Nathan W. Bingham

I'm pretty sure its final form was written in David's day, or at least under the successors of David. This is all a way of saying, you don't want Benjamin, you don't want Saul, you want Judah, and you want David. But of course, It's a political tract from the hand of God. It's God saying, it's David and it's Judah that are the tribe that I choose.

I'm pretty sure its final form was written in David's day, or at least under the successors of David. This is all a way of saying, you don't want Benjamin, you don't want Saul, you want Judah, and you want David. But of course, It's a political tract from the hand of God. It's God saying, it's David and it's Judah that are the tribe that I choose.

God had already prophesied about that through Jacob, talking about the rulership of Judah. God has known what he's doing always. We can always come back to that as a settled, confident point we can make. God knows what he's doing, and what he's doing through this book is showing us how much Israel needs not only a king, but needs a king from Judah, and specifically needs David of Judah to be king.

God had already prophesied about that through Jacob, talking about the rulership of Judah. God has known what he's doing always. We can always come back to that as a settled, confident point we can make. God knows what he's doing, and what he's doing through this book is showing us how much Israel needs not only a king, but needs a king from Judah, and specifically needs David of Judah to be king.

And so it's wonderful to see this big context. You know, sometimes I think we get the idea that books in the Bible are just one book next to another. They don't make a lot of difference how you read them. But, you know, there's a reason that Judges comes between Joshua and Ruth. you know, what's the book of Ruth all about? Well, it's about the family of David and how he gets born.

And so it's wonderful to see this big context. You know, sometimes I think we get the idea that books in the Bible are just one book next to another. They don't make a lot of difference how you read them. But, you know, there's a reason that Judges comes between Joshua and Ruth. you know, what's the book of Ruth all about? Well, it's about the family of David and how he gets born.

And so here we are. God is preparing us for this lesson and preparing us particularly through what he is doing in the various judges culminating in Samson. Now, I thought it might be useful just to pause a minute and look at the way this is sort of the pattern that God does things throughout the Bible.

And so here we are. God is preparing us for this lesson and preparing us particularly through what he is doing in the various judges culminating in Samson. Now, I thought it might be useful just to pause a minute and look at the way this is sort of the pattern that God does things throughout the Bible.

And I think we see that in the Psalms, and I want to read just a little bit from a couple of Psalms, because I think what we see, first of all, is the pattern that God has to deal with of Israel's ups and downs. And then we see the promise God makes to his people of salvation. And then we see the person designated who's going to bring that promise to fulfillment.

And I think we see that in the Psalms, and I want to read just a little bit from a couple of Psalms, because I think what we see, first of all, is the pattern that God has to deal with of Israel's ups and downs. And then we see the promise God makes to his people of salvation. And then we see the person designated who's going to bring that promise to fulfillment.

So if we look at Psalm 85, let me read the first seven verses there, because here you get this sense of Israel's ups and downs spiritually. And the psalmist writes, Psalm 85, Lord, you were favorable to your land. You restored the fortunes of Jacob. Now, if the fortunes of Jacob were restored, they had to have gone downhill, right? So here's an up. You were favorable because there'd been a down.

So if we look at Psalm 85, let me read the first seven verses there, because here you get this sense of Israel's ups and downs spiritually. And the psalmist writes, Psalm 85, Lord, you were favorable to your land. You restored the fortunes of Jacob. Now, if the fortunes of Jacob were restored, they had to have gone downhill, right? So here's an up. You were favorable because there'd been a down.

You forgave the iniquity of your people. You covered all their sins. You withdrew all your wrath. You turned from your hot anger. So that's looking back. There was an up, there was a down, now there's an up. And now the prayer is, restore us again, O Lord. There's another down. Restore us again, O God of our salvation, and put away our indignation toward us. Will you be angry with us forever?

You forgave the iniquity of your people. You covered all their sins. You withdrew all your wrath. You turned from your hot anger. So that's looking back. There was an up, there was a down, now there's an up. And now the prayer is, restore us again, O Lord. There's another down. Restore us again, O God of our salvation, and put away our indignation toward us. Will you be angry with us forever?

Will you prolong your anger to all generations? Will you not revive us again that your people may rejoice in you? Show us your steadfast love, O Lord, and grant us your salvation. So here's sort of the pattern, you know, spiritually up, spiritually down, spiritually up, spiritually down, praying that they might go up again. are according to God's steadfast love, according to his covenant love.

Will you prolong your anger to all generations? Will you not revive us again that your people may rejoice in you? Show us your steadfast love, O Lord, and grant us your salvation. So here's sort of the pattern, you know, spiritually up, spiritually down, spiritually up, spiritually down, praying that they might go up again. are according to God's steadfast love, according to his covenant love.

Remember us, O Lord. Don't abandon us in our sin. Deliver us. And so we see this up and down in Israel. And one of the important questions, I think, for us as New Testament readers of the Old Testament, does that up and down apply to us? Or is the life of the church of Jesus Christ just always up, up, up?

Remember us, O Lord. Don't abandon us in our sin. Deliver us. And so we see this up and down in Israel. And one of the important questions, I think, for us as New Testament readers of the Old Testament, does that up and down apply to us? Or is the life of the church of Jesus Christ just always up, up, up?

Well, if you're tempted to think that the life of the church of Jesus Christ is always up, up, up, I have a series on church history to commend to you. No, the history of the church has just been sort of constant ups and downs, hasn't it? But we see that already in the New Testament, don't we? Look at Paul's letter to the Corinthians.

Well, if you're tempted to think that the life of the church of Jesus Christ is always up, up, up, I have a series on church history to commend to you. No, the history of the church has just been sort of constant ups and downs, hasn't it? But we see that already in the New Testament, don't we? Look at Paul's letter to the Corinthians.