Naomi’s Reaction

Posted on April 5, 2018 by Don Merritt

Ruth 2:18-22

After the events of Ruth 2:1-17, Ruth returns home with the grain she had obtained from her gleaning in the fields of Boaz. First, she gives the leftovers from her meal to Naomi to eat, and then Naomi, noticing how much she had brought back, asked her where she had been allowed to glean. Ruth tells her that she has been gleaning in the fields of Boaz, and Naomi is quite pleased.

Naomi knows that Boaz is a kinsman-redeemer, which comes from the Hebrew word ga’al which means “kinsman-redeemer”, rendered by the NIV as “guardian-redeemer”. A kinsman-redeemer is a relative who is obligated to “redeem” the property, and sometimes the life or marriage, of a relation who has fallen into severe distress. For example, if there is real property that is owned by a widow, the kinsman-redeemer might buy that property so that the widow, who couldn’t farm it herself, has an income to live off of. They might also pay off a mortgage, take the person into their household, or marry a brother’s wife if they have no children so that the brother can live on through the children. In the case of Boaz, he was a kinsman-redeemer for Naomi, since he is related to her husband. In the case of Ruth, he is a relative of her husband as well, but the fact that Ruth is a Moabite would give Boaz an “out” if he wished to avoid his responsibilities to the family. Finally, we must remind ourselves that there had been a famine in the land 10 years earlier, and we do not know how long it lasted. A famine in the Promised Land would tell us that God’s Law was not being obeyed in that generation, thus Boaz may or may not be the kind of man who would honor this obligation. Naomi seems to think that he will do his duty, based upon Ruth’s report.

As a result of all of this, Naomi advises Ruth to continue gleaning in Boaz’ field, and to visit no others, since Boaz has decided to see to her safety… and that is exactly what Ruth did.

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Working in the Fields

Posted on April 5, 2018 by Don Merritt

Ruth 2:1-17

Chapter 2 begins with a statement:

Now Naomi had a relative on her husband’s side, a man of standing from the clan of Elimelek, whose name was Boaz. (2:1)

This verse seems to come out of left field; it interrupts the narrative, yet it is used to set up what will shortly come into the story. His name means in him is strength, and he is a man of standing, meaning that he was mighty in wealth and in godliness, a rare combination.

Ruth asks Naomi if it would be all right if she went out to glean; Naomi consents. Gleaning was something that only the poor and destitute would usually do, and it was very hard work. A large farmer would allow poor and desperate people to follow behind his harvesters and pick up whatever the harvesters missed in the harvest. Sometimes they would leave the corners of a field unharvested so that the poor might have something to eat, and this is what Ruth was asking to do. Notice in verse 2 that Ruth was not approaching this as some kind of an entitlement, but rather that she was hoping to find favor that she might be allowed to do this back-breaking work to keep her mother in law and herself from starving; she was demonstrating in this a level of humility that might seem foreign to us today.

In verse three she heads off. Remember that she is a stranger to this land and would have no idea which farmer owned which field, yet somehow, she finds herself in the field of Boaz.

Coincidence?

While Ruth is toiling, Boaz returns from town and greets his workers, and then asks the boss if he knows who this woman was who was gleaning. Some commentators suggest that Boaz was curious about her because of her great beauty, but if our text has mentioned her being beautiful, I missed it; probably he just didn’t recognize her. The overseer tells him who she was, and from there forward, our text records the kindness Boaz affords Ruth. Boaz, it seems, views Ruth as a part of his extended family and recognizes that he has a responsibility to care for her in some way. Now let’s be clear about that; Boaz has no legal responsibility for Ruth because her husband was dead, and she is free to marry anyone who will have her. In addition, she is a Moabite, and in that case, he would have no responsibility for her at all, yet because of the loyalty that she has shown to Naomi, Boaz goes out of his way to help her.

Notice that Boaz orders his men to leave her alone, that he gives her a seat at the table with the rest of the household (a household in the OT would include the servants) and that he arranges for her to receive considerably more grain than she would have received just from gleaning. Also, please take note of Ruth’s attitude of humility; even now she assumes no rights or entitlements.

These are two very unusual people!

Yesterday, I called Boaz a “man’s man” and here you begin to see what I mean by that. A “man” at least in the old-fashioned sense, was not a grown up child, he was someone with character and integrity who would do the right thing toward others even when it wasn’t convenient or advantageous… but because it was right. He would take care of his own and treat others with respect; I might add that he was a person most notable for his restraint, so to be succinct, Boaz was not working an angle or with any ulterior motive.

By the time she was finished with her work, Ruth carried home about 30 pounds of grain, plus her leftovers from the meal that Boaz had provided her with, an impressive haul to say the least. I have a hunch that Naomi will take notice when she finds out what has taken place…

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Photo of the Week: April 4, 2018

Posted on April 4, 2018 by Don Merritt

April in DC

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Hardship and an Uncertain Future

Posted on April 4, 2018 by Don Merritt

Ruth 1:6-22

We pick up the story in the midst of calamity for Naomi and her two daughters in law. All of their husbands have died and they have no way to earn a living in Moab without them and something must be done− and done quickly. Naomi resolves to return to Bethlehem, since she has heard that the famine has passed and the fields are once again producing in abundance. She announces to Orpah and Ruth that she intends to return home, and urges them to return to their families, in the hope that they will be taken in, but they protest. The text does not tell us exactly why they protested so much; what Naomi has urged upon them makes all the sense in the world; their only chance is to be reunited with their extended families… but will they have them back? Maybe Orpah and Ruth have just become so attached to Naomi that they can’t bear to part and would prefer to take their chances back in Bethlehem, where there are certainly no guarantees that they will be accepted, since they are not Israelites.

Naomi’s thinking is pretty simple; she is too old to marry again, and even if she did she may be past childbearing. Even so, if she could bear more sons, and found a man who would take her as a wife in his old age, Orpah and Ruth can’t wait around for years on end while the sons grew up. No, their only hope would be to return to their families and hope for another chance. Orpah finally sees reason and heads back to her clan, but Ruth, well that is another matter.

For whatever reason, Ruth declares her unyielding intention to stick by Naomi, to worship the God of Israel and to go where ever Naomi goes and to share her fate. Seeing Ruth’s determination, Naomi gives in and lets her travel with Naomi to Bethlehem and an uncertain fate.

What will happen to them when they return? Will the family take Naomi in after all these years of living among the Moabites? Without a doubt, many families would turn their backs on her at this point, particularly with a gentile in tow. When they arrive, the people in Bethlehem are amazed to see them.  Naomi tells the women (for men did not normally speak to unattached women) that they should call her Mara from now on, which means bitter, for God had turned against her.

Interesting isn’t it? From Naomi, which means amiable or pleasant, to Mara which means bitter because of all the family calamity she had suffered. The chapter ends with the notice that they had arrived just as the barley harvest was beginning.

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Ruth and Boaz, a Story for all Time

Posted on April 4, 2018 by Don Merritt

Are you ready for a little adventure? Good, so am I!

The Old Testament book of Ruth is often used as a women’s Bible study, and I can see why when it shows the amazing faith of a young widow named Ruth. Yet, I think it is even better as a study for men, since the male lead is a real man’s man: Boaz. Both characters show what faith looks like in action, both main characters demonstrate godly humility, devotion and service, and as I see it, the take away from the story is one that each one of us can learn from. What does a godly woman look like? Take a look at Ruth.  What does a godly man look like? Take a look at Boaz… and guess what guys; Boaz didn’t have to turn in his “man card” to faithfully follow God.

Ruth 1:1-5

The story begins in the days of the Judges, when God was the only King in Israel. While the text doesn’t say which one of the judges was in office at the time, scholars tend to think that it must have been early in that period, since our text does not say “when there was no king” (Ruth 1:1). In any case, it seems that there was a famine in the land that should have been flowing with milk and honey.

It is important for us to bear in mind that famines were not supposed to happen, and that if one did occur, there were more problems in the land than just a famine. In the Law, God linked His statutes with blessings and curses; there would be blessings when the people obeyed the Law, curses when they did not, and one of those curses was famine (Lev. 26:19). That there was a famine in the land is indicative of disobedience afoot. It would seem that the situation became so bad that people were leaving Bethlehem, headed for more favorable areas where they could find food.

In our story, we find a man named Elimelech, his wife Naomi and their sons Mahlon and Kilion. As most of you know, it is always a good idea to find out what Bible names mean, and this is especially true in the Old Testament, so let’s see…  Elimelech means my God a King, Naomi means amiable or pleasant, and their sons’ names mean sickness and consumption. Perhaps the boys were sickly children, unlikely to live long lives; certainly, if I wanted to go “old school” with you, I’d say that the lesson is that out of an amiable and pleasant life comes sickness and consumption (the old name for tuberculosis) but when do I ever go “old school” here?

Off they go to Moab, the land of the Moabites just across the Jordan River, which isn’t really very far from Bethlehem, at least in terms of highway miles. Even so, it must have been night and day when it comes to the availability of food. Understand that for a Jew to leave the Promised Land to live among the gentile Moabites was a very big deal, and this family must have been very desperate to do this.

The family lived in Moab for 10 years. During this time, Elimelech died, and then the two sons married local Moabite women, and in turn each of the sons died leaving Naomi alone with her two daughters in law. No reasons are given for the deaths of the men, but one thing is very clear: These events were disastrous.  For a woman, or three women, to be left alone in the world without a man or an extended family in those days meant that one of three things would very shortly happen: The woman would find a man to marry, she would become a prostitute, or she would starve. Thus Naomi, Orpah and Ruth were in very deep trouble as our passage draws to a close. What will they do?

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“Reflections on 1 Corinthians” Released

Posted on April 3, 2018 by Don Merritt

Today I’ve added our study of 1 Corinthians to my “Reflections” series. More coming soon…

To download, click HERE

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Some Final Words from Paul

Posted on April 3, 2018 by Don Merritt

1 Corinthians 16

There is a great deal of historical information in chapter 16, and I would encourage everyone to read it. Yet, for all intents and purposes, the letter was completed in 15:59. I’m saying that based upon its context of being a letter of instruction and correction relating to the specific problems and challenges of the Corinthian church that Paul was sending them.

Yet there is one thing about this last chapter that I want to point out to you in this study:

Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong. Do everything in love. (16:14-15)

This just about sums up Paul’s entire purpose in writing to Corinth. I would imagine that if Paul could send us a text today, this would be it. We might at first find it curious that he has combined on guard, firm courageous and strong with love in this, since we seldom use the first four with the fifth, but maybe we need to rethink the way we look at love.

In this old world we live in today, we have become a little bit jaded, don’t you think? We might assume, probably correctly, that being on guard must be against evil. We might assume that standing firm in our faith can refer only to some kind of temptation, and that would probably be correct. We would also probably assume that being courageous would refer to some inherent danger all around us, and that would probably go for being strong as well. Isn’t it odd that Paul would follow these admonitions with “Do everything in love”?

The more I think about it, the less it seems odd to me; maybe Paul has hit upon something we usually miss.

How would it strike you if I suggested that each of those admonitions was entirely in reference to love? Try these on for size…

Be on your guard lest you should do things that are not out of love.

Stand firm in the faith, lest you should lose your love.

Be courageous and love even when you’d rather not.

Be strong, for the way of love is never easy in this world.

Yep, the more I think about it, the more I think this is exactly what Paul was trying to tell them… and us too.

Oh yes, I can hear it now: Don, why didn’t you mention verses 22: “If anyone does not love the Lord, let that person be cursed!” That doesn’t sound like love to me!”

In reply, I would say, “Paul didn’t tell the Corinthians to curse anybody, he just told them to leave such a person alone. Such a person has made their choice, a choice which will not be a blessing to them; we don’t need to point our fingers at them and add to the misery they’ve brought upon themselves. Let them be, and let’s pray that the circumstances they have chosen will conspire to change their minds so that they will, in the end, be saved.”  Come to think of it, hasn’t Paul already said something like this in the letter?

Yes, in fact, he has.

So, we have come back to the way of love; the most excellent way. May we always remain faithful to its path.

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The Cry of My Heart

Posted on April 3, 2018 by Don Merritt

How lovely is your dwelling place,
Lord Almighty!
My soul yearns, even faints,
for the courts of the Lord;
my heart and my flesh cry out
for the living God.

Psalm 84:1-2

What does your soul yearn for− what does your heart cry out for?

I would imagine there are many possibilities.

As I sit here this morning thinking about it, this might be the question above all questions, the answer to which will tell us everything about ourselves. If my soul yearns for earthly things, say money or status or power, maybe for drugs or drink, possibly for love and romance… what would that say about my spiritual condition?

Yes indeed, there are so many possible answers…

Why is it that my soul cries out for God when I find myself in trouble, but when all seems well, things other than God have my attention? Oh yes, that says something about my spiritual condition!

I want to say that my heart and soul cry out for God, but if that were true, what would my daily life look like; would it look the same as it does now? Hmmm…

The things of this life are all around us, the pleasures of this life call out. The problems of this life are all around us as well; they aren’t easy to miss: The things of this life are ubiquitous in fact, and if my attention is to be on the things that are above, maybe I’m going to need to decide consciously to put it there, instead of on the things of this life. Yes, maybe I’m going to need to put my attention on God purposefully, deliberately, as a choice I make. After all, don’t our hearts and souls yearn for the things were pay attention to?

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Resurrection: Paul’s final words on the subject… for now

Posted on April 2, 2018 by Don Merritt

1 Corinthians 15:50-59

Paul completes the section on resurrection in these 10 verses with what is essentially a recap of the entire section. Verse 50 is the transition:

I declare to you, brothers and sisters, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable.

Read this slowly! Only the “imperishable” can inherit the Kingdom of God. Notice that he did not say that only the imperishable can enter the Kingdom; that is a point that has caused just a bit of confusion and argument over the years to be sure. We enter the Kingdom as mortal humans by receiving God’s awesome grace and entering into relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. And so, we live today as citizens of His Kingdom on the earth. As such we are destined for much greater things in Christ upon His return: We live today as His co-heirs, but we haven’t yet inherited everything. That will occur upon His return. When He returns…

Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed— in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality. When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: “Death has been swallowed up in victory.”

“Where, O death, is your victory?
Where, O death, is your sting?”

1 Corinthians 15:51-55 cf. Hosea 16:14

Upon Jesus’ return the dead are raised imperishable, and those alive are transformed… Simple.

Well, maybe not as simple as it should have been; Paul will need to correct a whole new batch of misunderstandings in due course. He went on to explain, in verses 56-57 that the sting of death is sin, and sin’s power comes from the law, but that has been dealt with by Christ. Finally, Paul concludes:

Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain. (15:59)

It was as though he were simply telling them that since they have such an amazing future to look forward to, they should stand firmly together and dedicate themselves to the Lord’s work, secure in the knowledge that whatever this life might throw at them, their work in the Lord had a great purpose, and their labors would not be in vain. I would suggest to you, that the message for us is exactly the same.

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Days of Praise

Posted on April 2, 2018 by Don Merritt

I will exalt you, my God the King;
I will praise your name for ever and ever.
Every day I will praise you
and extol your name for ever and ever.

Psalm 145:1-2

Have you ever just sat back and considered everything God has done in your life? For most of us, we don’t take the time to do this often enough; I know I don’t.  It may be hard to get started, as thoughts about the here and now rush though our minds, as the distractions and demands of everyday life make so much noise that it’s hard to think. Yet as we continue to ponder, as we begin to relax, God’s doings begin to enter our thoughts, and before too long, they push the distractions away.

We might even move on to ponder and reflect upon what God has done in His Creation; the wonder of all it, its grandeur so magnificent.

When we invest a little time and attention in this way, it isn’t easy to remain silent, is it?

Our God is so amazing, so awesome, so powerful, so loving; how can we think on such things and not enthusiastically give Him praise?

Funny thing about exaltation; once you get started, it’s hard to stop. Imagine what it would be like if we did this every day; don’t you suppose that every day would be as amazing as the things God does in our lives? Oh yes, I bet they would be; can you guess why?

If we began each day reflecting upon all that God is and does in our lives, we would be seeing all that He does each day as we go along, and each day we would be giving Him enthusiastic praise, and when you do that, it’s hard to stop… and each day would then become a day of praise.

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