Overview and Objectives

In this lesson you will study Judges and Ruth. Judges describes the tragic results of ignoring God and His design for holy living. Religious, moral and spiritual dry-rot destroyed people’s lives, but Ruth offers an alternative by describing one family’s faithfulness during this destructive time.

When you complete this lesson, you should be able to do the following:

• Explain how Israel transitioned from being ruled by God as their king to preferring human kings.
• Explain the repeated cycles of disobedience, oppression, repentance and deliverance that are depicted in Judges.
• Describe what a judge was and name the contributions of some key judges.
• Describe the process and benefits of faithfulness to God and His teaching.
• Increase your commitment to obey God.

As you proceed through this lesson have the following question in mind.
How have you observed the Deuteronomic Cycle operate in at least one context—e.g., in your own life, in the lives of other individuals, in the church. Just as the book of Ruth serves as a positive example, how have you observed an exception to the cycle?