Transcript Judges and Ruth:

Announcements Regarding the Exam
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Exam Statistics
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Range of Scores:
48 to 98
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Distribution:
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A – 27
B – 45
C – 30
D – 14
F–7
Psalm 18:47 (Hebrew)
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HAI ADONAI UVARUKH TZURI (2X)
Lives The LORD and blessed (is) my Rock
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ELOHEI YESHU’ATI (2X)
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VEYARUM
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And may He be exalted the God of
My salvation
Judges and Ruth:
A Study in Contrast
A Visual Review: Taking the Land
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Jericho
Ascent to Plateau and Ai
Covenant at Shechem
Gibeon on Central
Benjamin Plateau
Swing west and through
Shephelah
Taking the south – Judean
hill country
Conquering the north
Jericho
Ascent to Plateau
Ai
Covenant Renewal at Shechem
Shechem in Spring
Gibeon on Central Benjamin Plateau
Shephelah
Judean hill country
Conquering the north
Thematic Arrangement of Judges
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Non-chronological
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Grandsons of Moses (18:30) and Aaron (20:28)
Naming of Mahaneh Dan (18:12) prior to Judges 13:25
Philistines are major enemy for Samson and will continue
to be in the time of Eli, Saul, and David
Involvement of significant tribes: Judah (and
the town of Bethlehem), Benjamin, Ephraim
No moral leadership (17:6; 18:1; 19:1; 21:25) –
idolatry is increasingly egregious; character of
judges themselves is not exemplary
Note also the weakness of the Levites
Incidents in Chapters 17-21
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Micah – “spiritual illiteracy”
Part of the tribe of Dan migrates
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Move from southern exposed position to one even worse
in the north
Establishment of false worship as a precedent
The Levite and his concubine – Gibeah in
Benjamin
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What tragic irony underlies this narrative?
What abuses take place?
What aftershocks occur?
The Exceptional Case of Ruth
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The practice of hesed
Overview of locations
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Bethlehem
Moab
Characters and “plot”
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Naomi and Elimelekh to Moab because of famine
in Bethlehem (note Judges 3:30 – Moab subject to Israel for 80
years)
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Their sons married Ruth and Orpah – Moabite
women
After the deaths of all the men, Naomi decided to
return home
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Why would she urge Ruth and Orpah to return to their
families?
What did Naomi say about God?
Boaz – as kinsman-redeemer
Lessons in Ruth
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God is sovereign
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The pattern of faithful living – hesed
Redemption
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“there was famine in the land” (cf Deut 11:13-17)
Return at the time of the barley harvest (Ru 1:22)
Gleaning in the field of Boaz
Boaz redeemed Naomi’s property as well as Ruth (an
adumbration of Christ) – he served as kinsman redeemer
The son born to Ruth and Boaz was called a kinsman-redeemer
The significance of Ruth in the line of David (and Christ)