Preaching the Word: Judges and Ruth—God in Chaos
Overview
The Old Testament books of Judges and Ruth record some of the most powerful stories in all of Scripture. Set in a time when everyone “did what was right in his own eyes,” these books highlight God’s faithfulness in the midst of Israel’s continual disobedience. Exploring the stories of figures such as Gideon, Samson, and Naomi and Ruth, this accessible commentary emphasizes the countless ways God protected and preserved his people in the Bible. Experienced preacher, Barry Webb, explores important connections between Judges and Ruth, pointing out God’s promises to his people and practical applications for daily life. Complete with powerful illustrations and engaging anecdotes, this commentary is a helpful resource for all who study, preach, and teach God’s Word.
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Key Features
- Provides practical application from the Scriptures
- Designed to help preachers communicate God’s Word
- Offers a sermon application index for finding the perfect illustration
Top Highlights
“A man who was leaving the city was approached and promised that his life would be spared if he cooperated with them. With his help they gained access and took the town’s defenders by surprise.” (Page 31)
“What began with a victory at Bethel ends with a humiliating defeat and a general situation that can at best be described as a standoff, with Israel living in a land they have not been able to take complete control of. And again we ask, what went wrong? If God was with them (v. 22), what can account for their failure?” (Page 32)
“There’s an important principle we could note here. Properly understood, a belief in God’s sovereignty does not lead to fatalism or passivity. Quite the contrary; it provides hope and the confidence to move forward. That is certainly the effect it has on Naomi here.” (Page 264)
“Can there be a new beginning in which the memory of the pain will fade? Naomi seems incapable of imagining such a thing, let alone expecting it. Yet this first chapter of the book ends with a statement that is full of promise: ‘And they came to Bethlehem at the beginning of barley harvest’ (v. 2). The famine is over. There is a harvest, and Ruth and Naomi have arrived at a time of reaping. The rest of the book will be about Naomi discovering, or rediscovering, God as her Redeemer and being overwhelmed by his rich generosity to her. And in the process Ruth, too, will be rescued and revalued.” (Page 252)
“The truth is that the ban on Moabites was given to prevent Israel from ever again being harmed by Moab, or seduced into worshiping its gods. It was never intended to exclude someone like Ruth who had abandoned those gods and taken refuge in the Lord, any more than the ban on Canaanites was intended to exclude the harlot Rahab, who was in awe of Israel’s God and decided to cast in her lot with him and his people.” (Page 262)
Praise for the Print Edition
I have been instructed and often moved by these scholarly and pastorally perceptive expositions. Barry Webb opens up the texts carefully and accessibly, and does so with the sensitivity of an experienced pastor. Such pastoral scholarship is powerful and edifying.
—Christopher Ash, author, The Priority of Preaching
Expository preaching involves much more than defining Hebrew and Greek words, or cool and collected explanations of obscure issues raised by biblical texts. It involves grasping both the theological message of the Scriptures and letting that message grasp us who preach week in and week out. Barry Webb is not only the finest interpreter of the book of Judges; he is also the book’s finest expositor. His presentation of the principle enduring theological points of each literary unit in Judges and Ruth is clear, practical, and passionate. This book is a great gift first to preachers, but ultimately to God’s people who will hear from them the living and life-giving Word of the Lord from these books.
—Daniel I. Block, Gunther H. Knoedler Professor of Old Testament, Wheaton College
These are insightful, stimulating, often challenging expositions from the pen of a great exegete and preacher.
—James Hutchinson, director, Institut Biblique Belge, Brussels
- Title: Judges and Ruth—God in Chaos
- Author: Barry G. Webb
- Series: Preaching the Word
- Publisher: Crossway
- Print Publication Date: 2015
- Logos Release Date: 2016
- Pages: 304
- Era: era:contemporary
- Language: English
- Resources: 1
- Format: Digital › Logos Research Edition
- Subjects: Bible. O.T. Judges › Commentaries; Bible. O.T. Ruth › Commentaries
- ISBNs: 9781433506765, 9781433523304, 9781433506772, 9781433506789, 1433506769, 1433523302, 1433506777, 1433506785
- Resource ID: LLS:PRWD07JDG
- Resource Type: Bible Commentary
- Metadata Last Updated: 2022-10-27T04:59:42Z