Ruth

Why is the book of Ruth included in the Bible? Is it a diversion? Is it a central part of the story? What do you learn about God's character from this tiny book?

Joshua, Judges

Some people have asserted that Joshua and Judges present two opposing views of Israel's migration into Canaan--that Joshua shows a peaceful takeover and intermingling and that Judges shows a complete millitary invasion coupled with genocide. Are these accurate descriptions? The two books are very different stylistically. Are they conflicting in narrative?

1st Samuel 5

The Philistines capture the Ark of God in battle and take it to the temple of their fish god Dagon. Next morning, Dagon (he's an idol) is face-down on the floor in front of the Ark. They put Dagon back up, and next morning he's face-down in front of the Ark again, but with hands and head broken off, lying in the doorway. Some kind of cosmic prank? Was God trying to make a point to these idol worshippers?

Acts 28

Paul was shipwrecked and bitten by a poisonous snake. The people on the island said he must be a murderer who was getting his dues. They waited for him to swell up or suddenly drop dead. But when they had waited a long time and saw that he wasn't harmed, they changed their minds and decided he was a god.

Deuteronomy 29

Deut. 29: 29 "The LORD our God has secrets known to no one. We are not accountable for them, but we and our children are accountable forever for all that he has revealed to us, so that we may obey all the terms of these instructions."

This seems to be saying that there's much more to God than our finite minds can grasp, and God hasn't revealed all that stuff. And God isn't being unfair by requiring us to obey XYZ that we have no idea about--perhaps we're only judged on what we've done with the information we did have. Any thoughts on this?

Deuteronomy 17

From Deut. 17:14-20...
Guidelines for a King
Must not build up a stable of horses
Must not return to Egypt
Must not take many wives
Must copy this body of instruction and read it daily

Keep this in mind as you read Samuel, Kings, Chronicles, and the prophets

Deuteronomy, Gospels

It's been said that Jesus' most often-quoted book of the Hebrew Bible (at least in the canonical Gospels) is Deuteronomy. Can anyone cooberate or refute that? Any ideas why Jesus would have quoted this book the most? Did he regarded it as the best one? Or his listeners were more familiar with it than the other books? Because it was his personal favorite? What similarities and differences do you see between Jesus and Moses?