Letter to a Friend

Taylor,

My family and I are doing very well, blessed beyond measure in fact, and judging from the pictures, so are you and yours – Lane is as cute as he can be and looks like a handful! Thanks for sending me these verses, although I already had an idea about the content, if not the exact location. I did not plan to send an extensive answer, but since God kept me up pouring over this, I thought, perhaps, I had better. This topic is a struggle for many and there really are some questions that I believe we won’t find answers to or won’t be able to comprehend until we receive our glorified bodies and are able to look back over history and see things in a manner much closer to the way God sees them. I do believe, however, that we are called to “study to shew [ourselves] approved unto God, …[workmen] that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth (2 Tim 2:15)” and that we should “be ready to give a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you. However, do this with gentleness and respect, keeping your conscience clear, so that when you are accused, those who denounce your Christian life will be put to shame (1 Peter 3:15-16).” My answer to this topic is going to be a bit long winded, so if you are still interested in hearing it, you may want to wait for those brief moments when both Lane and Lexi are napping. So, here goes:

First, I want you to understand, just as I did at a teen camp so many years ago, that we are in a world at war. Since creation fell, we have been moving toward a time where Christ will return and make thing right again. This means that, the closer that we get to those times, the more we will have to stand ready to fight for our faith. In 2 Peter 3:3 the apostle tell us “that in the last days mockers shall come with mockery, walking after their own lusts.” As we draw closer and closer to the last days, we will face more and more ridicule and hate. People will make fun of us for our faith, and scientists who are determined to do so will attempt to develop more and more theories proving that we are wrong to believe in God and his Son. Because of this, I stand by my first piece of advice. Study. Keep studying, keep leaning on Christ, and don’t be afraid to ask God the hard questions. Tell Him you don’t understand and ask him to lead you into the truth. Read. There have been a lot of godly men and women who have asked the same questions that we are asking and have come up with some scripturally-sound answers, but be careful; “do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to determine if they are from God (1 John 4:1).” And above all, pray. “Pray without ceasing (1 Thess. 5:17).” When we study and pray, we are making deposits into a spiritual bank account from which we can pull when we are hit with tests and trials that seem too big for us.

Second, the question that you are dealing with is how to reconcile the seemingly harsh God of the Old Testament with the loving and caring God that was shown to us in the person of Christ and whom we have met and love because he first loved us. The first thing that you must remember (and it is not going to sound, at first, like an answer to the question at hand) is that God never changes. Malachi 3:6 tells us, “For I am the LORD, I change not.” The God whose love we can feel is the same God that we see waging war in the Old Testament. This seems to be a contradiction until we understand that time and time again, God told the peoples mentioned in the Old Testament, “Do I take any pleasure in the death of the wicked?" This is the declaration of the Lord GOD. "Instead, don't I take pleasure when he turns from his ways and lives? (Ezekiel 18:23)” Repentance and reconciliation have always been and will always be at the heart of God, but we cannot overlook the fact that God is 100% holy. This, often times, makes judgment a necessity. Keep in mind that, even though we now have a Mediator with God in Christ, judgment is still coming, and there will come a time of separation and God will, with a broken heart, pronounce that judgment on all those who don’t have a personal, passionate relationship with him through his Son, Jesus Christ. The fact that judgment was often more immediate in the Old Testament does not change the fact that it was necessary, and due to the infallible person of God, we can be certain that the judgment that was delivered was the proper course of action.

We must also keep in mind the history and cultural practices of those people upon whom God passed judgment in the Old Testament. This area of study is difficult in that it requires tracing the names of certain people back through the Bible, and many times studying cultural practices of those people that are mentioned only briefly in the text. For instance, the Ammonites worshipped a god they called Molech. In worship of this god, they would heat a statue of brass until it was blazing and, when it was hot enough, lay their sons or daughters in the arms or in the hollow belly of the statue and watch as they burned. Also, some scholars’ believe(and have been supported in part by archaeological finds) that at least part of the reason for the destruction of Jericho is due to similar sacrifice but, in addition, the people of that city used the remains of their sacrifices in the foundations of the walls, which is why the walls had to come down. Whether it was because of abominable practices or due to the fact that a people had set themselves against God and Israel, God’s judgment has always and will always stem from the fact that he is a holy God with a holy people operating in an unholy world; however, this ungodliness does not always lead to judgment and punishment.

Many times, unbelievers want to focus on the harshness of God’s justice without also looking at the mercy that was (and is) so often extended to those who repent from their hearts and turn toward him. In the city of Jericho, God spared Rahab due to her actions because those actions showed mercy, belief, and a repentant heart (Joshua 2). As Jonah travelled to Ninevah, God’s purpose was to destroy the city and its inhabitants, but the city listened to Jonah, repented, and God spared them (Jonah 3). Time and time again throughout both the Old and New Testaments, we see instances of God’s justice, but there, side-by-side with those things that are difficult to reconcile with the God we know, are instances of mercy and grace often given, even to those who did not deserve it. “Know therefore that the Lord thy God, he is God, the faithful God, which keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love him and keep his commandments to a thousand generations; And repayeth them that hate him to their face, to destroy them: he will not be slack to him that hateth him, he will repay him to his face” (Deut. 7:9-10).

While I can’t begin to explain the severity of the justice often meted out by God to those who set themselves firmly against him, I can, through faith and a personal knowledge of a God who loves me, trust that God, in his infinite wisdom, can see the end of all possible paths and the He, and He alone, knows the best course in any given situation. Too often we attempt to place God in a person-sized box and expect that everything that he does or has done to fit into our concept of “good” and “right” and “just.” But we serve an infinite God who knows the end from the beginning, and whose ways are higher than our ways and whose thought are higher than our thoughts (Isa. 55:9). Ultimately, many of the questions that can and will be posed must be answered by an unshakeable faith... but “be sober, be vigilant.” It is this faith that will be mocked, misunderstood, and misrepresented by those who seek to advance an agenda that does not line up with the Word of God. It is this faith we must be able to defend, to fight for, in a lost and dying world. But in the end, it is this faith which will, when the last trumpet sounds, see us standing triumphant at the side of God and His son Jesus Christ as he begins the creation of a new heaven and a new earth.

                Last, be aware of the attacks of the enemy. It is just these sort of things that he uses to shake us in an attempt to make us doubt who God is and who we are in Him. Although I firmly believe there is a time to answer those questions that are put to us, there is also a time to avoid divisive people and their disputes. Paul put it to Timothy in this manner “Guard what has been entrusted to you, avoiding irreverent, empty speech and contradictions from the “knowledge” that falsely bears that name” (1 Tim. 6:20). Remember, “God is not the author of confusion, but of peace…” (1 Cor. 14:33) So, if something in your life brings confusion and doubt concerning His word or His promises to you, you can be certain that it did not come from Him. I love you and each and every person with whom I came in contact at youth camps, ministry trips, and visits all those years ago, and I hope that one day soon, I will find time to visit some of those people who made a true and lasting impression on my life and my walk with Christ. (I hear Michelle Hallmark has a bakery serving food that is to die for!) Praying for you and yours.

In Christ,

Matt

Peter, James, and John: A Lesson in Boldness?

Image courtesy of www.latitude5.com 

I was listening to a sermon recently where my pastor preached from a scripture that I have read countless times before. He spoke on the raising of Jairus's daughter and renewing our astonishment, our sense of amazement, at the miracles that are performed in our lives daily.  As he spoke, returning often to the scripture, I found my attention drawn repeatedly to 37th verse of the 5th chapter of St. Mark's gospel.  The verse reads simply, “And he suffered no man to follow him, save Peter, and James, and John the brother of James."  This verse not only sparked my memory but kindled a sense of wonder and curiosity that I could not seem to press down.  The memory was simply this: at least three times in scripture Peter, James, and John are singled out by Christ, twice during moments of His miraculous glory, and once during His moment of greatest weakness.  The wonder that soon followed after can be summed up by a single, poignant question:  "Why them?" Why, during the moment of his transfiguration, did he choose to take these three?  Why, at the raising of Jairus's daughter, did he allow none but Peter, James, John to accompany him?  And why, as sweated blood in the garden of Gethsemane, did he choose these from among the twelve to stand watch as he prayed?   

Images courtesy of http://www.scienceofcorrespondences.com
/in-the-garden-of-gethsemane--mark-14-.htm

The answer, I thought, must be there, hidden among the pages of the gospels, between the lines of scripture that provide the details of Christ's three year ministry.  So, I began to look, to search, to recall those stories of these three (often hapless, thoughtless) disciples.  As I walked among the pages of scripture, the shining examples of discipleship that I had hoped to find were simply not present, at least not in the way that I believed they would be.  Let’s take what we know of these three, beginning with James and John, as their stories are a bit shorter than Peter’s.  In each of the lists of the twelve, though Peter is always listed first, James and John follow immediately after[i].  They are first on the lists, and, apparently, are often first in the mind of Christ during those miraculously momentous times during his ministry, however, when they are mentioned in scripture, it is often during a rebuke.  Immediately following their witness of Christ’s transfiguration, James and John were ready to call down fire from heaven to consume an entire city; Christ has to step in and remind them that He came to save men’s lives, not destroy them[ii].  These are the same two disciples who must be called down for asking to sit at the right and left-hand of Christ in the kingdom of heaven[iii].  Peter’s laundry list of rebukes is even greater.  This is disciple who is admonished for his doubt after taking his eyes from Christ and sinking in the waves.  He is quietly reprimanded for falling asleep as Christ prayed in the garden.  He is named “Satan” for attempting to steer Christ away from his destiny, and must be told to put away his sword after cutting off a man’s ear when Christ is taken away[iv].  The list seems to go on.  What then, is scripture trying to tell us by repeatedly calling out these three specifically?  Perhaps these three, plagued as they were by deficiencies of character, simply needed the most help and were thus allowed a bit more time alone with Christ.  Perhaps.  Or perhaps Papa is trying to show us something else.


As I sit and look to story after story where these three are mentioned specifically, I am struck by sheer desire for closeness, the hunger for a greater measure of faith, and the boldness with which they exercise that faith.  It seems that, while the other disciples were often content with following, with listening, and with moving on, these three had a desire to walk in the fullness of the glory that had been promised to them.  While eleven were content to remain on the boat and watch as Christ walked across the raging waters of a stormy sea, only Peter had the courage, the boldness, to step forward and say, “Lord, if it is you, bid me to come.”[v]  While the other disciples seemed tolerant of the treatment that Christ received at the hands of the Samaritans, only James and John had the nerve to step forward in righteous anger.  And when Christ began to speak of the end of all things, only Peter, James, and John, this time accompanied by Andrew, had the nerve to ask the most important of all questions, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign when all these things shall be fulfilled? (Mar 13:4).  Perhaps, then, it is not a greater need for education of character, but a testament to hunger and boldness that causes these disciples to be so often called out from among the twelve to a closeness with Christ that is above and beyond that which can be seen of the remainder of the twelve.  Perhaps it is boldness that causes Christ to give Simon a new name – to call him Peter, which means “little stone” and in the same breath declare “upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it” (Mat 16:18).  Perhaps it is boldness that causes Christ to give James and John the surname “Boanerges, which is, the sons of thunder” (Mar 3:17). This, then, is my desire and my prayer for 2014:

Image courtesy of http://ootbwc.com/2012/07/

Papa, I come to you now in the name of your son, Jesus Christ, desiring nothing more than the relationship with you that allows me to be called out.  I want to experience a greater closeness with you than I have ever before experienced.  Give me the boldness to speak your Word, not only in the House of God, but in the world, daily.  Give me the courage, when others may stand back, to step out of the boat and to walk, truly walk, hand in hand with you.  Guide my steps, guard my heart, and allow the living water inside of me to spill forth in uncertain times with a boldness that pleases the heart of God.  I stand upon the promise of your Word that declares that we are to come boldly before the throne of grace and that boldness allows us entrance into the holiest through the blood of Jesus Christ where we may find mercy, grace, and help in our times of greatest need.  Live through me, Papa, and let that life, which can only be lived IN you, bring glory and honor to your name. 

---

[i] Mt. 10:1-4; Mk. 3:16-18; Lk. 6:12-16 [ii] Lk. 9:54 [iii] Mk. 10:35-40 [iv] Mt. 14:31, Mk. 14:37, Mt. 16:23, Jn. 18:10, respectively [v] Mt. 14:28

Don't Let Goodness Go

Though I have never yet sat through a sermon without Papa pointing out areas in my life that need improvement, I am often struck even more soundly by some word or phrase, mentioned in passing, that sticks with me and continually tugs at my heart until I am forced to do something with it.  My pastor let loose one such phrase this past Sunday night.  In the midst of a sermon on thankfulness, Brother Shane made the following statement, "Don't let goodness go."  As soon as it was out of his mouth, I was writing it down in my Bible.  "How appropriate," I thought, "and how needed."

Image borrowed from www.vitesse.com

In this modern, hurried, over-worked, and over-burdened society, we have countless things that we are asked to concern ourselves with.  Nearly every media outlet begs us to focus our attention on one tragedy or another.  There is war in the middle east.  Fatal shootings in the next city.  A case of child abuse, drug use, rape just a few streets over.  Our economy is struggling if not failing outright.  Our insurance is expensive if it even exists at all, and everything causes cancer.  We are inundated daily with a message of hate, hypocrisy, and negativity, and it is killing us... and that is exactly what the enemy desires.  When he can use the evil that seems to grow daily in a fallen world to separate us from the source of our strength, the battle that we are fighting is already lost.  Nehemiah 8:10 reminds us that the joy of the Lord is our strength;  if we, then, allow that joy to be stolen from us, then all satan must contend with is a disgruntled group of churchgoers who honor God with their lips but are unable to tap into the strength that they were always meant to have.  

Paul, perhaps more than any other figure in the New Testament, understood the fact that joy is essential, and that joy comes from focusing on the good things of this world rather than dwelling in negativity.  In Romans, he cautions the church to "cleave to that which is good."  In the original Hebrew, this term might be translated as "to glue to."  Paul's emphasis here cannot be understated.  We must hang on to goodness for dear life and refuse to let go.  We must practice goodness.  We must do good works.  We must focus on the good things around us.  Continually refusing to do so, continually focusing on the negative allows the enemy a foothold, a stronghold, by which he can overcome the believer.  Several times throughout his letters to the churches, Paul warns us to hold fast to that which is good, understanding that it is only possible to overcome evil by doing so  (Rom 12:21).

Image borrowed from http://chipstokesblog.blogspot.com

In his letter to the church at Phillipi, Paul reaches the height of his teachings concerning our focus on goodness and joy.  The Phillipian church was not only the first church at which Paul preached in Europe, but it is a shining example of what a church should be.  They never failed to support Paul in his ministry, and their goodness and faithfulness left a testimony that has lasted for nearly 2000 years. In fact, Paul tells the Phillipians that he thanks God for every memory that he has of them, noting that they were the only church to consistently provide for him (Php 4:15).  Thier love and charity would be (at least in part) what sustained Paul through his time in prison.  It is in his letter to them that he notes that he has learned to find joy and contentment even in bondage, and cautions them to remember that no matter the situation, it is vitally important to focus on the good and to never, under any circumstances, let goodness go:  "Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things (Php 4:8). 

'Twas the Night We Call Christmas

‘Twas the night we call Christmas and all through the land,

Light from a new star shone down upon man.

That star had been hung in the sky with great care;

A sign of the love that God would soon share.

The shepherds were resting; the flock had been fed,

When an angel of God stirred them from their beds.

“Fear not,” she said, “peace and joy do I bring,

Glad tidings from God of our newborn king.”

Across the whole world there arose such a clatter,

Old satan leaped up to see what was the matter.

Away to King Herod’s he flew like a flash:

“Kill all the children; the world’s hopes to dash.”

But that light was still shining on wise men below

And to Herod’s the wise men were destined to go.

But the angel of god to their eyes did appear,

And kept from King Herod the boy child most dear.

Away in a manger this miraculous night,

The Christ-child was born, a marvelous light.

For weeks mother Mary had expected the same.

An Angel had come and called her by name.

His name shall be Jesus, both Savior and King.

The Light of the World of whom heaven shall sing.

The true lamb of God, called Emmanuel,

Whose hands hold the keys to both death and hell.

On bended knee this world will before him fall,

And proclaim him as King – the true lord of all.

To Bethlehem shepherds and wise men did fly

To see the Christ-child whose star lit the sky.

They all brought their gifts and sincere praises, too,

To a child who, in love, would make all things new.

You see, as a man, he would climb Calvary’s hill,

And for a word full of sin, his blood he would spill.

Beaten and bruised, as his body fell slack,

He would heal the whole word through the stripes on his back.

But this season’s meaning has somehow been lost;

We fight over presents. We worry about cost.

And many forget what they once used to know:

That the real gift of Christmas wasn’t tied with a bow.

It was not wrapped in paper and put under a tree,

But his life and his death was for just you and me.

So this Christmas season, remember the joy

That was brought to this earth by this one little boy.

One thought from you could spread so much cheer,

And put a smile on the face of so many folks here.

So please take some time and don’t turn up your nose,

And you’ll see just how far this Christmas love goes.

It might change the whole world, the act of just one:

A thimble of love now turned into a ton.

So keep these thoughts with you as I bid you goodbye,

And remember, this Christmas, that star in the sky.

The World Unseen

In the day-to-day life of the average believer, it is easy to forget the realities of the world in which we live.  We rise early, perhaps spend a little time in devotion, and then meander through our day focused on our job, on the bills, on the thousand little things that distract us from the plan God has for our lives and the war that is raging around us in an attempt to divert us from that plan.  It is in the midst of these distractions that we fail, falter, and ultimately lose the battle because we have attempted to fight a spiritual war with earthly weapons, forgetting that, ultimately, the battle is not ours. 

Image borrowed from www.wesleyanchurchofthecross.com

Hebrews 11:1 states that faith is the substance, the material from which the things we hope for are made, and the evidence, the proof, of the things we cannot see. The book of 2 Corinthians (4:18) takes this a step further when Paul tells us that “we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.”  Too often we forget or simply discard this powerful fact and it creates a mountain of confusion, doubt, and even anger in our lives.  When we focus on the world that is seen, we become distracted and discouraged; when we focus on the world unseen, we come to understand that there are forces at work that are beyond us and that we must rely fully upon the One whose ways and thoughts are higher than our own if we are to (truly) live. 

One story of the prophet Elisha reminds us of this fact and illustrates the difficulties many of us have in these situations. The king of Syria is at war with Israel.  He has formulated his battle plans, consulted his generals, and is now discussing ways in which he might ambush the armies of Israel; however, his plans, no matter how well-concealed, are, time after time, discovered by the Israelites.  The king of Syria immediately jumps to a logical, albeit worldly conclusion: “There must be a spy among us.”  Confronting his staff however, reveals the truth.  It is no spy; it is Elisha the prophet who can tell the king of Israel “the words that thou speakest in thy bedchamber.” (2 Kin 6: 11-12)  Isn’t it amazing how easily we forget that the secret things of this world are an open book to God?  Without raising a finger to spy out the plans of Syria, Elisha is quietly informed by God of the plans of the enemy.  The same can hold true in the life of the believer.  If we can come to rely fully on God’s provision, the plans and pitfalls that the enemy has set for us can be quietly revealed to us so that our feet always find the lighted path; however, just like a whisper from a friend, hearing from God is dependent on two things:  we must be close and we must be listening

This type of closeness coupled with a willingness to do what God has asked us to will always create conflict with the enemy.  Any time that we pose a threat to his designs; any time that we begin to work and live in a way that will bring people to Christ, the enemy immediately begins to find ways to take us out of the picture.  With Elisha, the king of Syria assumed that this would be easy.  He called his generals and sent forth an army to Dothan to bring Elisha back to Syria.  Horses, chariots, soldiers… all moved quietly through the night to surround the city for the sole purpose of bringing Elisha down (2 Kin 6: 13-14). You see, Elisha was close, and he was listening, and through him, God was very neatly forestalling the plans of the enemy, and so the king of Syria, in perfect imitation of the god of this world, launched a sneak attack.  It is these attacks, the ones that come in the night, that so often knock us off of our feet to land face first in the muck and the mire from which we have been so often rescued.  The attacks that we see are easier to defend; it is the attacks that we don’t see (or don’t recognize as an attack) that are the most dangerous.  The sudden loss of a job.  Of a child.  An unlooked-for divorce.  A cancer diagnosis.  All of these can, and often do, blindside us and, if we aren’t close or if we aren’t listening, we are taken by surprise and our faith fails us.

Image borrowed from walkhumblywithgod.wordpress.com

This sneak attack (and our subsequent loss of faith) is often compounded by the comments and opinions of those around us.  Elisha was no different.  His servant rose early, no doubt to attend some business, and discovered the host sent by the king of Syria.  His immediate response was not one of faith, or trust, or even prayerfulness.  His first response was panic.  “Alas, my master!  How shall we do?”  Eyes wide, mouth hanging open, Elisha’s servant runs back to him in a frenzy.  He, like so many of us, could only see part of what was going on.  Eyes focused on that which he could see, he had forgotten to account for that which he could not.  I can see the smirk on Elisha’s face as his servant comes in with a story of death and destruction.  I can see that smirk widen to a smile as he patiently gets up and walks to the door, not rushed or anxious in the least.  I can see his eyes twinkle as he surveys the scene and quietly turns to his friend and in a voice that doesn’t shake or tremble, says “Fear not: for they that be with us are more than they that be with them.”  Then, in an act of kindness, Elisha takes the time (in front of an army that wants nothing more than to put him in chains) to pray for his servant: “LORD, I pray thee, open his eyes, that he may see” (2 Kin 6: 15-17). Then, in a moment, the world and the world unseen became as one, and Elisha’s servant came to understand that which Elisha had known all along:  one is outnumbering force if God is with him.  There, on the mountains, was an army of fire waiting on the command of God or a cry for help from his prophet. 

It is easy to focus on the things around us – the storms that threaten to shake us to our very core – and to become disheartened and discouraged.  It is easy to allow those around us to add to the distraction and discouragement.  Paul understood this.  He understood what it was like to be fought against, to hunger, to thirst, but Paul also understood that just because we can’t see the army that stands ready to fight for us does not mean that it isn’t there, it only means that we need to take our eyes off of what we can see and focus on that which we can’t. 

We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed; Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body… For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.

(2Co 4:8-10, 16-18)

Studies in Ruth

During those times of faltering faith, those night seasons in the lives of the children of God, we are often presented with a choice: to rely on the provision of God, or to seek help elsewhere.  This choice, whenever presented, often leads to dire consequences.  Lot ended up in the land of Sodom and Gomorrah because he chose the provision of the land rather than that of God.  Elijah finds himself under the juniper tree by allowing Jezebel’s voice to sound more loudly than the voice of God.  More than one king in the Old Testament lost their kingdom because they set their eyes on the things around them rather than on the laws and statutes of the Almighty.  But perhaps the best illustration of the troubles of wrong choices and the redemptive process that often follows is in the Old Testament story of Ruth. 

The children of God were hit by a famine during the time of the judges, and Elimelech, the patriarch of this particular story, chose to sojourn in Moab with his wife and his two sons.  In effect, Elimelech left the promised land of God and returned to the country out of which God had brought them.  In the first lines of the story, we see the choice set before Elimelech, and the consequences are disastrous.  Elimelech and his two sons die in the land of Moab and leave their wives behind destitute.  Here we can see the picture of so many modern families where the father has made the wrong choices, following anything (everything) but God, and the family, just as happens here, is left to try and pick itself up and dust itself off.  It is important to note that the devastation here could have continued; when we continue in a place in our lives where God has no desire for us to be, we are open to the attacks of the enemy and often find that our situation continually worsens.  But Naomi, much like many single mothers, keeps her ear to the ground, searching for aid, when she receives a word in due season:  God’s provision has come to children of Israel.  For her, the choice is easy:  she will return to the land of her people and trust that God, even though his hand seems to be against her, will provide.

Now, with the choices of Elimelech and Naomi behind them, Ruth and Orpah are faced with a decision of their own:  to remain in Moab or to return with Naomi to the land promised of God to her people.  Orpah returns to Moab, and passes out of scripture completely, while Ruth, in a declaration of love and faith, says:

Intreat me not to leave thee, or to return from following after thee: for whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge: thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God: Where thou diest, will I die, and there will I be buried: the LORD do so to me, and more also, if ought but death part thee and me.

(Rth 1:16-17)

The choices of Elimelech had condemned the family, but ultimately, it will be the choices of Naomi and Ruth that save them, and the amazing thing here is in the fact that it only took one.  Naomi had decided to return to her people, and that was certainly wise, but the choice of faith is made by Ruth.  When we step out on faith and say to God, “where you go I’ll go, and where you stay I’ll stay” we provide him with the permission to work actively in our lives and on our behalf.  Ruth, by exercising her faith, had opened the floodgates of heaven and allowed God to make her paths straight – straight, but not without difficulty.

One of the easiest deceptions to fall prey to is that the life of the believer is made easy by their belief.  Ask

any true Christian who has been in the way for any length of time, and they will quickly tell you that there are still battles to be fought and struggles to be overcome.  Ruth, without anything to recommend her, found herself in a land of strangers.  Rather than sulk and beg, Ruth began to work.  In the corners of the fields, where tares in the wheat abound, she began to gather, to work, and to pray that someone might show her kindness.  It was this attitude of faith followed by work that allowed God to lead her to field of Boaz.  The direct translation of the Hebrew is that “her chance chanced” to work the field of Boaz.  The phrasing here indicates that it was not chance at all, but the provision of a loving Father who was pleased with his servant.  This chance of chances led her directly to Boaz, one of the handful of people who could redeem her from the situation in which she found herself.  Boaz immediately recognizes something different about this woman, this foreigner who works without a break insistent on helping to provide for what remains of her family.  Her work is such that the master of the field in which she is working singles her out for praise and lays her favor around her like a blanket, giving her the easiest tasks and allowing her to drink of water that she had not drawn.

 This, then, becomes the shining example of favor in the lives of the believer; when we step out on faith and begin to work, not only where God wants us to, but in the way that he desires us to, we step into a realm of favor that we may have never before known.  Too many people often miss their blessing because they believe that the task God has set for them is demeaning, beneath them, or is simply not the area in which they hoped to work.  It is not for us to question the directions of God, but to confirm that it is his direction, and then to advance the gospel in that direction with all of our heart.  Paul says,

“Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Are all workers of miracles? Have all the gifts of healing? Do all speak with tongues? Do all interpret? But covet earnestly the best gifts: and yet shew I unto you a more excellent way (1Co 12:29-31). 

The goal is not to chase the flashiest gifts and callings, but to work on that parcel of ground that God has given each of us, individually, until we see that plot of ground, small though it may be, begin to bear fruit.  But we must also have within us that streak of boldness that allows us to advance when others would simply grow content. 

Until Ruth made it home that evening, she knew only that she had found favor in the eyes of the landowner for whom she had worked.  God, however, rarely works so simply.  She came home that evening with an ephah of barley and told her mother-in-law of the favor that she had found.  Naomi is ecstatic.  She understands immediately the true gift that God has given them.  Boaz is a near kinsman, one of the few who remain that can bring them out of their poverty-stricken situation.  He is one of a handful who has the legal authority to lay claim to the property that once belonged to the men of the family and restore it to these two widows and any sons they may produce.  Rather than simply wait, Naomi, true to form, begins to act.  She recognizes the opportunity before them and moves upon it immediately, providing Ruth with a set of instructions that would provide them with the greatest chance of true redemption.  In one of the most beautiful and touching scenes in all the Bible, Ruth, unfamiliar with the customs of the land but recognizing the need in her life for a redeemer, rises, washes, and anoints herself, and then proceeds to fall at the feet of Boaz, begging for redemption.

It is in this act of faith that we can see the place that every sinner must come to prior to salvation.  We must

recognize how much in need we are of a savior, of a kinsmen redeemer to pull us from our situation, and then, dignity and pride abandoned, we must fall at his feet, begging for mercy and grace to cover us completely.  Here, then, is the work of Christ laid out in simplistic detail.  For though we were enemies with God, God recognized the need of not only a sacrifice, but for a kinsman redeemer, one who was what we were always meant to be: a man who walked his entire life in the will of his Father; one who could lay claim by right of blood to the inheritance from which we had walked away; and one who would, willingly, walk up Calvary’s hill to present himself as a sacrifice that would redeem the debt between fallen man and loving God.

Daddy, are you talking to God?

Daddy, did you ever do drugs?  Yes, baby, I did.
Daddy, have you ever been drunk?  Yes, baby, I have.
Daddy, have you ever stolen something?  Yes, baby, I have.

There are a host of questions which my daughter might ask me that, much to my shame and in keeping with my promise to always be honest with my daughter, I would have to answer in the affirmative.  I can see these questions coming, a little down the road, and quite frankly, they scare me a little.  I must find a way to be honest with my daughter and to provide her with the guidance that she will need to avoid those pitfalls which I was unable to find my way around.  The life I have lived, and the struggles that I have faced, have left me with a laundry list of things that I wish I had not done, and I know that when she is old enough to ask, I will have to swallow my pride and admit to her that her father and his past are anything but perfect.  These were my choices, and part of the price that I will have to pay is the look in my daughter's eyes as she comes to terms with her father's imperfections, but all of this pales beside one of her first and most recent questions.

At two years old, my little one has just entered into that stage of life where everything becomes a question.  She wonders at the leaves on the trees, marvels at the stars in the sky, and questions the smallest of things.  And she watches.  She watches her mother and I as we move about our daily routine.  She notices little things to which we no longer pay the slightest attention.  She watches and understands more than I often realize.  Recently, I was wondering around the kitchen, engaged in one of those habits that has become so routine that, unless someone calls my attention to it, I don't even realize that I am doing it.  Suddenly I felt a sharp tug at the leg of my pants, and looked down to see a set of smiling blue eyes looking up at me.  In the sweetest voice imaginable, my daughter asked, in all seriousness, "Daddy, are you talking to God?" At that moment (and now, even as I write), tears came to my eyes, because lost in that moment, my daughter heard what I hadn't even realized I was doing.  Crying, grinning, laughing, I reached down and scooped her up in that hug that only a Daddy can give and I had the sincere privilege of saying, "Yes, baby, I am."

Yes, baby, I am.  Those four simple words were, for me, like a pat on the back from Papa.  I knew, even in that moment, all of the questions to which I might, one day, have to answer "Yes,"  but, thank God, the man that was standing in the kitchen holding the second most precious gift God had ever given him is not the same man that lost himself those years ago.  That man, that addict, that drunk, that thief is dead, and those sins are covered by the most precious gift ever given by God to fallen man, the life, death, burial, and resurrection of his son, Jesus Christ.  Because of that sacrifice, and a grace that has never, in 35 years, failed me, I find my self in a position where my daughter can, on some random Tuesday, tug on her daddy's pants leg and wonder, "Daddy, are you talking to God?" Yes, baby, I am.  I'm talking to him about the wonderful life he has given me.  I'm thanking him for you and for your Mama.  I'm thanking him for our home and for our jobs, and for the love of our family.  I'm thanking him for rescuing me from the place where I used to be and bringing me to the place where I am now.  I'm asking him for forgiveness for the (many) ways that I still fail him, and telling him how much I love him.

Yes, baby, I'm talking to God, and so can you.