Sermons on Joshua-Judges-Ruth
“In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes.”
With those crushing words, the book of Judges (21:25) reminds the reader of a big problem. God’s people need a godly leader. Without one, chaos ensues.
This Fall we will be studying the three-book sequence of Joshua, Judges, and Ruth, which form the back part of what is often called the “Octateuch” (when added to five books of Genesis-Deuteronomy). These three writings tell a vibrant, compelling, exciting, and sometimes crushing story.
Joshua begins on a note of fulfillment: God is keeping his promises through Moses’s successor to bring the people of Israel into the promised land. Judges tells the story of God’s enduring faithfulness despite Israel’s ups-and-downs. Ruth, taking place during the time of the judges, strikes a note of hope amid chaos about the future: God’s promised king David will be born through a humble Moabite woman. All three books point us over and over again to our deepest need, where God’s fulfillment and future faithfulness intersect: the true king, Jesus.
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Reflection Questions
The questions below are great to use in a small group or for personal application. Click on the arrow or heading to expand and show the questions.
From Redemption to Renown (Ruth 4)
- Where have you seen God be at work in the small details of life?
- God is good…
- Even when we feel empty: Where do you need to step back, come up for air, and see God’s hand at work even when you feel discouraged by situations in your life (Naomi)?
- In ordinary faithfulness: How can you be encouraged towards normal, day-by-day acts of faithfulness in your job, family, etc. (Boaz)?
- Despite our unfaithfulness: Discuss how the living God is good even when we aren’t (Israel). How is this vital to Christianity?
- In Christ: Discuss the fact that Ruth is the great-great-great- grandmother of Jesus Christ (see Matthew 1:3-16). What are the implications of this great truth?
From Kindness to Redemption (Ruth 3)
- How do all the details of this scene, including the character of Boaz and Ruth, show the hand of God at work? How does God often work in surprising and shocking ways elsewhere in the Bible?
- Reflect on the attributes we should value in a spouse, as reflected in Boaz and Ruth. How can we all seek to be “worthy” people of good character regardless of marital status?
- How is redemption + rest a key biblical theme that shows up elsewhere in the Bible? What have we been redeemed from? What is our rest? Reread Ephesians 1:7ff and revisit the theme of redemption and rest.
From Bitterness to Kindness (Ruth 2)
- Discuss a time when God has answered your prayers in extraordinary ways. Then discuss when he answers them in ordinary ways. What’s the difference in your response? Should we view the latter as less important than the former?
- Where are you currently hesitating to follow a particular course of action because you’re waiting for a sign from God? Where do you need to step out and trust him to guide you as you get moving?
- What example of godliness does Boaz offer? How does he point to Jesus in this way?
- In what areas of life are you called not just to pray for others but to *be* the blessing for others that you pray for?
- Discuss one thing you can do this week for an overlooked person in your workplace, neighborhood, or elsewhere.
From Fullness to Bitterness (Ruth 1)
- How should Christians respond when God brings overwhelming tragedy into our lives with no clear happy ending?
- What do you turn to when facing hardship to find aid (like going to Moab instead of trusting God)?
- Discuss a time when tragedy made you doubt the power of the true God. What did you do with that bitterness?
- Reflect on the unseen sovereignty of God. Where have you seen that play out in your own life?
- Where do you need look at your situation in light of God’s character, rather than scrutinize his character because of your situation?
The Leaders We Have, and the Leader We Need (Judges 13-16, Samson)
- In what spheres of life do you tend to idolize leaders and overlook their flaws? Where do you look to earthly leaders (work, politics, etc.) for salvation?
- How has your experience with bad earthly leaders stirred up in you a desire for a perfect savior?
- If you are in a position of leadership, how can you point others beyond yourself to the true and better leader, Jesus?
- Spend time praying that you might grow in Christ-likeness as a leader, and that God would see fit to use you despite your imperfections and sins.
The Line Drawn Within Us (Judges 6-8, Gideon)
- What kinds of difficult circumstances in your own life expose the internal battle between pursuing God and pursuing self? When can you be “your own worst frenemy”?
- The battle over WHO:
- Where have you seen God take the splinters of your heart’s idols and turn them into something good?
- Where are you most at risk of turning something good (like church attendance, relationships, etc.) into an idol?
- The battle over WHAT:
- Where are you tempted to “lay out the fleece” in your own life?
- How can the promise of Jesus’s presence help you with the anxious desire for signs of confirmation from God?
- The battle over HOW:
- Describe a time when you did things your way and not God’s way … and it did not turn out so well.
- Reflect on how God sometimes does things in a way you least expect. Where does that make you impatient? Where does that make you feel joy/delight?
Punishment and Pity (Judges 2)
- What does the marriage metaphor for God’s relationship with his people tell us about the biblical picture of God? About us and the importance of our relationship to him?
- Desertion, distress, deliverance… On repeat. Where does this pattern play out in your own life?
- What are the biggest man-made idols in your own life? How do you see yourself becoming like these things you treat as deity made in your own image?
- How can you be a part of helping the next generation know the works of the Lord?
- Spend time praying for the Spirit to help you in the battle against indwelling sin, so that you don’t give up and compromise with sin.
From Victory to Weeping (Judges 1)
- Where in your daily life are you most prone to moral or spiritual “erosion”? That is, gradual and even imperceptible slippage in what you think and believe and do?
- When do you most often get frustrated when living as a disciple of Christ is difficult instead of easy? Reflect: “The devil wants to make it easy for you… He opens doors too.”
- Are you content with being mostly Christian most of the time…that is, when it’s easy? How does the slow downfall of the Israelites serve as a warning about half-obedience?
- Think through the warning signs of leadership erosion:
- Growing gap between public and private self
- Emotions are inappropriate to a situation
- Less grace for others
- Self-oriented instead of other-oriented
- Justifying bad actions
- Defensive posture in the face of failure and criticism
Saved to Serve the Savior (Joshua 24)
- Even if you know the right doctrine, in what areas of life do you relate to God on a performance + reward basis? Where do you try to win Coach’s Award or MVP with God? Where do the think of yourself as a “religious performer”?
- Spend time praying for your spiritual leaders to remember that the work of ministry is not about us or completed by us … but to rest in the truth that God’s people and promises remain even when we pass away.
- How does freedom from a performance-driven mentality enable you to serve them Lord with a joyful heart?
- Where are you and your house serving man-made things instead of the Lord? How does that play out in how you spend your Saturdays, your money, your vacations, your screentime, etc.?
- Discuss: “you’re not only saved by grace, but you rely on grace to serve as well.”
Devoted to Destruction (Joshua 10-11)
- Lament the terrible reality
- Spend time discussing and praying over the terrible situation of war and sin in the world, and how it impacts us today even in peace.
- Understand the divine necessity
- Discuss the difficulty of divine judgment. Why is this passage so hard to swallow based on our own sense of right and wrong?
- Discuss: “Joshua is returning to God the life given to the Canaanites which they used to rebel against him.”
Why is God’s justice against wickedness a comfort, ultimately, even if it’s terrifying? - How does this passage amplify the utterly infinite and incomprehensible holiness of God? How does this, in turn, help us understand the final judgement?
- Understand the historical reality
- What is your gut reaction to the divinely sanctioned death of women and children? What can and should you do with that?
- Turn to biblical theology
- How does the bigger story of the Bible help us with this story? Creation, rebellion, flood, God’s plan to be with us in holiness, exile, the cross of Christ, and his return in judgment.
- If this story is an “incursion” of divine wrath, how does it serve as both warning and comfort to those who are in Christ?
The Necessity of Divine Wisdom (Joshua 9)
- What are your favorite authorities to consult: your own intuition, Dr. Google, friends on Facebook, government experts, a famous guru…?
- As Christians, we are still fallible and should avoid making decisions without consulting the mouth of the Lord. When have you made a decision that seemed so right but proved to be disastrously wrong? What would you do differently if you had exercised a bit more self-doubt and waited for wisdom from God?
- In what areas of life (work, parenting, Amazon purchases, etc.) are you most vulnerable to hearing God’s word on Sunday… but ignoring it by Monday afternoon?
- How can you invite others into your life to remind you of God’s wisdom day to day? How can you gently do the same to others?
- Discuss what it looks like for God to take your misjudgments and still bring good out of them.
Trouble (Joshua 7)
- Define sin. How is it “trouble” personally and corporately among God’s people?
- Where do you think of your sin as purely individual thing? How does this passage remind you that we are not islands in our sin but impact each other. Where have you seen this idea play out in your life (impacting others with your sin)?
- Where are you most tempted to please the world rather than seeking to honor Christ in what you do? To protect your own reputation rather than be honest before God?
- On a scale of 1 to 10, how serious is Achan’s sin? Where are you wired to downplay the effect of your own sin?
- How do you see the pattern of the garden (Genesis 3) play out in our daily sin: saw, thought it was good, coveted, took, hid?
- Spend time praying for God to redeem the collateral damage of your life
Jesus Fought the Battle of Jericho (Joshua 6)
- We worship the Lord when we do work in such a way that He receives glory
- What is striking or surprising about God’s battle plan?
- Where do feel that you need to shout (e.g., work harder) even when the Lord asks you to be silent?
- Bible teachers must teach exactly what God says
- What parts of Scripture do you tend to find most uncomfortable or embarrassing, particularly in front of non-believers?
- Why is it unhealthy to remove/downplay parts of Scripture that are a challenge to your preconceived notions?
- The people of God worship him by obeying his word
- Why is it so surprising that the Israelites actually do what God commands here, given past precedent?
- In what areas of your life do you tend to hedge against God’s word (e.g., seek to soften it or even disobey it directly)?
- The Lord is victorious through worship of faithful people
- In your own life, where have you experienced God’s provision when you obeyed him even when you didn’t necessarily want to?
Covenant Before Conquest (Joshua 5)
- Commitment
- Where do you struggle to wait on the Lord instead of just charging straight into whatever task lies at hand?
- Are you currently hiding behind your covenant baptism or victimhood from your parents’ imperfections instead of claiming Christian discipleship for yourself?
- Communion
- Review Exodus 13-14 and the context of Passover. Why does it matter that the Israelites celebrated it in Joshua 5 before going into battle?
- If the Lord’s Supper replaced Passover, why does it matter that we celebrate it monthly?
- Obedience
- Discuss the possibility that the “man” who Joshua encounters may be a pre-incarnate manifestation of Christ.
- Spend time praying for your church leaders to lead well, resting in the Lord’s power and strength.
Remember the Living God (Joshua 3-4)
- Review chapter 3 and make observations about how “theocentric” the story is. What attributes of God are central to this wondrous miracle of deliverance through the Jordan?
- In what areas of life do you live me-centrically instead of theo-centrically?
- Why does God spend so much time telling the Israelites about the 12 stones of remembrance?
- Where do you tend to struggle the most in remembering and not forgetting God’s presence?
- What habits do you currently do–or which you could cultivate–to help you remember God’s work?
Saving Faith (Joshua 2)
- Reflect on God’s choice of Rahab to accomplish his purposes. What does that tell you about his kindness in using the seemingly lowly in the world’s eyes? How does this potentially shape your understanding of your own story?
- Read about Rahab in James 2:25, Hebrews 11:31, and Matthew 1:5. Why does it matter that a non Israelite is not only an example of faith but also ingrafted into Jesus’ genealogy?
- How does Rahab illustrate salvation be faith not world … But also saving faith that works?
The Strength and Courage of Leadership (Joshua 1)
- What is most important to you in a leader? What does the world tend to value? What does Scripture value?
- How does the fact that “every leader will eventually die” shape the way you become a follower?
- Reflect on God’s promise, “I will be with you.” How does that give you comfort in whatever position of leadership you’re presently in?
Getting Ready for the Series
- What do you know about Joshua? Read Hebrews 3-4 and reflect on how the author describes Jesus as a new kind of Joshua.
- Can you name some famous judges? What is your general impression of this book? What issues/problems does it raise?
- What is the story of Ruth about? You’ve probably heard Ruth 1:16 read at weddings. Is it about marital love? What is its deeper significance in the story of Ruth?
