Foundational Stories – Part 2

Loving the Old Testament

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In January 2023, I wrote a substack regarding my exploration of the Pentateuch, the first five books of the Bible. If you missed it, you can find it here – I have also updated it and added to it.

Over the years, I have tried many times to follow “Bible in a Year” courses. I could never stick to the schedule, and it seemed so contrived to me. So now, I’m taking my time and making the reading meaningful.

Book of Joshua

From the first chapter, God sets the stage for what is to come.

• Chpt 1:5-6, 9 - “No man will be able to stand before you all the days of your life. Just as I have been with Moses, I will be with you; I will not fail you or forsake you.  Be strong and courageous, for you shall give this people possession of the land which I swore to their fathers to give them... Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous! Do not tremble or be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”

Joshua spent the rest of his life removing the Hittites, Perizzites, Hivites, Jebusites, and Canaanites from the land promised to the Israelites and dividing the regions as an inheritance among the 12 Tribes. When Joshua was 110 years old and near the end of his life, he assembled all the leaders, officials, judges, and tribal officers of Israel and admonished them to serve the Lords. He reminded them to put away the gods which were served throughout the land and in Egypt.

Joshua knew that they would eventually rebel which would bring disaster to all that had been accomplished. It would take many years, but he was prophetically correct.

Book of Judges

The book depicts the life of Israel for roughly 350 years, from the death of Joshua to when Saul became king. While living in the land of Canaan, the Israelites lost sight of their heritage and merge with the people they were to eliminate from their land. This led to adoption of Canaanite morals, agriculture, religious beliefs, and practices.

• Judges 2:10-14 - After that whole generation [that had known Joshua] had died, another generation grew up that was not acquainted with the LORD or with what he had done for Israel. The children of Israel practiced what the LORD considered to be evil by worshiping Canaanite deities. As a result, they abandoned the LORD by serving both Baal and Ashtaroth. So in his burning anger against Israel, the LORD gave them to the domination of marauders who plundered them. The enemies who surrounded the Israelis controlled them, and they were no longer able to withstand their adversaries.

Sound familiar? This happened repeatedly in history. It’s happening in real-time in America today too.

Eventually, they were conquered and controlled by the powerful and evil Midianites. Judges has the story of Gideon and his army (Chpts 6-8) who were called to rescue the Israelites. But no sooner had Gideon died, the people returned to their foul ways of Baal worship and decadent decay.

Book of Ruth

A man named Elimelech and his wife Naomi had two sons named Mahlon and Chilion. Both sons married Moabite women: one named Orpah and the other named Ruth. After they lived in the Moab region for about ten years, both Mahlon and Chilion died leaving Naomi alone with neither her husband nor her two sons.

When Naomi decided to move back to her homeland of Judah, both of her daughters-in-law wanted to travel with her. But Naomi discouraged them from doing so. Orpah turned back, but Ruth could not be dissuaded. Ruth eventually married Boaz, became pregnant, and gave birth to a son named Obed. He became the father of Jesse and grandfather of David, creating the lineage to Jesus. 

I was surprised to learn Ruth was a Moabite.

Recall that when Sodom was destroyed, and Lot’s wife had been turned into a pillar of salt, Lot and his two daughters lived in a cave in the hills. His daughters got him drunk, and both became pregnant by their father. The older child was named Moab and became the lineage of the Moabites. The younger child was named Ben Ammi, the Father of the Ammonites. (Gen. 19: 30-38). Therefore, Jesus is an indirect descendant of Abraham’s nephew, Lot, and his incestuously born grandson, Moab!

When I asked a dear Pastor friend of mine about this somewhat troubling bloodline, (different from what we’ve ‘taught’), this was his response:

It kind of messes up this notion of “a special, pure genetic, chosen people” when the Savior himself is a mongrel of sorts (on purpose!). That is the point - God is the Father of all the families on the earth, and Jesus was/is not *just* a Jewish messiah. He is the Savior of the whole world.  The whole point of Ruth, as a profound story, is that the true people of God do not come from just one tribe or group of people.

I encourage all of you to read the full story. The Book of Ruth is only 4 chapters long and is rich with detail.

Books of 1 and 2 Samuel

The author of these works is not definitively known. What is known is that 1 and 2 Samuel were originally one book. It was divided into two parts by the translators of the Greek translation around AD 400. The first part, 1 Samuel, is about God’s establishment of a political system in Israel. When Samuel called Israel to repentance, once again, and they were delivered from the Philistines, Samuel was both their leader and their spiritual protector. When the Lord instructed him to give in and grant the wish of the People for a king so they could be like the other nations in their neighborhood (1 Samuel 8:8, 19-22), Samuel was directed by the Lord to appoint Saul as King.

Even after being appointed, it was a few years before Saul settled in as king of Israel. His entire 42-year reign was rocky. He was in and out of the Lord’s graces. He had many battles with the Amalekites and the Philistines. It is in Chapter 17 where the story of David and Goliath is told. From there through the end of 1 Samuel, when Saul takes his own life (Chpt. 31), there are many chase stories between Saul and David. Chapter 25 is the story of David and Abigail. I wrote a substack about it here.

It was interesting to read 1 and 2 Samuel together and learn about the many bloody battles and escapades of David, which I admit became wearisome reading for me toward the end of the books.

I didn’t understand David’s character as a powerful, deadly warrior who was continually roving the area, slaughtering entire villages of men and women in his path.

• 1 Samuel 27:11 - David saved neither man nor woman alive, to bring them to Gath, saying, "Lest they should tell of us, saying, 'David has done this, and this has been his way all the time he has lived in the country of the Philistines.’”

• 2 Samuel Chpt 3:1 – The war between the house of Saul and the house of David lasted a long time. David grew stronger and stronger, while the house of Saul grew weaker and weaker.

I always pictured David as a young cherub, killing Goliath as a shepherd boy, and then spending his life hiding in caves and writing psalms until which time he became a royal and majestic king. I didn’t know he had eight wives. Later, we will learn King Solomon had 700 wives and 300 concubines (1 Kings 11:3).

2 Samuel depicts David as the true, but imperfect, king. David stays faithful to the Lord who promised that David’s dynasty would endure forever. Again, as an interesting segway of lineage and to the future:

David had Uriah killed so he could marry his beautiful wife Bathsheba. Their first child, conceived from an adulterous act, died but their second child was Solomon, who would follow his father to the throne.

My takeaway from these five books has been: God is still using these stories from thousands of years ago, stories of normal humans and their bloody battles, to inspire me to trudge on and stay prayerfully in touch with His laws. God can use everything to glorify His Kingdom, even my small day-to-day travails.

I hope these little summaries encourage each of you to do deeper reading. If so, consider buying me a coffee and sharing this with family and friends.

Today’s Prayer:

Dear Father, stories of battles from thousands of years ago are as real today as they were at the time. Thank you for keeping Your Word alive in the world and available for us to study and to learn. Help us to understand You never change and You are always with us. Thank you for being a loving Father who forgives our mess-ups, even when we have been warned. Grant us grace. Give us courage. In Jesus’ name. Amen.