IMAGE IS LOADING, PLS BE PATIENT.

Monday, July 16, 2007

Yesterday’s message was really good and God brought to remembrance 2 things that tie in together with the sermon.

1 which I was just reading about it yesterday (sat):

Pastor Benny mentioned about the story where the person to be the co-signer of the deal must be ABLE and WILLING.

Ruth and Boaz story illustrates that VERY WELL.

If you do not know the story of Ruth, you should go read the story so as to understand the full extent of the meaning here. Briefly, Ruth father-in-law, Elimelech died after his sons, Mahlon and Chilion married two Moabite women, Ruth and Orpah. Then, one after the other, both young men also died, leaving Naomi (Ruth’s mother-in-law), alone in Moab with her daughters-in-law (Ruth 1:3-5). In despair, Naomi decided to sever ties with the two young women and return home to Bethlehem. (Ruth 1:8-9) But Ruth wouldn’t let her go alone. Ruth put herself under the protection of the God of Israel and swore to remain with Naomi for the rest of their lives: “Entreat me not to leave you, or to turn back from following after you; for wherever you go, I will go; and wherever you lodge, I will lodge; your people shall be my people, and your God, my God.” She said this by faith, because Jewish law disqualified Gentiles like her from receiving any of the benefits of God.

So the two widows, made their journey to Bethlehem. They had nothing but only memory of the property of Elimelech – long absence meant dispossession and they did not have the means to buy back the land. The two women were in despair.

Ruth went gleaning in the fields to support Naomi and herself. It was menial work, picking up whatever the reapers dropped or missed from the harvest. (In the law then, it was necessary for the farmers to leave grain for the poor to glean at the corners of the farm) But Ruth had placed herself under God’s protection and He put her at the right place where the field that she picked at belongs to Boaz, a wealthy man who also happens to be a close relative of Elimelech (Ruth 2:1-3).

Ruth found favour with Boaz, and he was very kind to her. Not only did he make secret arrangements with his servants to leave extra grain to glean, he also offered her food, water (provision) and protection. (Ruth 2)

It was only after Ruth had recounted what happened that Naomi realized who Boaz was, and recognized him as a possible kinsman-redeemer (in Hebrew: go’el). He was a blood relation, he was wealthy and he seemed to favour Ruth. There was hope.

You see, according to the Old Testament law, those who had been forced to sell their property or even themselves due to extreme poverty had a way out. If they could identify a kinsman-redeemer, he could buy them or their property back for them. (Leviticus 25:25) However, there were three criteria: He had to be a CLOSE MALE RELATIVE, he had to be WEALTHY (ABLE), and he had to be WILLING.

Naomi advised Ruth to go to Boaz on the last night of the harvest and ask him to redeem them from their situation. (Ruth 3:1-4) It was not going to be easy for Boaz to be their kinsman-redeemer because it meant taking on serious responsibilities: he had to buy back everything for them; he had to marry the widow and raise seed to her dead husband’s name (in order for family inheritance), etc.
The law required Boaz to be WILLING and Naomi and Ruth had no guarantee that he would be willing to even consider it, because it entailed great sacrifice on his part. For example, the firstborn would be Mahlon’s heir, not his. And so Ruth found herself at Boaz’s feet, throwing caution to the wind and asking him to take her under his wing. (Ruth 3:9) If he refused her, she and Naomi would have no other recourse.

But the bible tells us that Boaz was MORE THAN WILLING to redeem her! And he did not just agree to her request – he went all out to make sure that everything was done for her. (Ruth 3:11-12) This included searching for the man who was a closer relative to Elimelech than himself, and officially accepting the role of their kinsman-redeemer when that man, unwilling to give up his own rights and inheritance, declined it.

Ruth is a picture of all of us, and Boaz is a picture of Jesus, our greater go’el! He did not just redeem us from poverty and lack – He brought us out of the prison of sin and death. God’s desire to redeem mankind from sin and death manifested itself in His plan of salvation bringing us into the amazing grace in the new covenant! The price that He paid to redeem us was His glory, His dignity and His life. And He was MORE THAN WILLING AND MORE THAN ABLE to do that.

2nd thing that was brought to remembrance was……………………crap. I promised myself to remember. But I can’t remember now. And I didn’t write down cause I had no pen. HOW!?! oh man. I promise I’ll think about it and get back to this once I remember it.

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11:57 AM