1. 21 - Missions suffer under sin (1)1 … when the Gibeonites heard what Joshua had done to Jericho … they resorted to a ruse … ‘We have come from a distant country; make a treaty with us.’ … The men of Israel … did not enquire of the Lord … after they made the treaty with the Gibeonites, the Israelites heard that they were neighbors … (Josh. 9:3,4,614,16).

2. 21 - Missions suffer under sin (2)2 No Anakites were left in Israelite territory; only in Gaza, Gath and Ashdod did any survive (Josh. 11:22). … there are still very large areas of land to be taken … this is the land that remains: all the regions of the … Geshurites … of the Sidonians … (Josh. 13:1,2,4). Judah could not dislodge the Jebusites who were living in Jerusalem (Josh. 15:63).

3. 21 - Missions suffer under sin (3)3 ‘That man is our close relative; he is one of our kinsman-redeemers’ … Then Boaz announced to the elders, … ‘Today you are witnesses that I have bought from Naomi all the property of Elimelech … I have also acquired Ruth the Moabitess, Mahlon’s widow, as my wife’ … (Ruth 2:20; 4:9,10).

4. 21 - Missions suffer under sin (4)4 Then the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the lord and served the Baals. They forsook the Lord … They followed and worshiped various gods of the peoples around them … In his anger against Israel the Lord handed them over to raiders who plundered them. He sold them to their enemies all around … (Judg. 2:11,12,14).

5. 21 - Missions suffer under sin (5)5 Then the Lord raised up judges who saved them out of the hands of these raiders. Yet they would not listen to their judges but prostituted themselves to other gods and worshipped them (Judg. 2:16,17).

6. 21 - Missions suffer under sin (6)6 It is more bitter for me than for you, because the Lord’s hand has gone out against me! … ‘Look,’ said Naomi, ‘your sister-in-law is going back to her people and her gods. Go back with her.’ But Ruth replied … ‘Your people will be my people and your God my God’ (Ruth 1:13,15,16).

7. 21 - Missions suffer under sin (7)7 Discussion & dialogue Discuss: without what ingredient will world missions fail? Explain the idea of ‘anti-evangelism’ – or ‘anti- missions’ – from Naomi’s life Explain how the theme of ‘the nations’ occurs in both the books of Ruth and Esther Show how themes seven and eight feature in the stories of the Judges

8. 22 - Two judges and two kings (1)8 … Manoah … had a wife who was … childless. The … Lord appeared to her and said, ‘… you are going to … have a son … he will begin the deliverance of Israel from the … Philistines … The woman gave birth to a son and named him Samson (Judg. 13:2,3,5,24).

9. 22 - Two judges and two kings (2)9 … Elkanah … had two wives, Hannah and Peninnah; … Peninnah had children, but Hannah had none … Hannah … prayed … ‘O Lord … if you will only … not forget your servant but give her a son, then I will give him to the Lord …’ … Hannah … gave birth to a son. She named him Samuel (1 Sam. 1:1,2,10,11,20).

10. 22 - Two judges and two kings (3)10 Then Samuel took a flask of oil and poured it on Saul’s head … saying, ‘Has not the Lord anointed you leader over his inheritance?’ (1 Sam. 10:1). ‘You have acted foolishly,’ Samuel said. ‘You have not kept the command the Lord … gave you; if you had he would have established your kingdom … for all time. But now your kingdom will not endure; the Lord has sought out a man after his own heart and appointed him leader of his people …’ (1 Sam. 13:13,14).

11. 22 - Two judges and two kings (4)11 You have delivered me from the attacks of my people; you have preserved me as the head of nations. People I did not know are subject to me, and foreigners come cringing to me; as soon as they hear me, they obey me (2 Sam. 22:44,45).

12. 23 - God's heart for the nations (1)12 All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the Lord, and all the families of the nations will bow down before him, for dominion belongs to the Lord and he rules over the nations … future generations will be told about the Lord. They will proclaim his righteousness to a people yet unborn … (22:27,28,30,31). The earth is the Lord’s and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it (24:1).

13. 23 - God's heart for the nations (2)13 Let all the earth fear the Lord; let all the people of the world revere him (33:8). I will perpetuate your memory through all generations; therefore the nations will praise you for ever and ever (45:17).

14. 23 - God's heart for the nations (3)14 Clap your hands, all you nations; shout to God with cries of joy. How awesome is the Lord Most High, the great King over all the earth! For God is the King of all the earth; … God reigns over the nations … for the kings of the earth belong to God … (47:1,2,7-9). Like your name, O God, your praise reaches to the ends of the earth (48:10a).

15. 23 - God's heart for the nations (4)15 Hear this, all you peoples; listen, all who live in this world, both low and high, rich and poor alike (49:1,2). Be exalted, O God, above the heavens; let your glory be over all the earth. I will praise you, O Lord, among the nations; I will sing of you among the peoples (57:5,9).

16. 23 - God's heart for the nations (5)16 God has spoken … ‘Gilead is mine, and Manasseh is mine; Ephraim is my helmet, Judah is my scepter, Moab is my washbasin, upon Edom I toss my sandal; over Philistia I shout in triumph’ (60:6-8; 108:8,9). O God our Savior, the hope of all the ends of the earth and of the farthest seas … those living far away fear your wonders (65:5,8).

17. 23 - God's heart for the nations (6)17 … that your ways may be known on earth, your salvation among all nations. May the peoples praise you, O God; may all the peoples praise you. May the nations be glad and sing for joy, for you rule the peoples justly and guide the nations of the earth. May the peoples praise you, O God; may all the peoples praise you (67:2-5). Envoys will come from Egypt; Cush will submit herself to God. Sing to God, O kingdoms of the earth (68:31,32).

18. 23 - God's heart for the nations (7)18 He will rule from sea to sea … to the ends of the earth. The desert tribes will bow before him … the kings of Tarshis … will bring tribute to him; the kings of Sheba and Seba will present him gifts. All kings will bow down … all nations will serve him … All nations will be blessed through him … may the whole earth be filled with his glory (72:8-11,17,19). … you display your power among the peoples (77:14).

19. 23 - God's heart for the nations (8)19 Why should the nations say, ‘Where is their God?’ Before our eyes, make known among the nations that you avenge the outpoured blood of your servants (79:10). Rise up, O God, judge the earth, for all the nations are your inheritance (82:8). All the nations you have made will come and worship before you, O Lord; they will bring glory to your name (86:9).

20. 23 - God's heart for the nations (9)20 Sing to the Lord a new song; sing to the Lord, all the earth … Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous deeds among all peoples (96:1,3). The Lord reigns, let the earth be glad; let the distant shores rejoice. For you, O Lord, are the Most High over all the earth; you are exalted far above all gods (97:1,9). The Lord has made his salvation known and revealed his righteousness to the nations (98:2).

21. 23 - God's heart for the nations (10)21 Great is the Lord in Zion; he is exalted over all the nations (99:2). Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth (100:1). The nations will fear the name of the Lord, all the kings of the earth will revere your glory. So the name of the Lord will be declared in Zion and his praise in Jerusalem when the peoples and the kingdoms assemble to worship the Lord (102:15,21,22).

22. 23 - God's heart for the nations (11)22 … make known among the nations what he has done (105:1). … those he gathered from the lands, from east and west, from north and south (107:3). I will praise you, O Lord, among the nations; I will sing of you among the peoples (108:3).

23. 23 - God's heart for the nations (12)23 He has shown his people the power of his works, giving them the lands of other nations (111:6). From the rising of the sun to the place where it sets, the name of the Lord is to be praised. The Lord is exalted over all the nations (113:3,4). Praise the Lord, all you nations; extol him, all you peoples (117:1).

24. 23 - God's heart for the nations (13)24 Then it was said among the nations, ‘the Lord has done great things for them’ (126:2). May all the kings of the earth praise you, O Lord, when they hear the words of your mouth. May they sing of the ways of the Lord (138:4,5). … so that all men may know of your mighty acts (145:12).

25. 23 - God's heart for the nations (14)25 Praise the Lord from the earth … kings of the earth and all nations, you princes and rulers on earth (148:7,11). Let everything that has breath praise the Lord (150:6).

26. 24 - Dangers of success (1)26 The king must not … take many wives, or his heart will be led astray (Deut. 17:16,17). King Solomon … loved many foreign women … Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Sidonians and Hittites. They were from nations about which the Lord had told …’You must not intermarry with them, because they will surely turn your hearts after their gods.’ Nevertheless, Solomon held fast to them in love (1 Kings 11:1,2).

27. 24 - Dangers of success (2)27 Then Solomon said … ‘As for the foreigner who … has come from a distant land because of your name – for men will hear of your great name … - when he … prays towards this temple, then hear from heaven … and do whatever the foreigner asks of you, so that all the peoples of the earth may know your name and fear you (1 Kings 8:12,41-43).

28. 24 - Dangers of success (3)28 As Solomon grew old, his wives turned his heart after other gods, and his heart was not fully devoted to the Lord his God … He followed Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, and Molech, the detestable god of the Ammonites. So Solomon did evil in the eyes of the Lord; he … built a high place for Chemosh … and for Molech … He did the same for all his foreign wives, who burned incense and offered sacrifices to their gods (1 Kings 11:4-8).

29. 24 - Dangers of success (4)29 Discussion & dialogue Discuss why Solomon was the ‘son of promise’ for his generation Which other seven of the ten themes reoccur in this chapter? If time allows, discuss how

30. 25 - Israel's demise (1)30 Jeroboam built shrines on high places and appointed priests from all sorts of people, even though they were not Levites … sacrificing to the calves he had made (1 Kings 12:31,32). So the Lord was very angry with Israel and removed them from his presence. Only the tribe of Judah was left, and even Judah did not keep the commands of the Lord their God (2 Kings 17:18,19).

31. 25 - Israel's demise (2)31 But they [the Judeans] mocked God’s messengers, despised his words and scoffed at his prophets until the wrath of the Lord was aroused against his people and there was no remedy. He brought up … the king of the Babylonians … They set fire to God’s temple and broke down the wall of Jerusalem … He carried into exile to Babylon the remnant … until the seventy years were completed (2 Chron. 36:15-17,19-21).

32. 25 - Israel's demise (3)32 Discussion & dialogue Discuss with your study group the difference between ‘maintenance ministry’ and ‘outreach ministry’. Which would you consider as missionary and which as pastoral? Which six of the ten themes reoccur in this chapter, and how?