Bible Study
Week Nine
Christians and the Bible
LOVE
JOY (喜乐）
ENTHUSIASM
God’s words
PEACE
COURAGE
SELFCONTROL
HUMINITY
Book of Ruth
- "No poet in the world has written a more beautiful short story."
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Background
Plot
1. Naomi and Ruth go to Bethlehem
2. Ruth meets Boaz
3. Ruth proposes marriage to Boaz
4. Boaz marries Ruth
5. Ruth, King David, Jesus Christ
Analysis
6. Personalities of Naomi and Ruth
7. The message of Ruth’s story
Background
Judges
Famine
BethlehemMoab
MoabBethlehem
Naomi (‘pleasing’)
Orpah
Ruth (‘mercy’)
1. Naomi and Ruth go to Bethlehem
an
“Don’t urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where
you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people
will be my people and your God my God. Where you die I will
die, and there I will be buried. May the LORD deal with me, be
it ever so severely, if anything but death separates you and me.”
2. Ruth meets Boaz
"It has been fully reported to me, all that you have done for your
mother-in-law since the death of your husband, and how you have
left your father and your mother and the land of your birth and
have come to a people whom you did not know before" (Ruth 2:11).
3. Ruth proposes marriage to Boaz
Ruth: “Spread the
corner of your garment
over me, since you are
a kinsman-redeemer.”
Boaz: “This kindness is
greater than that which
you showed earlier. You
have not run after the
younger men, whether
rich or poor…”
4. Boaz marries Ruth
Levirate marriage and the "redeemer"
5. Ruth, King David, Jesus Christ
6. Personalities of Naomi and Ruth
Naomi:
Ruth:
piety
kind-hearted
tenacity
respectable
loyal
kind-hearted
obedient
tenacity
integrity
wisdom
compassion
7. The message of Ruth’s story
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Redemption and restoration
Ruth demonstrates God’s grace:
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She received blessings she did not merit.
God acts in grace in the midst of evil.
Her nationality was particularly odious to the Jews (Deut
23:3).
Book of Samuel 1
“Samuel the Prophet” thus practically bridges the gulf
between Samson the Judge and David the King: and there is
deep significance in the fact that his name is identified with
the two Books of Scripture which describe this great
transitional period, every event of which was affected by his
influence”. (F.B. Meyer)
History of Israel
Era of the Judges
Kingdom era
1
Osniel ben Kenaz
1
Saul
14
Eli
2
David
15
Samuel
3
Solomon
Episodes
1. The birth of Samuel
2. Samuel anoints Saul
3. Samuel rebukes Saul
4. God rejects Saul as King
5. Samuel anoints David
6. Saul and David
1. The birth of Samuel
“O LORD Almighty, if you will only
look upon your servant’s misery and
remember me, and not forget your
servant but give her a son, then I will
give him to the LORD for all the
days of his life, and no razor will ever
be used on his head.”
Hannah prays to God
“So now I give him to the LORD.
For his whole life he will be given
over to the LORD”.
Hannah brings Samuel to Eli
Samuel
Samuel grew in wisdom and became
a prophet. Following a great Philistine
victory over the Israelites, Samuel became
a judge and rallied the nation against the
Philistines.
Unfortunately, Samuel's sons, Joel and
Abijah, who had been delegated to follow
him as judges, were corrupt, so the people
demanded a king.
2. Samuel anoints Saul
“an impressive young man without equal among the Israelites–
a head taller than any of the others”. (Book of 1Samuel 9:2)
 Benjamin tribe;
 Anointed by Samuel;
 The first king of the united
Kingdom of Israel;
 Fought a great many battles;
 Negligent in his religious
duties;
 Tries to kill David
3. Samuel rebukes Saul
He waited seven days, the
time set by Samuel; but
Samuel did not come to
Gilgal, and Saul’s men
began to scatter. So he said,
“Bring me the burnt
offering and the fellowship
offerings”.
Samuel:
“You acted foolishly”
“You have not kept the
command the LORD your
God gave you”
3. Samuel rebukes Saul
God:
“I will punish the Amalekites for what
they did to Israel when they waylaid
them as they came up from Egypt.
Now go, attack the Amalekites and
totally destroys everything that
belongs to them. Do not spare them;
put to death men and women, children
and infants, cattle and sheep, camels
and donkeys.”
Saul:
 Spared Agag and the best of
the sheep and cattle, the fat
calves and lambs—
everything that was good.
 Sacrifice the animals to God
 Set up a monument in his
own honor.
Samuel:
“Does the LORD delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the
voice of the LORD? To obey is better than sacrifice…For rebellion is like the sin of
divination, and arrogance like the evil of idolatry. Because you have rejected the word
of LORD, he has rejected you as king”.
4. God rejects Saul as King
1) Israel asks for a King
God (to Samuel): “It is not you they have rejected, but they
have rejected me as their king. As they have done from the
day I brought them up out of Egypt until this day, forsaking
me and serving other gods.”
2) Disobedience
God (to Samuel): “ I am grieved that I have made Saul King,
because he has turned away from me and has not carried out
my instructions.”
5. Samuel anoints David
God: “ The LORD does not look
at the things man looks at. Man
looks at the outward appearance,
but the LORD looks at the heart.”
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A shepherd warrior
An excellent musician
Father of Solomon
Conquest Jerusalem
6. Saul and David
--- “unbelievable story of love, hate, and conquest”
(1) David plays the harp for Saul
And whenever the evil spirit
from God came upon Saul,
David took the lyre and played
it with his hand, and Saul
would be relieved and feel
better, and the evil spirit would
depart from him. (1 Samuel
16:23).
6. Saul and David
(2) David kills Goliath
Goliath, from Philistine Camp, 9
feet in height; with bronze helmet
on his head, bronze greaves on his
leg, he wore plate armour of
bronze, weighing 5000 shekels .
Weapons: shaft of his spear like a
weaver’s beam, with its head iron
weighing 600 shekels.
6. Saul and David
(2) David kills Goliath
David picked up
his stick, chose five
smooth stones from
the brook. He
walked out to meet
the Philistine with
his sling in his
hand.
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He took out a stone, slung it, and struck the Philistine on the
forehead. The stone sank into his forehead, and he fell flat on
his face on the ground.(1 Samuel 17:49)
He ran to the Philistine, and cut off his head.
6. Saul and David
--- “unbelievable story of love, hate, and conquest”
(3) Saul becomes jealous of David
“Saul has slain his thousands,
and David his tens of thousands.”
(4) Saul tries to kill David
David becomes Saul’s son-in-law
Saul tries to pin David to the wall
6. Saul and David
--- “unbelievable story of love, hate, and conquest”
(5) David spares Saul’s life twice
“ I will not life my hand against my master,
because he is the LORD’s anointed.”
“The LORD himself will strike him; either
his time will come and he will die, or he
will go into battle and perish.”
(6) Saul commits suicide
His sons, Jonathan and Malchishua and
Abinadab, had all been killed and Saul
himself lay dead with his own sword
through his heart.
Summary
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Book of Ruth
Naomi, Ruth, Boaz
Book of Samuel 1
Samuel, Saul, David
Homework: Book 2 Samuel;
Book 1 Kings