from it...”

Deut.13:4 ”...You shall follow the Lord your God and fear Him; and you shall keep His commandments, listen to His voice, serve Him, and cling to Him...”

Deut.13:6-9 “...If your brother, your mother's son, or your son or daughter, or the wife you cherish, or your friend who is as your own soul, entice you secretly, saying, 'Let us go and serve other gods' (whom neither you nor your fathers have known, of the gods of the peoples who are around you, near you or far from you, from one end of the earth to the other end), you shall not yield to him or listen to him; and your eye shall not pity him, nor shall you spare or conceal him. "But you shall surely kill him; your hand shall be first against him to put him to death, and afterwards the hand of all the people...”

Sounds like the Muslims. What is God thinking?

Deut.14 - Tithing

Deut.14:22 “...You shall surely tithe all the produce from what you sow, which comes out of the field every year...”

Deut.14:28 “...At the end of every third year you shall bring out all the tithe of your produce in that year, and shall deposit it in your town. The Levite, because he has no portion or inheritance among you, and the alien, the orphan and the widow who are in your town, shall come and eat and be satisfied, in order that the Lord your God may bless you in all the work of your hand which you do...”

Deut.26:12 “...When you have finished paying all the tithe of your increase in the third year, the year of tithing, then you shall give it to the Levite, to the stranger, to the orphan and to the widow, that they may eat in your towns and be satisfied...”

Who owns the tithe? [God].

What does He want it for?

Who is to get 1/3? [Levites, aliens, orphans, widows]

Would this help eliminate poverty? Read on..

Deut.15:1 “...At the end of every seven years you shall grant a remission of debts...”

Deut.15:4 “...However, there will be no poor among you, since the Lord will surely bless you in the land which the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance to possess,..”

Deut.15:11 “...For the poor will never cease to be in the land; therefore I command you, saying, 'You shall freely open your hand to your brother, to your needy and poor in your land...”

Jesus said “...you will always have the poor with you...” (Mark 14:7, John 12:8)

How can there “...be no poor...” but “...the poor never cease to be in the land...”?

Deut.15:5,6 “...if only you listen obediently to the voice of the Lord your God, to observe carefully all this commandment which I am commanding you today. For the Lord your God will bless you as He has promised you, and you will lend to many nations, but you will not borrow; and you will rule over many nations, but they will not rule over you...”

God’s blessing is sufficient. His ways will work. We must listen obediently and observe carefully.

Do you see any qualifications on which poor are ‘worthy’ in these verses?

Deut.16:20 “...Justice, and only justice, you shall pursue, that you may live and possess the land which the Lord your God is giving you...”

What does justice look like?

Deut.16:19 “...You shall not distort justice; you shall not be partial, and you shall not take a bribe, for a bribe blinds the eyes of the wise and perverts the words of the righteous...”

Righteousness is perverted by bribes and partiality.

Any bribes in our country? [PACs - legalized bribes?]

Deut.17 - Examples of Justice

Stoning someone who serves other gods (17:5)

Homicides, lawsuits, assault.

Priest can have final say. Failure to listen - death (17:12)

Deut.17:15-19 “...you shall surely set a king over you whom the Lord your God chooses, one from among your countrymen you shall set as king over yourselves; you may not put a foreigner over yourselves who is not your countryman. "Moreover, he shall not multiply horses for himself, nor shall he cause the people to return to Egypt to multiply horses, since the Lord has said to you, 'You shall never again return that way.' "He shall not multiply wives for himself, or else his heart will turn away; nor shall he greatly increase silver and gold for himself. "Now it shall come about when he sits on the throne of his kingdom, he shall write for himself a copy of this law on a scroll in the presence of the Levitical priests. "It shall be with him and he shall read it all the days of his life, that he may learn to fear the Lord his God, by carefully observing all the words of this law and these statutes,...”

Prediction of coming king. Who should choose?

Solomon’s downfall?

What do good leaders do? [keep copy of law, read it, learn to fear God, carefully observe ALL of it]

Would this create good leadership?

Deut.17:20 “...that his heart may not be lifted up above his countrymen and that he may not turn aside from the commandment, to the right or the left, so that he and his sons may continue long in his kingdom in the midst of Israel...”

Prevents pride and error.

Deut.18 List of detestable things.

Divination, Witchcraft, Socery, Casting Spells, Mediums, Spiritists.

What do you think God thinks of palm reading? Horoscopes? Fortune Cookies?

Deut.18:15 “...The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your countrymen, you shall listen to him.”

God provides prophets to carry His words to the people.

Deu.18:20 “...But the prophet who speaks a word presumptuously in My name which I have not commanded him to speak, or which he speaks in the name of other gods, that prophet shall die...”

Prophets must be accurate, not presumptuous.

Deut.19

Cities of Refuge.

God appointed boundaries.

** False witnesses to receive the outcome they intended for another.

Would our current litigation climate change if those suing were made to pay if they lost their suit?

Deut.20

Don’t go to war with the fainthearted.

Why the difference between NEAR (destroy all) and FAR (offer peace) battles? [dangers of syncretism]

Deut.21

21:8 - Guilt of innocent blood in the midst of the people.

21:15 - If a man has two wives? Legal?

21:17 - Double portion to firstborn?

21:20,21 - Stubborn and rebellious son stoned?

21:22 - Death by hanging.

Yikes!

Deut.22

22:3 Not allowed to neglect other’s needs.

22:5 Cross dressing an abomination. (cross sexuality/purpose)

22:9-11 Don’t mix seed, plow team, material.

Why the taboos? Does being set apart require intentional decisions?

Why the laws on immorality (premarital sex, adultery, rape)? Deut.22:21 “... you shall purge the evil from among you...”

Deut.23:7 “...You shall not detest an Edomite, for he is your brother; you shall not detest an Egyptian, because you were an alien in his land...”

We are aliens in this world. Having been freed from this world, we are not to detest those in the world.

Deut.24:17-22 “...You shall not pervert the justice due an alien or an orphan, nor take a widow's garment in pledge. "But you shall remember that you were a slave in Egypt, and that the Lord your God redeemed you from there; therefore I am commanding you to do this thing. "When you reap your harvest in your field and have forgotten a sheaf in the field, you shall not go back to get it; it shall be for the alien, for the orphan, and for the widow, in order that the Lord your God may bless you in all the work of your hands. "When you beat your olive tree, you shall not go over the boughs again; it shall be for the alien, for the orphan, and for the widow. "When you gather the grapes of your vineyard, you shall not go over it again; it shall be for the alien, for the orphan, and for the widow. "You shall remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt; therefore I am commanding you to do this thing...”

Interesting difference between destroying the inhabitants completely and providing for the alien. [brutality vs generosity]

Deut.25

Brother to marry dead brother’s wife.

God’s intent? [family lines preempt individuals]

Deut. 26:12 “...When you have finished paying all the tithe of your increase in the third year, the year of tithing, then you shall give it to the Levite, to the stranger, to the orphan and to the widow, that they may eat in your towns and be satisfied...”

26:13 “....the sacred portion...” This is an amount “set apart” for God purposes.

26:14 “...according to all that You have commanded me...”

Result of doing all (26:19)? [Set high for praise, fame, honor]

Deut.28 Blessings for Obedience

28:1-2 “...Now it shall be, if you diligently obey the Lord your God, being careful to do all His commandments which I command you today, the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations of the earth. "All these blessings will come upon you and overtake you if you obey the Lord your God:...”

Nice list of blessings, but most importantly ... Deut.28:10 “...all the peoples of the earth will see that you are called by the name of the Lord...”

Deut.28 Curses for Disobedience

28:20 Curses, confusion, rebuke.

28:28 Madness, blindness, bewilderment.

28:29 Grope as the blind man [remember Sodom].

28:32-34 Loss of family closeness, frustrations in labors, ultimately driven to despair by what you see as your life.

28:43 Aliens elevated higher, you lower [loss of place in own country].

28:59 Severe and lasting plagues, miserable and chronic sickness.

28:66 Your life shall hang in doubt before you.

These warnings of curses came true with the Assyrian and Babylonian captivities 700 to 600 years prior to Christ.

There was another scattering during the post Christ Roman oppression.

What is happening in America right now?

Deut.29:9 “...So keep the words of this covenant to do them, that you may prosper in all that you do...”

Are we keeping and doing what God is speaking to us?

Deut.30 All is not lost if people will repent.

30:3 The Lord will restore you from captivity.

30:5 The promise is renewed.

30:6 The Lord will circumcise your heart - cut off your fleshly ways.

30:9 The Lord will prosper you, and rejoice over you.

30:11 His commands are not too difficult nor out of reach.

30:14 They are very near.

30:19 Life and death are set before you - choose.

Deut.31

Change of leadership

31:6 Be strong and courageous.

31:8 Do not fear or be dismayed.

31:10-12 Why did Moses instruct them to read the law to the assembled people every 7 years? [so “...they may hear and learn and fear the Lord your God, and be careful to observe all the words of this law...” Children, too]

31:18 What would be the result of failure to comply? ”...I will surely hide My face...”

Deut.32

The Song of Moses

Commissioned by God (31:19) to teach and help remember.

Deut.32:47 “...For it is not an idle word for you; indeed it is your life. And by this word you will prolong your days in the land, which you are about to cross the Jordan to possess..."

Deut.33

Moses proclaims blessings on the 12 tribes, much like Jacob had done in Gen.49 before he died in Egypt

Deut.34

Moses dies at age 120. Eyes not dim, nor vigor abated.

34:6 God buried him.