1 & 2 Samuel (Program #14) – The History Concerning David (3)

All of us are used to thinking of David as perhaps the most valiant of the great men of the Old Testament. From his youth, when he was fighting off lions and bears as they attack his flock of sheep, to his triumph over the mighty Goliath, to his fearless warring against all the enemies of Israel once he was king. It seems that David never backed away from a fight. Yet when his own wife was being threatened by the evil King Saul of Israel, when given the chance to defend himself, his only action was to flee. He would not lift a finger against Saul even when it seemed that Jehovah had delivered Saul fully into his hands. But why behind David’s refusal to avenge himself of Saul is most enlightening.

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1 & 2 Samuel (Program #5) – The History Concerning Samuel (3)

The situation in Israel was degraded and even the priesthood was waning but Jehovah reacted as He often reacted to the failures of Israel by raising up one person who would be according to His own heart. The young boy Samuel, son of Elkanah and Hannah had already been consecrated to the Lord.  But the child’s up bringing also had a deep impact upon him for he witnessed the corruption of the sons of Eli firsthand. And he watched, as the priest Eli failed to rule over his two evil sons even as they usurped the ark of the covenant and allowed to be taken captive by Israel’s enemies. As a result the glory of Jehovah departed from the tabernacle and from Israel. But what he had witnessed left a deep impression upon Samuel and was used by Jehovah to produce in him one who faithfully restored the testimony to Israel and whom the Lord ultimately used to turn the age.

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Ruth (Program #2) – Ruth’s Exercising Her Right

The book of Ruth is a rare delight.  It’s the sweet love story of a girl with a dark background but who through the mercy of Jehovah and through her own strong choice found a way to join herself to God, to His people and to His move on the earth.  In the process she even found a marvelous husband, a provider. But more than just the stuff of great stories are made up, the book of Ruth shows us much about ourselves and the full salvation that God is providing us and how we too can exercise to choose what He is offering to gain access to the rich inheritance that God desires all of His children to share.

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Judges (Program #7) – The Abominable Chaos in their Worship

The life study of the books of Joshua and judges reveals not just the history of Israel with its’ successes and failures possessing the good land of Canaan, but also even more importantly it teaches us how we can gain and possess the all inclusive Christ as our full portion, our enjoyment and our inheritance. Israel in the good land typifies us, the New Testament believers in Christ and just as Israel allowed their departure from a close and intimate fellowship with Jehovah to impede their progress gaining the land we too can see our spiritual progress and our enjoyment of Christ impeded if we don’t take care of our day by day, even moment by moment fellowship with Him.  Listen to this verse in 1 John 1:3 “That which we have seen and heard we report also to you that you also may have fellowship with us, and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ.”

A very marvelous portion related to this matter of fellowship typified of course by the picture in the Old Testament of Israel gaining, possessing the land. We enter into the fellowship the moment we receive Christ and this fellowship is a fellowship that is life long.

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Judges (Program #2) – The Miserable History of Israel’s Forsaking God (1)

In the history of the children of Israel God had manifested Himself to Israel in many aspects.  He fought for them as a warrior against Pharaoh and his armies, becoming their protector when they were still in Egypt. Then He supplied them with water and food in the wilderness as the source of all their living for more than 40 years. In addition He cared for them not just as a father but more so as their king.  Eventually He unveiled to them His deepest longing and that was to be a husband to them and for them to be a bride, a pure and chaste wife to Him.  But again and again Israel turned away from Him as their husband and as their king. At least 4 times, in the book of Judges we see the same words, “In those days, there were no kings in Israel, every man did what was right in his own eyes.”  How much these words must had offended Jehovah, Who had revealed Himself so faithfully to Israel again and again. But His love is greater than the weaknesses of His people, so He appeared to them again, not as a king not even as their husband but as a servant, a slave to minister to them in their poor condition and lowest state.

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Judges (Program #1) – An Introductory Word

The first chapter of the book of Judges records the marvelous story of Judah and Caleb fighting against the Canaanites after the death of Joshua. Jehovah displayed again that He was with Israel and that they can trust Him to fight with and for them against their enemy. But just as an unfaithful wife forsake her husband thereby damaging their marriage Israel eventually forsook Jehovah.

Listen to Judges 2 : 11-13  “And the children of Israel did what was evil in the sight of Jehovah and served the Baals. And they forsook Jehovah, the God of their fathers, who brought them out from the land of Egypt; and they followed after other gods from among the gods of the peoples who surrounded them; and they worshipped them and provoked Jehovah to anger. And they forsook Jehovah and served Baal and the Ashtaroth. Then the anger of Jehovah burned against Israel, and He delivered them into the hands of plunderers; and they plundered them. And He sold them into the hand of their enemies around them, and they were no longer able to stand before their enemies.”

From this point on the book of Judges becomes an ugly history a failure and humiliation for Israel as she turned from the purity and enjoyment of her days as a bride to Jehovah, becoming a harlot in His eyes.

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Joshua (Program #7) – The Destruction of Jericho

Remember the story of Jericho, for 6 days the children of Israel bearing the ark borne by the priests marched around the fortified city of Jericho.  No doubt as the inhabitants watched from the top of the city wall and sure wondered at the strange behavior of these occupying force.

And then on the 7th day after the priests blew the trumpet and the people shouted and they came about when the people heard the sound of the trumpets that “the people shouted with a great shout, and the wall fell down flat. And the people went up into the city, each straight ahead, and they captured the city.  And they utterly destroyed all that was in the city with the edge of the sword: both men and women, young and old, and oxen and sheep and donkeys. And Joshua said to the two men who had spied out the land, Go to the house of the harlot, and bring out from there the woman and all that belongs to her, as you swore to her. And the young men who had been spies went and brought out Rahab and her father and her mother and her brothers and all that belonged to her; all her family they brought out and set outside the camp of Israel. And they burned the city with fire and all that was in it;” more…

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Deuteronomy (Program #25) – The Final Exhortation and Charges, The Blessing of Moses

Deuteronomy, the mysterious little book with a very strange name. Actually it means re-speaking or second speaking as we have seen over the past weeks and this is the an account of Moses re-speaking the law with all of the statues and all the ordinances to a new generation of the children of Israel as they were about to enter into the land of Israel, the good land. But incorporated into this book were page after page of serious warnings of the curses that were befall Israel if they were to not listen to the word of Jehovah.

Near the end of the book, there is a long section, chapter 33, called the song of Moses that accounts in poetic form many incorporated in this book and it concludes this way, a very fitting conclusion to the entire book of Deuteronomy.  “So Israel dwelt securely, The fountain of Jacob in solitude, On a land of grain and new wine; And the heavens over him drop their dew. Happy are you, O Israel; who is like you? A people saved by Jehovah, The shield of your help And He who is the sword of your majesty! So your enemies shall come cringing to you, And you shall tread upon their high places.”

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Deuteronomy (Program #22) – The Rehearsal of the Law (16)

Deuteronomy contains a lengthy section, 13 chapters actually where Moses rehearsed or repeated the law that had came down from Jehovah on Mt Sinai. He was repeating it to a new generation of the children of Israel that had never heard it before.

We come today to the final program dealingwith this rehearsal of the law and how it concluded gloriously with the children of Israel declaring that they would keep these commandments and walk in them and Moses saying to them, “today you had declared Jehovah to be your God that you would walk on His way and keep His statues, His commandments and His judgments and listen to His voice and He will set you high above all the nations which He has made for praise and for a name and for honor and that you will be a holy people to Jehovah your God as He has spoken.”

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Deuteronomy (Program #12) -The Rehearsal of the Law (5)

Many people take great solace and comfort in the fact that we live in the land that allows us absolute freedom and how and where to worship God. Surely this is a cherish and value freedom that we thank God for. But how much freedom does the Bible give to the people of God in choosing where and how to worship?

In the Old Testament book of Deuteronomy we see that Moses had a lot to say on this issue. Deuteronomy 12:13 says “Be careful that you do not offer up your burnt offerings in every place that you see; But in the place which Jehovah will choose, there you shall offer up your burnt offerings, and there you shall do all that I am commanding you.”  The place that Jehovah will choose is the focus of this chapter in Deuteronomy.  An important and interesting fellowship today and one we all will come to realize which is very, very much in God’s heart.

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