Judges & Ruth

Teacher: Dee Briggs

• Please read the books of Judges and Ruth and take some time to think about why the two books are so different from one another, since they are both from the same time period.

• What would be missing from your picture of God if either of the books were not in your Bible?

• As I have been reading Judges, I have also been watching the Abraham Lincoln mini-series on the History channel. This caused me to notice the several civil wars mentioned in the book of Judges. Please note Abimelech’s story in chapter 9, the Ephraimites’ dispute with the Gileadites in the first part of chapter 12, and the near annihilation of the tribe of Benjamin in chapters 20-21.

• The last line in Judges says, “In those days . . . everyone did what was right in his own eyes.” Do you see any similarities to our present day, or not at all?

See you next week!
God bless!
Dee Briggs

Listen to the book of Judges from BibleGateway: ESV, KJV, MSG, NIV, NKJV

Short Outline of Judges from Today's English Version

• Events up to the death of Joshua (1:1 – 2:10)
• The judges of Israel (2:11 – 16:31)
• Various incidents (17:1 – 21:25)

Listen to the book of Ruth from BibleGateway: ESV, KJV, MSG, NIV, NKJV

Short Outline of Ruth from Today's English Version

• Naomi returns to Bethlehem with Ruth (1:1-22)
• Ruth meets Boaz (2:1 – 3:18)
• Boaz marries Ruth (4:1-22)