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So I made a discovery last Friday... publishing my blog at the end of the week rather than the beginning seems to get more response. That being said, I will be typing on Sundays (hopefully) and pushing the "publish" button on Fridays when I do my comic post. Maybe the two will even be coordinated, but it can be tricky to find the right comic at times. We'll see... Anyway, I told you last week why I was delayed, so on to the point, which right now, is our dear friend, Ruth...
Have you ever made a "pinky promise" or had a "blood brother/sister"?? Who among you is, or has been, married*?? We don't make those decisions lightly, or at least we shouldn't. They hold a certain significance for us, at least for a time. Maybe the "pinky promise" gets fulfilled, maybe "blood siblings" drift apart, maybe marriages end due possibly to wrong reasons for the promise or later mistakes and issues. Maybe both, as in my own case. The point is that promises should be taken very seriously. Today we are taking a deeper look into the one Ruth made to Naomi.
Ruth 1:16-18
New International Version
16 But Ruth replied, “Don’t urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God. 17 Where you die I will die, and there I will be buried. May the Lord deal with me, be it ever so severely, if even death separates you and me.” 18 When Naomi realized that Ruth was determined to go with her, she stopped urging her.
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I realize this is a piece of last week's passage, but it's well worth the "deeper digging", trust me... the connections are amazing!!
Pastor Matt opened today's message with a quote from someone I've been referencing quite a bit lately. CS Lewis is quoted as saying this: "Human history is the long, terrible story of man trying to find something other than God to make him happy." Personally, I think that sums it up quite nicely. And that's the unfortunate truth of our lives... We feel such a need for control that we grasp at anything and everything we can find to fulfill our desires. Money, recognition, relationships, etc... My break with Rob was the release of a level of connection that was simply unsustainable. If all goes well, we can remain friends, but that's the best I can do for him. We both need the freedom to pursue what's best, and that just isn't each other*. (at least not romantically) Regardless, it's into that long, terrible story of humanity that God injects Himself to our benefit. His restorative presence is our only true hope.
God's deep loyalty and faithfulness is brought out in the love story of Ruth, resulting as it does, in redemption and hope. Many times, man has viewed God as harsh*, but the story of Ruth brings out His gentleness in relating to those who pursue Him. It is easily one of The Bible's "Hall of Fame" statements!! As I said last week, Ruth's story is one we all know and love, but it's important that we don't allow that familiarity to dim our eyes to the depths of it's message.
There are two major points for our "eyes" to focus on in Ruth's declaration to Naomi --
Repentance -- I realize that may seem like an odd subject for this story as Ruth hadn't done anything wrong, but hear me out... What did Ruth do in response to Naomi's urging to basically, "go home and start over"?? She put her "proverbial foot down" and refused, right?? In her love for, and loyalty to Naomi, she insisted on staying with her, and only death could part them. What does any of this have to do with repentance?? She changed the direction of her life. And isn't that the very definition of repentance?? A turning away from bad decisions to good ones, right?? Ruth's story at this point, is literally the embodiment of repentance!! She turned away from a life that held all the deepest human desires: belonging, security, and significance; and toward a life of uncertainty and risk. She risked being outcast as a woman and a foreigner, she risked permanent widowhood with the loss of blood family, she risked loss of power and ability to build a better future for herself... Except there was something that lured her toward that new life -- The one other thing she was giving up was the god of her people. The idol they called, "Chemosh" was the only "god" she had known before Alimelech and his family came into her life. What Ruth saw during her time with their family, was Alimelech and Naomi's faithfulness to God, even in a land that was not only foreign, but sworn enemies with their own. That moved and inspired Ruth to her decision to stay with Naomi later on. She saw something in that that had not been present in the life she had known before. Something genuine and secure that she could grasp hold of for herself. Something that clearly had brought peace of mind to Alimelech, Naomi, and the boys. In this story, as well as others throughout that aforementioned "long, terrible story of human history", we see that God uses people faithful to Him to the purpose of drawing others in*.
Covenant language -- Now, obviously, Ruth didn't literally make a covenant with Naomi, as there was only her offering of loyalty, and Naomi's silent acceptance of it, and no ceremony; but the themes and rhythms of covenant were there in her words and actions. The basic definition of a covenant is that two people or entities make an agreement that results in something new being formed. A marriage or business merger could both be examples of this. As most of us know, there are multiple covenants that God made with individuals over time. For our purposes, however, we need only look at one of them. Turning back to Genesis 12 and 15, we find the Abrahamic Covenant being worked out. To begin with, what does God ask of Abram*?? "Leave your country and go where I lead...", right?? Sounds kinda familiar, doesn't it?? Both Abram and Ruth risked everything to follow God. One by direct command, the other voluntarily by inspiration of those around her. Traditional language shows that the original phrase was literally, "cut a covenant." This was due to the mandatory animal sacrifice involved in such a commitment. The agreement was sealed in blood to the understanding that either party who broke it would be killed. If we look at the story of Abraham, we see that God instructs Abram to get an animal and cut it in half, but then something rather bizarre happens... God puts Abram to sleep, and walks down the bloody path by Himself!! In this moment, God was not only telling Abram that He was to be the God of his people, in the new nation He was establishing; but that He would take sole responsibility of the promise He already knew would be broken!! He knew that He would never break the covenant, but since God sees the entirety of human existence at the same time; He knew that humans would inevitably falter. Ruth's promise was to embrace THAT God as her own, and as we saw last week, God blessed her by including her in the very lineage of Jesus!! God always blesses those who pursue him. We see this further proven in the Ministry of Jesus Himself. A browse through the Gospels shows Peter leaving his business, Matthew leaving the tax collector's booth, and Nicodemus leaving one Church for another!! And that's just to name a few...
Now a closer look at Jesus' words and actions at Passover reveal something further in relation to our connections here... what does it say in Matt., Mark, and Luke during the meal being shared?? "... He brake the bread..." and then offers the wine*. In this instance, Jesus is relating the broken bread with the traditional covenant sacrifice, and ultimately, to Himself. Once again, this is God's making of a covenant with man, and Him the only one to be sacrificed for the human failures thereof.
This shows proof positive that God's laying of the foundation of love will draw people in every time. All they need is a glimpse of pure, unadulterated, faithful, and loyal love. That's what Ruth saw in Naomi's family, and what others should see in our own lives. The "general population" of humanity, as it were, are at once, both clamoring for acceptance and belonging; while at the same time, ultimately divisive and limiting. God is raising up a new people of covenant promise that are His unconditionally. All He asks is that we believe and follow as best we can. He's not like humans who say, "I belong to this group, and you can't join us unless you agree with everything we think." Or maybe it's, "I belong to this nationality, and we don't take to "outsiders"... whatever it looks like, too many of us think like this because "that's just how it is." The truth about so-called "tolerance" is that it is, by nature, divisive. It says, "you can be you, but stay over there." Love, by contrast, invites people into a better way of life. The life of Christ. Marked by the true belonging* of loyal faithfulness to God, and in turn, to those around us. We are literally to "live into Christ", thereby inspiring others, like Ruth, to follow Him. Where does your "belonging" lie?? May we all embrace Paul's thoughts as presented in Phil. 3:13, and Rom. 5:17... -- God Bless!!
Footnotes --
Who is/has been married?? Some couples have used Ruth's declaration as part of their wedding vows or theme.
My relationship with Rob is mentioned in several recent Sermon Summaries as well as in the Prayer Requests/Praise Forum. I started to say, "God's best" in talking about being free to pursue other avenues; but the truth is not there. Those of us who've grown up in "Church World" usually hear a lot about "God's Will", don't we?? But when it really comes down to it, the sum total of HIs will for us consists of accepting His Salvation, acting more loving to those around us, and joining Him in Eternity. That's literally all it is!! We may have heard in the mix of everything that, "God has someone special in mind for each of us." No, He doesn't... in Andy Stanley's book on "The New Rules for Love, Sex, and Dating", he brings out the truth that God let's us make our own decisions and then helps us grow in them. Now whether that turns into a life-long commitment, a "stepping back" in connection, or even a total and permanent dis-connection will vary with the circumstances. I mean think about it, God is the Alpha and the Omega, Beginning and the End, right?? He sees the entire "parade" of humanity from the "Good Year Blimp" outside time. It's not true that He has a single course of action in mind for every detail of our lives. He just desires hearts dedicated to love, first for Himself, and in turn, to those around us. It's not about, "God's Will" in every decision, it's simply the fact that He's already seeing it all happen. I mean, how else could He have revealed all the scenarios in Revelation to John around 96 A.D. if He didn't already see it happening, right??
God viewed as harsh -- OT violence is rampant, and for a more modern "pop culture" reference, the movie "Bruce Almighty" comes to mind... "Smite me, oh, Mighty Smiter!!"
Drawing others in -- this speaks to that question of pre-destination I mentioned last week, as does my later mention of God's ability to see humanity all at once.
Abram was his name before the Covenant, Abraham, after.
Last Supper narrative -- in Luke, the story is told with minor differences in detail, but the message remains in tact. This is a positive sign that God always works in the context of human understanding. He did it when establishing the sacrificial system for Israel by "borrowing" from Pagan religions, He did it when comparing Israel's relationship with Him to marriage. I'm sure there are any number of other examples. Point being that God meets people where we are at. Which reminds me what I was going to say up in #4... I've come to realize over time, that not everyone we see in Heaven will have had a specific "date and time" at which they were "saved". Think about those who lived before Jesus, for example. Hebrews 11 lists Abraham in the "Hall of Faith" due to nothing more than his obedience. Although we clearly live in a time well after Jesus' physical presence, it's not impossible that some people today may experience God in the same way. Definitely food for thought there...
"True belonging" -- As mentioned last week, CS Lewis likens God as our Creator to an Artist. Only the Artist knows what the creation is supposed to look like. Therefore, we can only truly belong to Him. Anything else is like grasping at straws...
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