Scripture and Tradition Bible Studies

The theological highpoint of both books of Samuel, and arguably even of the entire Old Testament, is the Davidic Covenant found in 2 Sam 7. God has been establishing covenants with his people going a…

David trusted in God with heroic patience for many years while running from Saul before he became king, but when he did it was only over the tribe of Judah from Hebron. He had to wait many more years…

David's many years in exile were undoubtedly very painful, stressful, and confusing. His king and father-in-law relentlessly pursues David all over the country to kill him for no reason at all. Yet, …

David, unlike Saul, is a king unlike all others. His heart belongs to God and therefore God is with him in all that he does. He is anointed king and goes to fight Israel's enemies, most famously the …

In between Saul's anointing in 1 Sam 9-11 and Saul's fall from grace in 1 Sam 13-15, Samuel gives his farewell speech that sounds awfully familiar. Indeed, as a New Moses, Samuel's echoes the words o…

The transition between the era of the Judges and the era of the Monarchy isn't a smooth one. Israel sinfully asks for a king to "be like all the other nations," which is a rejection of both God and t…

Samuel is arguably the greatest of all the Biblical "judges" during this period of salvation history, which is a welcome change from the stories of those in the book of Judges. Samuel's entire life i…

It's important to set the stage before beginning to study any Biblical book. This lesson will review topics like the title, dating, authorship, structure, main themes, typological connections of 1-2 …

The first verses of the book of Ruth set the plot for the story. We learn about the historical, geographical, and theological contexts as well as the cast of characters, whose names reveal much about…

There is more than meets the eye with this little book of the Old Testament. It describes a beautiful love story between a man a woman, but more so between God and humanity. 

 Enjoy this sample from …

The time period of the Judges is filled with social, moral, and religious chaos all because "they did whatever was right in their own eyes." Such is the "dictatorship of relativism" that plagued thei…

Samson is undoubtably the most popular and well-known Judge, but unfortunately he is also the most frustrating. He is born with many indications of being great man and leader, but his personal sins w…

Gideon is a complicated figure with some good traits, but mostly bad ones. However, he began decently well, with his call echoing the vocation of Moses himself.

Enjoy this sample of Lesson 3, "The De…

Judges begins with a description of the stunted military, political, and theological advancement of the Israelites as they try to inhabit the land. All of it is due to their inability to follow throu…

Reading the book of Judges can set us on edge. Who are these people and how can they be considered God's leaders when they're so flawed?

Enjoy this sample of Lesson 1, "A General Introduction to Judg…

Joshua's final words to Israel strongly echo Moses's farewell speech. That's not an accident. Joshua is reinforcing the lessons Moses gave, namely, Israel must freely choose to love and serve God wit…

The surprising failure to capture the city of Ai after everything went so smoothly at Jericho shocked everyone. It teaches us the lesson of how one person's sin can negatively affect the whole commun…

It's time for Israel to begin preparations for their great battle against Jericho. However, their methodology is remarkably different from what you'd expect. We can learn a lot from this story as it …

After 40 years of wandering in the desert, Israel has come home at last! With a little inside help from Rahab, an unlikely ally, they cross over the Jordan river to begin their new future in the Prom…

The book of Joshua is the climax and completion of the Pentateuch as we see Joshua succeed his mentor  Moses to complete the story of the Exodus and fulfill God's promise to the Patriarchs.

Enjoy thi…