Tag: Ruth

Ruth 1:16 Two Nice Young Ladies

Ruth 1:16 (KJV)
And Ruth said, Intreat me not to leave thee, or to return from following after thee: for whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge: thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God:

Ruth and Orpah appear to have both been very nice young ladies. I’ve come to believe Elimech was of better character than he is usually given credit and it seems to me that one of the evidences of that is the character of the girls his sons chose as wives.

That being said, Ruth stands out, and I believe that is the intention of the account as of exceptional quality.

Consider the many temptations to return to her old life

  • Her husband had died

  • Her mother-in-law had decided to go to BethlehemJudah

  • Naomi urged them to go back

  • Naomi explained to them the price of remaining

  • Orpah did turn back

  • Naomi used Orpah as reason for Ruth to do the same

Still, Ruth begged her mother-in-law to allow her to follow after her.

Ruth clave to Naomi and became the blood from which our Saviour came forth.

Our world has many good people. Goodness is not the same as godliness. Ruth embraced not only Naomi but:

  • Naomi’s home

  • Naomi’s family

  • Naomi’s culture

  • Naomi’s God and

  • Naomi’s eternity

Ultimately, she gave the world 

  • Naomi’s Messiah

To my readers:
Thank you! It is a great joy to me to know you read the thoughts and lessons God has given me in His word. I would love to hear from you. Please feel free to leave comments.

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Ruth 1:16 Two Nice Young Ladies

Ruth 2:20 It Did Happen

Ruth 2:20 (KJV)
And Naomi said unto her daughter in law, Blessed be he of the LORD, who hath not left off his kindness to the living and to the dead. And Naomi said unto her, The man is near of kin unto us, one of our next kinsmen.

Very few people rival Job[1] for the suffering he experienced versus the blessing he knew at his end. Naomi is one of those few.

I see Elimelech and Naomi departing from Bethlehem to Moab perhaps not running from the famine but going as witnesses – missionaries. There is no doubt that the end result was missionary. Naomi returns home bereft of her husband and her sons. She is so depressed she asked not to be called by her given name but instead to be called Mara. She left full and came home empty. I’ve met some missionaries who have felt that way about their work.

But God was not through with Naomi. In fact, she returned home with the one needed treasure. It was something she could have never provided her nation had they not left Bethlehem and had not she lost her son. She came home with Ruth. Through her, God used Naomi to give to Israel the line through which our Saviour comes. 

When we are in trouble it is difficult to see what God is doing. It’s possible to forget why we began to serve Him. It is sometimes impossible to see how God can turn things for good. 

But it did happen. It happened to Joseph, it happened to Naomi. It will happen to you and me if we will but trust God awhile longer. 

[1] And this despite the number of people who have, over the years complained to me, “Don’t tell me about the sufferings of Job. He had God on his side, and I don’t.” Or something to that effect.

To my readers:
Thank you! It is a great joy to me to know you read the thoughts and lessons God has given me in His word. I would love to hear from you. Please feel free to leave comments.

Donate to Bible Baptist Church every time you make an Amazon purchase through this link, https://smile.amazon.com/ch/91-1265824

For this and, more than 5300 earlier Daily Visits with God, visit https://mckenzie-visit-with-god.blogspot.com. There you will find daily visits going back to 2005.

If you have been blessed by this blog, please subscribe to my feed and share it with others.

For more resources from Pastor Marvin McKenzie visit http://puyallupbaptistchurch.com.

My books are available at:
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Ruth 2:20 It Did Happen

Ruth 4:15 A Perfect Answer

Ruth 4:15 (KJV)
And he shall be unto thee a restorer of thy life, and a nourisher of thine old age: for thy daughter in law, which loveth thee, which is better to thee than seven sons, hath born him.

Matthew 10:37
He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.

I am a husband, a father, and a grandfather. I cannot imagine much that would be more painful than losing a child. I cannot imagine much that could possibly replace one of my children, much less be better than seven sons. But this one does it. 

Seven is the number of perfection. The child, born to Ruth and Boaz, and credited to Naomi, became the grandfather of King David and, more importantly, in the line of Jesus Christ. He really is the perfect replacement of Naomi’s son. 

I wonder how many times a prayer like that of those praying a blessing upon this baby, Obed, had been prayed? How many times someone had prayed for an answer more perfect than anyone could imagine? Sometimes it seems like our prayers are not answered. That’s never the case. God answers our prayers in ways we could never have guessed. And the best ones await us in eternity. 

To my readers:
First of all, thank you! It is a great joy to me to know you read the thoughts and lessons God has given me in His word. Secondly, I would love to hear from you. Please feel free to leave comments.

For this and more than 4700 earlier Daily Visits with God visit https://mckenzie-visit-with-god.blogspot.com. There you will find daily visits going back to 2005.

If you have been blessed by this blog, please subscribe to my feed and share it with others.

For more resources from Pastor Marvin McKenzie visit http://puyallupbaptistchurch.com.

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Ruth 4:15 A Perfect Answer

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Ruth 1:20-21 Unspeakable Treasure

Ruth 1:20-21 (KJV)
And she said unto them, Call me not Naomi, call me Mara: for the Almighty hath dealt very bitterly with me.
I went out full, and the LORD hath brought me home again empty: why then call ye me Naomi, seeing the LORD hath testified against me, and the Almighty hath afflicted me?

Naomi thought she returned home empty. The truth is, she came home wealthier than she could have ever imagined. She lost all that she believed mattered in life. She gained a treasure only eternity could reveal. 

It could easily be said that she and her husband made a huge mistake leaving the Promised Land in a time of famine. Many have accused them of causing their own calamity. Maybe so. But if they had not gone out, Naomi would have never returned with Ruth.

I think of the endeavor of the missionary. He risks a great deal. Relationships, family, security, health. Sometimes they return home feeling defeated. Perhaps they have more in their heavenly stores than they can imagine. Perhaps, having risked and lost all here, they have laid up unspeakable treasure in eternity. 

And you. You may believe yourself to be Mara, empty and abandoned. I encourage you not to lose hope. God May have a plan you cannot dream for you. 

  • Come to the Lord. 
  • Dwell with His people, and 
  • Allow Him to work. 

To my readers:
First of all, thank you! It is a great joy to me to know you read the thoughts and lessons God has given me in His word. Secondly, I would love to hear from you. Please feel free to leave comments.

For this and more than 4700 earlier Daily Visits with God visit https://mckenzie-visit-with-god.blogspot.com. There you will find daily visits going back to 2005.

If you have been blessed by this blog, please subscribe to my feed and share it with others.

For more resources from Pastor Marvin McKenzie visit http://puyallupbaptistchurch.com.

My books are available at:
My author spotlight at Lulu.com:
http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/marvinmckenzie

My author Page for Kindle/Amazon
http://www.amazon.com/author/marvinmckenzie

Ruth 1:20-21 Unspeakable Treasure

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Please consider helping our church’s teen department by signing up for cash back shopping at http://www.dubli.com/M04VB. This program has three levels of participation, the first being completely free.

Ruth 2:2-3 Happenstance?

Ruth 2:2-3 (KJV) And Ruth the Moabitess said unto Naomi, Let me now go to the field, and glean ears of corn after him in whose sight I shall find grace. And she said unto her, Go, my daughter. And she went, and came, and gleaned in the field after the reapers: and her hap was to light on a part of the field belonging unto Boaz, who was of the kindred of Elimelech. Gill writes, “…though it was hap and chance to her, and what some people call good luck, it was according to the purpose, and by the providence and direction of God that she came to the reapers in that part of the field Boaz…” What he says is right enough but I enjoy how Joseph Benson expressed this same truth, “God wisely orders small events, even those that seem altogether contingent. Many a great affair is brought about by a little turn, fortuitous as to men, but designed by God.” The smallest details are in the hands of God. When those details serve to our favor we tend to be thankful. When the outcome hurts us more we tend to excuse God away. To see God in either detail, and to trust Him and thank Him–this is the key to walking by faith.   To my readers: I would love to hear from you. Leave comments below. For this and more than 4100 earlier Daily Visits with God visit https://mckenzie-visit-with-god.blogspot.com. There you will find daily visits going back to 2006. If you have been blessed by this blog, please subscribe to my feed and share it with others. For more resources from Pastor Marvin McKenzie visit http://puyallupbaptistchurch.com. My books are available at: My author spotlight at Lulu.com: http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/marvinmckenzie My author Page for Kindle/Amazon http://www.amazon.com/author/marvinmckenzie

Ruth 2:2-3 Happenstance?

Please consider helping our church’s teen department by signing up for cash back shopping at http://www.dubli.com/M04VB. This program has three levels of participation, the first being completely free.

Ruth 1:15-18 Not So Fast!

Ruth 1:15-18 (KJV)
And she said, Behold, thy sister in law is gone back unto her people, and unto her gods: return thou after thy sister in law.
And Ruth said, Intreat me not to leave thee, or to return from following after thee: for whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge: thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God:
Where thou diest, will I die, and there will I be buried: the LORD do so to me, and more also, if ought but death part thee and me.
When she saw that she was stedfastly minded to go with her, then she left speaking unto her.

I know this is Old Testament and cannot be applied definitively to New Testament practice but there is something here worth contemplating. Naomi did not urge her daughters in law to come with her to Israel and to worship the true and living God. She gave them liberty to choose their old life if they were of a mind to do so.

It seems strange, even wrong, to encourage them to go back to false gods. I suppose one could chalk it up to Naomi’s self confessed bitterness. I am not sure that’s all that is here. Can you imagine taking a false believer back to the Promised Land where she mind find a kinsman redeemer and lead him into idolatry? Better to let them have the world than to bring them home and bring the world with them. It was only after Ruth made a strong profession of faith that Naomi left off speaking to her and led her to the people of God.

Good churches have been and are being destroyed by being too willing to let “converts” bring the world with them into the church. The spirit of Balaam is at work in our world. These churches don’t curse the people of God. They just spoil them by mixing them up with the people of the world.

Naomi had it right. These Moabite girls were welcome in the Promised Land but only after they had completely disavowed their: worldly culture, religion and associations.

 

To my readers:
I would love to hear from you. Leave comments below.

For this and more than 4100 earlier Daily Visits with God visit https://mckenzie-visit-with-god.blogspot.com. There you will find daily visits going back to 2006.

If you have been blessed by this blog, please subscribe to my feed and share it with others.

For more resources from Pastor Marvin McKenzie visit http://puyallupbaptistchurch.com.

My books are available at:
My author spotlight at Lulu.com:
http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/marvinmckenzie

My author Page for Kindle/Amazon
http://www.amazon.com/author/marvinmckenzie

Ruth 1:15-18 Not So Fast!

Please consider helping our church’s teen department by signing up for cash back shopping at http://www.dubli.com/M04VB. This program has three levels of participation, the first being completely free.