Our Bible Band

Pacific Press Publishing Association · Mountain View, California · Mar 17, 1909

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 36, No. 11.

Schedule for Week Ending March 27, 1909.

Day	Date	Morning	Evening
Su.	March 21	Josh. 7, 8, 9	Luke 1:21-38
Mo.	“ 22	“ 10, 11, 12	“ 1:39-56
Tu.	“ 23	“ 13, 14, 15	“ 1:57-80
We.	“ 24	“ 16, 17, 18	“ 2:1-24
Th.	“ 25	“ 19, 20, 21	“ 2:25-52
Fr.	“ 26	“ 22, 23, 24	“ 3
Sa.	“ 27	Judg. 1, 2, 3	“ 4:1-30

Suggestive Notes.

Our Old Testament lessons for the week conclude the book of Joshua and the first three chapters in Judges. After the awful lesson of Achan’s sin and its fearful consequences, the entire book of Joshua has to do with the conquering of the Canaanites and the division of the land. The last two chapters contain Joshua’s solemn charge to the people to serve God and Him alone.

The book of Judges covers a period following sometime after the death of Joshua, concluding in the first book of Samuel. The name of the book is derived from the leaders who had to do with the government of Israel. They are called “judges” in the Old Testament world as defenders of a cause, men raised up in times of crises to contend for the independence of the people. In chapter 3:9 they are called “saviours.” They also judged the people in the sense of administration of law. The chronology of the book is peculiarly difficult. For instance, in 1 Kings 6 we are told that the temple was built 480 years after the Exodus; but if we add together the numbers given in the book of Judges we get a total of 410 years. In Acts 13:20 it is said that God gave them judges for the space of about 450 years. The difficulty in trying to compute the chronology from the book itself arises from the fact that some of the judges were contemporaneous perhaps; some of them were only local; sometimes there were interregnums, or spaces between the rule of the judges, of which no account is taken. From such expressions as found in 17:6; 18:1, 31, it is supposed that Judges was written at least as late as the time of Samuel, or when Saul was king. Some place it as late as the days of Solomon; but the expression would indicate that it may have been written in the days of Saul. If so, it was probably written by Samuel. The chapters which come into our lessons to-day have to do with the failure of Israel to carry out the instructions which God gave, their consequent captivity, and the help which came to them through the judges, or saviours, whom the Lord raised up in their behalf.

Our New Testament lessons begin with the 21st verse of the first chapter of Luke and continue to the 30th verse of the fourth chapter of the same book. This includes the birth of John the Baptist and of Jesus; the angelic vision to the shepherds; their worship of the child Jesus; the presentation in the temple; the preaching of John the Baptist; the genealogy of Jesus from the standpoint of the Saviour of all nations, tracing it back to Adam; the temptation of Jesus; and His ministry in Nazareth about six months later. Note how particular is this book in giving the time of the preaching of John the Baptist. No writer of fable would have told in the particular way in which Luke has, the various rulers and governors who were in authority at the time that John began his ministry. He particularizes to the extent that it could very easily be traced out as to whether his Gospel was false or not. He dwells far more largely upon the early history of the mission of Jesus than do any of the other evangelists.