Page 64 - Advanced OT Survey Revised

Chapter 6: Introduction to Historical Books –
Joshua, Judges, Ruth

Connect…

Do you trust in God’s promises? The Book of Joshua is a very significant book because it helps the
reader to understand that God always fulfills his promises.

During the book of Judges, the people all did what they thought was right in their own eyes. Everyone
did his own thing! Sounds like today, uh? The children of Israel lived in a time just like today. The book
of Judges is a narrative about Israel’s darkest time. It is a record of Israel’s both spiritually and leadership
decline. It is also a very beautiful book because it also portrays God’s relentless love for his chosen
people.

The book of Ruth is a very significant book because it reveals a remnant that remains faithful to God
while living in dark times. It is also a picture of Gentiles coming to Yahweh in faith. Let’s learn about
these books…

Objectives…

1. The student should be able to explain what Pre-exilic historical books (time of conquest and judges)
of Joshua, Judges and Ruth all are about.

2. The student should be able to explain the important questions such as: what, when, where, how.

3. The student should be able to discuss the main message and main divisions of these three books.

4. The student should be able to create an application for life from these three historical books.

The Lesson ...

Introduction to Historical Books xlvi

The Historical books trace the history of Israel from a theological perspective from the conquest of the
Land of Canaan under Joshua around 1400 BC to the return from the Babylonian captivity and the close
of the Old Testament around 430BC. Thus, almost 1000 years of Israel’s history are included.

The historical books fall into fairly two distinct categories
A. Pre-exilic (9 books) 1400 to 586 BC

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