Ruth 1
Elimelech moves to Moab from Judahverses 1-2
Now it came to pass in the days when the judges ruled
that there was a famine in the land
And a certain man of Bethlehem-judah went to sojourn in the
country of Moab – he – his wife – his two sons
And the name of the man was Elimelech
and the name of his wife Naomi
and the name of his two sons Mahlon and Chilion
Ephrathites of Bethlehem-judah
And they came into the country of Moab – and continued there
Elimelech’s two sons marry Moabite womenverses 3-5
And Elimelech Naomi’s husband died
and she was left – and her two sons
And they took them wives of the women of Moab
the name of the one was Orpah – the name of the other Ruth
and they dwelled there about ten years
And Mahlon and Chilion died also both of them
and the woman was left of her two sons and her husband
Naomi heads to Bethlehemverses 6-7
Then she arose with her daughter-in-law
that she might return from the country of Moab
for she had heard in the country of Moab
how that the LORD had visited his people
in giving them bread
Wherefore she went forth out of the place where she was
and her two daughter-in-laws with her
and they went on the way to return
to the land of Judah
Naomi sends daughter-in-laws back to Moabverses 8-10
And Naomi said to her two daughter-in-law
Go – return each to her mother’s house
the LORD deal kindly with you
as you have dealt with the dead
and with me
The LORD grant you that you may find rest
each of your in the house of her husband
Then she kissed them – and they lifted up their voice
and wept and they said unto her
Surely we will return with you to your people
Naomi tells them NOverses 11-13
And Naomi
said
Turn again – my daughters
Why will you go with me?
Are there yet any more sons in my womb that they
may be your husbands?
Turn again – my daughters – go your way
for I am too old to have a husband
if I should say – I have hope
if I should have a husband also tonight
and should also bear sons
Would you tarry for them till they were grown?
Would you stay for them from having husbands?
nay – my daughters – for it grieves me much for
your sakes that the hand of the LORD is
gone out against me
Ruth stays with Naomiverses 14-15
And they lifted up their voice – and wept again
and Orpah kissed her mother-in-law
BUT Ruth clave to her
And she
said
BEHOLD – your sister-in-law is gone back to her people
and to her gods – return thou after your sister-in-law
Ruth gives reason for her stay with Naomiverses 16-18
And Ruth
said
Entreat me not to leave you – or to return from following after you
for whither 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 – will I die
and there will I be buried
The LORD do so to me – and more also
if aught but death part you and me
When she saw that she was steadfastly minded to go with her
then she left speaking to her
Ruth and Naomi arrive in Bethlehemverse 19
So they two went until they came to Bethlehem
and it came to pass – when they were come to Bethlehem
that all the city was moved about them
and they said
Is this Naomi?
Naomi wants to be called Maraverses 20-21
And she
said to them
Call me not Naomi – call me Mara
for the Almighty hath dwelt very bitterly with me
I went out full – and the LORD has brought
me home again empty
Why then call you me Naomi seeing the LORD has testified
against me and the Almighty has afflicted me?
Naomi arrived during barley harvestverse 22
So Naomi returned – and Ruth the Moabitess – her daughter-in-law
with her which returned out of the country of Moab
and they came to Bethlehem
in the beginning of barley harvest
COMMENTARY:
DAILY SPIRITUAL BREAKFAST: Young Believers
: 6 Then she arose with her daughter in law, that she might return from the country of Moab, for she had heard in the country of Moab how that the LORD had visited his people in giving them bread. (6485 “visited” [paqad] means to provide care for, look at, to make a careful inspection, to pay attention to, observe, or to attend to)
DEVOTION: The reason the family left Judah was because of the famine. Now Naomi hears that Judah has a good crop coming and she wants to return home. She has lost her husband and two sons. She only has her two daughter-in-laws who are of another nationality.
They are all heading for Bethlehem when she begins to think about the fact that she is too old to have any more children. It was the custom that if she had another son that son would raise children to his dead brother. Any child born to the daughter-in-law would inherit the land that his father would have inherited in Bethlehem.
The land was to stay with the tribe that the family was born into which would have been Judah. This would have been the custom but Naomi wasn’t going to have any more children so she wanted the daughter-in-laws to find husbands in their own country.
She thought she was only thinking of them. However, she reveals her true feelings when she arrives back at Bethlehem. She thinks that the LORD has cursed her instead of blessing her.
We sometimes think that our circumstances are a curse from the LORD before we find out they are a blessing instead. We don’t know the rest of the story until we life it.
CHALLENGE: Trust in the LORD until we die not until we think HE has given up on us.
DAILY SPIRITUAL LUNCH: Transitional Believers
: 9 The LORD grant you that you may find rest, each of you in the house of her husband. Then she kissed them, and they lifted up their voice, and wept. (4496 “rest” [manuwchah] means resting place, place of quiet, composure, quieting, ease, or condition of rest and security attained by marriage)
DEVOTION: Ruth was concerned for her daughter-in-laws because they had lost their husbands like she had lost her husband. She wanted nothing but the best for them. She thought that they were young enough to find another husband quickly and have security in another marriage.
She wanted nothing but the best for her daughter-in-laws. She knew that she would not have any more children and even if she did they wouldn’t be marrying them in the future. She wanted them to look after themselves while she returned to her own people in Israel.
She was more concerned for their future than her own. They had been good wives to her sons but now it was time to get on with their lives.
As parents we know that there are many hurts that come marriage for our children. We want the best for our children. We want them to marry individuals who love the LORD. We want them to raise their children to love the LORD. We want the best for the whole family.
This doesn’t always happen. Even when two believers marry it is not easy. There has to be total dependence on the LORD. HE wants us to honor HIM in our marriage. HE wants us to train our children to honor HIM in their marriage.
So here we find Naomi wishing the best for her daughter-in-laws. She wanted them to find another husband among their people. She wanted them to have security that she could not give them.
We need to realize that the only true security is in the LORD. HE will provide our needs if we are believers. HE will watch over and care for HIS children. This book is going to show how the LORD took tragedy and turned it into blessing.
This is a story that we need to learn many lesions from to help us realize the grace and provision of the LORD for HIS people in the Old Testament and the New Testament. HE is always caring for those who serve HIM.
CHALLENGE: We need to be concerned for others especially those in our personal families. Our prayers are important.
: 15 And she said, Behold, your sister in law is gone back to her people, and to her gods: return you after your sister in law. (430 “gods” [elohiym] means deity, a supernatural being worshipped as controlling some part of the world or some aspect of life or who is the personification of a force, or works or special possessions of God)
DEVOTION: It must be that Naomi had some discussions with her daughter-in-laws. They must have talked about the difference between the false gods of the Moabites and the true God of the Israelites.
It would have been fun to be a fly on the wall during these discussions. Naomi would present the facts regarding Jehovah and all HE has done for the Israelites and they would present their gods and what they had done for the Moabites.
During these discussions it seems that Ruth began to think more of the God of the Israelites instead of the gods of her land. She must have asked more questions than Orpah. It seems that she wanted to understand the God of the Israelites more and wanted to travel to Bethlehem to find out more regarding this new belief she had in Jehovah.
Even today we can see the LORD working in families with mixed beliefs. There can be a strong testimony regarding what Jesus Christ has done for us on the cross. This testimony over the years can cause someone who is married into a family that believes in HIM to begin to understand the truth of the teaching and want to be a follower of Jesus Christ. It doesn’t happen often but it happens. It happened here and we should never think that it can’t happen if one of our children marries someone who is not a believer.
This is not the ideal situation because the LORD teaches that believers are to only marry believers. God is able to work in situations that are not always ideal. Our prayer should be that all of our children will marry only those who are followers of Jesus Christ if we are a believer. God has honored that prayer in our family. Praise HIS name.
CHALLENGE: If you are living in a similar situation as Naomi don’t give up hope.
DAILY SPIRITUAL SUPPER: Mature Believers
: 18 When she saw that she was steadfastly minded to go with her, then she left speaking unto her. (553 “steadfastly minded” [amats] means confirm, be courageous, strong, fortify, or to prevail.)
DEVOTION: A Jewish family moved to a city in Moabite territory because of a famine in Judah. Remember that the Moabites were descendents of Lot. His two daughters had sons by him. They formed the people of Moab and Ammon. They worshiped other gods.
So we have two Israelites marrying two Moabite women. The three husbands all died and only Naomi was left with the two Moabite women. Orpah was going to stay in Moab but Ruth wanted to go with her back to Judah.
Naomi tried to convince Ruth to stay behind with Orpah. She told her that she would not have any more sons in the future. There were no husbands to have children by coming from her.
Ruth didn’t care. She was dedicated to her mother-in-law. She wanted to worship the LORD. She was determined to stay with Naomi. Naomi gave in to her thinking.
There was a change in Ruth’s outlook on life because of the influence of Naomi. Because of this change, Ruth is one of only five women who are mentioned by Matthew in the genealogy of Jesus. Here is a foreign woman mentioned in the line of Jesus.
Can our spouses tell that we are going to stay with them by the looks on our faces? Can the pastor tell from the looks on our faces that we are going to stay with him, as long as, he stays faithful to the word? God wants us to be individuals who are strong in the life HE gives us. Please remain courageous through all your trials. Never, never give up!!! Our strength comes from the LORD.
CHALLENGE: Are we determined to follow the LORD faithfully? Are we someone that an outsider would follow to service of Christ? Are there people who are following us NOW???? Are they going in the right direction????
: 21 I went out full, and the LORD has brought me home again empty; why then call you me Naomi, seeing the LORD hath testified against me, and the Almighty hath afflicted me? (6030 “testified” [anah] means respond as a witness, answer, to lift up the voice, to give evidence, or reply)
DEVOTION: Naomi left Bethlehem with a husband and two sons. They were trying to run away from a famine in the land. They went to the land of Moab.
In the land of Moab her two sons married. However, her husband and two sons both died after ten years of being in the land. Neither of the sons gave her any grandchildren. So, upon returning she had no husband and no sons and no grandchildren. To her she returned empty instead of leaving having hope of maybe more children and grandchildren. This didn’t happen.
Her attitude was that the LORD had witnessed against her because of the move. HE didn’t give her what she expected. Her name meant “the pleasant one.” However, she didn’t feel like the LORD gave her a pleasant life with blessing.
She only felt afflicted from the LORD. This is what her feelings were when she arrived. She had given up hope. She thought the LORD was against her when in reality HE was getting started in her life.
Too often we have a poor beginning to our life with the LORD and of course we blame God for all of our problems. We think if things aren’t happening the way we think they should we just go to the negative side and say that the LORD is against us.
Our attitude can be the same as Naomi. We see our present situation as our future situation and don’t think anything will change. That is not how the LORD works. HE wants there to be change in our life. HE wants us to mature in our faith. HE wants us to trust HIM.
Remember that HE sends chastening, not because HE doesn’t love us but because HE does love us and wants us to trust HIM more. It makes no sense to some of us but that is how the LORD works. HE uses situations to get our attention and help us to see that we can move forward with HIM through obedience.
CHALLENGE: We have to realize that the LORD is not done with us until we die. We are going to have to watch our attitude in the meantime.
DISCIPLINES OF THE FAITH:
BODY
Chastity (Purity in living)
Fasting (Time alone with LORD without eating or drinking)
Sacrifice (Giving up something we want to serve the LORD)
Submission (Willing to listen to others and LORD)
Solitude (Going to a quiet place without anyone)
SOUL
Fellowship (Gathering together around the Word of God)
Frugality (wise use of resources)
Journalizing (Writing down what you have learned from the LORD)
Study and Meditation (Thinking through your study in the Word)
Secrecy (Doing your good deeds without others knowing but God)
SPIRIT
Celebration (Gathering around a special occasion to worship LORD)
Confession (Tell the LORD we are sorry for our sins on a daily basis)
Prayer (Conversation with God on a personal level)
Silence (Letting the LORD deal with some problems and needs)
Worship (Time to praise the LORD alone or in a group)
DOCTRINES OF THE FAITH:
Scripture (66 inerrant books of the Bible)
God the Father (First person of the Godhead)
LORD – Jehovah (Covenant keeping, Personal)verses 6, 8, 9, 13, 17, 21
LORD provided breadverse 6
Hand of the LORDverse 13
God – Elohim (Creator)verse 16
Almighty (Shaddai)verses 20, 21
God the Son (Second person of the Godhead – God/man, Messiah)
God the Holy Spirit (Third person of the Godhead – our comforter)
Trinity (Three persons of the Godhead who are co-equal = ONE God)
Angels (Created before the foundation of the world – Good and Evil)
Man (Created on the sixth twenty-four hour period of creation)
Country of Moabverses 1, 2, 6, 22
Women of Moabverse 4
Orpah
Ruth
Orpah stayed in Moabverse 14
Ruth stedfastly mindedverses 14-18
Promised to stay with Naomi
Promises to worship God
Ruth the Moabitessverse 22
Sin (Missing the mark set by God on man and angels)
False godsverse 15
Salvation (Provided by Christ’s death on the cross for our sins)
Blessing: breadverse 6
Restverse 9
Hopeverse 12
Stedfastly mindedverse 18
Israel (Old Testament people of God)
Days when judges ruledverse 1
Bethlehem- Judahverses 1, 19, 22
Naomi and Ruth live in
Elimelech: husbandverses 2, 3
Died
Naomi: wifeverses 2, 5-20
Want rest for her two daughter-in-laws
Wanted new husbands for them
Said no more sons coming from her womb
Wanted to be called: Mara
Mahlon: sonverses 2, 5
Died
Chilion: sonverses 2, 5
Died
Ephrathites of Bethlehem-judahverse 2
Land of Judahverse 7
Naomi wanted to be renamed: Maraverses 20-21
Almighty dealt very bitterly
Almighty hath afflicted
Church (New Testament people of God)
Last Things (Future Events)
Elimelech diedverse 3
Mahlon and Chilion diedverse 5
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QUOTES regarding passage
20 Naomi’s reply to the women involves a play on names. Following a common practice in the ancient Near East of changing a name to reflect changed circumstances (cf. Gen 17:5, 15; 32:28; 35:18; 41:45; Num 13:16; 2 Kings 24:17; Dan 1:7), Naomi asked that her name be changed from Naomi (“Pleasant”) to Mara (“Bitter”). The spelling of mārāʾ with a final ʾ (aleph) instead of an h (he) has been explained as an Aramaized spelling, but it may be only an orthographic change that occurred in the course of scribal transmission. Her reason for changing her name was that God had “made [her] life very bitter” (cf. Job 27:2, where Job made a similar accusation). The name for God used in this verse is “the Almighty” (šadday, “Shaddai”; cf. Notes). This was the name of God the patriarchs knew before he revealed himself to Moses (Exod 6:3). Naomi’s concept of the sovereignty of God caused her to attribute her ill fortune to him, not to chance or to other gods. She did not mean it as an accusation but as an acknowledgment of his total control of all things. (Huey, F. B., Jr. (1992). Ruth. In F. E. Gaebelein (Ed.), The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1 & 2 Samuel (Vol. 3, p. 525). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House.)
1:20. Naomi’s grief and depression, that had expressed itself toward God (v. 13), continued. She stated that her name Naomi, which means “sweetness or pleasantness,” was improper for her in her condition. She said she should be called Mara, which means “bitter.” Her reason was that the Almighty (šadday) had made her life very bitter. By speaking of God as “the Almighty” she emphasized His great power (or “provisions”; cf. comments on Gen. 17:1). This great God could not be resisted. The disaster He sent could not be averted. Naomi had such faith in God and His personal involvement in her life that she knew the bitter things she experienced were from Him. Her grief was real; obviously she took God seriously. (Reed, J. W. (1985). Ruth. In J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck (Eds.), The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 1, p. 421). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.)
Naomi had been away from home for ten years, and the women of the town were shocked when they saw her. (In v. 19, the pronoun of “they said” is feminine.) Their question “Is this Naomi?” suggests both surprise and bewilderment. The name Naomi means “pleasant,” but she was not living up to her name. She was not the Naomi whom they had known a decade before. Her ten difficult years in Moab, and the sorrows they had brought, had taken their toll on Naomi’s appearance and personality. Instead of making her better, the trials of life had made her bitter, which is the meaning of the word mara.
We can’t control the circumstances of life, but we can control how we respond to them. That’s what faith is all about, daring to believe that God is working everything for our good even when we don’t feel like it or see it happening. “In everything give thanks” (1 Thes. 5:18) isn’t always easy to obey, but obeying this command is the best antidote against a bitter and critical spirit. The Scottish preacher George H. Morrison said, “Nine-tenths of our unhappiness is selfishness, and is an insult cast in the face of God.” Because Naomi was imprisoned by selfishness, she was bitter against God.
To begin with, she accused the Lord of dealing very bitterly with her (Ruth 1:20). She had left Bethlehem with a husband and two sons and had come home without them. She had gone to Moab possessing the necessities of life, but now she had returned home having nothing. She was a woman with empty hands, an empty home, and an empty heart. Because she didn’t surrender to the Lord and accept His loving chastening, she did not experience “the peaceful fruit of righteousness” (Heb. 12:11).
Not only had the Lord dealt bitterly with her, but He had also testified against her in these afflictions (Ruth 1:21). Is this Naomi’s confession of sin, her admission that she and her family had sinned in going to Moab? Is she hinting that they deserved all that they had suffered? Twice Naomi called God “the Almighty,” which is the Hebrew name El Shaddai, “the All-powerful One” (vv. 20–21). It’s one thing to know God’s name and quite something else to trust that name and allow God to work in the difficult situations of life. “And those who know Your name will put their trust in You; for You, Lord, have not forsaken those who seek You” (Ps. 9:10, NKJV). Naomi knew the name but did not exercise the faith.
But was Naomi really that poor and empty? Or was she simply exaggerating her situation because she was weary of body and bitter of soul? Just think of the resources she had that should have encouraged her.
For one thing, she had life; and this in itself is a precious gift from God—a gift we too often take for granted. Naomi left three graves back in Moab, but God in His goodness had kept her alive and brought her back to Bethlehem. “Fear not that your life shall come to an end,” said John Henry Newman, “but rather that it shall never have a beginning.” Naomi thought that life had ended for her, but her trials were really a new beginning. Naomi’s faith and hope were about to die, but God had other plans for her!
Naomi not only had life, but she also had opportunity. She was surrounded by friends, all of whom wanted the very best for her. At first, her sorrow and bitterness isolated her from the community, but gradually that changed. Instead of sitting looking gloomily at a wall, she finally decided to look out the window; and then she got up and opened the door! When the night is the darkest, if we look up, we can still see the stars. (Wiersbe, W. W. (1993). Be Committed (pp. 23–24). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.)
1:20, 21 Naomi … Mara … full … empty. Naomi’s outlook on life, although grounded in God’s sovereignty, was not hopeful; thus she asked to be renamed “Mara,” which means “bitter.” Her experiences were not unlike Job’s (Job 1, 2), but her perspective resembled that of Job’s wife (Job 2:10). In reality, Naomi had 1) a full harvest prospect, 2) Ruth plus Boaz, and 3) the hope of God’s future blessing. (MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (2006). The MacArthur study Bible: New American Standard Bible. (Ru 1:20). Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers.)
Ver. 20. And she said, call me not Naomi, call me Mara, &c.] The one signifying prosperity, according to Josephus, and the other grief; but he is not always happy in his interpretation of Hebrew words, or to be depended on; by this indeed her different states are well enough expressed, and he rightly observes, that she might more justly be called the one than the other; but the words signify, the one sweet and pleasant, and the other bitter, see Exod. 15:23 and the reason she gives confirms it: for the Almighty hath dealt very bitterly with me; had wrote bitter things against her, brought bitter afflictions on her, which were very disagreeable to the flesh, as the loss of her husband, her children, and her substance; see Lam. 3:15, 19. (Gill, J. (1810). An Exposition of the Old Testament (Vol. 2, p. 396). London: Mathews and Leigh.)
FROM MY READING:
(Remember the only author that I totally agree with is the HOLY SPIRIT in the inerrant WORD OF GOD called THE BIBLE! All other I try to gleam what I can to help me grow in the LORD!!)
This one who had left Bethlehem as Naomi, “the pleasant one,” a robust woman in her prime, had returned as a haggard and destitute old woman. (Block, D. I. (1999). Judges, Ruth (Vol. 6, p. 645). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers)
Michael Agapito’s recent book review at ChristianityToday.com vividly illustrates one of the challenges Christians face when trying to apply their faith to issues of injustice. After praising much about Thaddeus Williams’ new book Confronting Injustice Without Compromising Truth, in particular his commitment to not diminish or dismiss Biblical mandates for Christians to work toward justice and to rightly prioritize social justice efforts in light of the salvation message, Agapito offers a lukewarm review. His concern, even after admitting Williams’ book explicitly states otherwise, is that “some will use it as an excuse to remain overtly comfortable with the status quo.”
In other words, even raising (and much less) answering questions (as Williams’ book brilliantly does) about the way social justice is defined and pursued today is to be guilty of enabling the detractors, even if you clearly and repeatedly state otherwise (as Williams’ book brilliantly does). This kind of critique of those who want to be sure their efforts align with Scripture is unhelpful and far too common.
Now, let me attempt to be as clear as Scripture is: God cares about justice. The prophet Amos proclaims, “let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.” The prophet then cites very specific examples of injustice. He condemns Israel for its mistreatment of the poor. He cites corrupt practices such as false testimony, bribery, and favoritism in the courts.
As is true throughout Scripture, “justice” is no abstract concept. Many of the prophets all but equate Israel’s failure of justice with religious infidelity as reasons for the exile and other punishments they face. As Micah famously put it, “He has told you, O man, what is good; and what the Lord requires of you, to do justice, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.”
One of the great contributions of Christianity to human history is the very idea that all people should be treated justly. As the influence of Christianity spread across the world, God’s instructions for how Israel should treat the poor and the disabled and the unborn and the foreigner spread as well. Today, both inside and outside of the church, demands to address injustices are ubiquitous.
The problem is that radical, problematic views undergird so many calls for justice today. Too many social “causes” assume things about justice, God, morality, and who we are as human beings that simply aren’t true. And, most of these ignore or deny the only idea that has ever been able to ground human dignity, that every human is made in the image of God.
Today, because of the legacy of postmodern ideas about oppression and the wide application of critical theory, justice is largely understood only in terms of power dynamics. Because words like “social justice” and “oppression” are so often wrongly defined, many Christians have abandoned the biblical call to care about victims of injustice or work toward addressing social evils. Not only is that tragic, not only does this compromise the message of Christianity to the world, but it puts us out of touch with biblical teaching, and Christians throughout history (think of individuals such as William Wilberforce).
That’s the dilemma, and I’ve honestly been waiting for a resource would clearly and carefully walk through how we can work for justice from the solid foundation that every person is made in the image of God. I’m pleased to say that Thaddeus J. Williams’s new book, Confronting Injustice Without Compromising Truth is that resource.
As Williams writes, “The problem is not with the quest for social justice. The problem is what happens when that quest is undertaken from a framework that is not compatible with the Bible. Today many Christians accept conclusions that are generated from madness machines that are wired with very different presuppositions about reality than those we find in Scripture.”
Williams addresses on our culture’s preoccupation with “wokeness,” critical race theory, and emotivism, without letting us off the hook from our Christian responsibilities to love God and to love our neighbors (all of them).
After all, Christians are always at their best when running into the brokenness not away from it, when we are caring for the victims of bad ideas while we walk humbly with our God.
The plagues against Pharaoh and Egypt begin.
INSIGHT
In this chapter, as the Lord speaks to Moses, we read the remarkable words, “See, I have made you as God to Pharaoh” (Exodus 7:1). To the world, God’s children often stand in the place of God. We are the only Bible they will read-all of Jesus they will see.
It is vital that we represent the Lord accurately. Of course, no mortal man can do so in any complete sense, but in a representative sense we must. It does not mean we must be perfect, but it does mean we are to give those around us a glimpse of who Jesus really is.
Jesus said, “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:16). Commit yourself to Christlikeness and believe that the Lord will multiply your life as others see Him in you. (Quiet Walk)
THE RIGHT WAY AND THE WRONG WAY TO PRAY
Then they took away the stone…. And Jesus lifted up his eyes, and said, “Father….”
John 11:41
Sometimes our whole idea of prayer is false. All too often we think of prayer only as guidance and requests. Now if you were to put that into practice in human relationships you would regard it as insulting. No, the thing the saint wants to know above everything else is that all is well between his soul and the Father. There is nothing the saint delights in more than to know God as his Father. He likes to maintain the contact and communion, to assure his heart before God and in the presence of God. The saint is in this difficult world; there are temptations from the outside, and the whole world is against him, and the saint is tired—sometimes he almost despairs. So he goes to God immediately, not to ask this or that but just to make certain that all is well there, that the contact is unbroken and perfect, that he can assure his heart and know that all is well.
That is what our Lord is doing in John 17, and that is the thing that stands out most frequently in that prayer. Our Lord is assuring His own human heart in the presence of His Father. He did this also when He was raising Lazarus from the dead; indeed He puts it in words for us: “Then they took away the stone….And Jesus lifted up his eyes, and said, ‘Father’”—He is praying—“‘I thank thee that thou hast heard me’”—always He is assured in His heart—“‘And I knew that thou hearest me always: but because of the people….’” (John 11:41-42). He just turns to God. He knows all is well, but He is assuring His heart in the presence of God. Let me put it like this: The saints always prayed to God, and our Lord supremely did so, because they believed in God’s power, because they believed in God’s ability to help, and, above all, because they believed in God’s willingness and readiness to help.
A Thought to Ponder: Our Lord is assuring His own human heart in the presence of His Father. (From Saved in Eternity, p. 32, by Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones)
A House on a Rock
Everyone who [practices] these words of mine . . . is like a wise man who built his house on the rock.
Matthew 7:24
As many as 34,000 homes in one US state are at risk of collapsing due to faulty foundations. Without realizing it, a concrete company pulled stone from a quarry laced with a mineral that, over time, causes concrete to crack and disintegrate. The foundations of nearly six hundred homes have already crumbled, and that number will likely skyrocket over time.
Jesus used the image of building a home atop a faulty foundation to explain the far riskier danger of building our lives on unsteady ground. He explained how some of us construct our life on sturdy rock, ensuring that we hold solid when we face fierce storms. Others of us, however, erect our lives on sand; and when the tempests rage, our lives tumble “with a great crash” (Matthew 7:27). The one distinction between building on an unshakable foundation and a crumbling one is whether or not we put Christ’s words “into practice” (v. 26). The question isn’t whether or not we hear His words, but whether we practice them as He enables us.
There’s much wisdom offered to us in this world—plus lots of advice and help—and much of it is good and beneficial. If we base our life on any foundation other than humble obedience to God’s truth, however, we invite trouble. In His strength, doing what God says is the only way to have a house, a life, built on rock. By Winn Collier
The Wonderful Angel
“And the angel of the LORD said unto him, Why askest thou thus after my name, seeing it is secret?” (Judges 13:18)
This intriguing encounter occurred during one of Israel’s periods of apostasy and servitude, when the people had been ruled for 40 years by the pagan Philistines. There was one godly couple in the tribe of Dan, however, who evidently had long been praying for a son, and God finally answered their prayers. “The angel of the LORD” came to give the good news to Manoah and his wife. The remarkable son who was to come was mighty Samson, who later would free his people.
But it is the Angel Himself who is most intriguing here. His name was “Secret,” meaning “too marvelous even to comprehend.” The same word is translated “Wonderful” in Isaiah 9:6, where it is cited as a name of the coming divine Son, whose name would also be “mighty God” and “everlasting Father.”
This “angel of the LORD” was thus none other than God the Son in one of His rare pre-incarnate appearances, or theophanies, when the invisible God manifested Himself visibly to man. There are many created angels (Hebrews 12:22), or “messengers,” of God, but on certain occasions, this One who is called “the angel of the LORD” (also “the angel of his presence,” as in Isaiah 63:9, and “the Angel which redeemed me,” as in Genesis 48:16), is clearly none other than God Himself. In such cases, it could only have been the pre-incarnate Christ, for the Bible says: “No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him” (John 1:18).
God had already revealed Himself in this way to great men of God, and now even to an unknown couple. Eventually this Angel, whose name is Wonderful, “was made flesh, and dwelt among us” (John 1:14), and will one day dwell with His people forever (Revelation 21:3). (HMM- The Institute for Creation Research)
Don’t let the ugly in others kill the BEAUTY in you
“A lie doesn’t become truth, wrong doesn’t become right and evil doesn’t become good just because it’s accepted by a majority.”
Booker T. Washington.
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