HARD TIMES

From the time of Moses, who led the people in the wilderness, to Joshua, who led the conquest of Canaan, the nation of Israel enjoyed over six decades of consistent, godly leadership.

Following the death of Joshua, the people found themselves without an earthly leader. Under the tutelage of the two men who came before, the nation was given a Law and a steady, guiding presence to help them remain faithful to the Lord. Now, it was up to each Israelite to do as the Law said, to apply those principles, and to follow the Lord as instructed. Instead, they did whatever felt good in the moment.

And chaos followed.

The Book of Judges chronicles arguably the most turbulent time in the history of the nation of Israel, during which the people's relationship with God could be illustrated by a clock...

At 12:00, the people were happy, content, and relaxed. They let their guard down, stopped observing the Law as they should, and made themselves easy pickings for enemy nations.

At 3:00, God allowed those enemy nations to swoop in and punish His people, bringing them to their knees as a consequence of their rebellion.

At 6:00, the people had learned their lesson, and cried to God for deliverance, promising to follow Him if He freed them from their oppressors.

At 9:00, God did just that: He raised up a champion (a Judge) to rally the people, drive out the enemies, and restore a new time of peace in the land.

At 12:00, the people were happy, content, and relaxed. They let their guard down, stopped observing the Law as they should, and made themselves easy pickings for enemy nations.

And on and on the cycle goes.

In the midst of that, we read about a lady named Ruth, who leaves her Moabite heritage, proselytizes herself to the covenant of Israel, and integrates into the nation of God. She settles in Bethlehem, marries a Hebrew man of Judah, and lives happily ever after... becoming ancestor to the future King David. There, in the middle of Israel's turbulent time, when they needed a strong voice, like Moses or Joshua to lead them, it is fitting that God would plant the seed for just such a leader (and the Messiah-King who would come from his lineage).

This book examines the history of the period of the Judges, and of the life of Ruth, going verse-by-verse through both inspired texts.