The sixth unit of the Bible, the book of Judges, ended with the declaration, “In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes” (Judges 21:25). But Yahweh has not abandoned His people. With the next book, the tiny book of Ruth, one of the most glorious sections of the entire history of Israel begins: the preparation, establishment and glory of the royal house of David. It covers Ruth chapter 1 and runs through 1 Kings chapter 10, from March 23 until April 14 in the 2012 calendar. Our reading should take just over three weeks.
These observations should help us understand the whole unit:
1) The main events of the unit: The establishment of the monarchy in Israel, the rise of David to be king over all Israel, Yahweh’s covenant with David, the construction of the temple by his son, Solomon
2) Yahweh’s attributes that stand out: Yahweh’s zeal for His anointed one; His mercy
3) Yahweh’s main work: Yahweh establishes His anointed one on His holy mount, in Jerusalem
4) The main participants: The prophet Samuel and kings Saul, David and
Solomon
5) The main reference to Jesus Christ and the gospel: “I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever”(2 Samuel 7:13).
6) Key observations: Notice that the kings are anointed to show that, just like the objects in the tabernacle, they are set apart to be instruments exclusively for Yahweh. The word for “anointed” in Hebrew is “messiah” and in Greek, “Christ”. The anointed king David will be an ancestor and forerunner of Jesus Christ in the New Testament.
The narratives of this unit are impressive, and sometimes one reads them and forgets the most important Person in the story is Yahweh. If we remember that He always is the center of Biblical narrative, it will help us evaluate some readings in which it is difficult to find a modern application or determine if someone acted properly.
With this in mind, we begin today by reading the book of Ruth.
These observations should help us understand the whole unit:
1) The main events of the unit: The establishment of the monarchy in Israel, the rise of David to be king over all Israel, Yahweh’s covenant with David, the construction of the temple by his son, Solomon
2) Yahweh’s attributes that stand out: Yahweh’s zeal for His anointed one; His mercy
3) Yahweh’s main work: Yahweh establishes His anointed one on His holy mount, in Jerusalem
4) The main participants: The prophet Samuel and kings Saul, David and
Solomon
5) The main reference to Jesus Christ and the gospel: “I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever”(2 Samuel 7:13).
6) Key observations: Notice that the kings are anointed to show that, just like the objects in the tabernacle, they are set apart to be instruments exclusively for Yahweh. The word for “anointed” in Hebrew is “messiah” and in Greek, “Christ”. The anointed king David will be an ancestor and forerunner of Jesus Christ in the New Testament.
The narratives of this unit are impressive, and sometimes one reads them and forgets the most important Person in the story is Yahweh. If we remember that He always is the center of Biblical narrative, it will help us evaluate some readings in which it is difficult to find a modern application or determine if someone acted properly.
With this in mind, we begin today by reading the book of Ruth.
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