The events of the book of Ruth happened during the days of the Judges. In a time of lawlessness, the book of Ruth shows us how love prevailed. This lesson highlights the relationship of Naomi and Ruth, Boaz and his fidelity to the Law of Moses and eventually the "kinsman redeemer" relationship he would have with Naomi and Ruth.
The book of Psalms, which literally means "Praise songs," was Israel's songbook of worship. Overall, the content and context of the Psalms remind us their assembly was "A Place of Praise." The same is true today in the Christian assembly. But Psalms also shows us the benefits of gathering with God's people. Beyond the worship given to God, we are blessed by being in the assembly. This lesson explores some of those benefits.
Our "One Book" series continues with a look at the book of Judges. In this lesson, we consider three concepts that were present in the days of the judges which also are relevant today.
At first glance, Israel’s penchant for idol worship seems far removed from us today, both in time and concept. A closer look at the nature of idolatry, however, reveals just how much it is still a snare for us today, even within our own Christian faith.
In our "One Book" series, the story of Joshua builds off of the transition of power from Moses to Joshua and the people finally accomplishing what their forefathers wouldn't: possession of the Canaan land. In this lesson, we offer some background information, a breakdown of events of the book and some lessons to learn from a study of Joshua.
Life without worship gets a person out of rhythm with God. The history of God's people suggests we need to bring ourselves into the divine presence of God on a regular, rhythmical basis. Leviticus 23 provides the backdrop of Israel's religious calendar. The weekly sabbath plus five annual feasts brought the rhythm they needed for their times. After a review of their worship, in this lesson, we draw some practical reminders for us today about our Christian worship.
In our look at the book of Deuteronomy we quickly scan the events of the book (the speeches of Moses) and then we concentrate on chapters 5, 6 and 7 which remind us the basis of the law, God's love and his desire for the people's holiness.
In our "One Book" series we've come to Numbers. This lesson explores some of the features of the fourth book of the Bible and then focuses on the incident of the poisonous serpents and God's remedy which is remembered and realized by Jesus in John 3.
In our Glory of the Gathering series we are exploring how the story line of Scripture is reminding us that God wants us to be in his presence. The tabernacle is a great example of God designing a functional way for this to happen. But the spiritual lessons we learn about the tabernacle are powerful for our Christian worship today.
God heard the cries of his people in Egyptian bondage and he brought them out. His goal was not just deliverance, but for them to gather at Mt. Sinai to be in his presence once more. Exodus 19-24 helps us see a great development in God's people being able to experience the glory of God as they witness his presence at Mt. Sinai. It's a refreshing reminder of the power of God's presence we can experience in worship today as we gather together.
