1. Announcements Regarding the Exam Exam keys are posted on Blackboard Please check the grading and see me if you detect a problem If you have difficulty reading my handwriting, please ask If I have invited you to come by and talk, please do so Be sure to save your tests; the final exam will draw from them Exam Statistics Range of Scores: 48 to 98 Distribution: A – 27 B – 45 C – 30 D – 14 F – 7

2. Psalm 18:47 (Hebrew) HAI ADONAI UVARUKH TZURI (2X) Lives The LORD and blessed (is)my Rock VEYARUMELOHEIYESHU’ATI (2X) And may He be exaltedthe God ofMy salvation

3. Judges and Ruth: A Study in Contrast

4. A Visual Review: Taking the Land Jericho Ascent to Plateau and Ai Covenant at Shechem Gibeon on Central Benjamin Plateau Swing west and through Shephelah Taking the south – Judean hill country Conquering the north

5. Jericho

6. Ascent to Plateau

7. Ai

8. Covenant Renewal at Shechem

9. Shechem in Spring

10. Gibeon on Central Benjamin Plateau

11. Shephelah

12. Judean hill country

13. Conquering the north

14. Thematic Arrangement of Judges Non-chronological Grandsons of Moses (18:30) and Aaron (20:28) Naming of Mahaneh Dan (18:12) prior to Judges 13:25 Philistines are major enemy for Samson and will continue to be in the time of Eli, Saul, and David Involvement of significant tribes: Judah (and the town of Bethlehem), Benjamin, Ephraim No moral leadership (17:6; 18:1; 19:1; 21:25) – idolatry is increasingly egregious; character of judges themselves is not exemplary Note also the weakness of the Levites

15. Incidents in Chapters 17-21 Micah – “spiritual illiteracy” Part of the tribe of Dan migrates Move from southern exposed position to one even worse in the north Establishment of false worship as a precedent The Levite and his concubine – Gibeah in Benjamin What tragic irony underlies this narrative? What abuses take place? What aftershocks occur?

16. The Exceptional Case of Ruth The practice of hesed Overview of locations Bethlehem Moab

17. Characters and “plot” Naomi and Elimelekh to Moab because of famine in Bethlehem (note Judges 3:30 – Moab subject to Israel for 80 years) Their sons married Ruth and Orpah – Moabite women After the deaths of all the men, Naomi decided to return home Why would she urge Ruth and Orpah to return to their families? What did Naomi say about God? Boaz – as kinsman-redeemer

18. Lessons in Ruth God is sovereign “there was famine in the land” (cf Deut 11:13-17) Return at the time of the barley harvest (Ru 1:22) Gleaning in the field of Boaz The pattern of faithful living – hesed Redemption Boaz redeemed Naomi’s property as well as Ruth (an adumbration of Christ) – he served as kinsman redeemer The son born to Ruth and Boaz was called a kinsman-redeemer The significance of Ruth in the line of David (and Christ)