Judges, Ruth, Samuel

There aren't that many heroes among the judges, and even the heroes usually have problems. Deborah is a positive character, but Barak is timid, Gideon worships an ephod (a priestly garment), Jepthah makes a foolish vow, and Samson doesn't learn his lesson about not trusting in women. There are seven cycles in Judges: the people are oppressed, they turn to God, they are delivered, and then they turn away from God again, over and over again--seven times. The Angel of the Lord in chapter 2, verses 1-5, is evidently Christ. The people repent, but six verses later "the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord." Kind of a depressing book!

Ruth is a sweet love story, featuring the redeemer/kinsman ("goel" in Hebrew). Boaz redeems Ruth just as Jesus redeems us.

Samuel is a faithful judge, but the people reject his sons. They want a king, just like all the other nations. Kind of reminds me of what I used to say to my parents, "Everybody else is doing it." Saul is proud, impatient, and doesn't trust God. He begins in humility, but after he's king he chooses not to submit to God. David, in contrast, continues to humbly submit to God--he even refuses to take Saul's life when he has a chance, because as wicked as Saul is, he is still "the Lord's anointed." David waits patiently until God's time for him to assume the throne.

Although David sins many times (lying, adultery, murder, numbering Israel), he always turns back to God and asks forgiveness. He's not "a man after God's own heart" (1 Sam 13:14) because he is always faithful, but because he always comes back to God. David is not Israel's greatest king, Jesus is. But David is a "type" of Christ: in many ways he gives us a glimpse, a foretaste, of what Jesus will be like.