Tuesday, July 01, 2025

 

1 Timothy 2:1-5 You Need A Mediator Heidelberg Catechism Lord's Day 5 and 6

1 Timothy 2:1-5    You Need A Mediator
First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people,2 for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way.3 This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior,4 who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.5 For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus,6 who gave himself as a ransom for all, which is the testimony given at the proper time.7 For this I was appointed a preacher and an apostle (I am telling the truth, I am not lying), a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth.
 

15 Q. What kind of mediator and deliverer  should we look for then?
A. One who is truly human and truly righteous, yet more powerful than all creatures,  that is, one who is also true God.
16 Q. Why must He be truly human  and truly righteous?
A. God's justice demands  that human nature, which has sinned,  must pay for its sin; but a sinner could never pay for others
17 Q. Why must He also be true God?
A. So that,  by the power of His divinity,  He might bear the weight of God's anger in His humanity  and earn for us  and restore to us  righteousness and life.
18 Q. And who is this mediator -  true God and at the same time  truly human and truly righteous?
A. Our Lord Jesus Christ, who was given us  to set us completely free  and to make us right with God.
19 Q. How do you come to know this?
A. The holy gospel tells me.  God Himself began to reveal the gospel already in Paradise; later, He proclaimed it  by the holy patriarchs and prophets,  and portrayed it  by the sacrifices and other ceremonies of the law;  finally, He fulfilled it  through His own dear Son.
Patriarch Job's Court Language
contend (Job 9:3; 10:2)                answer (9:3, 16)
judge (v. 15)                                   set a time (v. 19)
daysman (v. 33)                                           reason (13:3)
order my cause (v. 18)                 plead (v. 19; 23:6)
hear me (31:35)                                           adversary (v. 35)
2 Questions
"How can I be righteous before God?" (9:1–13) 
"How can I meet God in court?" (v 14–35)
I Need A Mediator
For He is not a man as I am that I may answer Him, That we may go to court together. There is no umpire between us, Who may lay his hand upon us both.
A Mediator Provided
1 Timothy 2:5-6. "For there is one God, and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus; Who gave Himself a ransom for all....
Why Is Jesus The Only Mediator?
The Eternal Purpose Of God
1Peter 1:18-20  knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold,19 but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot.20 He was foreknown before the foundation of the world but was made manifest in the last times for the sake of you who believe (1 Pet. 1:20).
Ephesians 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places,4 even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love5 he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will,6 to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved.7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace,
He Is The Eternal Person
Anselm of Canterbury: salvation "could not have been done unless man paid what was owing to God for sin. But the debt was so great that, while man alone owed it, only God could pay it, so that the same person must be both man and God. Thus it was necessary for God to take manhood into the unity of his person, so that he who in his own nature ought to pay and could not should be in a person who could."
He Paid The Eternal Payment
"The Son of Man came not to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many" (Mark 10:45).
He paid the debt He did not owe     I owed the debt I could not pay
I needed someone to wash my sins away  And now I sing a brand new song, "Amazing grace" the whole day long Christ Jesus paid the debt  that I could never pay
 
Acts 4:12 And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved."
 
1 Timothy 1:12-16 "It is a trustworthy statement, deserving full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, among whom I am foremost of all. Yet for this reason I found mercy, so that in me as the foremost, Jesus Christ might demonstrate His perfect patience as an example for those who would believe in Him for eternal life."
1 Tim 2:1-6  This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God, and one mediator also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself as a ransom for all, the testimony given at the proper time.
Calvin, "the apostle's meaning here is simply that no nation of the earth and no rank of society is excluded from salvation, since God wills to offer the gospel to all without exception."


Monday, June 30, 2025

 

Paths of disappointment

R G Lee

"Vanity of vanities; all is vanity." Ecclesiastes 1:2

Thirty-seven times the word "vanity" occurs in the Book of Ecclesiastes. Moreover, vanity is the key word of the Book of Ecclesiastes ? the keynote to its dirgelike message.

"Vanity of vanities…All is vanity!" Now these words are not due to a fit of temporary depression. They are not given utterance because of some passing adverse circumstance. They were not born of the quick and passing bitterness begotten by the foul play of some friend who turned traitor. Subtle pride did not prompt this language of Solomon. They are, according to our judgment, the result of experience arrived at after mature and deliberate thought.

They are not the words of a man who walked a few paths, but the words of a man who walked many paths. Nor the words of one bored with the routine of some prosaic task. Nor the words of a man whose courage failed in some steep ascent of toil. Nor the words of one in prostrate rebellion against the tortures of some couch of pain.

Rather let us say that these are the words of one who sailed over many seas of human experience and made, with deliberate care, special notes and charts of his voyages. Words they are of one who drank of every cup and wrote a label for each. And in these words Solomon the wise, Solomon the rich, Solomon the mighty, has left the testimony that even a king could not find and cannot find genuine satisfaction in things finite, in things perishing, in things of the earth.

By what path shall I go to find the home of perfect happiness?
Which road must I take to compass heart satisfaction?
What must I do to find contentment?
What must I do to have a "good time"?
What must I do to be superior to the habitations in which I am domiciled?
What must I do to have the merry heart within the stern war of things?
What must I do to know the intoxication of pleasure without the dissipation of the soul's finest resources?

In answer, Solomon tried out five paths ? leaving each, discarding each in turn, until he cried over the grave of all disappointed hopes, as his life's fair morning died in dark sunset, "Vanity of vanities; all is vanity!" And these five paths, which he tried out and traveled over and found paths of disappointment, do men try out and travel over today.

And these five paths are the only paths which men try. These five paths…compass all the experiences and all the imaginations of men.

Let us be content to give these five paths telescopic observation, for we shall not have time to give them microscopic scrutiny. May the instruction thereof be received. May the warning therein be heeded.

I. THE PATH OF WISDOM

"I gave my heart to know wisdom, and to know madness and folly."
(Ecclesiastes 1:17). Solomon knew everything as nearly as mortal man could know everything. His was no capsule brain capable of tidbits only. He was a scientist. He was a philosopher. He was a moralist and a historian. He was a publicist and a poet. He had a mind trained to observe…to meditate.

He had an imagination by which he interpreted the facts of history and built upon the premise of these facts the deductions of science. He walked familiarly through the fields of botany. "He spake of trees, from the cedar tree that is in Lebanon even unto the hyssop that springeth out of the wall" (I Kings 4:33). He brought forth the treasures of the mine. He knew nature's choir made up of the voices of birds, the wind in the boughs, the sea on the shore. He interpreted the messages of the heavenly bodies. He sailed the seas. He knew the birds. He wrote parables from the fields and the forests. He gathered great wealth of gold and precious stones. He wrote and published books. He wrote thousands of imperishable proverbs. He interpreted human experience. He philosophized about divine revelation.

But with all this, he missed the one essential and found no rest for his heart. It is he, this great Solomon with all his glory, who, after roaming through all the realms of thought and imagination, of human wisdom and human knowledge, cried "Vanity of vanities; all is vanity !"

"And I gave my heart to know wisdom, and to know madness and folly; I perceived that this also is vexation of spirit (Ecclesiastes 1:17).

Once, a man traveled a long way ? a journey of many miles ? to interview a distinguished scholar. The butler ushered him in, upon the presentation of his card, into the study of the great scholar. He was cordially greeted. Before seating himself he asked this question of the noted scholar:

"Doctor, I have come a long way to ask you just one question. I observe that the walls of your room are filled with books. This room is literally lined with them from ceiling to floor. I suppose you have read them all. I know you have written many books. You have traveled the world over; you have held intimate converse with the world's wisest men ? its leaders of thought, its creators of opinion. Tell me, if you will, after the years you have spent in study, out of the things you have learned, what is the one thing best worth knowing? "

The great scholar's face flushed with emotion. He placed, with clumsy gentleness, both hands over the hands of his caller. And he said:

"My dear sir, out of all the things I have learned there are only two lessons best worth knowing. The first is, I am a great sinner. The second is, Jesus Christ is a great Saviour. In the knowledge of these two facts as applied in my own personal experience lies all my happiness and all my hopes ! "

Thus we learn in that man's answer, in many ways, that men may know some things and not the best things-the things best worth knowing. Thus we see that men may treasure rags and throw away treasures.
Yes, though many may not see it, a man may know all about the rocks, and his heart be as hard as they.
A man may know all about the winds and his life be swept by passions fiercer than they.
A man may know all about the tides and the seas, and his life resemble their troubled waters that rest not and know no peace.
A man may know all about lights-the light of showers of meteors, the light of phosphorus, the light of millions of stars, the light of the moon when it hangs like a sickle, candle light, lamp light, electric light, the light of the aurora borealis-and not know Jesus who said "I am the light of the world."
A man may know all about roads in the country, roads in the jungle, roads through burning deserts, and not know Jesus who said, "I am the way."

All of which brings us to say ? to ask ? what shall it profit a man IF …

What shall it profit a man if he be a great artist and know not Jesus, the one altogether lovely?
What shall it profit a man if he be a great architect and know not Jesus, the Chief Corner Stone?
What shall it profit a man if he be a great baker and know not Jesus, the Living Bread?
What shall it profit a man if he be a great banker and know not Jesus, the Priceless Possession?
What shall it profit a man if he be a great biologist and know not Jesus, the Life?
What shall it profit a man if he be a great builder and know not Jesus, the Sure Foundation?
What shall it profit a man if he be a great carpenter and know not Jesus, the Door?
What shall it profit a man if be be a great doctor and know not Jesus, the Great Physician?
What shall it profit a man if he be a great educator and know not Jesus, the Teacher?
What shall it profit a man if he be a great engineer and know not Jesus, the New and Living Way?
What shall it profit a man if he be a great farmer and know not Jesus, the Sower and Lord of Harvests?
What shall it profit a man if he be a great florist and know not Jesus, the Rose of Sharon?
What shall it profit a man if he be a great geologist and know not Jesus, the Rock of Ages?
What shall it profit a man if he be a great astronomer and know not Jesus, the Star of Bethlehem?
What shall it profat a man if he be a great horticulturist and know not Jesus, the True Vine?
What shall it profit a man if he be a great judge and know not Jesus, the Righteous judge?
What shall it profit a man if he be a great jurist and know not Jesus, the True Witness?
What shall it profit a man if he be a great jeweler and know not Jesus, the Pearl of Great Price?
What shall it profit a man if he be a great lawyer and know not Jesus, the Sinner's Advocate?
What shall it profit a man if he be a great philanthropist and know not Jesus, the Unspeakable Gift?
What shall it profit a man if he be a great philosopher and know not Jesus, the Wisdom of God?
What shall it profit a man if he be a great sculptor and know not Jesus, the Living Stone?
What shall it profit a man if he be a great student and know not Jesus, the Incarnate Truth?
What shall it profit a man if he be a great sinner and know not Jesus, the Lamb of God?

Mere human wisdom never satisfies. Even if we knew all things, there are many things we never would and never could know. Millions of things we do not know. Write down all we know ? it will be a small volume. Write down all we do not know of things in the heavens and things in the earth and things under the earth, it would be a large library of many shelves and many large volumes.

But even if we knew all that there is to know in the realm of human knowledge, it would be a path of disappointment if, in knowing so much, we did not learn the two things most worth knowing.

Man, in the course of his life, lays down one world after another. First, the infant's world of toys is abandoned. Second, the boy's world of games, amusements. So also the youth's world of schemes, enterprises, the dreams of progress and wealth. The path of disappointment is the path of human wisdom that excludes the things best worth knowing and most worth knowing.

Solomon sought experience and found disappointment in

II. THE PATH OF WINE

"I sought in mine heart, to give myself unto wine, yet acquainting mine heart with wisdom; . . . till I might see what was that good for the sons of men, which they should do under the heaven all the days of their life" (Ecclesiastes 2:3).

Having tried the path of earthly knowledge and wisdom and failing to find and get guest room in the house of happiness, Solomon next turns to wine. "Wine maketh glad the heart" (Psalm 104:15). And so we hear him saying, "Come, now, I will prove thee with mirth, therefore enjoy thou pleasure" ?that is, the pleasures wine is supposed to give. So Solomon "descends to the realm of the purely physical to cheer his flesh with wine."

I don't think he "descended to the low plain of sordid drunkenness," for he said, " I … give myself to wine, yet acquainting my heart with wisdom." Doubtless Solomon was not in the gutter. Doubtless he never did some of the fool things men do when they get under the influence of wine.

But it was he who wrote:

" Who hath woe? who hath sorrow? who hath contentions? who hath babbling? who hath wounds without cause? who hath redness of eyes? They that tarry long at the wine; they that go to seek mixed wine. Look not thou upon the wine when it is red, when it giveth his color in the cup, when it moveth itself aright. At the last it biteth like a serpent, and stingeth like an adder. Thine eyes shall behold strange women, and thine heart shall utter perverse things. Yea, thou shalt be as he that lieth down in the midst of the sea, or as he that lieth upon the top of the mast. They have stricken me, shalt thou say, and I was not sick-they have beaten me, and I felt it not; when shall I awake? I will seek it yet again." (Proverbs 23:29-35)

He discovered for himself and transmitted to future generations the bitterness of that experience and observation which finds in the dregs of the sparkling cup, the sting of the adder, the poison of the serpent !

Solomon, while doubtless never a debased drunkard, "learned the ropes" of the wine realm. And the warnings he has put out against the bottle are vivid and true warnings.

Now the follies of the wine realm are still with us. The bitter fruit of the wine press is with us. The sins of the wine cup are rampant. There is the wine domination of certain social circles. There is the wine domination of certain customs.

"There is the wine iniquity of certain political institutions, parties, and governments. Perhaps no factor in American life has dealt with a more arrogant hand. Perhaps no factor in our American life has carried a mightier weight of influence in social, commercial, political life than the wine business-the iniquitous whiskey business, the business without a conscience, the business without a care for the welfare of others."

But I am not to speak much of the drink business as a national curse, but as an individual curse, blight, and enormous sin. With many, what is the high mark of sociability today?
The offer and the acceptance of the invitation to " have a drink !"

I have never understood why a man should be understood as having a thought for my welfare to offer me that which would dim my eyes, dull my senses, tie up my tongue, addle my brain, blight my life. And I have never understood why a man should not invite me ? or why he should take offense if I should invite him ? to have with me a social drink of castor oil or milk of magnesia. This does not taste much worse than liquor, and it would have a far more remedial effect. But it is just not done in society.

To "have a drink," whether it is at the club-house, or in the business office, or in the hotel room, or at the college hop or on the joy ride is to drink liquor ? some form of alcoholic beverage. And every drop is loaded with disappointment when it comes to bringing lasting joy.

Jack and Jill
Went up the hill
To get some bootleg liquor;
Jack went blind
And lost his mind,
And Jill is even sicker !

Five drunk men, after the midnight hour had passed, leaned up against a telephone post in front of Mrs. Smith's home, knowing not whence they came nor whither they went. They shouted and whooped…The lady of the house, angry beyond words, threw open the window…she angrily shouted,
"Hello! "
One of the drunks, with a wave of his hand and a bob of his head, said belchingly, "Hello, there ? be you Mrs. Smith? "
"Yes," came the sharp, snapping answer.
"What do you want? "
" Please, ma'am…you…Lady…won't you…lady…come out and pick out Mr. Smith so the rest of us fellows can go home? "

More foolish and far more tragic things than that have men done under the influence of strong drink. Some, under its demoniac spell, have gone home at night not knowing a buzz saw from a silver dollar, thinking the keyhole the entrance to Mammoth Cave, and thinking the clothes wire a railroad track. And some, mastered by the demon of drink, have gone their way with murder in their eyes and hands.

A huge bottle would be an appropriate tombstone over many graves. Certainly a bottle in reality, whether visible or not, is the tombstone that stands above ruined hopes, broken families, disappointments, bitterness, and all misery. The bottle, the cup, the weak will, the blasted career-then the grave with a bottle as a tombstone.

But all who have walked the wine path, whether they be old, or whether they be young have found that "wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging, and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise" (Proverbs 20:1).

This is not only the truth of God, but it is the verdict of the ages.

Let us consider that verdict ?
[1] On an early Egyptian tomb are these words:
"His earthly tenement was shattered by beer and wine, and his spirit departed before it was called for."

[2] In 550 B.C. Buddha gave a statement that flashed out in that day as lightning-
"Drink not liquors that intoxicate and disturb the reason."

[3] And Xenophon, 300 years before heaven put out its brightest star to mark the birthplace of the incarnate Christ in Bethlehem, said:
"Temperance means first, moderation in healthful indulgence and, secondly, abstinence from things dangerous, as the use of intoxicating wines."

[4] And Pliny, the Elder, speaking words without the least semblance of foolishness, in 79 A.D., said;
"There is nothing about which we put ourselves to more trouble than wine "

[5] And Chaucer chastised the winebibber in 1340 with this statement:
"Character and shame depart when wine comes in."

[6] And Shakespeare, from whose pen words of wisdom dropped like golden pollen from the stems of shaken lilies, thrust the wine-drinking curse through with these words:
"O thou invisible spirit of wine, if thou hast no name to be known by, let us call thee devil "

[7] And Abraham Lincoln, in whose heart was no room for the memory of a wrong, in 1842, said:
"Liquor might have defenders, but no defense. Whether or not the world would be vastly benefited by a total and final banishment from it, of all intoxicating drinks, seems to me not an open question."

[8] And Gladstone, who being dead yet speaketh in the parliaments of men, in 1898 said:
"The ravages of drink are greater than those of war, pestilence and famine combined. "

[9] And Georges Clemenceau, put forth words of wisdom that cannot be weighed in scales when, in 1920, he declared:
"It is definitely settled that alcohol is a poison; a poison destructive of human energy and, for this reason, of society as a whole."

[10] And Sir Wilfred Grenfell, whose name has been on the tongues of multitudes of English-speaking peoples, said:
"Alcohol has wrecked more lives, starved more children and murdered more women than any other single factor."

[11] And Thomas Edison, did not hesitate to declare:
"I still feel that prohibition is the greatest experiment yet made to benefit man."

But in the face of this verdict of the ages, and in the face of Bible truth, and in the presence of multitudinous iniquities caused by strong drink, many clamour with more noise than sense in their words for personal liberty.

Personal liberty!

But liberty without love is a dangerous thing indeed. On all sides men must surrender personal liberties for the public welfare.

There can be no peace in the home without consideration of others.
There can be no profit in business without consideration of the welfare of others. There can be no justice in government and no safety in society without consideration for the welfare of others.
There can be no happiness, no culture, no security anywhere without sincere consideration of others ? their comforts, their health, their prosperity…their rights.

Every city has fire limits [codes]. In certain districts only fire-proof construction can be used. Specifications that have to do with the minutest details must be complied with before even the foundation can be laid. Floors must be of concrete, roofs of slate. Why? Are not frame houses attractive? Certainly, but they could not be built in the crowded districts without endangering the entire community. They would be tinder boxes.

Your present liberty ? your right to build a frame house is thoroughly good of itself, and in its place ? is entirely removed in the interest of public safety.

You cannot drive where you will. One must obey the traffic laws. One poorly managed automobile often congests a crowded avenue for several minutes. One wild driver kills and maims.

You cannot eat what you will. The future builds upon the present. Today sanatoriums are crowded with dyspeptics who were the gormandisers of yesterday.

You cannot walk the streets of the city ? if you have smallpox.
Personal liberty ends.

Drink destroys the liberty of the drinker. See him stagger and fall. He cannot direct his steps or rule his limbs. Hear him shout and curse. He does not know what he is saying, and has lost command of his thoughts and tongue. His eyes are dulled, his baser passions unleashed, his moral sense blunted, his better self chained. The drunkard, pitiable slave in body, mind and soul, is a refutation of the personal liberty plea.

Drink destroys the liberty of the drinker's wife and of his children.
Is the woman in ragged garments and with a bruised face, lacking the necessities of life, free ?
Is the lad forced to wear the shame of the drunkard's child, free?
Is the broken-hearted parent who mourns the death of a dissolute son in a saloon brawl or on the public highway or in the bootlegger's den, free?

Shall we continue to respect the "personal liberty" of those who would destroy themselves and us?
Shall we continue to respect the "personal liberty" of those who coin into money the tears of women and children and the cries of unfortunates possessed of a fiendish thirst they cannot master so long as the thing that arouses it survives because the laws of the nation are violated ?

"They are overcome with wine " (Isaiah 28:1). Men say they swallow strong drink. But strong drink swallows them. Strong drink eats up their substance. It eats up their health. It swallows up their happiness. It swallows many precious talents.

Strong drink does our schools and colleges no good. It does our secret orders no good. It does our merchants no good. It does our manufacturers no good. It does our railroads no good. It does our churches no good. It does no man any good. I do not claim that all I have written above is strictly original. But I do claim that all I have written is to give emphasis to all anybody says against strong drink and to make declaration that if I had one hair in my head that was in favor of strong drink " in any shape, form, or fashion " I would pull it out. And I take my stand with Guy Mark, who said-.

"I am dry, bone dry because I have known unborn babes to be cursed through booze;
little children to starve because of booze-,
young people to be stunted for life through booze;
gifted women to become imbeciles through booze;
leaders in industry to become beggars in the street because of booze;
wedding rings to be sold for booze;
every article of furniture to be pawned for booze;
fortunes to be squandered for booze;
girls to become prostitutes through booze;
boys to become criminals through booze;
women to be hanged because of booze;
and men to go to the electric chair because of booze.
Because I have never known booze to contribute to the happiness of a single child, or to the mental ability of a single young person, or to the moral uplift of a single middle-aged person, or to the comfort and blessedness of a single old person."

Think of the disappointments that come in the path of wine. And remember what the Book hath said, namely:

"Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging; and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise." (Proverbs 20:1)…."Hear thou, my son, and be wise, and guide thine heart in the way. Be not among winebibbers; among riotous eaters of flesh; For the drunkard and the glutton shall come to poverty; and drowsiness shall clothe a man with rags." (Proverbs 23:19-21)…. "Woe unto him that giveth his neighbour drink, that puttest thy bottle to him, and makest him drunk also, that thou mayest look on their nakedness (Habbakuk 2:15)…. "It is not for kings, 0 Lemuel, it is not for kings to drink wine; nor for princes strong drink. Lest they drink, and forget the law, and pervert the judgment of any of the afflicted. Give strong drink unto him that is ready to perish, and wine unto those that be of heavy hearts." (Proverbs 31:4-6)

But Solomon traveled another path of disappointment, finding not the joy and peace his heart craved. It was

III. THE PATH OF WEALTH

"Moreover the profit of the earth is for all: the king himself is served by the field. He that loveth silver shall not be satisfied with silver; nor he that loveth abundance with increase; this is also vanity. When goods increase, they are increased that eat them; and what good is there to the owners thereof, saving the beholding of them with their eyes?
The sleep of the labouring man is sweet, whether he eat little or much: but the abundance of the rich will not suffer him to sleep.
There is a sore evil which I have seen under the sun, namely: riches kept for the owners thereof to their hurt. But those riches perish by evil travail; and he begetteth a son, and there is nothing in his hand." (Ecclesiastes 5:9-15)

In these striking words we see that he found the path of riches a disappointing path also. Finding bitterness in the path of wine, finding no peace in human wisdom alone, he turned to the path of riches, hoping therein to find the joy and the peace the human heart needs.

See how rich he was.
"And they came to Ophir, and fetched from thence gold, four hundred and twenty talents, and brought it to king Solomon." (I Kings 9:28)
"And the navy also of Hiram, that brought gold from Ophir, brought in from Ophir great plenty of almug trees, and precious stones. " (I Kings 10:11)
"Now the weight of gold that came to Solomon in one year was six hundred threescore and six talents of gold." (I Kings 10:14)
"And king,Solomon made two hundred targets of beaten gold, six hundred shekels of gold went to one target. And he made three hundred shields, of beaten gold; three pounds of gold went to one shield; and the, king put them in the house of the forest of Lebanon." (I Kings 10:16,17)
"Besides that he had of the merchantmen and of the traffic of spice merchants, and of all the kings of Arabia, and of the governors of the country." (I Kings 10:15)
"For the king had at sea a navy of Tarshish with the navy of Hiram: once every three years came the navy of Tarshish, bringing gold, and silver, ivory, and apes, and peacocks." (I Kings 10:22)
"And the king made silver to be in Jerusalem as stones, and cedars made he to be as the sycomore trees that are in the vale, for abundance." (I Kings 10:27)
"And Solomon gathered together chariots and horsemen; and he had a thousand and four hundred chariots, and twelve thousand horsemen, whom he bestowed in the cities for chariots, and with the king at Jerusalem." (I Kings 10:26)

"So king Solomon exceeded all the kings of the earth for riches and for wisdom." (I Kings 10:23)

Yes, gifts poured into his coffers in a continuous stream so that he was able to hire men singers and women singers ? able to build himself and his wives gorgeous palaces ? able to enjoy all that money could provide. He was able at any time to pay a king's ransom for a day of pleasure. He had riches till the end of his life. He never knew the pinch of poverty ? never knew any anxiety about his daily bread. Yet, even in the security of his nest of wealth, he fully realized the futility of their values. "Vanity of vanities ! "

No man can buy a contented heart.

Money is powerless to furnish this. No man can purchase with riches a soul at peace with God. No man can pay in money the price of the hope of immortality and of a meeting in the Great Beyond. No man can find in riches the purchase price of God's favour or the realization of eternal salvation.

Not even in this day does money guarantee health, or hold friends, or bring contentment!

"They that will be rich fall into a temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition " (I Timothy 6:9)
"Go to, now, ye rich men, weep and howl for your miseries that shall come upon you. Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are moth eaten. Your gold and silver is cankered, and the rust of them shall be a witness against you, and shall eat your flesh as it were fire " (James 5:1-3)
"Labour not to be rich: cease from thine own wisdom. Wilt thou set thine eyes upon that which is not ? for riches certainly make themselves wings; they fly away as an eagle toward heaven." (Proverbs 23:4,5)

Disappointed in these three paths, Solomon turned to

IV. THE PATH OF WORKS

Wisdom, the many things he knew, brought him not to the house of abiding happiness…brought him not that joy which is ever rich and abiding. Wine turned out to be a mocker, as it always does-mocking him with the shadow instead of the substance of good things, mocking him with the desert where it promised an oasis.

And wealth had no power to satisfy. Amid all his abundance there was a lack ? something that rested not and was not still, something that hungered and was not fed, something that was thirsty and found no satisfaction.. Solomon built palaces. Solomon established great public works. Solomon increased the size and magnificence of his city. Solomon transported forests.

He did mighty things in the matter of building cities and other great public works. He accomplished such things as multitudes have expected to provide satisfaction for life's labors. But when he had finished all his great works he looked out upon them and cried, "Vanity of vanities ! "
"And Solomon's wisdom excelled the wisdom of all the children of the east country, and all the wisdom of Egypt. For he was wiser than all men…and his fame was in all nations round about." (I Kings 4:30,31)
"But Solomon was building…He built also the house of the forest of Lebanon…And he made …Then he made…Solomon made…" (I Kings 7:1-f )
"And Solomon built Gezer, and Beth-horon the nether, and Baalath, and Tadmor in the wilderness, in the land, And all the cities of store that Solomon had, and cities for his chariots, and cities for his horsemen, and that which Solomon desired to build in Jerusalem, and in Lebanon, and in all the land of his dominion." (I Kings 9:17-19)

Which, moreover, brings us the willingness to obey the exhortation given in I Cor. 15:58, namely:
" Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord."

But another disappointment Solomon trod. It was, we may term it,

V. THE PATH OF WOMEN

When Solomon found disappointment in the path of wisdom, in the path of wine, in the path of wealth, in the path of great works of construction, he turned to seek happiness with women. With much wisdom given him, he played the fool with women. With much opportunity to do good, he delighted himself in indulgence with women. With the power to command and to persuade, with the whole world from which to choose, with wealth that was enticing, he strove to delight his heart with women.

"But king Solomon loved many strange women, together with the daughter of Pharaoh, women of the Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Zidonians, and Hittites; Of the nations concerning which the Lord said unto the children of Israel, Ye shall not go in to them, neither shall they come in unto you: for surely they will turn away your heart after their gods: Solomon clave unto these in love. And he had seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines: and his wives turned away his heart…" (I Kings 11:1-8)

Solomon knew what he was talking about when he said, "Give not thy strength unto women" (Proverbs 31:3). Solomon was speaking from the depths of bitter experience, teaching that the reproofs of instruction are the way of life, when he said:
"For the commandment is a lamp; and the law is light; and the reproofs of instruction are the way of life; To keep thee from the evil women, from the flattery of the tongue of a strange woman. Lust not after her beauty in thine heart; neither let her take thee with her eyelids. For by means of a whorish woman a man is brought to a piece of bread; and the adulteress will hunt for the precious life. Can a man take fire in his bosom, and his clothes not be burned? Can one go upon hot coals, and his feet not be burned ? " (Proverbs 6).

Solomon had found out that in the path of women there is that experience that is as vinegar to the teeth and as smoke to the eyes. That is why he wrote:
"A foolish woman is clamorous; she is simple and knoweth nothing. For she sitteth at the door of her house, on a seat in the high places of the city. To call passengers who go right on their ways; Whoso is simple, let him turn in hither: and as for him that wanteth understanding, she saith to him, Stolen waters are sweet, and bread eaten in secret is pleasant. But he knoweth not that the dead are there; and that her guests are in the depths of hell." (Proverbs 9:13-18)

It was Solomon who had seven hundred wives, who said
"A virtuous woman is a crown to her husband: but she that maketh ashamed is as rottenness in his bones." (Proverbs 12:4)
"It is better to dwell in the corner of the house top, than with a brawling woman in a wide house " (Proverbs 21:9)
"It is better to dwell in the wilderness, than with a contentious and angry woman." (Proverbs 21:19)

It was Solomon who said many lovely things about women, lovely things which were true altogether, such as,
"Whoso findeth a wife findeth a good thing and obtaineth favour of the Lord " (Proverbs 18:22);
"A prudent wife is from the Lord " (Proverbs 19:14);
"Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above rubies " (Proverbs31:10)

And this, moreover, this truth he uttered in language descriptive of ancient day indulgence and descriptive also of this jazz-day indulgence:

" Say unto wisdom, Thou art my sister; and call understanding thy kinswoman; That they may keep thee from the strange woman, from the stranger which flattereth with her words. For at the window of my house I looked through my casement, and beheld among the simple ones, I discerned among the youths, a young man void of understanding, Passing through the street near her corner; and he went the way to her house, In the twilight, in the evening, in the black and dark night; And, behold there met him a woman with the attire of an harlot, and subtil of heart. (She is loud and stubborn; her feet abide not in her house: Now is she without, now in the streets, and lieth in wait at every corner).So she caught him, and kissed him, and with an impudent face said unto him, I have peace offerings with me; this day have I payed my vows, Therefore came I forth to meet thee, diligently to seek thy face, and I have found thee. I have decked my bed with coverings of tapestry, with carved works, with fine linen of Egypt. I have perfumed my bed with myrrh, aloes and cinnamon. Come, let us take our fill of love until the morning: let us solace ourselves with loves. For the good man is not at home, he is gone a long journey: He hath taken a bag of money with him, and will come at the day appointed. With her much fair speech she caused him to yield, with the flattering of her lips she forced him. He goeth after her straightway, as an ox goeth to the slaughter, or as a fool to the correction of the stocks; Till a dart strike through his liver; as a bird hasteth to the snare, and knoweth not that it is for his life…Her house is the way to hell, going down to the chambers of death." ( Proverbs 7:4-f )

What has not woman meant to man ? She is the synonym of all that is holy in relation-synonym of all that is encouraging, stimulating, and soothing in life's stress and sorrows. Woman-God's loveliest gift to man. God pity the man who, in the dark hour of his dissolution, has no woman's hand to wipe away the death damp from his brow, or to smooth his pillow, and no woman's voice to whisper sweet words of cheer and comfort into his fast dulling ear.

Woman-synonym of home and love, of wifehood, of motherhood, of sisterhood, of daughterhood.

Woman-synonym of all gentleness, of charm, of winsomeness, of heart's ease, of sacrificial service.

Woman-the uncomplaining bearer of burdens, the partner of pain and pleasure alike, the keeper of the mysteries of life, the fount of joy, the confidante of weakness and of sorrow, the sharer of tears and laughter.

Woman-she means to the race all that men's hearts have yearned for, in rest from labor, in refuge from defeat, in comfort from sorrow, in understanding and encouragement, in reproach, in cheer and encouragement in struggle.

Many times Solomon doubtless proved all this, for he was a married man. And yet, because he left God out and, reckoned not with his laws in relation to women, he found the path of women a path of great disappointments.

"Having tried all the avenues of legitimate love; he tried the other way. And so great was the disappointment and bitterness, he was constrained to cry, 'Vanity of vanities' Having tried all the delights of legitimate love, he then indulged himself in all the fancied pleasure of illegitimate love, and excitation of unholy desire and indulgence of animal appetite-the pursuance of purely fleshly pleasure. Here, too, for his joy he reaped ashes. Here, too, he found his honey turned to the bitterness of gall. Here, too, in these wide avenues of all illegitimate dealings with women, his delight faded into distaste and disgust !

Here, too, desire became despair.

And again his soul was wrung with the cry that has saddened the centuries-
'Vanity of vanities!' "

Which brings us to speak of

VI. OUR ONE HOPE

"The world by wisdom knew not God." (I Corinthians 1:21)
Poor rich Solomon.
Poor fool ? wise-man Solomon.
Poor wine-tasting Solomon.
Type of all our wisdom ? in the slough of despond.
Type of all our indulgence ? in dark, abysmal despair.
Type of all man's wrong indulgence with women-surfeited with disgust.

For man's effort to find peace and happiness by the paths of wisdom and wine and wealth and works and women is written in the lives of men. The coarseness, the sensuousness, the un-spirituality seen about us is tragic.

But God is ever the God of the second chance. It is ever the providence of his mercy, if we will turn from our wicked ways, to reverse the curse of sin.

Then ? do this. Through Jesus who died for you ? do this. With faith in the Christ who bore our sins in his own body on the tree (I Peter 2:24), and died the just for the unjust that he might bring us to God (I Peter 3:18) ? embrace the cross now.

Then the cry of your despair will be turned into joy.
Then the consciousness of your lost estate will be changed into the sweet and blessed realization of eternal salvation.
There shall be no disappointment with you concerning him. There will be no disappointment with him concerning you.


Sunday, June 29, 2025

 

Ridley. The Battle of Fromelles

The Battle Of Fromelles JG Ridley
19th-20th July 1916 where the 5th Australian Division and the 61st British Division lost over 7000 troops in 12 hours of fighting.

Before me in the silence
I see that fateful day
And hear the distant tumult
far echoes from the fray;
I see the battered trenches,
They bayonets and the shells,
And once again I'm fighting
In the battle of Fromelles

The whistle called to action
A fighting force untried;
And men from peaceful pastures
Plunged in the blood red tide.
Over the broken breastworks,
Under a hail of shells,
Into the jaws of fury,
Charged the heroes of Fromelles

Forward they went for honour,
Forward they raced for right,
Fighting their maiden battle
All through the angry night.
Man after man went under;
Food for the hungry shells,
Falling to further freedom,
On the field of far Fromelles.

The sun rise in the morning
Greeted a ghostly sight;
Thousands of mangled bodies
Bathed in the tender light.
This with the wail of wounded,
The stench of blood and shells,
Made rich the war gods harvest,
On the field of sad Fromelles.

What of the silent victims;
The men who never returned
To love ones in the homeland
Who waited, prayed and yearned?
Surely their solemn message
The voice of the bugle swells
To draw the tears of sorrow
For the fallen of Fromelles.

Men of the old battalion,
Comrades who saw and heard;
This was the birth of bloodshed
For the famous Fifty-Third.
Hard were the days that followed;
Such as our history tells,
But not a strenuous conflict
Than the battle of Fromelles.

Now as the vision fadeth,
We see through the years we go,
What is our preparation
to meet the final foe?
Death has no fair exemption,
Fierce are its fatal shells:
Christ is the Concrete Shelter
For the veterans of Fromelles.
-July 16-17 1929, John G Ridley late of the 53rd Battalion 5th AIF

Saturday, June 21, 2025

 

Ruth 2 by Dr. Charles

There are three main characters in the book of Ruth. Chapter 1 introduces two characters: Naomi and Ruth. Naomi was married to Elimelech. During a famine in Bethlehem, Elimelech, Naomi, and their two sons became refugees in the country of Moab. Elimelech died in Moab. Naomi's sons, Mahlon and Chilion, married Moabite women. Without having children, both sons died, Naomi was left without her husband and two sons. When the famine passed, Naomi returned to Bethlehem. Her daughters-in-law, Orpah and Ruth, followed her. Naomi pressed them to remain in Moab to restart their lives. Orpah obeyed. Ruth clung to Naomi. 

When Naomi arrived in Bethlehem, the women asked, "Is this Naomi?" In Ruth 1:20-21, Naomi answers, "Do not call me Naomi; call me Mara; for the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me. I went away full, and the Lord has brought me back empty. Why call me Naomi, when the Lord has testified against me and the Almighty has brought calamity to me?" Naomi's emotional outburst is the climax of chapter 1. It is not the end of the story. The final sentence of chapter 1 reads: "And they came to Bethlehem at the beginning of barley harvest." Chapter 2 takes place during the barley harvest. The scenes recorded in this chapter take place over one day. 

Before the story proceeds, Ruth 2:1 introduces the third main character: "Now Naomi had a relative of her husband's, a worthy man of the clan of Elimelech, whose name was Boaz." This first mention of Boaz reports two critical facts about him. First, Boaz was "of the clan of Elimelech." He was qualified to redeem the family land and preserve the family name. Second, Boaz was a "worthy" man. This is a military term. In Judges 6:12, the angel of the Lord called Gideon a "mighty man of valor." Proverbs 31:10 asks, "An excellent wife who can find?" In Ruth 3:11, Boaz calls Ruth "a worthy woman." The word seems to be used here to describe Boaz as a man of character, wealth, generosity, dignity, and kindness. After introducing Boaz, the chapter unfolds in three scenes: 

  • Ruth asks Naomi's permission to glean the fields. 
  • Ruth meets Boaz as she gleans in his field. 
  • Ruth tells Naomi about her day with Boaz. 

These three scenes make one point: Nothing just happens in the lives of those who trust in the Lord. Verse 3 says, "So she set out and went and gleaned in the field after the reapers, and she happened to come to the part of the field belonging to Boaz, who was of the clan of Elimelech." This is the only place in scripture that describes unfolding circumstances this way. But Ruth did not arrive at Boaz's field by luck, fate, or chance. There are no such categories in the Bible. 

Many believe the Earth was formed by a big bang that just happened, and humans evolved from a natural process of evolution that just happened. Others believe good or bad things happen randomly, independently, accidentally. Things happen because a sovereign God providentially orchestrates all affairs. Life is like a tapestry. On one side, there are tangled threads. The other side is a beautiful design intricately woven together. Because we live on the tangled side, we sometimes think there is no rhyme or reason to life. But the invisible hand of divine providence is at work through your decisions, in your relationships, and beyond your expectations. 

God is at work through your circumstances. 

Verse 2 says, "And Ruth the Moabite said to Naomi, 'Let me go to the field and glean among the ears of grain after him in whose sight I shall find favor.'" In Leviticus 19:9-10 and 23:22, the Law of Moses commanded Israel to leave the edges of the field alone when they brought in the harvest, so widows, orphans, and foreigners could glean the field. Deuteronomy 24:19 reads: "When you reap your harvest in your field and forget a sheaf in the field, you shall not go back to get it. It shall be for the sojourner, the fatherless, and the widow, that the Lord your God may bless you in all the work of your hands." This was God's ancient welfare system. More specifically, it was a welfare-to-work program that enabled the needy to labor to care for themselves and their families. 

Ruth understood the Law of Moses in this regard. She also understood the times in which she lived. Ruth 1:1 tells us it was "in the days when the judges ruled." Judges 21:25 describes the days the judges ruled: "In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes." It was a time of moral decline, spiritual decay, and national calamity. As a result, landowners disregarded the law and refused to allow the needy to glean in their fields. The poor were so mistreated that many would starve rather than risk gleaning in the fields. Yet Ruth courageously said to Naomi, "Let me go to the field and glean among the ears of grain after him in whose sight I shall find favor." Ruth did not wait for something to happen. She took the initiative. It is a statement about her character and loyalty to care for Naomi. 

Favor pictures an inferior coming to a superior to present a need, hoping the superior will show kindness to the inferior. Ruth's faith moved her to go to the field with the prayerful expectation that someone would show her favor. Naomi permitted Ruth but did not join her, for whatever reason. Verse 3 says, "So she set out and went and gleaned in the field after the reapers, and she happened to come to the part of the field belonging to Boaz, who was of the clan of Elimelech." As you read those words, you can almost see the narrator winking at you in the text. From verse 1, we know Boaz is a key figure in the story. Verse 3 even reminds us he was of the clan of Elimelech. Ruth did not know who Boaz was. She did not realize she gleaned his field. Ruth acted unintentionally. God orchestrated her decision. 

Verse 4 begins, "And behold, Boaz came from Bethlehem." "Behold" further indicates the Lord was at work behind the scenes. One day, Ruth happened to glean the field of Boaz. That same day, Boaz happened to visit his reapers in the field. Boaz will fulfill Ruth's hope for favor in verse 1. Before Ruth and Boaz meet, verse 4 shows Boaz to be a worthy man by how he treated his employees. Boaz greeted the reapers: "The Lord be with you." This is the only place in scripture where this benediction is spoken. The reapers answered, "The Lord bless you," alluding to the blessing of Aaron in Numbers 6:24-26. This is not how coworkers greet each other at your job. It was not typical then, either. Boaz was a worthy man. This was evident by how he treated those under his authority. There was no dichotomy between the secular and spiritual with Boaz. He acknowledged in all his ways. 

Verse 5 says, "Then Boaz said to his young man who was in charge of the reapers, 'Whose young woman is this?'" Boaz did not ask who Ruth was. He asked, "Whose young woman is this?"

  • Who are her people?  
  • Where does she come from? 
  • What is her background?

In verse 6, the foreman answers, "She is the young Moabite woman, who came back with Naomi from the country of Moab." The foreman does not tell Boaz Ruth's name. He identifies by Naomi, nothing twice that she was a Moabite. In verse 7, the foreman commends Ruth's humble attitude: "She said, 'Please let me glean and gather among the sheaves after the reapers." Ruth did not have to ask permission. The law commanded reapers to allow widows, orphans, and foreigners to glean behind them. Ruth had the right to be there on two of three counts. Yet she asked permission. Then the foreman noted Ruth's work ethic: "So she came, and she has continued from early morning until now, except for a short rest." 

On the surface, this seems like an arbitrary decision that resulted in a chance encounter. Ruth decided to glean in the fields and happened to work her way into Boaz's field. Boaz decided to check on his reapers and happened to show up while Ruth gleaned in his field. Ruth went to work to put bread on the table and met the man to whom her destiny was tied. There are no small decisions in life. Proverbs 16:9 says, "The heart of man plans his ways, but the Lord establishes his steps." In every decision, God is at work for your good and his glory. 

  • As you make right, wise, prayerful decisions, God is at work. 
  • When you make wrong, foolish, sinful decisions, God is at work. 

You may suffer the consequences of your bad decisions. But if Jesus Christ is your Savior and Lord, your failures are not final!

God is at work in your relationships. 

    It is said that you cannot pick your family, but you can pick your friends. I have not picked my friends, either. People I have tried to keep close have grown distant. And people I never thought I would meet have become close friends. The God who is at work in our decisions is also at work in our relationships. Ruth needed a husband – a relative of Elimelech willing to redeem Naomi and Ruth. Ruth did not go to the single hot spots, get her friends to hook her up, or download a dating app. She went to work. As Ruth worked, God worked. 

    Ruth gleaned the fields of Boaz. Boaz came to check on his workers the same day. After getting a report about Ruth, verses 8-9 record Boaz's first words to Ruth: "Now, listen, my daughter, do not go to glean in another field or leave this one, but keep close to my young women. Let your eyes be on the field that they are reaping, and go after them. Have I not charged the young men not to touch you? And when you are thirsty, go to the vessels and drink what the young men have drawn." Not only did Boaz give Ruth permission to glean his field, but he also instructed her not to glean anywhere else. She should remain with his young women. Boaz established the first sexual harassment policy for Ruth. No one was to touch her. He did not even want Ruth to go to the well for water. She was free to drink from the supply provided by his young men. Boaz's generosity surpassed the letter of the law. It was favor. 

    Verse 10 records Ruth's response to the kindness of Boaz: "Then she fell on her face, bowing to the ground, and said to him, 'Why have I found favor in your eyes, that you should take notice of me, since I am a foreigner?'" Ruth went to the field, hoping to find favor from someone. Boaz showed great favor to Ruth. But Ruth was not presumptuous. She asked, "Why?" This is the second time the question "why" is asked in Ruth. In Ruth 1:21, Naomi asked, "Why call me Naomi, when the Lord has testified against me and the Almighty has brought calamity upon me?" Naomi asked the question we ask during bad times: "Why me?" 

    It is not wrong to ask, "Why?" We just ask it at the wrong times. In response to Boaz's kindness, Ruth asked, "Why me?" We have not given the Lord any reason to be kind to us. We have given the Lord plenty of reasons to withhold favor and send calamity. Yet the Lord blesses us in spite of us. This is why you should not spend your life at the complaint counter. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 exhorts: "Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you."

    Boaz answers Ruth in verse 11: "All that you have done for your mother-in-law since the death of your husband has been fully told to me, and how you left your father and mother and your native land and came to a people that you did not know before." Boaz was kind to Ruth because her reputation preceded her. It has nothing to do with her physical appearance. The Life Application Study Bible comments: "Ruth's past actions were a report card by which others judged her. Her good reputation was her most valuable asset. It came as a result of her hard work, her strong moral character, and her sensitivity, kindness, and loyalty to Naomi." Boaz cited two grades from Ruth's report card. 

    • Ruth had shown loyal-love to her mother-in-law, Naomi. 
    • Ruth left her parents to live among people she did not know. 

    She could have returned home to her family, like Orpah. But Ruth clung to Naomi and returned to Bethlehem with her. 

    In verse 12, Boaz blesses Ruth: "The Lord repay you for what you have done, and a full reward be given you by the Lord, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge!" When dangers approach, storms arise, or predators attack, a mother bird lifts her wings, and her children take refuge under her wings. This is what Ruth did when she forsook Moab and returned to Bethlehem with Naomi. In clinging to Naomi, Ruth to refuge under the Lord's wing. This is why favor fell on Ruth. She trusted in the Lord.  John Piper said it well: "God is not an employer looking for employees; he is an eagle looking for people who will take refuge under his wings." In Matthew 23:37, Jesus says, "O, Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you would not!" Take refuge under the wings of divine love outstretched at the cross of the Lord Jesus Christ! 

    In verse 13, Ruth said to Boaz: "I have found favor in your eyes, my lord, for you have comforted me and spoken kindly to your servant, though I am not one of your servants." Ruth hadn't seen anything yet! In verse 14, Boaz said to Ruth at lunchtime, "Come here and eat some bread and dip your morsel in the wine." So she sat beside the reapers, and he passed to her roasted grain. And she ate until she was satisfied, and she had some left over." By sharing this meal, Boaz treated Ruth as an equal in front of all his workers. In verses 15-16, Boaz said to his reapers after lunch, "Let her glean even among the sheaves, and do not reproach her. And also pull out some from the bundles for her and leave it for her to glean, and do not rebuke her." Be careful about how to treat people. Don't worry about how others treat you. God is at work! 

    God is at work beyond your expectations. 

      Verse 17-18 says, "So she gleaned in the field until the evening. Then she beat out what she had gleaned, and it was about an ephah of barley. And she took it up and went into the city. Her mother-in-law saw what she had gleaned. She also brought out and gave her what food she had left over after being satisfied."

      Ruth returned home with at least thirty pounds of barley – proof of Boaz's generosity, Ruth's diligence, and God's providence. In Ruth 1:21, Naomi says she left full and returned empty. That day, Ruth left the house empty and returned full. Shocked and surprised, Naomi asked in verse 19: "Where did you glean today? And where have you worked? Blessed be the man who took notice of you." This unidentified man Naomi blessed was no random stranger. In verse 19, Ruth answered, "The man's name with whom I worked today is Boaz."God is great! You may suffer one bad day after another. It may seem things will never get better. All it takes is one day for the Lord to turn things around! 

      At the end of the last chapter 1, Naomi was in a dark night of the soul. Now she can see the dawning of a new day. In verse 20, Naomi exclaims, "May he be blessed by the Lord, whose kindness has not forsaken the living or the dead!" Naomi blessed Boaz. The focus of her benediction was God, not Boaz. Kindness is hesed, the loyal-love of God. God showed kindness to the living – Naomi and Ruth – through Boaz. God showed kindness to the dead – Elimelech, Mahlon, and Chilion – through Boaz. God showed kindness to the unborn through Boaz. We are beneficiaries of Christ's finished work because of the kindness God showed the living and the dead through Boaz! Boaz is a type of Christ. He illustrates Christ's character, compassion, and conduct toward sinners. Like Ruth, we are spiritually needy, hopeless, and unworthy foreigners. But a worthy man showed up! He knew us before he met us. He was compassionate toward us. He served us graciously. He provides and protects us at his own expense! He shows us the favor of God! 

      In verse 20, Naomi told Ruth, "The man is a close relative of ours, one of our redeemers." To redeem is to set free by paying the price. It is an illustration of what Christ did to purchase our salvation at the cross. As a close relative, Boaz was qualified to redeem Naomi and marry Ruth. Ruth did not understand what all that meant. But she remembered Boaz told her, "You shall keep close by my young men until they have finished all my harvest." Naomi agreed. In verse 22, she counsels Ruth, "It is good, my daughter, that you go out with his young women, lest in another field you be assaulted."

      • Ruth saw in front of her. Naomi saw down the road. 
      • Ruth saw barley. Naomi saw a bride. 
      • Ruth saw bread. Naomi saw a wedding cake. 
      • Ruth thought, "I have a place to glean." Naomi thought, "I am going to be a grandmother."  

      Verse 23 concludes, "So she kept close to the young women of Boaz, gleaning until the end of the barley and wheat harvests. And she lived with her mother-in-law." This closing verse summarizes a two-month harvest period. Every day, Ruth gleaned the fields of Boaz. Through this process, God provided daily bread for Ruth and Naomi. But Ruth still lived with her mother-in-law. There was no progress yet in the relationship between Ruth and Boaz. There was plenty of food to eat. However, Ruth remained a widow in Naomi's house. But it was not her final destination. It was just a layover. After the wheat and barley harvest, God set up the first date between Boaz and Ruth in chapter 3. Romans 8:28 is true: "And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose."

      I hate layovers. But I accept that layovers are necessary. Sometimes, people who start the trip with you are not going all the way. Sometimes there is baggage on board that needs to be removed. Sometimes you do not have enough fuel for the whole trip. So, there are layovers. But God is at work beyond your expectations. If you trust and obey through the layover, you will make it to your final destination. 


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