GIVING FULLY TO GOD

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In Christ, Mark

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

When the man Elkanah went up with all his family to offer the annual sacrifice to the Lord and to fulfill his vow, Hannah did not go. She said to her husband, "After the boy is weaned, I will take him and present him before the Lord, and he will live there always."

"Do what seems best to you," Elkanah her husband told her. "Stay here until you have weaned him; only may the Lord make good His word." So the woman stayed at home and nursed her son until she had weaned him.

After he was weaned, she took the boy with her, young as he was, along with a three-year-old bull, an ephah of flour, and a skin of wine, and brought him to the house of the Lord at Shiloh. When they had slaughtered the bull, they brought the boy to Eli, and she said to him, "As surely as you live, my lord, I am the woman who stood here beside you praying to the Lord. I prayed for this child, and the Lord has granted me what I asked of Him. So now I give him to the Lord. For his whole life, he will be given over to the Lord."

And he worshiped the Lord there.

1 Samuel 1:21-28

This ends our reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

What would you do if God asked for your most valued possession?

Would you obey Him?

And before you answer that too quickly, think about how you would respond if it were your only child?

How difficult would that be for you?

Think about how hard that would be.

Well, at the end of 1st Samuel, Chapter 1, we see a situation that is sort of like that. The only difference is that Hannah, who had prayed from her heart and poured her soul out to the Lord asking for a son, was now faced with keeping her end of the bargain after God allowed her to conceive and give birth to a son who she named Samuel. You’ll remember that she had promised to give her son to the Lord for “all the days of his life” (1Samuel 1:11).

So as Elkanah “went up with all his family to offer the annual sacrifice to the Lord and to fulfill his vow”, we read where “Hannah did not go” saying to her husband:

“After the boy is weaned, I will take him and present him before the Lord, and he will live there always."

To which, Elkanah replied:

“Do what seems best to you…Stay here until you have weaned him; only may the Lord make good His word."

And so Hannah did wean Samuel until the time came for her to dedicate him to the Lord as she promised. This weaning period was set in the culture at three years.

After this time had passed…the time “after he was weaned”…Hannah “took the boy with her…along with a three-year-old bull, an ephah of flour, and a skin of wine” bringing all “to the house of the Lord at Shiloh”. There, the bull was sacrificed before Hannah went to Eli the priest and presented Samuel to him, saying:

“As surely as you live, my lord, I am the woman who stood here beside you praying to the Lord. I prayed for this child, and the Lord has granted me what I asked of Him. So now I give him to the Lord. For his whole life he will be given over to the Lord."

And with that, we read where “he worshiped the Lord there”.

In Hannah, we see an incredible display of courage, obedience, and sacrifice. For after having spent three close years with Samuel, she now fulfilled her promise and gave him to the Lord “for his whole life” with Eli serving as his guardian. All she had invested in mothering was now in the hands of someone else and I can’t imagine the void this must have left in her life but knowing this, she still remained true to her word.

You know, Hannah’s actions reminded me of another similar situation that would happen later in the Bible…where another only Son was willingly surrendered. Indeed, this Son named Jesus was given up by His Father God to die for us all…a sacrificial, unblemished Lamb who was slain to bear the sins of all mankind.

In the end translation, God sent Jesus to die so we might live…He gave it all up for us and so shouldn’t we be willing to give it all up for Him?

To do any less would be falling short of the mark and certainly not meeting what He expects.

Friends, in Hannah we find qualities of sacrifice and loyalty in a woman who was dedicated and faithful to her God. My prayer is that we all exercise the same level of deep obedience when He calls on us…giving fully to God whatever He asks for, understanding that He is the source of every good and perfect gift we receive (James 1:17).

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

PRAYING WITH YOUR HEART

Can I pray for you in any way?

Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

In Christ, Mark

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** Follow The Christian Walk on Twitter @ThChristianWalk

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

There was a certain man from Ramathaim, a Zuphite from the hill country of Ephraim, whose name was Elkanah, son of Jeroham, the son of Elihu, the son of Tohu, the son of Zuph, an Ephraimite. He had two wives; one was called Hannah and the other Peninnah. Peninnah had children, but Hannah had none.

Year after year, this man went up from his town to worship and sacrifice to the Lord Almighty at Shiloh, where Hophni and Phinehas, the two sons of Eli, were priests of the Lord. Whenever the day came for Elkanah to sacrifice, he would give portions of the meat to his wife Peninnah and to all her sons and daughters. But to Hannah he gave a double portion because he loved her, and the Lord had closed her womb. And because the Lord had closed her womb, her rival kept provoking her in order to irritate her.

This went on year after year.

Whenever Hannah went up to the house of the Lord, her rival provoked her till she wept and would not eat. Elkanah, her husband, would say to her, "Hannah, why are you weeping? Why don't you eat? Why are you downhearted? Don't I mean more to you than ten sons?"

Once when they had finished eating and drinking in Shiloh, Hannah stood up. Now Eli the priest was sitting on a chair by the doorpost of the Lord's temple. In bitterness of soul, Hannah wept much and prayed to the Lord. And she made a vow, saying, "O Lord Almighty, if you will only look upon your servant's misery and remember me, and not forget your servant but give her a son, then I will give him to the Lord for all the days of his life, and no razor will ever be used on his head."

As she kept on praying to the Lord, Eli observed her mouth. Hannah was praying in her heart, and her lips were moving but her voice was not heard. Eli thought she was drunk and said to her, "How long will you keep on getting drunk? Get rid of your wine."

"Not so, my lord," Hannah replied, "I am a woman who is deeply troubled. I have not been drinking wine or beer; I was pouring out my soul to the Lord. Do not take your servant for a wicked woman; I have been praying here out of my great anguish and grief."

Eli answered, "Go in peace, and may the God of Israel grant you what you have asked of Him."

She said, "May your servant find favor in your eyes." Then she went her way and ate something, and her face was no longer downcast.

Early the next morning, they arose and worshiped before the Lord and then went back to their home at Ramah. Elkanah lay with Hannah his wife, and the Lord remembered her. So in the course of time Hannah conceived and gave birth to a son. She named him Samuel, saying, "Because I asked the Lord for him."

1 Samuel 1:1-20

This ends our reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

Have you ever found yourself downtrodden, frustrated, humiliated, anguished, deeply sorrowed, and/or bitter, emotions that took you to a place where you cried out to God for help?

If so, then you will be able to relate to Hannah in this passage from the first chapter of 1 Samuel, and hopefully gain confidence and faith in knowing God does hear and answer our prayers.

As this book opens, we’re introduced to a typical Old Testament family although this family arrangement would be very atypical by today’s standards. For we read about a man, Elkanah, who had two wives, Hannah and Penninah, daughters, and two priestly sons, Hophni and Phinehas. We know the children were all born from Penninah because unfortunately, Hannah’s womb was closed.

Now, we should keep in mind how Old Testament culture treated women who were barren. Sadly, they were held in low esteem because childbearing was one of a woman’s primary values, particularly when it came to giving birth to males who would carry on the husband’s lineage. For a woman unable to conceive, humiliation and deep sadness were both emotional burdens that were carried daily.

Well, despite Hannah’s inability to get pregnant, Elkanah still loved her dearly and we read where he would give double portions of meat to her on the days when he had to sacrifice. Yet, no amount of meat or love from Elkanah could help Hannah in her situation and what made it even worse was Penninah, Hannah’s rival, incessantly provoked “her in order to irritate her…year after year”. In fact, the scriptures tell us that Penninah badgered Hannah until “she wept and would not eat”.

And so as if it wasn’t already bad enough that Hannah felt terrible about her barrenness, Penninah piled on, rubbing it in and taking her down even further toward an emotional rock bottom. Even her loving husband, not knowing about Penninah’s provocations, seemed uncaring about the state of Hannah’s mind as he asked her:

“Hannah, why are you weeping? Why don't you eat? Why are you downhearted? Don't I mean more to you than ten sons?"

Through his words, we see that Elkanah makes it more about himself than having empathy and compassion for Hannah.

Maybe you’ve either experienced this yourself or know someone else who had, being in a place where you or they were already down and out…and then someone decides to kick you when you’re already down. Maybe they were insensitive to what you were going through or mocked you in the midst of your hardship, or talked about you behind your back to others. As we see in the Bible, there are many people out there in present times who, like Penninah, seem to take pleasure in hurting others.

Let’s go back to the scriptures where we see Hannah near her breaking point. She hasn’t eaten and is distraught to the point where all she could do is weep and while in her “bitterness of soul” and while in eyeshot of “Eli the priest” who was “sitting on a chair by the doorpost of the Lord's temple”, Hannah “prayed to the Lord”, making this vow:

"O Lord Almighty, if you will only look upon your servant's misery and remember me, and not forget your servant but give her a son, then I will give him to the Lord for all the days of his life, and no razor will ever be used on his head."

We should note that Hannah’s prayers weren’t simply spoken. They were much deeper than that.

For as Eli watched Hannah, he saw her lips moving but no words being spoken because the scriptures tell us that she was “praying with her heart” while “pouring (her) soul out to the Lord”. We read where this led Eli to think she was drunk and so he challenges her. Hanna responds by setting things straight telling the priest that she wasn’t drunk or wicked but instead “deeply troubled” and “praying…out of (her) great anguish and grief”. And after hearing her testimony, we see the priest giving her this command:

“Go in peace, and may the God of Israel grant you what you have asked of Him.”

To which Hannah replied:

“May your servant find favor in your eyes."

After this, we’re not told right away whether or not Hannah’s prayers were effective in allowing her to bear a son but we do know that they helped relieve her troubled heart, mind, and soul. We know this because the scriptures tell us that her “face was no longer downcast” and she began to eat again. Through this, we learn that there is a peace that comes when we bring our burdens to God the right way…praying to Him with all our heart while pouring out our soul out to Him. Later in the Bible, we find the Apostle Paul sharing these words in what is one of my favorite passages :

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:6-7

It’s this peace that we find Hannah experiencing in our passage today from 1st Samuel…a peace that transcended understanding. It’s a divine peace that took her from the depths of despair and brought her to a special solitude that only comes when one puts their full trust in the Lord, choosing to trust Him by fully laying any and all burdens at His feet. After all, He was and is in control of all things and that means there is nothing beyond the work of His Almighty hands.

Well, as our passage closes, we read where after rising the next morning and going to worship, Elkanah and Hannah returned home where he laid down with her and in that moment, the Lord remembered Hannah. We read where “in the course of time” she “conceived and gave birth to a son”, naming him Samuel because she had “asked the Lord for him." And Samuel, her son, would grow up to be the last judge of Israel.

In the end, Hannah saw here deep sorrow and distress depart but only after she prayed with all her heart and soul, bringing her matter before the Lord and trusting He was able to fulfill her need. When she did, she discovered the peace of God that truly does transcend all understanding and the good news for us today is that the Lord wants to extend the same to all who would place faith in Him.

What is weighing you down today, maybe to the place where you find your spirit always downtrodden under the weight of your life circumstances?

My prayer is that you will follow Hannah’s lead and surrender the issues to God today so that you might also experience His solace and the powerful work He does in the lives of those who place their hope in Him.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

HAPPILY EVER AFTER

Can I pray for you in any way?

Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

In Christ, Mark

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

** Follow The Christian Walk on Twitter @ThChristianWalk

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

Meanwhile Boaz went up to the town gate and sat there. When the kinsman-redeemer he had mentioned came along, Boaz said, "Come over here, my friend, and sit down." So he went over and sat down.

Boaz took ten of the elders of the town and said, "Sit here," and they did so. Then he said to the kinsman-redeemer, "Naomi, who has come back from Moab, is selling the piece of land that belonged to our brother Elimelech. I thought I should bring the matter to your attention and suggest that you buy it in the presence of these seated here and in the presence of the elders of my people. If you will redeem it, do so. But if you will not, tell me, so I will know. For no one has the right to do it except you, and I am next in line."

"I will redeem it," he said.

Then Boaz said, "On the day you buy the land from Naomi and from Ruth the Moabitess, you acquire the dead man's widow, in order to maintain the name of the dead with his property." At this, the kinsman-redeemer said, "Then I cannot redeem it because I might endanger my own estate. You redeem it yourself. I cannot do it."

(Now in earlier times in Israel, for the redemption and transfer of property to become final, one party took off his sandal and gave it to the other. This was the method of legalizing transactions in Israel.)

So the kinsman-redeemer said to Boaz, "Buy it yourself." And he removed his sandal.

Then Boaz announced to the elders and all the people, "Today you are witnesses that I have bought from Naomi all the property of Elimelech, Kilion, and Mahlon. I have also acquired Ruth the Moabitess, Mahlon's widow, as my wife, in order to maintain the name of the dead with his property, so that his name will not disappear from among his family or from the town records. Today you are witnesses!"

Then the elders and all those at the gate said, "We are witnesses. May the Lord make the woman who is coming into your home like Rachel and Leah, who together built up the house of Israel. May you have standing in Ephrathah and be famous in Bethlehem. Through the offspring the Lord gives you by this young woman, may your family be like that of Perez, whom Tamar bore to Judah."

So Boaz took Ruth and she became his wife. Then he went to her, and the Lord enabled her to conceive, and she gave birth to a son. The women said to Naomi: "Praise be to the Lord, who this day has not left you without a kinsman-redeemer. May he become famous throughout Israel! He will renew your life and sustain you in your old age. For your daughter-in-law, who loves you and who is better to you than seven sons, has given him birth."

Then Naomi took the child, laid him in her lap and cared for him. The women living there said, "Naomi has a son." And they named him Obed. He was the father of Jesse, the father of David.

This, then, is the family line of Perez:

Perez was the father of Hezron, Hezron the father of Ram, Ram the father of Amminadab, Amminadab the father of Nahshon, Nahshon the father of Salmon, Salmon the father of Boaz, Boaz the father of Obed, Obed the father of Jesse, and Jesse the father of David.

Ruth 4

This ends our reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

Have you ever had a night that seemed to last forever as you faced an uncertain event the following day?

I know I have and maybe you do too…so we should be able to fully relate to what Naomi and Ruth must have endured as they waited for morning and Boaz’s encounter with the other kinsman-redeemer…the one who had first rights to buy the land owned by Elimelech and his two sons, and in turn, the hand of the widowed Ruth. If there was any good news, Naomi and Ruth knew one way or another that they would be claimed by a kinsman-redeemer. The suspense was found in whether or not that man would be Boaz.

Well as promised, we read where the aforementioned Boaz “went up to the town gate and sat there” the next morning, waiting for the “kinsman-redeemer he had mentioned” to come along and when he did, Boaz called for him saying:

"Come over here, my friend, and sit down."

As the man sat down where Boaz had told him to, “Boaz took ten of the elders of the town” and asked them to sit there as well. They would serve as witnesses for the matter that was about to be discussed. With everyone in place, Boaz explained the situation as follows:

"Naomi, who has come back from Moab, is selling the piece of land that belonged to our brother Elimelech. I thought I should bring the matter to your attention and suggest that you buy it in the presence of these seated here and in the presence of the elders of my people. If you will redeem it, do so. But if you will not, tell me, so I will know. For no one has the right to do it except you, and I am next in line."

It’s interesting here that Boaz only mentioned the land here…land that the other kinsman-redeemer was obviously interested in because he told Boaz and the elders:

“I will redeem it."

But then, we see Boaz play the “Ruth card” adding this:

“On the day you buy the land from Naomi and from Ruth the Moabitess, you acquire the dead man's widow, in order to maintain the name of the dead with his property."

This changed the dynamics of the deal exponentially because it wasn’t just simply a land transaction. The kinsman-redeemer would be required to marry the widowed wife of Naomi’s son, Mahlon, and this changed the decision of the other kinsman-redeemer who says this to Boaz and the gathered elders:

“…I cannot redeem it because I might endanger my own estate. You redeem it yourself. I cannot do it….Buy it yourself.”

And with that, he “removed his sandal” which the scriptures explain was a sign of a “legalized transaction”…one showing that “the redemption and transfer of property (had) become final”. The deal was then completed and we read where Boaz makes sure everyone knows it by making the following announcement to “the elders and all the people”:

"Today you are witnesses that I have bought from Naomi all the property of Elimelech, Kilion, and Mahlon. I have also acquired Ruth the Moabitess, Mahlon's widow, as my wife, in order to maintain the name of the dead with his property, so that his name will not disappear from among his family or from the town records. Today you are witnesses!"

In response, we read where the “elders and all those at the gate” proclaimed:

"We are witnesses. May the Lord make the woman who is coming into your home like Rachel and Leah, who together built up the house of Israel. May you have standing in Ephrathah and be famous in Bethlehem. Through the offspring the Lord gives you by this young woman, may your family be like that of Perez, whom Tamar bore to Judah."

And so it was.

Boaz became the kinsman-redeemer for Naomi and Ruth, taking the latter as his wife. After their marriage, we read where “the Lord enabled her to conceive” and she gave birth to a son who they named Obed, which means servant or worshipper. This son, Obed, would end up being the father of Jesse who would become David’s dad, afterwards being selected by God to become the King of Israel. Further, this would later place Obed in the genealogy of Jesus where we find Boaz and Ruth mentioned as well (Matthew 1:5).

What a blessing God bestowed on Boaz and Ruth!

He also richly blessed Naomi…a point recognized by the town women who said:

“Praise be to the Lord, who this day has not left you without a kinsman-redeemer. May he become famous throughout Israel! He will renew your life and sustain you in your old age. For your daughter-in-law, who loves you and who is better to you than seven sons, has given him birth."

For her part in this wonderful ending, Naomi took Obed in her lap and “cared for him” like any other proud grandmother would.

You know, we can sum up this story’s ending by using an age-old cliché for we find everyone - Naomi, Ruth and Boaz – living “happily ever after”. My friends, this is what happens when redemption becomes a reality for a person’s life is changed forever. The sure salvation found through belief in Jesus leaves one “happily ever after” because we have the sure guarantee of Heaven. One is rescued from the everlasting torment and damnation of Hell, gaining infinite peace and joy in knowing that death has lost its proverbial sting (1 Corinthians 15:54-57). In other words, through faith in Christ, every single Christian believer is victorious.

Jesus Himself said this:

“I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. John 10:10

Indeed, in and through Him, all Jesus followers get just that.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

A DIVINE REDEMPTIVE RELATIONSHIP

Can I pray for you in any way?

Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

In Christ, Mark

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** Follow The Christian Walk on Twitter @ThChristianWalk

** Like posts and send friend requests to the author of The Christian Walk, Mark Cummings on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/mark.cummings.733?ref=tn_tnmn

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

One day Naomi her mother-in-law said to her, "My daughter, should I not try to find a home for you, where you will be well provided for? Is not Boaz, with whose servant girls you have been, a kinsman of ours? Tonight he will be winnowing barley on the threshing floor. Wash and perfume yourself, and put on your best clothes. Then go down to the threshing floor, but don't let him know you are there until he has finished eating and drinking. When he lies down, note the place where he is lying. Then go and uncover his feet and lie down. He will tell you what to do."

"I will do whatever you say," Ruth answered. So she went down to the threshing floor and did everything her mother-in-law told her to do.

When Boaz had finished eating and drinking and was in good spirits, he went over to lie down at the far end of the grain pile. Ruth approached quietly, uncovered his feet and lay down. In the middle of the night something startled the man, and he turned and discovered a woman lying at his feet.

"Who are you?" he asked.

"I am your servant Ruth," she said. "Spread the corner of your garment over me, since you are a kinsman-redeemer."

"The Lord bless you, my daughter," he replied. "This kindness is greater than that which you showed earlier: You have not run after the younger men, whether rich or poor. And now, my daughter, don't be afraid. I will do for you all you ask. All my fellow townsmen know that you are a woman of noble character. Although it is true that I am near of kin, there is a kinsman-redeemer nearer than I. Stay here for the night, and in the morning if he wants to redeem, good; let him redeem. But if he is not willing, as surely as the Lord lives I will do it. Lie here until morning."

So she lay at his feet until morning, but got up before anyone could be recognized; and he said, "Don't let it be known that a woman came to the threshing floor." He also said, "Bring me the shawl you are wearing and hold it out." When she did so, he poured into it six measures of barley and put it on her. Then he went back to town.

When Ruth came to her mother-in-law, Naomi asked, "How did it go, my daughter?"

Then she told her everything Boaz had done for her and added, "He gave me these six measures of barley, saying, 'Don't go back to your mother-in-law empty-handed.'"

Then Naomi said, "Wait, my daughter, until you find out what happens. For the man will not rest until the matter is settled today."

Ruth 3

This ends our reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

As we finished looking at the second chapter of this book, we saw Naomi and Ruth had been buoyed up in hope after discovering that a kinsman-redeemer named Boaz was in their midst in Bethlehem. We know Ruth ended up gleaning grain from a field that belonged to him and he had treated her kindly, ensuring that she and her mother-in-law had plenty to eat.

After these events, Naomi obviously began thinking about Ruth and her future and just as we had seen Ruth being loyal and devoted to Naomi in her time of need, now we see Naomi doing the same for her daughter-in-law. For despite knowing that life as a widow wouldn’t be easy, she couldn’t bear to see Ruth have her best years of life pass by…years that would allow her to marry again and possibly bear children.

And so we read where Naomi said to Ruth:

“My daughter, should I not try to find a home for you, where you will be well provided for? Is not Boaz, with whose servant girls you have been, a kinsman of ours? Tonight he will be winnowing barley on the threshing floor. Wash and perfume yourself, and put on your best clothes. Then go down to the threshing floor, but don't let him know you are there until he has finished eating and drinking. When he lies down, note the place where he is lying. Then go and uncover his feet and lie down. He will tell you what to do."

Based on Boaz’s prior behavior towards Ruth, Naomi felt he had displayed a liking of her and so we read where she advises Ruth as to how she should present herself to him as a possible wife. If he accepted her, Boaz, as a kinsman redeemer, would be eligible to marry Ruth and fill the role of her deceased husband, rescuing her from a life of isolation and loneliness.

For her part in this, we find Ruth promising Naomi that she would do as she was asked and “went down to the threshing floor” where she waited for Boaz. The scriptures tell us that he was “in good spirits” after he had “finished eating and drinking”, lying down “at the far end of the grain pile” afterwards. And as he did, “Ruth approached quietly, uncovered his feet and lay down”, just as Naomi had told her to do. She remained there until Boaz became startled “in the middle of the night” and “discovered a woman lying at his feet”, quickly asking:

“Who are you?"

To which Ruth replied:

“I am your servant Ruth…Spread the corner of your garment over me, since you are a kinsman-redeemer."

We should take note of the humble way that Ruth comes to Boaz. She doesn’t force herself on him but rather respectfully requests that Boaz spread the corner of his garment over her because he was a kinsman-redeemer. Through this, Ruth acknowledged her reliance on Boaz for deliverance while at the same time, displaying a great deal of trust and faith in him. And as we see, her submissive, honorable attitude and actions were rewarded.

For we read where Boaz tells Ruth:

“The Lord bless you, my daughter…This kindness is greater than that which you showed earlier: You have not run after the younger men, whether rich or poor. And now, my daughter, don't be afraid. I will do for you all you ask. All my fellow townsmen know that you are a woman of noble character. Although it is true that I am near of kin, there is a kinsman-redeemer nearer than I. Stay here for the night, and in the morning if he wants to redeem, good; let him redeem. But if he is not willing, as surely as the Lord lives I will do it. Lie here until morning."

Here, we see it’s obvious that Boaz was as committed to Ruth as she was to him and was willing to assume the role of her kinsman-redeemer immediately but there was only one problem. There was another kinsman-redeemer in line before him…one who had first right to marry Ruth ahead of Boaz.

Now, I’m sure this had to cause Ruth’s spirit to sag a little but we see Boaz promising to stay the course with her, vowing to inquire of the other kinsman-redeemer in the morning. There would be one of two possible outcomes.

1. If he decided to take Ruth as his wife, then she would go with him.

2. If the other kinsman-redeemer passed, then Ruth would marry Boaz.

All this injects some tense drama into the Ruth story. In fact, we almost could insert the three words, “To be continued”, at the end of chapter 3, such was the cliffhanging nature of how it leaves off.

Well, the scriptures tell us that Ruth returned to Naomi before anyone could find out the events of the evening. And once again, Boaz made sure Ruth didn’t return empty-handed, filling her shawl with “six measures of barley”. As she goes to her mother-in-law, Ruth details all that happened and after hearing it, Naomi states the obvious. For now Ruth would have to wait and see what happened, knowing that Boaz would do all he could for her and wouldn’t rest “until the matter was settled.”

Indeed, this is what a true redeemer does. He or she doesn’t rest until redemption happens.

As Christian believers today, we know this to be true through what the Lord Jesus has done for us for our relationship with Him is, at its essence, redemptive in nature. Like Ruth, every single person is destined to a life of isolation and loneliness without redemption unless they place their belief in Christ and in Him alone. He breaks the bondage of sin and liberates us to live, love, and learn, all under His leading.

Ruth required rescue from her widowed status. We require rescue from our sinful status.

In Ruth’s case, she recognized her chance for deliverance in Boaz and submitted herself to him humbly with faith and trust that he would redeem her. And as we see, Boaz did not disappoint her. Rather, he honored and blessed her, placing his covering over her.

In the case of people today, they need to also recognize their sole chance for rescue…a rescue from sin and the eternal penalty of Hell that only comes through belief in Jesus as Savior, the one and only Son of God who was sent to save and redeem us from our sins.

It was His shed blood on the cross of Calvary that washed our sins away and left us white as snow, placing a covering over us…a covering that identifies Him as our Redeemer. Indeed, Jesus does not disappoint those who come to Him humbly, confessing their desperate need for His redemption. He honors and blesses all those He saves and then sends them out to help others find their own rescue.

In the end translation, let us never forget the ultimate good news that we have every day because of Jesus for He willingly chooses to enter into redemptive relationships with any sinner who repents and comes to Him for salvation.

Thanks be to God for His Son…today and forever more.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

THE AWESOME NATURE OF HOPE

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In Christ, Mark

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

Her mother-in-law asked her, "Where did you glean today? Where did you work? Blessed be the man who took notice of you!"

Then Ruth told her mother-in-law about the one at whose place she had been working. "The name of the man I worked with today is Boaz," she said.

"The Lord bless him!" Naomi said to her daughter-in-law. "He has not stopped showing his kindness to the living and the dead." She added, "That man is our close relative; he is one of our kinsman-redeemers."

Then Ruth the Moabitess said, "He even said to me, 'Stay with my workers until they finish harvesting all my grain.'"

Naomi said to Ruth her daughter-in-law, "It will be good for you, my daughter, to go with his girls, because in someone else's field you might be harmed."

So Ruth stayed close to the servant girls of Boaz to glean until the barley and wheat harvests were finished. And she lived with her mother-in-law.

Ruth 2:19-23

This ends our reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

Have you ever had a time in your life when you felt hopeless? A time when you felt oppressed by despair and sorrow? A time when things seemed so much more dark than light?

I know I have.

After learning about my first wife’s affair with my next door neighbor many years ago, I remember how devastated I was to learn that I had been deceived by someone I loved and trusted so very much. My family broke apart and I was left alone…single for the first time in 10 years...without my two girls. The isolation was maddening…my pain and sadness was worse.

For years, I wondered what I might have done to deserve my circumstances and I had trouble finding answers. I equally had trouble finding relief from my desolate, downtrodden spirit. Indeed, I felt little hope in my life then.

I can’t help but think Naomi must have felt the same way. Losing a husband was bad enough, particularly because widows weren’t particularly taken care of well in Old Testament society. Without their provider and supporter, they were often left to fend for themselves. Truly, tough times usually followed a woman after their husband’s death and Naomi knew this. But at least she had two sons who could now take care of her and soften the blow.

But then, we know what happened. Both of those sons died, not only leaving Naomi without immediate family but her two Moabite daughters-in-law widowed as well. And so fast forwarding to their arrival and subsequent attempt to settle in Bethlehem, hope had to seem very far off for Naomi and Ruth but little did they know that God was working in the background of things. Hope was right around the corner for them…and in a place they least expected it.

It happens like this sometimes in our lives as well. Just when we see things as dark and hopeless, God shines His light on us, often through a person that He sends to rescue us…a redeemer. For me, ironically, this redeemer was named Grace.

You see several years after my divorce, I was volunteering in an elementary school, tutoring two third grade classes. I had done this faithfully for around four months when one day I happened to run into the Assistant Principal on my way out of the building. I had spoken to her a few times before but it was always business-like conversation, so much so that I didn’t even know her first name. She was always Ms. White to me.

Well, that day the conversation was different because we talked about what we were going to do during the upcoming weekend. She told me she was going to the movies and, with all the courage I could muster (I wasn’t very good at being single, I’m afraid), I asked her if she was going alone. As I expected, she had a date and at first my hopes were dashed but then she added this about the man she was seeing:

“He doesn’t know what direction he’s going in.”

And with that, her name was called over the school announcing system and she  excused herself, leaving me wondering what she meant by what was said. Despite the confusion in her cryptic words, I have to admit feeling a spark of hope…something I hadn’t felt for a long, long time.

Going back to our scripture passage, we find Ruth returning to Naomi with all the wheat she had gleaned and the mother-in-law immediately marveled at the amount she brought as it was obviously more than one would see from a typical, gleaning outing. As we see, Naomi couldn’t contain her curiosity, asking Ruth:

“Where did you glean today? Where did you work? Blessed be the man who took notice of you!"

To which Ruth replied:

“The name of the man I worked with today is Boaz.”

Well, the name Boaz hadn’t resonated with Ruth as she was a foreigner in Bethlehem but as we see, Naomi instantly knew him and what he meant to their situation…and we can sense how she felt a spark of instant hope at that moment…something she hadn’t felt for a long time. God was moving powerfully in her situation and was doing so through the interactions between Boaz and Ruth.

Given the report from Ruth, we find Naomi exclaiming:

“The Lord bless him!...He has not stopped showing his kindness to the living and the dead….That man is our close relative; he is one of our kinsman-redeemers."

Here, we find Naomi fully understanding that the Lord was at work in the matter. He had made the way for Ruth to end up in Boaz’s field because he would end up being the one who would redeem Naomi and Ruth. God put him into their lives for a reason…to rescue, deliver, save, and, ultimately bring hope.

“He doesn’t know what direction he wants to go in.”

Going back to that fateful day at the elementary school 34 years ago, these words started to echo in my head over the weekend after talking with Ms. White. Although I didn’t really know what they meant, the Lord was working through them to set His plan in motion.

For I ended up taking a chance and sending flowers to Ms. White, asking her to go to dinner with me. I was in the Navy then and getting set to go to sea for seven weeks, an underway period which was serving as a work up for a deployment to South America starting in the late spring. And so as you can see, the window of opportunity was very narrow if there would be any chance that Ms. White and I were going to see each other regularly on a personal level.

And so the flowers were delivered the day before I was set to be back in the school and during that final visit prior to going to sea, I ran into Ms. White and learned that she was accepting my date invitation. We went to dinner the next night.

During that time together, it was obvious to us both that we had so much in common and there was potential for a relationship but not until Ms. White had laid down some ground rules. For I remember her words as clear as day today as she said:

“If we’re going to have a relationship, God has to be first in everything.”

I also remember how my heart was racing about a million miles an hour because I hadn’t been walking with the Lord in my life for well over 12 years.

Remember how I had wondered why things had happened in my first marriage for it to end the way it did. Walking without God for the duration of that time was really the root cause for as I learned, nothing good comes out of doing that.

Well, told her that I agreed with her spiritual ground rules and was committed to make the Lord first in our relationship. From that point forward, I dedicated myself to getting right with Him in my life and Grace and I would marry by the end of the year after that first dinner date.

That was 33 years ago now as we march toward anniversary number 34 in December and it has been absolutely incredible how the Lord has moved in and through all those years we’ve been blessed to share together. Over that time, the Lord has shown me the many gifts He has placed within to use to His glory and uses me in ministry every day to help others come to know Him…just as He used Grace (Ms. White) to reach me over three decades ago.

In the end translation, Grace was used as an instrument of my redemption…the one the Lord sent to rescue me, draw me back to Him, and help deliver me from despair to hope. In the Ruth story, God used Boaz to do the same thing for Naomi and Ruth…and the good news is that He is still using people each and every day to do the same thing. Who knows…maybe He’ll use you next.

My friends, we truly serve a Lord who is in the redeeming business. For He so loved the world that He gave up His Son Jesus to be crucified on the cross of Calvary to rescue us from the despair of sin and destruction in Hell and deliver us to the hope of a new, eternal life. This ensured that anyone who places their belief in Jesus need never fear death for it becomes the door to an everlasting life free from the afflictions of this present worldly existence. Through Christ, we have a hope that is secure and irremovable by anyone or anything.

So as I close this message, we have seen the awesome nature of hope through the actions of Jesus…of Boaz…of my “amazing” Grace, actions that were all part of God’s redemptive plan, actions that bring the awesome blessing of hope…not a worldly hope that is fleeting but rather a divine, holy hope that endures not just in the here and now but in the here after.

Today and every day, let us rejoice and give thanks for all the Lord has done, is doing, and is yet to do in our lives to move us from tough times into better days, providing deliverance into a hope that can only come from Him.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.