Foundations

The book of Ruth is a beautiful love story that mirrors salvation and our relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. Old and New Testament Scriptures tell us we are betrothed to Him as a bride to her bridegroom. In Ruth this relationship as a "Romance of Redemption" and the law of the kinsman redeemer echo the message of the grace God has for all mankind.

Even though Gideon was hiding and afraid, God demonstrated through Gideon He delights in taking the least, the weakest, and the most ordinary people to accomplish extraordinary supernatural miracles, when such people are available and committed to doing what God tells them to do. It is important when God calls you to do a work for Him that you go into that work knowing that God has sent you and that God is with you.

The book of Judges shows us God delights in doing extraordinary things through very ordinary people like you and me. The character studies of these judges give us insight and hope for those times we feel unworthy or inadequate to face life's difficult challenges. Through apostasy and its terrible consequences God shows us some wonderful truths about how He honors faithfulness and fulfills His purposes for His people.

The book of Judges covers the 400 years after the conquest of the Promised Land and after the Israelites said, "We will serve the Lord our God and obey him." Yet in this period of Hebrew history "every man did what was right in his own eyes." Have you ever promised to put God first in your life, only to fall away from that vow later? The Israelites did after they settled in Canaan, not once, but seven times!

We could say that the first seventeen books of the Old Testament are history books. So why should we study so much history of this one little nation of Israel? One reason is to look for examples and warnings. When the Hebrew people obeyed the Word of God, God blessed them, and they are examples for us. When they did not obey, they lived under the curse of God, and their lives are warnings for you and me.

The book of Joshua is full of allegories that teach us how to overcome the enemies of our faith. The first enemy of our faith, the world, is pictured by Jericho. The second, represented by Israel's defeat, represents our flesh. The people from Gibeon made a treaty with Israel by tricking them. The devil deceives us in the same way and is our third enemy. Joshua challenged his people to seal their faith by making a covenant with God.

What is faith? How does faith work? The book of Joshua provides sixteen illustrations to demonstrate faith. God will sometimes test your faith but you can be assured He will not take you where His grace cannot keep you. If you know God is leading you to do something, do it. His plan is always the right plan. Joshua teaches us that faith is practical. When faith walks, it works, and when faith works, it wins the battles of life.

The book Joshua is all about faith, the kind of faith that conquers and possesses all God wills for His people. Many of us fail, like the Israelites, to experience the spiritual blessing God intends us to have: prayer, Scripture, fellowship, worship - God gives them all to every believer. You possess prayer by praying, and you possess the Scripture when you read it, understand it, and apply it. You possess your spiritual possessions one spiritual step at a time.

The sermons of Moses teach about our response to God's grace and about apostasy, about those who no longer respond to God's grace. Moses preached on tithing, showing God is first in our life and of giving to the poor. He preached a very strong message on how God forbids the occult, fortunetelling, communicating with the dead, and using black magic. He also told them about the Prophet Priest, and King who would one day come and save them.

Throughout Deuteronomy, in the sermons of Moses, there is a strong emphasis on the importance of obeying the Word of God. When Israel obeyed God's laws, He blessed them. When they did not obey God's laws, they did not enjoy the blessings of God. In one of Moses' final sermons he tells us God does not bless us because we are good. God blesses us because He is good and because He loves us. That is what grace means.