Bible Studies

Upon the death of Moses, Joshua was called to lead God’s people into the Promised Land, the land that God had promised to give to them through His covenant with Abraham. It was to be their land; no man would be able to stand before them all the days of their life. God would not leave them or forsake them. Their only task was to be strong and courageous in their conquering of the land. And though they committed to doing so, it wasn’t too long before the people began to fail in their commitment to the Lord. Joshua is the beginning of the story of the failure of God’s people to live up to their covenant responsibilities in the land, their failure to conquer the land as they had been called to do, the subsequent judgement of God upon the people (culminating centuries later in the two destructions of Jerusalem by Babylon and Rome), and in God’s covenantal faithfulness is maintaining a remnant of His people over time until the promised coming of the savior of His people in Jesus Christ and His inclusion in His kingdom of the Gentiles. Studying Joshua will help us to see our responsibilities in conquering the land (today, the entire earth) to spread God’s kingdom and understand how God has faithfully provided a Conqueror and King who will lead us in that conquest and provide our victory where earthly kings had failed us.

Resources

This study is designed to be a 17-week study with daily readings and questions five days each week. It is great for individual and group study.

It was prepared using Joshua: No Failing Words by Dale Ralph Davis. This is an excellent resource for individuals or group leaders. Of course, many others have written about Joshua. Here is a survey of several other authors looking at Joshua’s place in the Bible, organization, and themes. And here is a homily examining the fear of the Lord during the destruction of Jericho in Joshua 5:13-6:27.

You can download the study here.

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The story of Ruth is one of the most beautiful stories in Scripture. By faith, a young gentile woman is delivered from a pagan land, blessed with a faithful husband, and gives birth to a son renowned through the land who becomes part of the lineage of Jesus Christ.

This is a five-week study to help you walk through the book of Ruth. You can use it for individual or group study. It was prepared using some biblical commentaries. One I would highly recommend is Ruth: Under His Wings, by Rich Lusk and Uri Brito. A good commentary like this will be of great help to a group leader or an individual wanting to get the most from their study.

You can download the study here.

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As we leave the book of Joshua, in many ways all looks well. Israel had conquered much of the Promised Land. Israel had rest in the land. When Joshua had confronted the people of Israel about what they would do after he was gone, they had declared, "We also will serve the LORD, for he is our God."

Yet, there was still more to do. Not all of the enemies of God had been driven out. And there was another generation to be raised that had not seen God's mighty victories. And things started off well with more conquests.

Then, however, the people began to rest on their laurels rather than in God. "Manasseh did not drive out the inhabitants. ... When Israel grew strong, they put the Canaanites to forced labor, but did not drive them out completely." Worst of all, they failed to teach their children about God: "There arose another generation after them who did not know the LORD or the work that he had done for Israel."

Thus begins a constantly repeating downward spiral into unbelief:

• The people of Israel did what was evil in the sight of the LORD
• The anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel, and he sold them into the hand of their surrounding enemies who oppressed the people of Israel cruelly for _______ years
• Then the people of Israel cried out to the LORD
• The LORD raised up judges, who saved them out of the hand of those who plundered them
• The land had rest for _______ years
• And the people of Israel again did what was evil in the sight of the LORD

The book ends with "In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes."

Yet, despite Israel's unfaithfulness, Judges is really a picture of the upward spiral of the steadfast love of God, who will never leave or forsake His people. Like Sodom, Benjamin deserved to be destroyed. So did Israel. Yet by God's mercy and grace, both survived. The 12 tribes remained intact, setting the stage for King David and his Offspring, the King whose "throne will be established forever."

This sixteen week study of the Book of Judges walks us through this journey, pointing us to the King that Israel had always had if they would have just opened their eyes.

Download a printable version of the Bible study.

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The book of Acts gives us a picture of the growth of the early church. It also gives us a picture of the work God was doing through the Holy Spirit to establish the Kingdom of His Son. 

The period covered by Acts is unique in world history. It covers the transition from the old world order to the new. Christ defeated Satan on the cross then ascended to heaven and took His throne as our King around 30 A.D., but it wasn't until 70 A.D., a generation later (Matthew 24:34), that the old order of the temple, sacrifices, and the nation of Israel came to a complete end. 

Studying this period of time can be a great help to us as we live in a period not so much of transition but of completion. We live in the new heaven and new earth (Revelation 21:1-5), but it is a mere taste of what it will one day be. Studying the Acts of the Apostles is one way to help us work out our salvation with fear and trembling (Philippians 2:12-13) as we witness Christ at work making all things new. 

Download the 23 week study here. 

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My new book, Feasting on Christ: A Bible Study on Love (available on Amazon and as a free pdf download), is the first in the Feasting on Christ Bible study series.

This study was originally prepared for use in prison. But that doesn’t mean that it doesn’t have an application for those who have never been to prison. Like Joseph when he was sent to prison, we will be unjustly persecuted. Like Joseph, we will have our burdens to bear while waiting for the fulfillment of the promises of God. But most of all, like Joseph, we must learn how to deal with our own fallen nature and that of the world around us.

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There are two paths that people follow in this world:

The Path to Destruction (Proverbs 2:12-19): "For [the] house [of the seductress] leads down to death and her paths to the spirits of the dead. None who go to her return or attain the paths of life."

The Path of Righteousness (Proverbs 12:28) "In the way of righteousness there is life; along that path is immortality"

This Study of Proverbs 18 is designed to help us see the difference between these paths. Differentiating between the two is often a particular struggle for men who often tend toward isolation.

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David opens Psalm 8 with these words:

O LORD, our Lord,
how majestic is your name in all the earth!
You have set your glory above the heavens.
Out of the mouth of babies and infants,
you have established strength because of your foes,
to still the enemy and the avenger. (ESV)

Yahweh is proclaimed here the King of heaven and earth. Our King still reigns over His kingdom, so we should understand more about His kingdom and what role we play in it. This one week study, Psalm 8 - A Study on the Kingdom of God, will help provide a glimpse into this.

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Our hearts may be willing, but our flesh is weak. Download this one week study designed to help men focus on their calling of Being a One Woman Man.

 

With special thanks to Douglas Wilson for his fine work on this topic, which provided much guidance for this study.

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This study is on love, the subject of the two great commandments, and the means of our salvation. It is all we are called to do. If we love God and those around us through Jesus Christ, we will be with God for eternity. My hope is that this study will help those who use it to “love loyally” with “hesed,” the steadfast love of God, as we are called to do in Micah 6:8. Here is the link to the study: Feasting on Christ: A Bible Study on Love

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