Ruth 2

Boaz – wealthy relative of Elimelech verse 1

And Naomi had a kinsman of her husband’s

a might man of wealth – of the family of Elimelech

and his name was Boaz

Providence of God at work verse 2- 3

And Ruth the Moabitess

said to Naomi

Let me now go to the field – and gleam ears of corn after him

in whose sight I shall find grace

And she

said to 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 to Boaz

who was of the kindred of Elimelech

Boaz asks about Ruth verse 4- 7

And behold Boaz came from Bethlehem

and said to the reapers

The LORD be with you

And they answered him

The LORD bless you

Then said Boaz to his servant that was set over the reapers

Whose damsel is this?

And the servant that was set over the reapers answered

and said

It is the Moabitish damsel that came back with Naomi out of the

country of Moab

and she said

I pray you – let me glean and gather after the reapers

among the sheaves

So she came – and hath continued even from the morning until now

that she tarried a little in the house

Boaz talks to Ruth verse 8- 9

Then said Boaz

to Ruth

Hear you not – my daughter?

Go not to glean in another field

neither go from hence – but abide here fast by my maidens

let your eyes be on the field that they do reap

and go you after them

Have I not charge the young men that they shall not touch you?

and when you art athirst – go unto the vessels

and drink of that which the young men have drawn

Ruth thanks Boaz for his kindness verse 10

Then she fell on her face – and bowed herself to the ground

and said to him

Why have I found GRACE in your eyes that you should take

knowledge of me – seeing I am a stranger?

Boaz tells Ruth he knows her history verse 11- 12

And Boaz

answered and said to her

It has fully been shown me – all that you have done to your

mother-in-law since the death of your husband

and how you have left your father and your mother

and the land of thy nativity

and are come to a people which

you knew not heretofore

The LORD recompense you work

and a full reward be given you of the LORD God of Israel

under whose wings you are come to trust

Ruth thanks Boaz for his kindness verse 13

Then she

said

Let me find favor in your sight – my lord

for that you have comforted me

for that you have spoken friendly to your handmaid

though I be not like to one of your handmaidens

Boaz told her to eat with his workers verse 14

And Boaz

said to her

At mealtime come you hither – and eat of the bread

and dip your morsel in the vinegar

And she sat beside the reapers – and he reached her parched corn

and she did eat and was sufficed – and left

Boaz instructs workers to leave extra grain verse 15- 17

And when she was risen up to glean

Boaz commanded his young men

saying

Let her gleam even among the sheaves – and reproach her not

and let fall also some of the handfuls of purpose

for her and leave them – that she may glean them

and rebuke her not

So she gleaned in the field until even

and beat out that she had gleaned

and it was about an ephah of barley

Ruth bring days grain home to Naomi verse 18- 19

And she took it up – and went into the city

and her mother-in-law saw what she had gleaned

and she brought forth

and gave to her that she had reserved

after she was sufficed

And her mother-in-law said to her

Where have you gleaned to day?

Where wrought you?

blessed be he that did take knowledge of you

And she showed her mother-in-law with whom she had wrought

and said

The man’s name with whom I wrought today is Boaz

Naomi informs Ruth concerning Boaz verse 20

And Naomi said to her daughter-in-law

Blessed be he of the LORD

WHO has not left off his kindness

to the living and to the dead

And Naomi said to her

The man is near of kin to us – one of our next kinsmen

Ruth stays in fields of Boaz verse 21- 23

And Ruth the Moabitess

said

He said to me also

you shall keep fast by my young men

until they have ended all my harvest

And Naomi

said to Ruth her daughter-in-law

It is good – my daughter – that you go out with his maidens

that they meet you not in any other field

So she kept fast by the maidens of Boaz to gleam to the end of barley

harvest and of wheat harvest – and dwelt with her mother-in-law

COMMENTARY:

DAILY SPIRITUAL BREAKFAST: Young Believers

: 3 And she went, and came, and gleamed in the field after the reapers: and her hap was to light on a part of the field belonging to Boaz, who was of the kindred of Elimelech. (4745 “hap” [miqreh] means an accident or fortune, something befallen, chance, or event.

DEVOTION: Is there luck, fate, karma or anything else that happens to those who are believers in Christ? Do things happen by chance in our world? Does God know everything that is going to happen to us? Is HE ever taken by surprise?

IF God is Sovereign and Omniscient which HE is, then HE is in control of everything that happens in our world. HE knows the past, present and future without being surprised. When did HE know those who were going to be followers of HIM? The Bible say “before the foundation of the world.” Is HE working in every believer’s life from birth to death? The answer is YES!

Our Biblical worldview doesn’t believe in chance. When Ruth went into the field of Boaz it was known of God before the foundation of the world. This word is describing the providence of God. HE planned it and it happened.

Ruth is back in Bethlehem. She needs food. The custom of the day was for the poor maidens to follow those who were harvesting and gleam what is dropped or left by the men harvesting. It was hard work but it was one way to have food.

Boaz came to the field and observed Ruth in the field. He gave her freedom to take the grain wherever she found it. She was also given the privilege to drink the fresh water the servants got for themselves. She was also given food to eat with the servants.

These verses seem to state that this event happened by accident. There are no accidents with God. HE has a plan and HE is working HIS plan.

Ruth was to be in the genealogy of Christ. She was from a foreign nation. This was a picture of the future time when Christ would send HIS disciples to the Gentile world. The gift of salvation was offered to all. This event didn’t just happen by chance.

Nothing that happens in our lives is happening by chance or luck or anything other than the direct involvement of God. HE either causes it to happen or allows it to happen to us for our good.

God is directing our lives as HE directed Ruth’s life. She was to marry Boaz and become part of God’s plan to show the world that HE was going to use all nations in the bloodline of Christ. We do not believe in fate or chance but in the providence of God, that is a Biblical worldview.

How is God directing your life today? HE is interested in the lives of all of HIS children. HE gives us room to fail. HE gives us room to succeed.

Realize that our God gives us GRACE each day to face everything HE allows in our life. Realize that HE wants to comfort us when we are hurting or in need.

CHALLENGE: We have to do our part and work for HIM each day. Our reward is coming!!!

DAILY SPIRITUAL LUNCH: Transitional Believers

: 9 Let your eyes be on the field that they do reap, and go you after them: have I not charged the young men that they shall not touch you? and when you are athirst, go unto the vessels, and drink of that which the young men have drawn. (5060 “touch” [naga] means strike, beaten, to make physical contact with, or hurt)

DEVOTION: Boaz is giving instructions to Ruth. He is giving her permission to work his field after the laborers. She is to follow them from field to field to gleam all the grain that she needs to help her and her mother-in-law to survive. She is not to fear.

He also has warned his workers not to strike or beat her if she was to get grain that was not part of the gleaming process. She was a protected woman and he wanted her to know it. She was not to fear any problem for the workers.

This is all part of the process toward kinsman redeemer that is coming in the future. He is showing his power to protect her from any harm and to provide for her needs regarding food.

This is the promise given by Jesus Christ to all those who are followers of HIM. HE is going to provide for our every need. HE is going to protect us from those who would want to harm us. HE is watching everything that happens to believers.

We sometimes don’t understand what is going on in our world but the LORD knows what is going on and is in control. HE allows things to happen to believers at times and we might not understand HIS reason but HE knows what HE is doing every moment of every day.

We need to trust that everything HE allows in our life is for out good. What HE allows in other believers is for their good. Even death is good for some believers.

CHALLENGE: Believers never die before their mission in life is over.

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: 12 The LORD recompense your work, and a full reward be given you of the LORD God of Israel, under whose wings you are come to trust. (3671 “wings” [kanaph] means skirt, borders, feathers, a movable extremity for flying, hem, garment, or attached to the party of LORD)

DEVOTION: Boaz is issuing a blessing on Ruth because of her actions toward her mother-in-law. He is stating that because of her good treatment of Naomi the LORD is watching over her. She is under the wings of the LORD. She is not only in God’s country but being rewarded by the LORD for her actions.

He wants her to fully understand who the LORD is in HIS relationship to HIS people. HE wants to bless HIS people and bless those who help HIS people. Their actions toward HIS people have consequences, either good or bad.

Now we need to understand that we are under the wings of the LORD once we trust in Jesus Christ as our personal Savior. It is not something that the LORD takes lightly and neither should HIS people.

Boaz is showing what every believer should do toward other believers. Here is a stranger or foreigner who is treating one of God’s people well and she is being rewarded for her actions.

Ruth seems to understand who Jehovah is and was willing to come into HIS country and live. She is looking forward to HIS blessings. Boaz is showing that the LORD is working in her life.

We need to help new believers understand when we see the LORD working in their lives. Also we need to be available like Boaz to help new believers understand that we are working for the LORD to help show them the blessings HE has in store for them.

The major reward for serving the LORD today is being in the presence of the LORD for eternity in our mansion in heaven. We are going to walk the street of gold. We are going to worship the LORD for all eternity.

CHALLENGE: We are also going to be serving the LORD. We don’t fully understand this fact but we are not just going to be sitting around eating fruit for all eternity alone.

DAILY SPIRITUAL SUPPER: Mature Believers

: 20 And Naomi said to her daughter in law “Blessed be he of the LORD, who has not left off his kindness to the living and to the dead. And Naomi said to her, The man is near of kin to us, one of our next kinsmen” (2617 “kindness” [checed] means loyalty, joint obligation, faithfulness, goodness, graciousness, an unfailing kind of love, ardor, favor, or loyal love)

DEVOTION: We have to understand the relationship between the children of Israel and their possessions and property. All the property had to stay within the tribe who received it as an inheritance from the time of Joshua. Each tribe received a plot of ground in the Promised Land and they were to conquer the nations that were living in their plot. Most never conquered those in their territory and because of that there were many wars throughout the history of the children of Israel. If they had been obedient they would not have had as much conflict.

Now we know that there are family responsibilities to those who have died in one’s family that have left no heir to inherit the family property. If someone dies without an heir their next of kin was to raise up seed, so that, the property stayed in the same family throughout all the time when Israel owned the land.

Here we have Naomi again telling her daughter-in-law the laws of what might happen if Boaz was to take the role of kinsman-redeemer. She is explaining that he is being used to show kindness to the living which would mean Naomi and Ruth; and the dead which would be her husband and her son.

It is not a custom in this country but it was part of what the LORD expected of HIS people in the Promised Land. HE set the guidelines and the people of Israel knew what was expected of them.

We need to learn what the LORD expects of us regarding our fellow believer and then do it. The LORD has a standard of actions that we should be following toward each other. CHALLENGE: Look them up and then follow them closely if we expect the LORD to bless us.

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: 23 So she kept fast by the maidens of Boaz to gleam to the end of barley harvest and of wheat harvest; and dwelt with her mother-in-law. (1692 “fast’ “kept fast” [dabaq] means cleave, follow hard, abide, to cling, to say with, keep close, or hold to)

DEVOTION: Ruth listened to your mother-in-law, Naomi. She was instructed to not go into any other field except his. He was a near kinsman. This meant something to the Israelites. There were some legal responsibilities that we will learn later in this book.

Only obedience was necessary for Ruth to keep. She was willing to listen to her mother-in-law because she didn’t know what the laws were in the land.

Now we find that time is going to be a factor in what is going on. She was working in the fields through the gleaming season. She would go out each day and work. This would be observed by Boaz.

The LORD wants us to be workers. HE doesn’t want us to sit around waiting for HIM to open a door and then start working. HE wants us to be workers from the time we are able to work until we die. HE wants us to be working servants and not people who sit and wait for something to happen.

We are to be using our gifts and abilities and then see what HE will do with us because we ae working. Each of us has a gift given to us by the LORD for service to HIM. This gift comes out with time.

CHALLENGE: Are we willing to wait on the LORD while we are working with the gifts that we have? HE doesn’t want us to sit, soak and sour on the sidelines waiting for our break.

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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)

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DOCTRINES OF THE FAITH:

Scripture (66 inerrant books of the Bible)

God the Father (First person of the Godhead)

LORD – Jehovah (Covenant keeping, Personal) verse 4, 12, 20

God – Elohim (Creator) verse 12

LORD God of Israel verse 12

Under whose wings trust

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)

Ruth the Moabitess verse 2, 6- 8, 13, 18- 23

Glean in field of Boaz

Left land of her nativity

Moab verse 6

Stranger verse 10

Sin (Missing the mark set by God on man and angels)

Touching a woman verse 9

Salvation (Provided by Christ’s death on the cross for our sins)

Glean verse 2, 3, 7, 8, 15, 17- 19, 23

Grace verse 2, 10

Hap verse 3

Presence of the LORD verse 4

Bless verse 4, 20

Recompense work verse 12

Trust verse 12

Favor verse 13

Comfort verse 13

Friendly verse 13

Provision of food to poor verse 14, 16

Kindness verse 20

Israel (Old Testament people of God)

Naomi: mother-in-law verse 1- 11, 18- 23

Kinsman: Boaz verse 1, 3, 5, 8- 11, 14 – 16, 19

Elimelech verse 3

Bethlehem verse 4

Church (New Testament people of God)

Last Things (Future Events)

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DONATIONS:

Remember that all donations to Small Church Ministries are greatly appreciated. The treasurer will send a receipt, at the end of the year unless otherwise requested. Please be sure to make check out to “Small Church Ministries.” The address for the treasurer is P.O. Box 604, East Amherst, New York 14051. A second way to give to the ministry is through PayPal on the website: www.smallchurchministries.org Also if you can support this ministry through your local church please use that method. Thank you.

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QUOTES regarding passage

Normally the verb nāgaʿ means “to touch,” but in this case it functions more generally for “to strike, harass, take advantage of, mistreat.” Contemporary readers will be struck by how modern this comment sounds. Boaz is hereby instituting the first anti-sexual-harassment policy in the workplace recorded in the Bible. (Block, D. I. (1999). Judges, Ruth (Vol. 6, pp. 659–660). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.)

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Boaz further encourages Ruth by letting her know that he has given orders to the young men not to molest her. (Cundall, A. E., & Morris, L. (1968). Judges and Ruth: an introduction and commentary (Vol. 7, pp. 265–266). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.)

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Boaz assured Ruth that she would be protected from any remarks or other embarrassing incidents that might have come from the male workers (cf. v. 15). (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. 422). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books)

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15–16 After Ruth went back to continue her work, Boaz ordered his reapers to let her glean among the sheaves (not just picking up grain that they accidently dropped as they reaped) and not to “embarrass” her (v.15; “reproach,” KJV; “insult,” NASB; “scold,” NEB; “rebuke,” NAB). Moreover, they were to pull stalks from their bundles that had not yet been tied up by the women and leave them for her to pick up (v.16). Boaz’s instructions were generous beyond the requirements of the law that allowed the gleaners in the fields only after the reapers had finished their work. His actions showed that he already had a special interest in Ruth. (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. 531). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House.)

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2:15–16. Ruth did not linger at the meal. After she returned to gleaning, Boaz ordered his workers to do more than let her glean among them. In addition, they were deliberately to drop handfuls of stalks of barley in her path so that she would have abundant provision. This too was beyond what Boaz was required by the Law to do (cf. v. 9). Nor were his men to rebuke her or hinder her in any way. (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. 423). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.)

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(3) Boaz promised to protect Ruth and provide for her needs (Ruth 2:9, 14–16). Boaz called Ruth “my daughter” because she was younger than he (see 3:10), but it was also a term of endearment. He would treat her like a member of his family. (This is what David did for Mephibosheth. See 2 Sam. 9.) Boaz instructed his young men to protect her and the young women to work with her. She was to walk with the female servants who followed immediately after the reapers. In other words, Ruth had first chance at the best of the gleanings! Boaz even instructed his workers to allow her to glean among the sheaves and told them to deliberately drop some of the harvest so she could pick it up. If she was hungry or thirsty, she could refresh herself with his workers. In fact, Boaz ate with her and personally handed her the food! (Ruth 2:14)

What a picture of the grace of God! The master became like the servants that he might show his love to a foreigner. Ruth had no idea that Boaz had commanded his workers to be generous to her, but she believed his word and found that her needs were met. Jesus Christ came to this earth as a servant (Phil. 2:1–11) that He might save us and make us a part of His family. He has shared with us the riches of His mercy and love (Eph. 2:4), the riches of His grace (v. 7), the riches of His wisdom and knowledge (Rom. 11:33), His riches in glory (Phil. 4:19), and yes, His “unsearchable riches” (Eph. 3:8, NIV). We, undeserving “foreigners,” are members of the family of God and have all of His inheritance at our disposal. (Wiersbe, W. W. (1993). Be Committed (p. 32). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.)

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2:15 among the sheaves. Boaz granted her request (2:7) to go beyond the letter of the law. (MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (2006). The MacArthur study Bible: New American Standard Bible. (Ru 2:15). Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers.)

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Ver. 15. And when she was risen up to glean, &c.] After she had ate sufficiently, and refreshed herself, she rose up from her seat to go into the field and glean again; which shews her industry: Boaz commanded his young men; the reapers, or who gathered the handfuls, and bound them up in sheaves: saying, let her glean even among the sheaves; this she had requested of the reapers when she first came into the field, and it was granted her, ver. 7. but this, as it was granted by Boaz himself, so was still a greater favour; and there is some difference in the expression, for it may be rendered here, among those sheaves, pointing to a particular spot where might be the best ears of corn, and where more of them had fallen: and reproach her not; as not with her being a poor woman, a widow, a Moabitish woman, so neither with being a thief, or taking such corn she should not, or gleaning where she ought not. (Gill, J. (1810). An Exposition of the Old Testament (Vol. 2, p. 400). London: Mathews and Leigh.)

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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!!)

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PROVIDENCE

He taketh away the heart of the chief of the people of the earth, and causeth them to wander in a wilderness where there is no way. Job 12:24
What exactly do we mean by providence? I cannot think of a better definition or description than this: “Providence is that continued exercise of the divine energy whereby the Creator upholds all His creatures, is operative in all that transpires in the world, and directs all things to their appointed end.”
Notice how Psalm 104 puts it in verses 28-30: “That thou givest them [animals of the earth] they gather: thou openest thine hand, they are filled with good. Thou hidest thy face, they are troubled: thou takest away their breath, they die, and return to their dust. Thou sendest forth thy spirit, they are created: and thou renewest the face of the earth.” Now God does not create these animals of the earth constantly. What He does is to keep life, to preserve what He has already created.
We are also told that God’s providence is exercised over the affairs of nations. You will find that in Job 12:24: “He taketh away the heart of the chief of the people of the earth, and causeth them to wander in a wilderness where there is no way.”
We are also told that God providentially governs a man’s birth and his lot in this world. We read in 1 Samuel 16:1, “And the LORD said unto Samuel, “How long wilt thou mourn for Saul, seeing I have rejected him from reigning over Israel” Fill thine horn with oil, and go, I will send thee to Jesse the Bethlehemite: for I have provided me a king among his sons.” And Paul says about himself in Galatians 1:15-16, “But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother’s womb, and called me by his grace, to reveal his Son in me, that I might preach him among the heathen….”
A Thought to Ponder: The Creator is operative in all that transpires in the world and directs all things to their appointed end. (From God the Father, God the Son, pp. 143-144, 147 by Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones.)

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The more 2021 resembles 2020, the more Christians should be grounded in those unchanging truths given us in Scripture. We must rest on those revelations that make sense of our cultural moment: that Christ is risen, that Christ is Lord, and that Christ is making all things new. God has placed each of us in this time and in this place. It is here and it is now that He wants us, where He calls us to participate with Him as agents of reconciliation in His larger story of redemption.

To do this well, especially in light of the chaos of 2020, we must recalibrate. As Paul told Timothy, this exactly the point of Holy Scripture. “All Scripture is God breathed,” he wrote, “and is useful for teaching, for rebuking, for correcting and for training in righteousness.” Isn’t that exactly the trajectory we need right now? To know what’s right, to be confronted when we are wrong, and to be turned around to start again on the right path?

That’s why each Wednesday at 10:30 Eastern until Easter, the Colson Center is hosting a time of guided prayer online with a particular focus on the wisdom of the book of Proverbs.

The book of Proverbs is straight-forward. That’s one of the reasons I love it so much.

It’s not some kind of esoteric, hard to understand, “spiritual wisdom” that’s offered in the holy books of many faiths. Proverbs gets right to the point and shoots you between the eyes.

Each week’s prayer time begins with prayer, and then it ends with prayer. It’s centered on how we can pray in light of the instruction of a particular proverb. For an example, here’s my good friend Sean McDowell, whose reflection on Proverbs 25:15 hit me right where I needed:

One of the proverbs that has jumped out to me over the past year and a half, and one that I’ve been thinking about a lot as the temperature in our culture is increasing, is Proverbs 25:15. The

ESV reads, “With patience, a ruler may be persuaded and a soft tongue will break a bone.”

I love that this is not an isolated proverb. There are themes throughout Scripture about kindness, about tenderness, and about patience. It seems to me that we’ve lost some of those lessons today in the Church.

Rather than being patient, we are quick to anger, but in the letter to the Romans, it’s God’s loving kindness that draws us to repentance. Proverbs 15:1 tells us that a soft word turns away anger. Christianity is not only true, but what it offers to the world is uniquely truth and grace.

I think Proverbs 25:15 represents a small step of showing grace to people both in and outside the Church that, frankly, today people don’t expect. It catches them off guard. Here are a couple insights about this proverb.

First, this proverb reminds us that some change only takes place with patience. We should be thinking more about the long term than how do we fix this by tomorrow, or even next year, or maybe even five years. The second thing that it says patience is long-suffering, meaning that the process to see change take place can be painful. This is certainly true for athletes, but it’s true spiritually as well.

Now this proverb not only talks about patience but talks about “a ruler.” I love this.

Obviously, the writer was thinking more of a king or maybe the nobles of his day, but “ruler” today is really anybody with authority over us. Those in the government or those in the university system or maybe those in Hollywood. These people, in a sense, rule our culture.

The proverb says they may be persuaded. I don’t know about you, but I look at certain leaders and I’m tempted to think they’re beyond hope. They can’t be saved; they’re gone. But, then I start thinking, “This is such a human perspective.” This passage says rulers can be persuaded. That’s a good reminder.

That was Sean McDowell’s portion leading a time of guided prayer with his reflections on Proverbs 25:15. To watch Sean’s entire devotional, come to BreakPoint.org/Proverbs.

While you’re there, register to join us each and every Wednesday from now until Easter. All sessions are recorded, so if you can’t join us during the live release, the video will be available to watch and share later. Tomorrow’s session will be led by my friend Trevin Wax, followed next week Erin Kunkel and Sarah Stonestreet of the Colson Center’s Strong Women Podcast. (BreakPoint)

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Exodus 8

Additional plagues are inflicted upon Egypt.

INSIGHT

In the Old Testament, God makes a distinct difference between how He treats the Jewish nation and how He treats others. God lets none of the plagues that fall on Egypt fall upon Israel.

How we wish sometimes that God would do the same for us in the church! How we wish that, because we are Christians, we would have none of the unpleasant things happen to us that happen to the world!

We must recognize that in the Old Testament, God wants the recognizable difference between Israel and the world to be physical. In the New Testament, He wants that difference to be spiritual. In the Old Testament, God’s blessing is the fruit of the vine. In the New Testament, it is the fruit of the Spirit. We must focus on spiritual blessings to be the difference between us and the world. (Quiet Walk)

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Pruned to Thrive

Every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful.

John 15:2

As I watched a bumblebee land lightly on the Russian sage, I marveled at the bush’s lush branches exploding with color. Its brilliant blue blossoms attracted eyes and bees alike. Yet only last fall, I’d wondered if it would ever blossom again. When my wife’s parents trimmed the periwinkle plant down to a stub, I’d assumed they’d decided to get rid of it. But now I was witnessing the radiant result of pruning that had seemed brutal to me.

The surprising beauty that results from harsh cuts may be one of the reasons Jesus chose pruning imagery to describe God’s work among believers. In John 15, He says, “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. . . . Every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful” (vv. 1-2).

Jesus’ words remind us that in the good times and bad, God is always working in us toward spiritual renewal and fruitfulness (v. 5). During “pruning” seasons of suffering or emotional barrenness, we may wonder if we’ll ever thrive again. But Christ encourages us to continue to stick close to Him: “No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me” (v. 4).

As we continually draw spiritual nourishment from Jesus, the resulting beauty and fruitfulness in our lives (v. 8) will show the world God’s goodness. By Adam R. Holz

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WHAT IS LEGITIMATE IN PRAYER?

O God, how long shall the adversary reproach? Psalm 74:10
Pleas and arguments and requests are perfectly legitimate in prayer. Have you noticed how men of God prayed? They knew God was omniscient; so they not only made their requests known to Him but also pleaded with Him. And what I like above everything else is the way they argued with Him. Moses, for example, did so. On one occasion he came down from the Mount and found the people rebellious, and when he found God threatening to disown them and leave them to their own devices, Moses said to God, “You cannot do this.”
Look too at the man in Psalm 74. “O God, how long shall the adversary reproach?” (Psalm 74:10). He says in effect, “Lord, why do You allow men to do these things?” I believe God as Father delights in listening to such pleas and reasonings and arguments. This flabby generation of Christians seems to have forgotten what our fathers used to delight in when they talked about “pleading the promises.” They did not regard that as offensive. They had no sort of mock humility, but they felt they were entitled, according to this teaching, to go to God as the psalmist did and remind him of His own promises. They said, “Lord, I do not understand. I know it is my imperfection, but I am certain of these promises. Lord, help me to see how the promises are to be related to these perplexities.”
So it is perfectly right to plead with God; our Lord pleaded with Him. In His great prayer in John 17 our Lord argued with God by bringing His requests. He reminded God of His own promises and of His own character. I believe God delights in this as Father, and as we do these things in this way our hearts will be reassured before Him, and often we shall be amazed and astonished at the answers that we receive.
A Thought to Ponder: Pleas and arguments and requests are perfectly legitimate in prayer. (From Saved in Eternity, p. 37, by Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones)

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Prophets from the Beginning
“That the blood of all the prophets, which was shed from the foundation of the world, may be required of this generation; From the blood of Abel unto the blood of Zacharias which perished between the altar and the temple: verily I say unto you, It shall be required of this generation.” (Luke 11:50-51)
God’s true prophets have been persecuted from the beginning. Abel, son of Adam and Eve, was the first, according to Jesus, for his blood was shed by Cain “from the foundation of the world.” A “prophet” in biblical terms was a man who proclaimed inspired words from God (not necessarily predictions of the future, but words inspired by the Holy Spirit—note 1 Peter 1:10-11; 2 Peter 1:19-21).
Evidently Abel was speaking God’s own words to Cain when the latter slew him in jealous wrath. The Zacharias mentioned is probably “Zechariah the son of Jehoiada the priest,” who was stoned when he prophesied against the people under King Joash (2 Chronicles 24:20-22), for he was the last prophet actually mentioned in the Old Testament as having been slain for his testimony.
Thus, the period encompassed by the Lord’s statement was the entire Old Testament period, “from the foundation of the world” to the coming of Christ. The same experience awaited most of the prophets used by God to pen the New Testament Scriptures. Thus does the world react to God’s inspired Word!
There is another important truth in this passage. The blood of God’s prophets began to be shed “from the foundation of the world,” not just beginning almost five billion years after the foundation of the world, as modern evolutionists allege! This is striking confirmation that the world was made from start to finish in six literal days. See also Mark 10:6, Acts 3:21, etc., for similar incidental confirmations of this truth.

(HMM, The Institute for Creatin Research)

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Franklin Graham writes: I agree with this Massachusetts physician who says it’s time for hospitals to end their no visitation policies due to COVID. It made sense early on in the pandemic when we didn’t have enough masks, PPE, and testing kits; but things are different now and this makes a proven difference to patient well-being. Dr. Pasricha, whose grandmother died alone in the hospital after becoming ill, said, “There is no reason to perpetuate these counterproductive, traumatic policies. It’s past time for hospitals to let patients see their loved ones.” What do you think?

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Vincent Mercer writes (MD): The measure of a leader is not the number of people who serve him but the number of people he serves (John C. Maxwell)

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Dianne Wassel shared – Spookily, CS LEWIS wrote this nearly 70 years ago but could have been written today:

′′One young devil asked the old man: “How did you manage to bring so many souls to hell?” The old devil answered: “I instilled fear in them!” Answers the youngster: “Great job! And what were they afraid of? Wars? Hunger?” Answers the man: “No, they were afraid of the disease!” For this youngster: “Does this mean they didn’t get sick? Are they not dead? There was no rescue for them?”

The old man answered: “but no . . . they got sick, died, and the rescue was there.” The young devil, surprised, answered: “Then I don’t understand???” The old man answered: “You know they believed the only thing they have to keep at any cost is their lives.

They stopped hugging, greeting each other. They’ve moved away from each other. They gave up all social contacts and everything that was human! Later they ran out of money, lost their jobs, but that was their choice because they were afraid for their lives, that’s why they quit their jobs without even having bread.

They believed blindly everything they heard and read in the papers.

They gave up their freedoms, they didn’t leave their own homes literally anywhere. They stopped visiting family and friends. The world turned into such a concentration camp, without forcing them into captivity.

They accepted everything!!! Just to live at least one more miserable day . . . And so living, they died every day!!! And that’s how it was very easy for me to take their miserable souls to hell….. ′′ C.S. Lewis – ′′ Old Devil’s Letters To Young ′′ 1942.

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