Reading notes - week 20

There is so much to glean from the book of Ruth that there is we will camp out there this week. Such a short book - so much truth. Wow.

Here are some of the things that stuck in my soul this week from reading Ruth:

  1. Be a great in-law. Certainly the behavior of Ruth stands out to us. She chooses to serve her mother-in-law, to devote herself to an uncertain future. Her character is undoubtedly one of compassion and selflessness. What an example! There is another example of greatness in this book, though. One that resonates in this particular stage of my life. Still in the in-law department but on the other side. What an amazing woman Naomi must’ve been for her two daughters-in-law to love and serve her so! Note to self :)

  2. God includes those the world thinks should be excluded. Ruth was not an Israelite. She was not only a foreigner, she was from a heathen nation which would have been an insurmountable obstacle to obtaining God’s favor. But God. The two most significant words in the world. But God. The belief was that only those born of Jewish blood could be blessed, included in God’s plan. But God. He not only “lets Ruth in”, He gives her the prestige of joining in the blood line through which the redemption of the world comes! Ruth birthed Obed, who begat Jesse, the father of David. David, the shepherd boy who became King, is the very line from which Jesus our Savior traces His earthly lineage to. But God indeed! The blood of this foreign, unworthy woman from the heathen Moabite nation flowed in the veins of the Messiah, our Savior. Our Savior whose blood ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation (Rev. 5:9). The picture here is not only unity that supersedes ethnicity and background but also perceived self-worth. May we never look at others - or even ourselves - as being excluded from the grace of God. Although none of us is worthy of His favor, He is willing to lavish it on us abundantly. Not based on who we are but rather on who HE IS. Hallelujah!

  3. Trust God’s loving sovereignty. The beginning of Ruth introduces us to a key character in the story - it shows us a defeated and bitter Naomi. She had suffered great loss and seemed destined to endure more pain and alienation. She had moved to this foreign country as a desperate measure - trying to survive in the midst of a famine. Then her husband dies and then both her sons. She is not only alone, she is destitute and hopeless. It is hard for us as Gentiles to fully grasp the loss of significance she experienced in the death of her husband and sons - not only was it tragic to be so bereaved but in Jewish culture, it was easy for her to feel that she was losing her significance to God — if she had no heir to continue her family line, then she would be blotted out as meaningless in a culture where history and lineage meant everything. So, yes, Naomi was defeated and depressed and hopeless. It is in the midst of her deep pain that God reveals His loving sovereignty. He leads Naomi back home by breaking the famine of her land. He provides not only food for her and her daughter-in-law, but also one who rescues them from poverty and hopelessness. And then, He heaps rich blessing on her! The book closes so that we see - not only for Ruth but also for Naomi - that God’s loving sovereignty was at work all along. Ruth 4:17 tells us that “a son has been born to Naomi”. The gift of this baby boy was not only to Ruth and Boaz but God makes it very clear that he is also born to Naomi and He gives us the beautiful picture of her with the baby in her lap, tenderly caring for him. Her joy, her place, her significance is restored. Hallelujah we can trust God’s loving sovereignty!

  4. One last thing I want to point out. The blessings found in obeying His Word. Numerous examples in this book point to the blessings of obedience, blessings that are widespread and multiplied beyond the singular act of obeying. Naomi and Ruth knew that God provided for the needy to gather leftover grain in the fields - and because Boaz not only knew this principle, but also obeyed it, the grain was there for Ruth to gather. And because she gathered it, she was connected to Boaz and the rest of the love story follows. All set in motion because they knew and obeyed God’s Word.

Reading notes - week 19

This week’s reading is in the book of Judges. As I read the stories, it is easy to view them as happening in quick succession. As though they happen one right after the other. We can tend towards such an instant grits mentality - expecting that God will work according to our microwave schedule, which is usually one minute thirty seconds! Instead, Scripture tells us “and he judged Israel six years.” “Seven years”. “Ten years”. “Twenty years.” The overwhelming majority of those years are not recorded in detail in Scripture - just a story here and there…and the fact of “6,7,10, 20 years.” Reading those words this week caused me to ask the Lord for patience in my prayers. Things I am wanting Him to “fix” seem to take longer than I prefer. So I am asking Him to not only increase my patience but also my trust in knowing that He IS at work. On my behalf. And, just like I can’t see all that was taking place in the time of the Judges, I can’t see what He is doing in my time either.

Lord, thank you for being my rock in the times where I can’t see. For being faithful even when I don’t know “the rest of the story”. Help me to be faithful in not only the times where the story is visible and worthy of being recorded but also in the times of seeming insignificance.

One of the characters stood out to me this week. I suppose it has to do with the backdrop of the times we are living in but Jephthah leapt off the pages for me this time. Now, to be sure, some of his story gives me great pause. And I don’t have the end part concerning his daughter figured out. God has chosen to be a bit vague about the particulars of her story. Whew. That’s not the part that stood out to me this week - all I’ll say about that is my heart has convinced my mind that what was sacrificed was her chance to marry. And while that is bad enough (especially in Jewish culture!), it sits better with me than taking her life!

What I want to focus on today is another aspect of Jep’s story. Chapter 11. Verses 1-23. Read that again and see what stands out to you.

Jephthah had just become the leader of the Gileadites. He began to take action for the people of God. And his first move in this role was to stand up to the Ammonites who were not only encroaching more and more upon their territory but had already already afflicted the Israelites for 18 years. (v. 8). It was time to stand up to them. It was time to defend what was theirs. It was time to fight.

And Jephthah was the man.

Carefully read vs. 12-23 to see his approach.

The first step was not to annihilate them (although that did come later! V. 33).

No, the first step was instead to stand on the TRUTH. The Ammonites were claiming that they were right to fight against Israel and possess this particular land. They accused Israel of taking their land years ago and must now return it to the descendants. Note carefully what Jephthah does in v. 15 - ‘Israel did not take away the land of the sons of Ammon’. HE KNEW THE TRUTH AND HE STOOD ON IT FIRMLY. He corrected the accusation and gave the FACTS of history. When Israel first captured the land generations before, it belonged to the Amorites, not the Ammonites. Jephthah refused to let them rewrite history and stake a claim based on untruths.

This changed everything. Because he knew the truth, he could refute their accusations. He could righteously defend his actions and courageously advance. He did not have to cower before them; he did not have to feel guilty or consider their feelings or change his mind about what God had said to do. He knew the truth and he was brave enough to call the opposition out on their lies.

And the result was victory. The opposition was silenced (ok, slaughtered!) and peace to the Gileadites was restored.

What implication does this have for us today?

I’ll let the Holy Spirit personalize it for you individually but I’ll say that for me, it was a clear message to stand for truth. Truth about God. Truth about history. Truth about what is right and just. Truth about what might appear to be “fair” but is actually an unjust lie.