LESSON 8 • Living by Faith: (Joshua - Judges - Ruth)
"Struggle for Consistency"

OPEN

Many people know the story of Israel told by Joshua, Judges, and Ruth. How Joshua led the Israelites across the Jordan River to conquer Canaan; the land promised to them through Abraham. How that conquest was followed by the time of the judges when Israel rebelled against God and endured turmoil in that land. But few stop to think about what these stories have to do with our lives today, and those that do often find themselves at a loss. That is the purpose of this study; to take an intentional look at the significance of this old story. But first let us begin with a recap of these three books in a little more detail.

Joshua 1:1-9

God’s relationship with Israel began in Genesis 12 when God called to Abraham and made him a four-fold promise (Gen. 12:2-3): 1) “I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you” 2) “I will make your name great and you will be a blessing” 3) “I will bless those who bless you and curse those who curse you” and 4) “All peoples on earth will be blessed through you” To this God added, “To your offspring I will give this land (i.e., Canaan) (Gen 12:7).” And so began the covenant of God with Abraham and his descendants.

The covenant was renewed to Isaac (Gen. 26:1-5), Jacob (Gen. 28:10-15), and to all their descendants (Ex. 6:6-8; Deut. 6:10-12), even until Joshua’s generation (Josh. 1:1-3, 6). The last few hundred years had taken the Israelites through slavery in Egypt, through grumbling and complaining while wandering in the wilderness, through opposition on the east side of the Jordan. And now, one can imagine the emotion felt by the Israelites as they waited, anxious to cross over into Canaan. This is the setting when the book of Joshua begins.

Under the leadership of Joshua, Israel crossed over into Canaan and destroyed those living there, for the time had come when their sin had reached its fullness (Gen. 15:16). The book of Joshua describes in detail Israel’s military campaign as they conquered Canaan and it tells of how the land was divided among the tribes. Near the end of the book then, we see the fulfillment of God’s promise made to Abraham so long ago (Josh. 21:43-45). And Israel enjoyed rest in the land of Canaan, at least for the time being.

Judges 2:8 -3:5

God’s promise to Abraham in Genesis 12 seems to have been made with no conditions and as we’ve seen, it was indeed fulfilled in Joshua 21. However, the Israelites keeping of the land was conditional upon their obedience to the Lord. Time and time again they were reminded of this (Lev. 26; Deut. 28). Even Joshua, once Israel had entered Canaan, warned them of the consequences of disobedience (Josh. 23).

No longer under the leadership of Joshua, the Israelites rebelled against God and failed to hold up their end of the bargain. And the consequences come. The book of Judges tells of Israel’s cycle of sin, servitude, supplication, and salvation. The people rebelled against God, they became subject to other nations, they cried out to God for help, He delivered them but only to have Israel forsake Him again. And so went the cycle. There was no longer rest in Canaan.

Ruth

The book of Ruth tells the story of a woman named Naomi. Naomi was a woman who knew pain and death well. Her family endured famine, only to have her husband die, and eventually her two sons as well. Yet God remained faithful to Naomi and restored her, despite her loss. I like the way Albert Baylis highlights the different note of Ruth compared to that of Judges in his book From Creation to the Cross, “The history of Israel is enhanced by this story that reminds them that their God is at work even at the darkest times to fulfill his promises.”

Hebrews 3:16-4:11; 11:8-16; 12:22-29

So what in the world does this story in Israel’s history have to do with us today? The Hebrew writer seems to think quite a bit. He envisions his audience as on a journey to rest, much like that of Israel’s journey for rest in the promised land. The Israelites may have enjoyed partial rest in Canaan, but they failed to see it in full because of their disobedience. The author of Hebrews says it another way: they were not able to enter rest because of their unbelief. “The message they heard was of no value to them, because those who heard did not combine it with faith (Heb. 4:2).”

The main heading for this lesson is “Struggling for Consistency: Living by Faith.” It seems like each day we are fighting this struggle to be wholly committed to God, to be obedient to His will in every part of our lives. I suspect as long as we are in these bodies that fight will continue. But we can take hope in those who have gone before us. Hebrews 11 gives example after example of those who were “living by faith” and as a result “God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them (Heb. 11:13-16).” The same promise of rest is still available to us and in fact God has prepared a city for us as well (Heb. 4:1; 12:22-24). Let’s make every effort then to combine the message we have heard with faith so that we can one day enter eternal rest with God.

DISCUSSION

1. What is faith? What does it mean to combine it with the message we have heard?

2. What affect does faith have on obedience?

3. Talk about your struggle for consistency. What does it look like in your life when you are living by faith?

4. What does “rest” mean? Why is the need for rest such a common need? How is this need met by Jesus? To what extent can we enter rest while here on earth?