ResponsiveReiding

Margin notes: A Prayer from a Praise – Psalm 26:8

July 30th, 2019

Psalm 26:8 (ESV) — 8 O Lord, I love the habitation of your house and the place where your glory dwells.

Pray with me today won’t you:

Heavenly Father, may I love the habitation of your house – the place where your glory dwells – the people that are your Church.

Now.

May I love them Father.

May I see them as the place where your glory dwells.

May I see in them always the riches of your grace poured out on their brokenness.

May I not disdain a single one of them, but see them always as the objects of your love, and redeemed by the blood of the Lamb.

May I know of a certainty that you indwell them and that you manifest your glory there.

May I never forsake them – but seek them out to be with them wherever they may be found.

May I find ever more ways to bless them.

May I rejoice with them, weep with them, and praise your name together with them.

May my I encourage them when they are distressed,

Uphold their hands when they are weary,

Strengthen their feeble knees when prayer escapes them,

And point them ever and always to the grace of Christ, the power of your indwelling Spirit, the counsel of your Word and the sure promises of the resurrection.

Oh Lord, I love the temple where you live, the place where your splendor is revealed.

Help me to love it even more.
Margin notes: Have you prophesied lately?.

July 29th, 2019

1 Chronicles 25:3 (ESV) — 3 Of Jeduthun, the sons of Jeduthun: Gedaliah, Zeri, Jeshaiah, Shimei, Hashabiah, and Mattithiah, six, under the direction of their father Jeduthun, who prophesied with the lyre in thanksgiving and praise to the Lord.

1 Corinthians 14:31 (ESV) — 31 For you can all prophesy one by one, so that all may learn and all be encouraged,

The subject of prophecy in the Bible is a complicated one. What was its role under the Old Covenant versus its role under the New? Are there different kinds of “prophecy”? What does it look like? What is its role (if any) in the New Testament Church? On and on. But we do get an interesting insight into at least one aspect of prophecy when we compare the two texts cited above.

The first comes from the time when David was arranging the Priesthood and their various ministries once there was a permanent home for the Ark of the Covenant in Jerusalem. The old duties of setting up and tearing down the Tabernacle and carrying its furniture about the desert had come to an end. But these Levites still needed to be employed according to their designation as those set apart to God to minister to Him and His people.

The second comes from the time when the priesthood of the Believer is emerging. There will no longer be a specific “tribe” to serve as ministers in God’s house. And Paul makes the bold assertion that “you can all prophesy one by one” – even though there is still the issue to be resolved as to whether or not there are still “prophets” in the Church.

That said, the Chronicles passage tells us how it at least some of the Levites were to prophesy: “With the lyre in thanksgiving and praise to the Lord.” And is it possible that Paul has something similar in mind when he says we can all prophesy one by one? It’s worth considering.

In other words, at least one aspect of prophecy which belongs to all the saints, even today, is to prophesy by giving thanksgiving and praise to the Lord. And the idea of using the lyre is that this prophesying is done in music. And here is the wonder of that thought: When Christ’s people gather to worship, and we sing songs of thanksgiving and praise to the Lord, we are not just performing some meaningless Church activity. We are engaged in a high spiritual ministry aimed at teaching and encouraging one another in the power of the Spirit. It is why the lyrics we sing are so vitally important – that they convey accurate, BIblical truth about God and His works; and that they acknowledge the blessings He has poured, and continues to pour out upon His people.

Next Lord’s Day, when you come “to Church” – don’t imagine the music portion as just some sing-songy tradition. Come ready to prophesy. To lift up the name of the Lord to those around you. To help them know the wonder of our God in Jesus Christ – and give Him the thanks publicly that is due Him.

Come and take up the prophet’s mantle for us all.
Ruth: Part 2

July 26th, 2019

Ruth Part 2

Reid A Ferguson

Ruth 2; Romans 4:1–13; Galatians 3:7–9

AUDIO FOR THIS SERMON CAN BE FOUND HERE

Last time we began our look at the book of Ruth with this idea in mind: It serves as a pageant communicating the incredible wonder of how it is Gentile Believers get grafted into, and become heirs of, the promises of Abraham.

The Apostle Paul unpacks this idea various places like what we just had read for us out of Romans – or this, from Galatians 3:7-9

Galatians 3:7–9 ESV / Know then that it is those of faith who are the sons of Abraham. And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, “In you shall all the nations be blessed.” So then, those who are of faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith.

And a great deal of that foreseen blessing of the nations through Abraham – is opened up to us in this little book of Ruth.

Now in Ch. 2, Ruth in the narrative becomes a type of the Gentile Believer in receiving salvation. And Boaz, who we get introduced to, takes on the cast of the Messiah. We’ll see how this unfolds much more in Chapters 3 & 4.

As we saw in chapter 1, this wonderful Jewish woman Naomi with her husband and 2 sons had migrated about 50 miles away from their home in Bethlehem to Moab due to a famine.

In the Gentile land of Moab, Naomi’s husband and 2 sons died, leaving her with her 2 widowed daughters-in-law. And of these 2, Ruth, decides to go back with Naomi to her homeland, town, people and God – and make them her own.

We saw this as a paradigm for conversion. But it’s only the beginning. There is much more to come.

Chapter 2 then continues the narrative.

Ruth 2:1–3 ESV / Now Naomi had a relative of her husband’s, a worthy man of the clan of Elimelech, whose name was Boaz. And Ruth the Moabite said to Naomi, “Let me go to the field and glean among the ears of grain after him in whose sight I shall find favor.” And she said to her, “Go, my daughter.” So she set out and went and gleaned in the field after the reapers, and she happened to come to the part of the field belonging to Boaz, who was of the clan of Elimelech.

Having arrived back at home, the next order of business was of course to find a means of sustenance.

As the text says, Naomi had a relative, an in-law on her husband’s side, named Boaz.

The ESV says Boaz was a “worthy” man. The idea being he was noble, respected, a man of integrity. Interestingly the word translated “worthy” here (used 159 times in the OT) is almost always translated as “warrior”, “hero” or “mighty.”

One commentator said that it conjures up ideas of a noble knight like one of King Arthur’s knights. Accordingly, one Jewish tradition holds that Boaz was in fact Ibzan, one of the Judges of Israel mentioned in Judges 12.

Judge? And perhaps a word of explanation about these “Judges” is in order.

You will recall the 1st vs. of Ruth begins telling us the events of Ruth took place “In the days when the judges ruled.”

Well just who were these “judges” and what did they do? They were not what we think of when we think of those who sit on a bench as part of our judicial system handing down legal decisions. The function of these Judges is given to us in Judges 2:16-19

These were valiant men God raised up to lead the nation both in repentance and to break the oppression from other people groups the Israelites suffered when they backslid from their fidelity to God. The book of Judges names 13 of these – some of whose names would be familiar like Samson, Gideon, Deborah and – Ibzan of Bethlehem.

Whether or not Boaz and Ibzan are one and the same, the language used here of Boaz indicates that same kind of heroic character and reputation in his community. And it is in his fields that Ruth gleaned in (vs. 3).

Gleaning? A word about gleaning here is in order as well.

God had instituted a most wonderful sort of welfare system in Israel. It worked like this: As a chiefly agricultural society, farmers were required by God’s law not harvest every little bit that they could from their crops. See: Leviticus 19:9-10.

The idea was this: Society needed to make conscious provision for the poor and unfortunate. But! that provision also had to preserve the dignity of those in need.

How?

By making sure there was food for them to gather – and then letting them gather it.

We all know that one who subsists on mere handouts soon loses respect both in their own eyes and in the eyes of others. But if they could work for it in some fashion, they had something to show for their labor. They could go home that night knowing they had worked, and with the self-respect that comes with having provided for their families honestly. It was an exceedingly compassionate system which prevented anyone from merely becoming idle: You had to go glean for yourself. And, it kept the wealthier from failing to show compassion or being too greedy while providing for the necessary food and the dignity of those in need.

So Ruth went to glean for Naomi and herself. Ruth 2:4-9

Ruth 2:4–9 ESV / And behold, Boaz came from Bethlehem. And he said to the reapers, “The Lord be with you!” And they answered, “The Lord bless you.” Then Boaz said to his young man who was in charge of the reapers, “Whose young woman is this?” And the servant who was in charge of the reapers answered, “She is the young Moabite woman, who came back with Naomi from the country of Moab. She said, ‘Please let me glean and gather among the sheaves after the reapers.’ So she came, and she has continued from early morning until now, except for a short rest.”

Then Boaz said to Ruth, “Now, listen, my daughter, do not go to glean in another field or leave this one, but keep close to my young women. Let your eyes be on the field that they are reaping, and go after them. Have I not charged the young men not to touch you? And when you are thirsty, go to the vessels and drink what the young men have drawn.”

Boaz comes to check on his workers, and notices a new face among the crowd.

When he asks about who she is, the head of the reaper squad fills him in that this is Naomi’s Moabite daughter-in-law, and that she’s been knocking herself out all day out in the fields.

At this point, Boaz approaches Ruth and tells her to be sure to do all her gleaning in his fields only. That he’ll make sure no one treats her poorly because she’s a foreigner – and that she can get water like anyone else. That she’s to consider herself no less a part of the rest who are out there.

Ruth responds: Ruth 2:10 ESV / Then she fell on her face, bowing to the ground, and said to him, “Why have I found favor in your eyes, that you should take notice of me, since I am a foreigner?”

Why have you taken such careful notice of one who really doesn’t belong?

Boaz replies: Ruth 2:11–12 ESV / But Boaz answered her, “All that you have done for your mother-in-law since the death of your husband has been fully told to me, and how you left your father and mother and your native land and came to a people that you did not know before. The Lord repay you for what you have done, and a full reward be given you by the Lord, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge!”

And Ruth says: Ruth 2:13 ESV / Then she said, “I have found favor in your eyes, my lord, for you have comforted me and spoken kindly to your servant, though I am not one of your servants.”

She is more than gratified at his kindness. And she calls it for what it is. She does not think herself in any way deserving of such care and attention. She has no sense of entitlement. Not even on account of her connection to Naomi.

In fact she uses an unusual word here for servant – it is a diminutive meaning she is the very lowest of servants.

But Boaz isn’t done yet. Ruth 2:14–17 ESV / And at mealtime Boaz said to her, “Come here and eat some bread and dip your morsel in the wine.” So she sat beside the reapers, and he passed to her roasted grain. And she ate until she was satisfied, and she had some left over. When she rose to glean, Boaz instructed his young men, saying, “Let her glean even among the sheaves, and do not reproach her. And also pull out some from the bundles for her and leave it for her to glean, and do not rebuke her.”

So she gleaned in the field until evening. Then she beat out what she had gleaned, and it was about an ephah of barley.

Boaz hasn’t just taken notice of Ruth, he now goes out of his way to bless her:

He invites her to eat with him…

He invites her to dip her morsel in the wine – so she is not just taking a break, she is joining the meal like one of the closest associates…

She doesn’t just eat, she eats until she is satisfied with leftovers…

And then she went back to work. She didn’t consider her new found favor as any kind of exemption from labor…

And Boaz makes even more provision for her – not just to glean from what isn’t reaped, but to have unfettered access to the crop.

Ruth 2:17–23 ESV / So she gleaned in the field until evening. Then she beat out what she had gleaned, and it was about an ephah of barley. And she took it up and went into the city. Her mother-in-law saw what she had gleaned. She also brought out and gave her what food she had left over after being satisfied. And her mother-in-law said to her, “Where did you glean today? And where have you worked? Blessed be the man who took notice of you.” So she told her mother-in-law with whom she had worked and said, “The man’s name with whom I worked today is Boaz.” And Naomi said to her daughter-in-law, “May he be blessed by the Lord, whose kindness has not forsaken the living or the dead!” Naomi also said to her, “The man is a close relative of ours, one of our redeemers.” And Ruth the Moabite said, “Besides, he said to me, ‘You shall keep close by my young men until they have finished all my harvest.’ ” And Naomi said to Ruth, her daughter-in-law, “It is good, my daughter, that you go out with his young women, lest in another field you be assaulted.” So she kept close to the young women of Boaz, gleaning until the end of the barley and wheat harvests. And she lived with her mother-in-law.

Ruth returns to Naomi with more than 30 pounds of barely which would not only be a huge provision for them – but left them with an amount to sell and produce some income.

Naomi is pretty savvy. She knows full well that Ruth has come home with an inordinate haul for the day. And so she probes.

Once it’s revealed that Boaz is behind it all, Naomi finally catches a glimpse of God’s hand at work after all. Then she recollects that Boaz is one of those in her husband’s family who would have first rights to purchase the land and give them some real relief.

So she tells Ruth to continue to take advantage of Boaz’s good graces.

As last time, let’s just reflect on these events by making some pertinent observations – but especially in light of what I mentioned earlier – how this book becomes a pageant of sorts explicating the grace of God in extending salvation to Gentile believers.

It was a saying by among the Puritans that the OT was the illustration book for the doctrines of the NT and Ruth is a spectacular example of that very concept.

But for today I want us to consider just 2 outstanding things opened up for us in this chapter: The Providence of God, and the Provision of God.

And we need to see each of these in two respects: God’s providence in both natural and spiritual things, as well as God’s provision in both natural and spiritual things.

Observation 1: God’s Providence.

Much like the book of Esther, God is not front and center in Ruth. But His pervasive behind-the-scenes activity is. And this is such an important reality for Christians to grasp in every generation and in all of our circumstances.

We may not SEE God at work overtly, but He is there and behind all things concerning us. This is what is known theologically as God’s “Providence.”

Providence is normally defined in Christian theology as the unceasing activity of the Creator whereby, in overflowing bounty and goodwill (Ps. 145:9 cf. Mt. 5:45–48), he upholds his creatures in ordered existence (Acts 17:28; Col. 1:17; Heb. 1:3), guides and governs all events, circumstances and free acts of angels and men (cf. Ps. 107; Jb. 1:12; 2:6; Gn. 45:5–8), and directs everything to its appointed goal, for his own glory (cf. Eph. 1:9–12). J. I. Packer, “Providence,” ed. D. R. W. Wood et al., New Bible Dictionary (Leicester, England; Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1996), 979.

So it is we can see first how God’s providences Ruth led to producing King David from the mixed Jewish/Gentile bloodline.

We can only go back a tiny bit here but just look at some of the key events.

The famine in Bethlehem.

The decision of Elimelech to move to Moab.

Elimelech’s death and his sons marrying Moabite women.

The sickliness and weakness of the sons leading to their early deaths.

The bond between Ruth and Naomi.

The end of the famine in Bethlehem.

Ruth’s insistence to return with Naomi.

Ruth’s just “happening” to glean in Boaz’s field.

Boaz just happening to show up when Ruth is there.

Boaz being single and wanting to marry Ruth.

The other possible redeemer unwilling to take up the duty.

Ruth’s giving birth to Obed.

etc.

All of these events must be woven together to bring about God’s plan – and it is astounding.

How much had to be orchestrated to bring these specific results to fruition.

For the Believer, nothing in all of life is merely accidental or happenstance. The hand of God is behind everything.

That doesn’t mean everything is automatically good in and of itself. But it DOES mean nothing is random and that God is using every detail of our lives as part and parcel of bringing about His plan.

We get a peek at this in the time, way and place of the very crucifixion of Jesus in Acts 4 – Listen to how the early Church prayed in that regard and applied it to how God was governing even their persecution and suffering: Acts 4:24–28 ESV / And when they heard it, they lifted their voices together to God and said, “Sovereign Lord, who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and everything in them, who through the mouth of our father David, your servant, said by the Holy Spirit, “ ‘Why did the Gentiles rage, and the peoples plot in vain? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers were gathered together, against the Lord and against his Anointed’— for truly in this city there were gathered together against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel, to do whatever your hand and your plan had predestined to take place.

The political scene had to be just so.

The religious scene as well.

The specific time in history to accommodate the events needed, and what led up to them.

The individual players each disposed to act as they did – and this by their own free will!

And all of this fulfilling the prophecies God had made over hundreds, thousands of years – and then all coming together in these connected moments.

But it is no less astounding when each of us looks back over the events which conspired to bring each of us to Christ.

Think of the massive string of genetic mixtures that ended up producing the unique you.

And then the experiences and events in life that led you to being ready to hear and receive the Gospel when and where you did.

The circumstances which all had to be arranged to have the right persons, the right environment, the right time in your life, the right state of mind, and the moving of the Spirit to open your eyes to your sin and the redeeming sacrifice of Jesus on the Cross – that you might be saved.

No one comes to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ by accident.

Think of Zacchaeus coming to salvation – How Jesus happened to be in Jericho on a certain day and Zacchaeus just happened to hear that the Jesus he had heard about was coming near, and how being a short man he climbed up into a particular tree to see Jesus who just happened to be passing under that tree and then noticed him and called him down: It is in that framework Jesus says “the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”

And so He sought and saved everyone of you here who know Him by faith. And so He is seeking and ready to save those of you here today who do not yet believe.

It is no accident you are here. It is no happenstance that you were invited, or drawn or prompted or simply decided to come.

No bit of luck that events in your life, your present state of mind and needs brought you to hear that Jesus died for your sins and promises to cleanse you from all of your guilt and shame and give you everlasting life as you trust Him as your sin-bearer – having accomplished all that is needed for you to be reconciled to the Father.

No chance thing that this Church has been here since the 1940’s preaching the Gospel. That I am here today by God’s commission to announce to you the good news of God’s saving grace in the cross of Jesus Christ.

Just as we can trace God’s providence, His personal superintendence over those things and experiences which impacted Ruth’s and Naomi’s lives from the beginning – so we can for ourselves as well.

I love how Scripture highlights it in Ruth 2:3 ESV / So she set out and went and gleaned in the field after the reapers, and she happened to come to the part of the field belonging to Boaz, who was of the clan of Elimelech.

She just “happened” to end up in Boaz’s field.

Just “happened”. Yeah, right!

Christians learn to trust in the all pervasive, wondrous providence of God in their lives. Knowing how Ephesians 1:11 is the absolute truth:

Ephesians 1:11 ESV / In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will,

Oh the glorious providences of God! It is one of the reasons why we know that “for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son” Rom. 8:28-29a

But we also need to issue a warning here – because this doctrine can be both misunderstood and abused.

How? It is: The danger of interpreting God’s providences apart from the revelation of His character and will contained in Scripture.

This is where Naomi erred so painfully at the beginning.

She read the events of the famine, and the deaths of her husband and sons as God’s hand being AGAINST her personally. That God was either punishing her for something, or that He had taken an arbitrary stance against her.

We can so easily do the same. Christians sometimes will try to read events in their lives as though they are omens to be interpreted on their own.

So the sudden appearance of and re-connection to – an old flame on Facebook becomes an indication that God has brought a new relationship into life to fill present void.

This week, I had hoped to fly to Texas for one day to attend the funeral of someone who held a very special place in my heart and life.

Plane tickets bought, rental car and hotel arrangements made – and without recounting the litany of events – after nearly 6 hours in the Rochester airport, unable to go.

Now how should I interpret that?

God didn’t want me to fly that day? Nothing in Scripture prohibits it.

God didn’t want me flying through Chicago?

God didn’t want me connecting thru Dallas?

God didn’t want me flying American?

God didn’t want me using E-Z Rent-a-Car, or staying the San Antonio Howard-Johnsons?

God didn’t want me at that funeral?

I don’t know. I don’t need to know. Endless speculation like that is fruitless and can drive you crazy.

THIS is what I know: The God who loves me and intends to conform me to the image of His Son decided to block every effort to get there. And trying to discern any “why?” behind it is an utterly foolish way to try and live life.

HE knows why. HE knows best. And that is sufficient.

We are not to be superstitious interpreters of Providences like secret omens. We live according the revelation He has given us in His Word.

Observation 2: God’s Provision.

Once again we are looking at 2 aspects here – the natural and the spiritual.

Naturally, look how God had provided food in Moab when the famine struck Bethlehem.

How God provided wives for Naomi’s 2 sons after Elimelech’s death – and how those wives loved her. Especially the extraordinary Ruth.

How God provided bounty in Bethlehem after the famine.

How God gave Naomi such an extraordinary companion in Ruth.

How God provided gleaning laws hundreds of years earlier so that Naomi and Ruth could find sustenance though all alone.

The provision of a sympathetic community to come back to.

Boaz’s field to glean in.

Water and protection for Ruth as she gleaned.

Inordinate bounty in her gleaning.

A kinsman redeemer in Boaz who will take these 2 under his wing and marry Ruth.

And a grandson who will bless Naomi in her old age, as well as lead to the greatest King Israel would ever know.

No, there is no doubt Naomi and probably Ruth would have worked things out a different way if they had had their druthers at the time – but wasn’t God faithful to provide every step of the way?

And who here today cannot say the very same?

Maybe you didn’t have a Dad, or had a creep or a schnook of one .

Maybe your Mom was more like Joan Crawford in “Mommie Dearest.”

Maybe you didn’t have the opportunities you had wished or the schooling, jobs or relationships you could have wanted.

But you are here today in this house of worship to hear the Word of God along with God’s people because God saw to it you were somehow clothed, fed, protected in life to live this long, and given sight, hearing, breath and life.

And above all He has provided you with the Gospel of Jesus Christ which is able to save your soul, grant you eternal life and holds the promise of a day not only of full provision but of abundance your wildest imagination is incapable of conceiving.

But even more, and especially in connection with the immediate text of Ruth: I might even argue as the centerpiece of this chapter – Is the provision for salvation in the Messiah, being the very same provision for both Jew and Gentile.

Each of us are dependent upon His grace. Salvation comes no other way.

Naomi is just as dependent upon grace here as is Ruth – and Ruth’s provision is tied absolutely together with Naomi’s.

The picture being painted for us in this book and so exquisitely teased out in the mutual provision of both Ruth and Naomi is: That the Gospel is God’s singular provision for salvation for both Jew AND Gentile alike!

There are not different means of salvation for different people groups – but one and only one provision – and that, sufficient and applicable to all.

So Romans 1:16–17 ESV / For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, “The righteous shall live by faith.”

And 1 Corinthians 1:22–24 ESV / For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.

And Romans 3:29–30 ESV / Or is God the God of Jews only? Is he not the God of Gentiles also? Yes, of Gentiles also, since God is one—who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith.

God makes His gracious, amazing provision for our salvation through the Jewish Messiah, Jesus Christ, and yet does so through the provision that He also makes through this Gentile Moabitess, Ruth. Astounding!

And so here, in this little book, more than 1000 years before the Messiah is born, God’s mutual provision for the salvation of Jews and Gentiles together, Scripture expounds itself: Ephesians 2:11-20

Ephesians 2:11–20 ESV / Therefore remember that at one time you Gentiles in the flesh, called “the uncircumcision” by what is called the circumcision, which is made in the flesh by hands— remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility by abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace, and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility. And he came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near. For through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father. So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone,

Since He, Jesus Christ then is God’s only provision for salvation and reconciliation to Himself – the question is: Have you taken Him as YOUR provision – by faith in His atoning work on the Cross alone?
Margin notes: But!

July 26th, 2019

Psalm 22:1–3 (ESV) — 1 My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, from the words of my groaning? 2 O my God, I cry by day, but you do not answer, and by night, but I find no rest. 3 Yet you are holy, enthroned on the praises of Israel.

As Jesus is on the cross, suffering in our place for our sins (hallelujah! They are met in Him), He cries out. I am inclined to think His words are not so much query – as reminder. He knows full well why He is there. While there is mystery to others, it is not so to Him. As the angel in Gethsemane said: “He is not here, but has risen. Remember how he told you, while he was still in Galilee, 7 that the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men and be crucified and on the third day rise.” (Luke 24:6–7 (ESV). Jesus had told His disciples over and over that He would be crucified. And He knew full well why – “For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (Mark 10:45 (ESV)

How then do we hear His “why?” He is calling upon the Father to bear witness, the recall His covenant, to make good on His promise. Remember why I am doing this! Remember, and save by means of my atoning blood. Father – remember why.

But still, we can identify with the mystery of it all and the trauma of it. And, we can see in the next verse the way Jesus sustained His own soul in those hours. It is as if He is saying: No matter how it feels, no matter how disconcerting, how distressing, how shameful, painful and incomprehensible it is all – THIS, I know, “Yet you are holy.” You are holy. You cannot do me wrong. You cannot err in your wisdom. You cannot fail in your power. There is no defect in your love. You are holy. And that, can sustain me in my direst hour.

And beloved, because we are in Christ – we too can know the very same. No matter how confusing and/or painful our life circumstances may be – He is holy. And in His holiness, He cannot err in the ordering of our lives. May that sustain us in the darkest of hours – even as it did our Savior.
Margin notes: Forsaken?

July 25th, 2019

Psalm 22:1 (ESV) — 1 My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, from the words of my groaning?

Matthew 27:46 has Jesus taking these words as His own upon the cross.

Once more His substitutionary work – His acting in OUR place takes center stage. For, these are the words mankind ought to have been crying out to God all along. But we did not perceive how our sin had separated us from Him. In our darkness and hardness, we thought there was but a minor rift if at all. Our own sense of the uncrossable chasm placed between God and ourselves due to our sin had little impact upon us. We have been so fallen for so long, that we have come to see the pain and sorrow of this present age is just the natural order of things. We do not take in the fact that every ache and pain, every sorrow and grief, every disaster, natural and man-made – every tragedy and crime, every atrocity of man screams out to us that something is horribly, horribly wrong. But it did not escape our great Substitute. He fully grasped our dire estate. He groaned out what we were too dull to comprehend. He appeals to the God of Heaven on our behalf. He bids Him to take notice of our dread condition. And He was heard. He uttered these words on the Cross – even as His own blood was atoning for the sin that put Him there.

What a marvelous Savior He is.
Margin notes: 2 Legacies

July 24th, 2019

1 Chronicles 9:20 (NET) — 20 Phinehas son of Eleazar had been their leader in earlier times, and the Lord was with him.

1 Chronicles 10:13–14 (NET) — 13 So Saul died because he was unfaithful to the Lord and did not obey the Lord’s instructions; he even tried to conjure up underworld spirits.14 He did not seek the Lord’s guidance, so the Lord killed him and transferred the kingdom to David son of Jesse.

Let’s be honest – the first 9 chapters of 1 Chronicles is anything but a page-turner. Names upon names upon names. Cities, towns, villages, obscure and otherwise unknown. Acts of seeming insignificance and events of no note – to us. But God knows them all. All are in His sight, under His care. Observed. Weighed. Tested. Provided for. Chastened. Blessed and noted. Nothing and no one escapes His notice and care. And so I am encouraged that He knows my name, my town, and all those I will know in my lifetime no matter how obscure. None of God’s people are unrecorded or unobserved by Him. None are neglected.

That said, in 9:20 and 10:13-14 we have 2 extremely brief but powerful legacies laid out before us. That of Saul could not be more tragic. The main points? He was unfaithful to the Lord, did not obey God’s instruction, and turned to superstition and the supernatural rather than seeking the face of God. So the Lord killed him. Staggering isn’t it? What an epitaph.

Contrast that with Phinehas. “The Lord was with him.” How profound. How simple but stunningly profound. And it bids me ask myself, what will my own legacy be? It bids me pray, may what is said here of Phinehas be said of me – though men never know another thing. May my child know this about her father, and her children and her children’s children – as many generations as the Lord shall tarry. If I leave nothing else behind, let it be this: “The Lord was with him.”

How about you?
Margin notes: “Can’t get no, satisfaction.”

July 23rd, 2019

Psalm 17:15 (ESV) — 15 As for me, I shall behold your face in righteousness; when I awake, I shall be satisfied with your likeness.

Mick Jagger and Keith Richards wrote it. The Stones performed it. Experts say it is one of the 100 songs that shook the world. Another says it is the most popular rock song ever written. And over 15 million people bought it to listen to over and over. And its message has been renewed and re-sung in countless ways by countless musicians. So we hear its more clever refrain in the words of Lyle Lovett: “So like the years and all the seasons pass

And like the sand runs through the hour glass

I just keep on running faster

Chasing the happily

I am ever after.”

King David knew better. He knew there can be no ultimate satisfaction in this life. That lack of satisfaction is not a condition to be remedied, but a reality to to be put into its proper context. For we were never meant to find satisfaction in this life. We are not meant to have that, until the resurrection.

David’s line can be taken 2 ways – and perhaps it is meant to be taken both ways.

a. When I awake in the resurrection, I will finally see your likeness God – and at last I will be fully satisfied.

b. When I awake in the resurrection, and your sanctifying work is fully done, I shall be satisfied having been conformed to your likeness.

Here alone is true satisfaction – beholding the likeness, the face of our Dear Redeemer, and being conformed to it. If we seek satisfaction anywhere else, we shall never obtain it. And if we are satisfied apart from it, we are the most blind, deceived and pitiable creatures of all.

And so we read in George MacDonald’s “The Diary of an Old Soul”

Thy fishes breathe but where thy waters roll;      Thy birds fly but within thy airy sea;

My soul breathes only in thy infinite soul;

I breathe, I think, I love, I live but thee.

Oh breathe, oh think,—O Love, live into me;

Unworthy is my life till all divine,

Till thou see in me only what is thine.
Margin notes: Psalm 13

July 17th, 2019

Psalm 13:1–6 (ESV) — 1 How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? 2 How long must I take counsel in my soul and have sorrow in my heart all the day? How long shall my enemy be exalted over me? 3 Consider and answer me, O Lord my God; light up my eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death, 4 lest my enemy say, “I have prevailed over him,” lest my foes rejoice because I am shaken. 5 But I have trusted in your steadfast love; my heart shall rejoice in your salvation. 6 I will sing to the Lord, because he has dealt bountifully with me.

David certainly had his enemies. And so do we. But no enemy is greater, more ruthless, more subtle, dangerous and relentless than our own indwelling sin. And when we read the Psalms that treat of David’s enemies, it is good for us to think in terms of our great enemy of sin in drawing from those Psalms something of the instruction and comfort they are meant to give us.

In this short Psalm, there is an interesting pattern: Three “how long”‘s followed by three counterpoints.

1. How long? / But I have trusted. 2. How long? / My heart shall rejoice in your salvation. 3. How long? I will sing to the Lord for He has dealt bountifully.

This is the prayer of one who has made sin and iniquity his enemy – and is engaged in their overthrow. When the battle against indwelling sin rages high, it may seem as though God has forgotten us in our struggle. And it can seem as though His presence is hidden. It can seem like an eternity we’ve been battling and that our inward dialog is one of perpetual sorrow. And that the enemy has triumphed over us.

Yet once again, the Psalmist (like we) pleads for God to consider his case. He pleads for light in the darkness and deliverance from what is too strong for him. And that light comes immediately the counterpoints to his laments.

How long? I don’t know. But this I will remember – I’ve trusted in YOUR steadfast love, not my own.

How long? I don’t know. But I will direct my heart to rejoice in your salvation by grace nevertheless.

How long? I don’t know. But I will sing to you Lord, for battle or no, set-backs or no, trials or no, in Jesus Christ you have dealt bountifully with me. Your grace is greater than my sin. Jesus’ blood is sufficient for all my guilt. And so I will worship you – no matter how long this battle lasts.

Father God – give me David’s heart.
Margin notes: Psalm 11

July 16th, 2019

Psalm 11:1–7 (ESV) — 1 In the Lord I take refuge; how can you say to my soul, “Flee like a bird to your mountain, 2 for behold, the wicked bend the bow; they have fitted their arrow to the string to shoot in the dark at the upright in heart; 3 if the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do?” 4 The Lord is in his holy temple; the Lord’s throne is in heaven; his eyes see, his eyelids test the children of man. 5 The Lord tests the righteous, but his soul hates the wicked and the one who loves violence. 6 Let him rain coals on the wicked; fire and sulfur and a scorching wind shall be the portion of their cup. 7 For the Lord is righteous; he loves righteous deeds; the upright shall behold his face.

Whether it is political discourse, the news media, advertising or some special interest group or fad, it seems as though today’s default means of motivating people is fear. Everything we eat or drink will kill us. Our medicines will make us ill. All businesses are out to destroy us. One political party wants to enslave us and the other wishes to manufacture crises to keep money and power. Nature is about to extinguish all life aliens are trying to invade and robots will soon take over the planet. And our only hope is in the voting booth, precious metals or Facebook posts. All unstable too.

But David has a word from the Lord for us.

Since God is my refuge – why (I ask myself) why do I counsel myself to run from trouble? Yes, the wicked are out there, doing their best to destroy in the dark. But my foundation, my refuge is in the Lord – and if I destroy THAT foundation, then what is a righteous person to do? Panic like everyone else? May it never be!

So what are we to do? Go back and reinspect our true foundation and surety in our God because of Christ Jesus. And what are those unshakeable foundation stones?

1. (4a) The Lord – the One who rules over all, rules in HOLINESS. Sin and injustice cannot prevail.

2. (4b) The Lord rules from Heaven. His reign is over all. He really does rule.

3. (4c) This holy, sovereign God – sees. He knows what is going on. He understands every detail.

4. (4c) His eyelids test the children of man – He examines each one with divine perception. No one escapes His observation and His observation is absolutely accurate.

5. (5) The righteous may indeed suffer testing. But the righteous He tests in love. The wicked and the ones who love violence – He is not acting on behalf of. He has a hatred of them.

6. (6) I can trust God to deal with them appropriately.

7. (7a) God is righteous Himself. He cannot act unrighteously because He IS righteous. It is His nature.

8. (7b) God loves righteous deeds. He will look favorably upon those who do things in accordance with His righteousness.

9. (7c) I WILL see Him. He will look upon me with love. That is my end. No matter what happens in the meantime.

Take your refuge in the Lord beloved.
The Book of Ruth – Part 1

July 15th, 2019
Audio for this sermon can be found here

As Al began to unfold for us some weeks back, Ruth is a wonderful and powerful account of the nature of “hesed” or kindness, blessedness and steadfast love. A love that obligates itself to its object in promises and acts of blessing and devotion.

That ‘hesed” shows itself in Ruth and in Boaz and in all points as a reminder of God’s own love for His Church.

That concept helps us understand the place of this little book in the larger canon of Scripture.

It has often been asked what role this book plays in regard to the Bible as a whole since it seems – as charming as it is – not to hold any major theological importance.

I would like to suggest to you yet another reason why this book earns its place in the canon: That is how it graphically demonstrates the doctrine we just had read for us in Ephesians chapter 2.

In Ephesians, Paul describes how it is that Gentile believers like the majority of us here today, can find inclusion in the household of faith which was promised only to the people of Israel as the offspring of Abraham.

As you well know, God had chosen the Jewish people alone from all the peoples on the earth to reveal Himself to, give His Word to, and bring the Messiah out of to earth.

When Paul is lamenting that so many of his fellow Jews do not believe in Jesus he says this about the Jewish nation in Romans 9:4-5

Romans 9:4–5 ESV

They are Israelites, and to them belong the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the worship, and the promises. To them belong the patriarchs, and from their race, according to the flesh, is the Christ, who is God over all, blessed forever. Amen.

The negative then is also obvious: These things belong to THEM. So how then do you and I get to be a part of this?

Ruth shows us in this most sweet and charming way how this was always a part of God’s plan, and how by His grace it all comes about.

Ruth, this Moabitess, this Gentile woman to whom none of these promises belong – gets brought in, so as not just to be a partaker of God’s exclusive promises to Israel, but also to become the great-grandmother of King David himself, and part of the bloodline of Jesus the Messiah.

Amazing!

So it is with that backdrop in view, we can begin to mine out a host of truths, lessons and encouragements for the Church today.

Ruth 1:1–2 ESV / In the days when the judges ruled there was a famine in the land, and a man of Bethlehem in Judah went to sojourn in the country of Moab, he and his wife and his two sons. The name of the man was Elimelech and the name of his wife Naomi, and the names of his two sons were Mahlon and Chilion. They were Ephrathites from Bethlehem in Judah. They went into the country of Moab and remained there.

Verse 1 helps us locate the events of the book at a particular moment in Israel’s history. And not their finest moment by any means.

As the book of Judges just before Ruth closes, it does so on this note: Judges 21:25

Judges 21:25 ESV / In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes.

And if you are at all familiar with the book of Judges, you know it contains records of some of the darkest periods in all of Israel’s history.

It was a bizarre time. The wild wild west of Israel’s history. This idea that everyone just did what was right in their own eyes tells you how lawless and dangerous it was.

Ruth 1:1–2 ESV / In the days when the judges ruled there was a famine in the land, and a man of Bethlehem in Judah went to sojourn in the country of Moab, he and his wife and his two sons. The name of the man was Elimelech and the name of his wife Naomi, and the names of his two sons were Mahlon and Chilion. They were Ephrathites from Bethlehem in Judah. They went into the country of Moab and remained there.

So it is that during this time a famine came about in the region of Bethlehem where this family, Elimelech, his wife Naomi and their 2 sons Mahlon and Chilion lived.

Travel not being what it is today and the topography of Judah being what it is, it was possible for somewhat regional famines to occur. Agriculture was very regionalized. The family’s move from Bethlehem to Moab was only about 50 miles. But as we well know in upstate NY, weather conditions from say Rochester to Buffalo can vary in the extreme. So here.

Moab, although technically a foreign nation, was still a cousin nation to Israel. They had a mingled history. And relations between them at this point – at least among the common folk as neighbors – were friendly. This move was really no great shakes to anyone.

And as the word “sojourn” in vs. 1 indicates this was to be a temporary arrangement, not permanent.

So far, so good – until: Ruth 1:3-5

Ruth 1:3–5 ESV / But Elimelech, the husband of Naomi, died, and she was left with her two sons. These took Moabite wives; the name of the one was Orpah and the name of the other Ruth. They lived there about ten years, and both Mahlon and Chilion died, so that the woman was left without her two sons and her husband.

Elimelech dies – we don’t know how or what of. And the 2 sons decide to take Moabite wives.

Contrary to popular thought, it was not against God’s law for Jewish men to marry Moabite women. There was a prohibition against Jewish women marrying Moabite – or any foreign men – because the family inheritance of land was passed down through the male bloodline.

The passage often cited in this regard is Deut 23:3

Deuteronomy 23:3 ESV / “No Ammonite or Moabite may enter the assembly of the Lord. Even to the tenth generation, none of them may enter the assembly of the Lord forever,

The key to understanding this has to do with what it means that neither of these may “enter the assembly.” Jewish literature tells us that to “enter the assembly” meant to become part of the community leadership or have a voice in local politics.

All land owners had this privilege. But foreign men having no right to own land in Israel, they were not permitted to hold such a place in the local economy.

Ruth 1:3–5 ESV / But Elimelech, the husband of Naomi, died, and she was left with her two sons. These took Moabite wives; the name of the one was Orpah and the name of the other Ruth. They lived there about ten years, and both Mahlon and Chilion died, so that the woman was left without her two sons and her husband.

In any case, in time, Mahlon – whose name means weak or sickly – most likely named that because he had been a sickly child, and Chilion, whose name means failing or pining, both pass away as well.

Ruth 1:6–14 ESV / Then she arose with her daughters-in-law to return from the country of Moab, for she had heard in the fields of Moab that the Lord had visited his people and given them food. So she set out from the place where she was with her two daughters-in-law, and they went on the way to return to the land of Judah. But Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law, “Go, return each of you to her mother’s house. May the Lord deal kindly with you, as you have dealt with the dead and with me. The Lord grant that you may find rest, each of you in the house of her husband!” Then she kissed them, and they lifted up their voices and wept. And they said to her, “No, we will return with you to your people.” But Naomi said, “Turn back, my daughters; why will you go with me? Have I yet sons in my womb that they may become your husbands? Turn back, my daughters; go your way, for I am too old to have a husband. If I should say I have hope, even if I should have a husband this night and should bear sons, would you therefore wait till they were grown? Would you therefore refrain from marrying? No, my daughters, for it is exceedingly bitter to me for your sake that the hand of the Lord has gone out against me.” Then they lifted up their voices and wept again. And Orpah kissed her mother-in-law, but Ruth clung to her.

At this point Naomi, having heard the famine back home was over, and having no husband or sons anymore decides to go home, accompanied by her daughters-in-law Orpah and Ruth.

But as they go, Naomi has second thoughts, and appeals to these 2 young women – apparently still of marriageable age – to go back to their people and find new husbands.

The dialog is very emotional and in the end, Orpah does return, but Ruth – as the text says: “clung to her.”

And here we encounter a powerfully poignant and important conversation: Ruth 1:15-18

Ruth 1:15–18 ESV / And she said, “See, your sister-in-law has gone back to her people and to her gods; return after your sister-in-law.” But Ruth said, “Do not urge me to leave you or to return from following you. For where you go I will go, and where you lodge I will lodge. Your people shall be my people, and your God my God. Where you die I will die, and there will I be buried. May the Lord do so to me and more also if anything but death parts me from you.” And when Naomi saw that she was determined to go with her, she said no more.

Ruth simply will not be persuaded. She has seen something in Naomi and perhaps in her exposure to the whole family, which has captured her. And there has grown a love between them that Ruth finds it unbearable to let go of. She makes a most impassioned plea and a series of vows we’ll come back to in a minute. And at last, Naomi relents and off they go to Bethlehem.

Ruth 1:19–22 ESV / So the two of them went on until they came to Bethlehem. And when they came to Bethlehem, the whole town was stirred because of them. And the women said, “Is this Naomi?” She said to them, “Do not call me Naomi; call me Mara, for the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me. I went away full, and the Lord has brought me back empty. Why call me Naomi, when the Lord has testified against me and the Almighty has brought calamity upon me?”

So Naomi returned, and Ruth the Moabite her daughter-in-law with her, who returned from the country of Moab. And they came to Bethlehem at the beginning of barley harvest.

So it is they arrive back in Naomi’s hometown, to the welcome – and by the word “stirred” in vs. 19 – also to the sympathies of her neighbors for her losses.

Well then, what are we to glean out of this so far? Let me make just 6 observations.

Observation 1: When providence allows great suffering, it is easy to imagine that God has something against us.

That He is persecuting us in some way.

Look at Naomi’s language so far:

13 – The hand of the Lord has gone out against me

20 – The Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me

21 – The Lord has brought me back empty

21 – The Lord has testified against me

21 – The Almighty has brought calamity upon me

This is a brokenhearted woman. And by her own admission, bitter. What emerges in these statements is that she has – at least for the moment – lost any sense of the kindness of God in the depths of her sorrow.

So it is with you and I; when we lose our confidence in God’s great love for us in Christ – we can easily begin to imagine our trials are the fruit of God having actually turned against us.

Naomi is not a bad woman, she is a broken one. She is sad, grieving, discouraged, lonely, perhaps perplexed, and hurting.

And I am so grateful that the narrative doesn’t have anyone showing up and saying: “Don’t feel that way!”

This is a condition God well understands.

When Moses was sent back to Egypt to free God’s people from slavery, Exodus 6:9 records

Exodus 6:9 ESV / Moses spoke thus to the people of Israel, but they did not listen to Moses, because of their broken spirit and harsh slavery.

It is at times like these that the admonition of Jude 20-21 becomes critically important to the Believer.

Jude 20–21 ESV / But you, beloved, building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life.

Keep yourself in the love of God beloved. Don’t let go of it. Remind yourself of it. Sing the songs and hymns that reiterate it to your soul. Go back to meditate on the Cross and those great passages that tell you of the love of God over and over and over.

It is all too easy to lose the reality of God’s love for us in times or great trial and suffering. We can easily become Naomi ourselves.

Observation 2: – In times of deep sorrow, it is hard to see the blessing God has placed even in the closest proximity to us.
1. Ruth. Naomi discounts how lovingly devoted Ruth is to her. Ruth’s devotion doesn’t seem to impact her. In fact, she seems to treat it more like an unwelcome complication. That will change.
2. Reversal of the famine. She has gone home because the famine is ended. God is blessing, but she is blind to it even though she knows it.
3. A welcoming community. vs. 19 says the whole town was stirred at seeing them return. The women especially seemed to rally to Naomi and took notice of the toll the years had taken on her.
There is sympathy and love and concern, but she can neither feel it, nor take comfort from it.

Don’t be surprised if at times your brother or sister in Christ is overwhelmed by grief and confusion at. It is natural. God isn’t hindered by that at all, but how we can be.

Observation 3: – We do not know the end of the story while still in the midst of it.

Times of great trial and stress are not times to draw great theological conclusions – especially about the future.

And when going through great suffering, especially prolonged suffering, we can easily conclude as I already mentioned, that God is somehow or for some reason out to get us – or that this is all there is. This is the only way I will ever feel. Nothing will ever change and this is just my permanent lot.

And while that may be true to certain extent in the short term, it is never the full story for those in Christ.

And it is why Scripture calls us to weigh our present sufferings against the eternal weight of glory that will yet be ours. Scripture never tells us to ignore our sorrows or pretend like they are not there nor as serious as they really are.

What it DOES do is ask us to “compare” them to what God has promised so that they do not overwhelm us.

Romans 8:18 ESV / For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.

Observation 4: – Even at our worst, the glory of the Gospel can have an impact on others.

Isn’t God amazing? I am so grateful for this – that the power of salvation is in the Gospel and not in me.

Irrespective of Naomi’s bitterness and what some might consider a poor witness, something about her still attracts Ruth, and she will not abandon her only conduit to whatever that is.

This is how we witness the Spirit at work. At work in very brittle “jars of clay”. (2 Cor. 4:7)

Naomi was bitter, but she also wanted to go home. Back to God’s people and God’s place. There was something to her roots that Ruth was struck by even when her sister-in-law was not.

It reminds you of Job who had come to the place where he completely despaired of either relief or restoration during his lifetime – but who nonetheless could utter: Job 19:25-27

Job 19:25–27 ESV / For I know that my Redeemer lives, and at the last he will stand upon the earth. And after my skin has been thus destroyed, yet in my flesh I shall see God, whom I shall see for myself, and my eyes shall behold, and not another. My heart faints within me!

Sometimes, the hope of the resurrection is the only hope we have left. And that is an astounding testimony to those around us, though it may seem lame to us.

Observation 5: – 2 people can be exposed to the very same spiritual truths, go through the same experiences, and yet one continues on while the other does not.

As in Jesus’ parable of the soils, some manifest something of the impact of the truth on them, but eventually, they stop “going.”

So it is with Orpah and Ruth. Both married into the same family.

Both observed the same lifestyle and faith in that family.

One is intrigued by it, drawn to it and will not stop until she partakes of it.

The other seems to share the same mind – but at last returns to her home, her family, the familiar.

This is how it is with the Gospel. The very same Gospel which draws one, does not draw the other. The same sun which nourishes one plant, withers another. The same rain which drowns one, feeds another.

Only the work of the Spirit in the heart of one makes that one-in-the-same seed of Gospel sprout deep and lasting roots.

Observation: 6 – The nature of a true commitment to Christ.

Ruth 1:16–17 ESV / But Ruth said, “Do not urge me to leave you or to return from following you. For where you go I will go, and where you lodge I will lodge. Your people shall be my people, and your God my God. Where you die I will die, and there will I be buried. May the Lord do so to me and more also if anything but death parts me from you.”

Where you go, I will go

Where you lodge, I will lodge

Your people, shall be my people

You God, shall be my God

Where you die, I will die

May God curse me if I mean any less than this

There is something powerfully parallel to the nature of true conversion in Ruth’s declaration to Naomi. In fact, it is a model for what it means to be joined to Christ in a saving way. Let’s unpack these vows Ruth makes.
1. Where you go I will go: One cannot help but recall Jesus’ call to His disciples: “Follow me.”
But it was not just for them – following Christ is the very essence, a foundation stone of true Christianity: John 10:27

John 10:27 ESV / My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.

There is no better definition of a Christian than this – they follow Jesus Christ. 1 John 2:6

1 John 2:6 ESV / whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked.

Christians are those who follow Christ – who walk as He walked. A walk well detailed for us in Scripture and characterized by statements such as:

Eph. 5:2 – Walk in love

Eph. 5:8 – Walk as children of light

Eph. 5:15 – Walk, not as unwise, but as wise

Gal. 5:16 – Walk by The Spirit

2 Cor. 5:7 – Walk by faith, not by sight

Following Christ as He walked – always pleasing the Father.

Where you go, I will go.

Where you go, I will go

Where you lodge, I will lodge

Your people, shall be my people

You God, shall be my God

Where you die, I will die

May God curse me if I mean any less than this

2 – Where you lodge, I will lodge: And where does Christ lodge? Where does He make His home? but in His Church.

No man can claim to follow Christ and to be with Him if they are not where He is most manifest – in The Church.

The Christian finds his or her home in the Church and is never quite at home apart from her. Those who separate themselves from the Body of Believers are those who want to own Christ – but not to lodge where He lodges. They find this house not to their liking. And like Orpah, they choose instead to live back where they used to live – with the familiar. But alas, not with Christ. They want Christ on their terms, not His.

Ephesians 2:22 ESV / In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.

Where you go, I will go

Where you lodge, I will lodge

Your people, shall be my people

You God, shall be my God

Where you die, I will die

May God curse me if I mean any less than this

3 – Your people, shall be my people: When one is joined to Christ, we are necessarily joined to His people. We cannot have Him WITHOUT also embracing His people.

The true Christian owns the Body of Christ as his or her own – as broken, mixed up, messed up, and still sin-stained as we are.

Christ did not just die for individuals as individuals, but to make us His family. And we must receive all of His to BE His.

4 – Your God, shall be my God: For Ruth this meant a willingness to give up a certain measure of her culture, her background, and certainly part of her identity.

Moabites were known for their devotion to Chemosh “the destroyer.” But Ruth repudiates her old god. She rejects her idol. She does not intend to go with Naomi and bring her old life and old devotion with her – no, she is going to do exactly what Paul says the Thessalonians did and why he had such faith in their conversion: “how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come.” 1 Th 1:9–10.

Christians give up their former gods, to serve the living and true God, and to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead – Jesus.

5 – Where you die, I will die: This is no temporary change – this is a commitment to make her new home – her permanent home.

Ruth makes no plans to return once Naomi passes. She is determined to live and die in this new place as her very own. And for her it is a point of no return.

The true Christian is one who has said: There is no going back. I’ve committed to a course, to follow Jesus, to dwell where He dwells, to make His people my people, to serve His Father as my Father and to die where He does as well: To die to sin and self at the Cross in and with Him.

6 – May God curse me if I mean any less than this: Lastly, she binds herself to a solemn oath that all this is to be the case.

Many of the ancient Rabbis consider Ruth’s words here her formal act of becoming a proselyte – a full convert to Judaism and a part of the Jewish people.

It is what the Believer does today when we enter into the waters of Baptism. We take on the fullness of this same commitment.

And it follows Jesus’ own admonition to those who said they wanted to claim to be His in His day:

Luke 14:25–28 ESV / Now great crowds accompanied him, and he turned and said to them, “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple. Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple. For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it?

Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s famous little book “The Cost of Discipleship” had nothing on Ruth’s declaration here.

And here it is before us for our consideration today.

If you are not a Christian here today, I want you to know that this is what is being asked of you should you respond to the Gospel and to trust in Christ for your salvation.

He demands no less of you than what you read here in Ruth’s vows. Less than this is not Christianity – like Orpah’s genuine but temporary allegiance that does not prove to be saving in the end.

We do not want you to come to Christ under false pretenses. This is not some mere decision like choosing one item among many off of the religion menu. It is an all or nothing proposition.

And Believer, perhaps you’ve lost sight of these things and need to reconfirm them this morning. Maybe you’ve found yourself traveling back toward Moab from time to time. Thinking you can be His all by yourself, without the need for the Church or fellowship with His people.

Perhaps some other god of self, the culture, ease, pleasure, family, work, accomplishment or some other false idol has caught your eye once more.

I pray you will seek His face today and reaffirm your relationship in the fullness of what it really means.