JUDGES

The Rise and Fall of God's People

PDF File:
http://sites.google.com/site/johnandjudygrasham/Home/JudgesApril2007.pdf?attredirects=0

1.Written by whom?
•Traditionally, it’s thought that Samuel wrote the book. However, the authorship is actually uncertain. It is possible that Samuel assembled some of the accounts, and that some prophets associated with David’s court actually shaped and edited the material.
2.Written when and where?
•While it is hard to tell exactly when, it was clearly after the monarchy had been established. We can tell because of some of the phrases used, such as “In those days, Israel had no king”. There is also an observation that the Jebusites still controlled Jerusalem, so it would have been before David captured the city. This puts the timing around 1000 BC.
3.Written to whom?
•Judges appears to have been written as a history and a warning to the people of Israel in general.
4.What form?
•There are three main sections: The prologue, the main body and an epilogue. Within these sections, the prologue addresses the occupation of the promised land and a summary of the Lord’s dealings with his people. The main body is actually several cycles, each showing the sin of the people, the consequences of this sin, the distress and repentance of the people and God’s deliverance. The epilogue tells the story of two tribes and how they abandoned the nation of Israel, with the consequences this kind of abandonment incurred.
5.What’s it about?
•The book of Judges is an overview of the life of Israel in the promised land from the death of Joshua to the rise of the monarchy. On one hand, it is the story of how often they fell away from God, bringing about God’s punishment. On the other hand, it shows how God responded to their repentance (when they finally realized what they had done) by raising up leaders—the judges—to bring them back to faithfulness.
6.Written for what purpose?
•To show the importance—the absolute necessity—of acknowledging God’s lordship over Israel, and their obligation to obey him and follow his leading.

EXODUS

PDF Files:
http://sites.google.com/site/johnandjudygrasham/Home/Exodus.pdf?attredirects=0

Info on the book of Exodus:
Who:
The book has several references to Moses as the author of several of the sections. Other books in the Old Testament associate Moses with the writings in this book. Also, the NT writers support Moses as the writer.
When and Where:
The book itself doesn’t give a lot of information that can be directly linked to Egyptian history. Most conservative scholars use the dates of 1580-1321 BC, during the Eighteenth Dynasty. There is no indication where it was written, but it seems possible that the stories were written during the 40 years of wandering.
To whom:
To the Hebrew people.
What form:
Historical narrative.
What’s it about:
How God reveals his name, his attributes, his redemption, his law and how he is to be worshipped.For what purpose: To help the Israelites learn and remember their history. Also, to teach God’s plan for redemption, how he wanted his people to live, and the importance of worship.

The Book of Hebrews

http://sites.google.com/site/johnandjudygrasham/Home/Hebrews_Part_1.pdf?attredirects=0

1.Written by whom?There is no real agreement among scholars about who authored Hebrews. The main contenders are:A. The apostle Paul (written in Hebrew, translated into Greek by Luke)B. Barnabas (he was a Levite, and knew Timothy)The writer was very knowledgeable about Jewish rituals, including sacrifices.
2.Written when and where?•While there are no clues about where it was written, chapter 13, verse 24 says “Those from Italy send you their greetings”, so possibly there were some Italian believers present with the writer. It must have been written before AD70, because there is no mention of the fall of Jerusalem. Also, the author consistently uses the present tense when speaking of the temple activities.
3.Written to whom?•No specific group of people is mentioned. However, it was probably Jewish converts living in Rome.4.What form?•It is not a letter in the usual way letters were written. Some commentaries suggest that this book might have been a sermon, either preached earlier and written down or one being written just for his readers.5.What’s it about?•The theme of Hebrews is Jesus, and is to show that he is absolutely supreme, and that he is all that is needed for salvation. Believers must stick with what they know is true and persist in their faithfulness. The writer makes it clear: Jesus is better, in all ways, in all things.6.Written for what purpose?•It is possible that the Christians were considering merging with a Jewish cult, or were being tempted to revert back to Judaism, or to Judaize the gospel. The writer told them that there was no turning back, no continuation of the old Jewish system.