Deuteronomy
What did Moses command Israel to do as he spoke?
Deuteronomy 4:1
“And now, O Israel, listen to the statutes and the rules[a] that I am teaching you, and do them, that you may live, and go in and take possession of the land that the Lord, the God of your fathers, is giving you. 2 You shall not add to the word that I command you, nor take from it, that you may keep the commandments of the Lord your God that I command you.
What encouragement/command did God give Joshua?
Joshua 1
Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”
Application: Believers today are called to be strong and courageous to obey God’s Word. It takes strength and courage to do what is right when others say that it is wrong. God gave us the Bible because He loves us and wants what is best for us. God has instructed us to meditate on His word and obey it throughout the day. We can do this by keeping it in our minds through memorization. When we do this, we are reminded of the path that we are to take so that we do not stray from it.
What is the name of the people who were living in the Promised Land?
The Canaanites
Why did Elimelech, Naomi, and their two sons leave Bethlehem?
Elimelech, Naomi, and their two sons left Bethlehem because there was a famine. Elimelech knew that there was food in the land of Moab. He went to provide food for his family (Ruth 1:1).
Who was Baal of Peor?
A false god that Israel worshiped in Numbers 25:1–9. This act of idolatry caused Yahweh, the true and living God, to be very angry toward the people of Israel. His punishment for their sin was very severe: 24,000 people died in one day from a plague that He sent.
Where did Joshua send out spies?
Joshua 2:1 And Joshua the son of Nun sent[a] two men secretly from Shittim as spies, saying, “Go, view the land, especially Jericho.
Why was it important for Israel not to let the people remain in the land?
God had commanded Israel to completely destroy the Canaanites. If the Canaanites were to remain in the land, Israel would be tempted to worship their false gods. God told Israel that the Canaanites would be like “thorns in [Israel’s] side, and their gods shall be a snare to you” (Judges 2:3).
Application We need to remember that God desires obedience from His people. Israel was rebellious and desired to do their own thing even though God had given them the Promised Land. God has been merciful to us by sending His Son to die for the sins of the world. Many people choose to reject God’s gracious gift and worship false gods. Today, take a look at your own life. Ask yourself if there are idols in your heart—things that you are worshiping other than God. Seek to obey God with all your strength and stay away from people who tempt you to reject God and His Word.
What were the bad things that happened while they lived in Moab?
Naomi’s husband, Elimelech, died. She was left with her two sons in Moab (Ruth 1:3).
then, after Elimelech had died, Naomi’s two sons, Mahlon and Chilion, each married a Moabite woman. The names of the women were Ruth and Orpah. But after about 10 years, Mahlon and Chilion died, leaving Ruth and Orpah without husbands, just like Naomi (1:4–5).
What did Moses tell the Israelites not to forget.
Deuteronomy 4:9
9 “Only take care, and keep your soul diligently, lest you forget the things that your eyes have seen, and lest they depart from your heart all the days of your life. Make them known to your children and your children's children—
Application: When you learn about the commands of God from your parents, teachers, or pastors, what should you do? You should obey. In today’s lesson, we learned reasons that Israel was told to obey. They were to obey to bring God’s blessings, to demonstrate their uniqueness, to avoid idolatry, and to demonstrate God’s uniqueness. Although God does not bless us in exactly the same ways as He blessed Israel, we are spiritually blessed when we are obedient. Our obedience does demonstrate our uniqueness as believers and also shows God’s uniqueness as the one and only God. Our obedience to God’s instruction will keep us from falling into idolatry as well as many other sins. Obedience to God’s instructions is required, and His instructions are good.
How did Rahab respond to the spies, and what did she do for them?
Rahab was kind to the spies. Somehow, she found out that the two men who had come into her house were really Israelite spies. She also knew why they were spying out the land and Jericho. Rahab hid the spies on the roof of her house, and when the king sent men to get the spies, Rahab told them that she hadn’t known who they were and that they had already left the city.
APPLICATION: James 2:20 and 2:26 say that “faith without works is dead.” Rahab is an example of a living faith. She not only believed in God and His power, but she also put that faith into actions. Our faith should also be a living faith. When those around you observe your actions, can they see what you believe by what you do?
How many men were chosen to fight with Gideon?
There were only 300 men chosen to fight with Gideon. At the beginning, there were 32,000 men, but God didn’t want to send that many.
What did Orpah do? What did Ruth do?
Orpah stayed in Moab. She did not go to Bethlehem with Naomi. Orpah went back to her people and to her gods (Ruth 1:14–15). But Ruth did not stay in Moab, even though all her family was there. And even though Naomi encouraged her to stay in Moab, Ruth decided to follow Naomi and go back to Bethlehem with her. Ruth loved Naomi very much and did not want to leave her but wanted to help her. Ruth decided to follow the God of Israel instead of the gods of Moab (1:16–18; 4:15).
How were the Israelites to love the Lord?
Deuteronomy 6:4
4 “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. 5 You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.
Application: Do you love the Lord? Those who love the Lord will love others (1 John 4:19–20), keep God’s commandments (1 John 5:3; John 14:15), and have a love for Jesus Christ (John 8:42). Those who love God will be saved from eternal wrath, and they will spend forever in heaven with Jesus. Those who do not love God, who do not trust Jesus, who are constantly disobedient to His commands, will spend forever in hell. You must understand that you are a sinner and that God is holy. He is your creator, and because of this, He has a right to your life. Your sin demands that a penalty be paid—“the wages of sin is death” (Rom. 6:23). Jesus Christ is God’s perfect and holy Son, and He came to earth to die for your sins. On the cross, He died in your place, treated by God the Father as though He were a sinner even though He had no sin of His own. Three days later, Jesus rose from the grave, and He is alive today at the right hand of the Father. Those who trust Jesus and give their lives to Him will be saved from the fires and agony of hell. You must ask Jesus to forgive you.
How did God provide a way for the people to cross the Jordan?
Joshua 3.
“As soon as the soles of the feet of the priests who bear the ark of the LORD…rest in the waters of the Jordan, that the waters of the Jordan shall be cut off, the waters that come down from upstream, and they shall stand as a heap” (3:13). God stopped the water, and the people were able to cross the riverbed safely.
APPLICATION: God has given believers promises that we can trust Him to keep. He says, “I will never leave you nor forsake you” (Heb. 13:5), “All things work together for good to those who love God” (Rom. 8:28), and “I am going to prepare a place for you” (John 14:2–3). The God of Israel is the same God today. If you are one of God’s children, you can trust Him to keep His promises.
How did Gideon and the 300 men attack the Midianites?
One night, Gideon and the 300 men all took trumpets and empty pitchers with torches inside. When Gideon gave the signal, all the men blew their trumpets, broke the pitchers, held out the torches, and cried out, “The sword of the LORD and of Gideon” (Judg. 7:20).
Application: When we are disobedient, God allows us to have troubles. Sometimes He allows a lot of troubles in our lives because we are stubborn and choose not to be obedient to Him. But when we look to Him for help, He is able to deliver us. When we turn to God, He will help. If we are disobedient, we must ask God to forgive us and must be obedient to His Word.
What did Boaz do for Ruth?
Boaz was very kind to Ruth. He let her work in his field, gave her water to drink and food to eat, and made sure that she had some food to take back to Naomi. Boaz let Ruth work in his field during the whole harvest. He took care of Ruth and Naomi (Ruth 2:8–23).
How can a person forsake God?
A person can forsake God by turning away from Him, not listening to Him, and disobeying His commands.
What did God tell Joshua to do in order to conquer Jericho?
The Israelites were to: (1) march around the city once a day for six days with the priests blowing the trumpets and everyone else being quiet, and then (2) march around the city seven times on the seventh day, with the priests blowing the trumpets and everyone else not talking until a long blast of the trumpets. Then everyone was to shout very loudly. And when they shouted, the walls would fall down flat so that the soldiers could attack the city.
Application: The fall of Jericho was a great victory for the Israelites. The victory was not great because they won, but because God did a miracle for them and gave the city into their hands. Their obedience to God’s commandments, even though His instructions may have sounded strange, showed that they believed God and had faith that He knew what He was doing. Although the Israelites would not be so obedient in the future (in fact, one of them had already violated the ban on the goods of Jericho), this victory established the fame of Joshua, increased the fear of God and the Israelites in the minds of the Canaanites, and, most of all, proved that the God of Israel was a great God. The God of Israel had parted the Red Sea, had dried up the Jordan, and now had miraculously destroyed the walls of Jericho. Who would be able to withstand Him?
What did Samson do when he was in the temple of Dagon?
Samson asked God for strength to destroy the temple. Samson knew that he had sinned against God. He was sorry. By this time, some of Samson’s hair had grown back, and he had been obedient to God. He was trying to serve God again (Judg. 16:28). All those Philistines in the temple were worshiping their god Dagon, who was not a real god. Samson had failed when he had sinned, but God had not. God was stronger than anyone else. Now, instead of the Philistines thinking that their god had won, the real God would help Samson, and everyone would know that the God of Israel was the strongest and the greatest. With strength from God, Samson pushed the main pillars of the temple so that the whole temple fell and was destroyed, with Samson and all the wicked Philistines in it (16:28–30).
Application: God’s enabling His people through gifts, whether great strength or something else, should be used to serve Him. His people should never do anything that would cause God to be displeased. Samson learned that lesson the hard way. When we repent and turn back to God, we may still be able to use our gifts to serve Him.
What happened with Boaz and Ruth?
God made sure that Boaz would become Ruth’s husband. Even though another relative had a chance to take Ruth as his wife, in the end, it was Boaz who married her (Ruth 3:12–13; 4:1–12). They also had a baby (Ruth 4:13). Boaz and Ruth’s baby, Obed, was extra special because he would become the grandfather of the great King David. And he was even more special because the New Testament tells us that Jesus the Messiah was a descendent (a relative) of King David, and also of Obed (Ruth 4:17; Matt. 1:1–16).
Application: God never forsakes those who love Him and follow Him. Because we do not understand everything God does, we sometimes misunderstand His plan and think that He has turned against us or forsaken us. But God said that He would never leave His people. We must believe that He will take care of us no matter what happens. He has told us that everything works for good for those who love the Lord (Rom. 8:28). If we love God, even when things look bad and are difficult, God will use those things for our good. Let’s trust God and believe that He will take care of us.