2nd Evangelical Free Church

Blogging through Samuel: Parental influence.

1 Samuel 2

Hannah’s song reminds us of Mary’s in Luke 1:46-55. The main theme addresses the soon coming deliverance that will result from the birth of the deliverer. Hannah boasts in the Lord telling of the reversals He brings about. Though the mighty may exalt themselves now the Lord controls the way things will turn out. There is no real reason for anyone to boast except in the Lord.

Her boast comes into sharp focus as we see the sons of Eli. Although they were priests before the Lord in the tabernacle, they were evil. They stole from the Lord’s offerings to suit their fleshly appetites. They used their holy office as an excuse to misuse and abuse women and satisfy their lust. Eli was warned about them by a nameless prophet but he did nothing to stop them other than issue a mild rebuke. Their evil behavior resulted from his lack of parental discipline and perhaps from his selfish behavior as well. His obesity may have been due to his stealing the things that were meant for the Lord or the poor. Despite the evil and compromising behavior, in sharp contrast Samuel grew into a godly young man and served in the temple. Hannah ministered to him to insure that he grew up with respect and love for the Lord. 

These examples demonstrate that parental care and discipline, or the lack of both are often directly responsible for the way children behave. Selfish parents raise selfish children; those who are godly set a good example that their children will most likely follow. Therefore the Lord would hold parents accountable for the sins and crimes of their children, even if temporal law does not.  

 

Blogging through Samuel: Spiritual sterility.

1 Samuel 1

The birth of Obed in Ruth sets the stage for the historical books which relate the accounts of the lives and deeds of the Kings of Israel and Judah. The books begin in the time of the judges, a time of spiritual darkness and sterility in Israel. The spiritual sterility is reflected in this woman Hannah who is childless or barren. Such barrenness was considered a curse or punishment from God. In her despair, Hannah poured out her heart to Yahweh with such ardent passion and fervent energy that the priest Eli thought she was drunk. This is probably because he was almost as spiritually dead as was Israel. Nevertheless, the Lord was touched by her sincerity and used Eli to pronounce a blessing on her. Hannah on her part pledged that the son the Lord gave her would be totally dedicated to His service. 

When life gets difficult and things don’t go the way we would like or think fair, many people descend into bitterness. Such bitterness often causes people to deny the power and compassion of the Lord, to get angry with Him, to deny even His existence. Hannah shows us a better way. Though she may have felt hurt and bitter, those feelings drove her to the Lord. She had faith. Nothing fills the heart with great joy more than the supernatural assurance of God’s promises yet unanswered. That is the essence of faith: believing the promises will certainly come to fruition even though present circumstances say otherwise.

 

Blogging through Ruth: The cost of redemption.

Ruth 4

As soon as he can, Boaz goes forth to fulfill his duty as kinsman-redeemer. The obstacle to his pledge is a nearer relative to Elimelech. The first part of the redemption concerns the parcel of land. This is easy to fulfill and lucrative as well for though it costs money, it is an investment which would increase the wealth of the buyer. The second part of the redemption is the deal breaker: marriage of the widow. The son born of such a marriage would own the property. The nearer relative could not or would not fulfill this duty for it would place him in jeopardy.

But this story has a happy ending. Boaz carries out the redemption. Naomi no longer has to worry about how she will live. The godly and humble Boaz marries the righteous and devoted servant Ruth, but at great cost to himself. Not only does he have to sacrifice to purchase land he would realize no profit from, the son that Ruth bears, Obed, is legally considered the son of Kilion. Obed is also considered the son of Naomi, who can now truly fulfill her name and be joyful in the great blessing the Lord has given her despite her past transgressions. But Obed is a source of greater joy for all Israel. He is to be the grandfather of David the King who would lead Israel out of the darkness of apostasy and idolatry that marked the years of the judges.

The price Boaz pays reminds us of the price Jesus paid to redeem us from the bondage of sin and Satan. He did this first by coming to earth as a man, and then by dying on the cross. He, though the sinless Creator of all things, suffered and died at the hands of those He had created. His sacrifice and that of Boaz set an example for us to follow Christ in our life even though it costs us dearly to serve His Kingdom.

 

 

Blogging through Ruth: We cannot redeem ourselves.

Ruth 3

Naomi’s instructions to Ruth may seem odd but they are designed to secure Boaz as their kinsman-redeemer. The kinsman-redeemer would be able to buy the property that had belonged to Elimelech so his family would maintain their inheritance in the Promised Land (Lev. 25:25ff). In addition he had to marry Ruth, the widow of his kinsman to raise up children in the deceased’s name (Deut. 25:5-10). Boaz could fulfill the requirements but because he was so humble, he did not put himself forward. It was up to Ruth to make the marriage proposal which, of course, was not her place. Thus her actions have sexual overtones, but they are actually her way of asking Boaz to marry her and fulfill his duty as kinsman-redeemer.

What Ruth did placed both her and Boaz in jeopardy. After all, there on the isolated threshing floor in the dark of night, who would know what happened? If they had been caught, their reputations as godly people would be tarnished even though nothing sinful occurred. Boaz was righteous and would never do anything sinful. He resisted the strong temptation Ruth presented. Yet he was deeply blessed by her kindness since he was quite a bit older than she. He accepted her proposal and pledged to fulfill his promise with great haste.

The story of Ruth and Boaz is a type or symbol of our own redemption. We, like Ruth go to the Lord in the midst of our need and express to Him our inability to save ourselves. We place ourselves at His feet to plead for mercy. He reaches out to us and covers us with His mantle of protection. We collectively as the Church become His bride. 

 

Blogging through Ruth: The mysterious unselfish love of God.

Ruth 2

Ruth is a love story filled with kindness, tenderness, compassion and unselfish love. The main action concerns Ruth and Boaz, perhaps 2 of the most noble, Christlike characters in the Old Testament. Nothing is recorded of either one of sin or selfishness, so they stand in sharp contrast to the Patriarchs and their families, the judges and even King David. They are made for each other. Ruth does not by chance happen to be gleaning in Boaz’s fields: the Lord brought her there. Boaz falls in love with her for she has demonstrated great love for Naomi. He shows by his actions that he is honorable, generous and godly, a true believer in Yahweh, quite different from his fellow Israelites. He protects Ruth and Naomi and provides generously for their needs.

And what is even more amazing is that Naomi suddenly has hope. She suddenly realized that it is Yahweh who is blessing her and her daughter-in-law. What incredible elation she must have felt at the experience of the Lord’s mercy despite her sinfulness. She who returned home with tears of bitterness and despair now weeps tears of joy because the Lord is with her. This tells us that in the midst of our despair, in the midst of all of our problems, the Lord is working out some great purpose in our lives.

This story makes me weep for it is a wonderful illustration of the Lord’s love and mercy. He grants blessings and favor to us even though we have sinned against Him and  deserve only punishment. Often we punish ourselves when God wants to bless. And then there are those legalists who want to punish everyone who breaks their rules because they think that is what God wants. Yet surprisingly God extends mercy and grace when we think He should not. Isn’t that amazing! 

Blogging through Ruth: How Ruth came to faith is a mystery.

Ruth 1:5-22

In the midst of the chaos of the period of the judges and in the depths of the despair that Naomi experienced at the loss of her family there shines a ray of hope. Naomi resolved to return to Bethlehem, her home town. She held no hope out for what will happen there, for as a widow she is destitute and would have to beg. She urged her 2 daughters-in-law to stay in Moab where the prospects were better for them. Orpah stayed, but Ruth refused to leave her.

Naomi was filled with sorrow, doubt and despair. Ruth, though a Moabitess with a pagan upbringing was filled with hope: she had become a believer in Yahweh. She serves as a perfect example of unselfish love and devotion. Because Ruth felt love and compassion for Naomi in her helpless condition, she put aside her own needs, wants, desires, her whole life, and made a lifelong commitment to serve Yahweh and her mother-in-law. 

It is not clear how Ruth came to believe in Yahweh for she was surrounded by idolaters. Perhaps Naomi had left Canaan unwillingly, in obedience to her husband. Perhaps she had told Ruth of Yahweh and even demonstrated His love and kindness. And yet her poor reaction to her miserable plight demonstrates that Naomi was a poor witness for her faith. She figured that her misfortune was a result of her sin and that of her family for they had left the Lord behind. Yet even a bad witness is better than none. Yet our words and our actions together must show our commitment to Jesus so that when people encounter us they can see what Jesus is like.

Blogging through Ruth: Hopelessness without the Lord.

Ruth 1:1-5

 Although chaotic evil reigned in Israel during the time of the Judges, Elimelech, Naomi and their 2 sickly sons did not give up their inheritance in the Promised Land because they were troubled by the immorality around them. They left the land where the Lord had placed them to seek a better, more comfortable and prosperous life in Moab. They did what was right in their own eyes. They did not trust that the Lord would take care of them in the midst of a famine.

The Moabites, though kin of Abraham, were sworn enemies of Israel and extremely immoral and perverse. They worshipped idols and performed child sacrifice. Elimelech and Naomi abandoned their faith and immersed themselves deeply into this culture to the point where they allowed their boys to marry pagan women. Then everything fell apart. First Elimelech died. Then Mahlon and Chilion, “weak” and “pining” died. Naomi whose name means “pleasant” was no longer pleasant or happy for she was now left as a widow without support, without property, without hope in a land of strangers.

This family serves as examples of those who turn from the Lord to trust the world. When the crises and troubles arise, they have no one to look to for help and sink into hopelessness and despair. Many commit suicide or turn to drugs and alcohol. Their gods failed them because they were either non-existent or demonic. Only those who trust in Jesus will find hope in the middle of chaos. It is our ministry to speak to them of His love and mercy.

 

Blogging through Judges: Doing what was right in his own eyes

Judges 21

After the slaughter the Israelites suddenly realized, at least in part, the enormity of what they had done. Again, no one admitted to wrongdoing or confessed sin. They were concerned that they have almost totally wiped out their own brethren. To right this wrong, however, they committed further evil. First they wiped out the men from an Israelite city, Jabesh Gilead, and took all the unmarried women. Then they kidnapped another group of young women. In both cases they demonstrated no remorse. They behaved in a callous manner, treating the women as chattel, as means to an end.

At the end of the book, Israel has descended into chaos, each man “doing what was right in his own eyes.” That phrase can apply to our own country, the United States and probably the rest of the world as well. I sometimes feel that democracy fosters this chaos by allowing the individual to live as he pleases with no accountability to the God of the Bible, and no responsibility to care for the needs of his fellow human beings. People treat people as chattel, as means to an end. Everyone is here to serve my needs and wants including the government. No one has to lift a finger.

In addition, Democracy allows people to worship as they please even if it means worshipping rocks, stars, demons and the self. Democracy also condones sins such as abortion, unnatural sexual behavior, lying, deceit and wastefulness. Today every man is doing what is right in his or her own eyes. No wonder our nation is in such distress.

Blogging through Judges: Refusal to admit sin.

Judges 20

The tribes of Israel responded to the call of the Levite. When they asked him to explain what happened in Gibeah of Benjamin, he gave  distorted version of the facts that exonerated him of any wrongdoing. He did not tell them that he willingly handed over his concubine to be raped nor did he mention that he may have killed her himself following the abuse. His accusations pinpointed Benjamin as a whole as responsible for this brutal incident. As a result, the savage murder of this nameless woman resulted in a civil war that almost annihilated the tribe of Benjamin. In a sense all of Israel was to blame for her death, and all of Israel suffered God’s punishment for it. But few in Israel even came close to accepting responsibility.

The Levite’s method of exonerating himself demonstrates a fundamental aspect of fallen human nature. Beginning with Adam and Eve, all humans seek to shift the blame for their misdeeds onto someone else. Adam blamed Eve. Eve blamed the serpent. Many people will not acknowledge the role they play in causing evil or accept responsibility for the consequences of their own actions. Look at the news. You see celebrities and politicians denying wrongdoing but you also see ordinary people. You hear parents praising kids who died from overdoses, shootings, or drunk driving. Few of them acknowledge openly not only the child’s culpability but their own. Someone else, the government, the schools, even God, is to blame, not me. A person with such an attitude lies beyond the forgiveness God offers in Jesus until such time as they realize their guilt. No one can repent without acknowledging their sinfulness and losing face.

Blogging through Judges: A terrible state of immorality.

Judges 19

This chapter describes the sad state of affairs that Israel fell into due to the absence of strong and responsible leadership. There was chaos, degradation, abuse and selfishness. This was reflected in the life of the Levite. Though he was a man of God, he had a sexual relationship with a woman to whom he was not married. When he went to her father to retrieve her, we see that both of them cared nothing for her. There is no love or tenderness or consideration for her feelings. She was treated as a mere piece of property, not a human being. 

This attitude escalated in the ensuing incident. The Levite used her to satisfy the sexual lust of the men of Gibeah. He allowed them to savagely abuse her without a second thought for her. Then when she returned, he abused her verbally and treated her like garbage. We do not know when she actually died, but it could have been by the Levite’s own hand. His disgusting disregard for this woman continued as he cut up her body and sent it out as a grisly call to arms.

This savage incident should remind us that each person, man or woman is a human being made in the image of God. Each is to be treated with respect and consideration as one for whom Christ died. No human being is a piece of property, an object to be used to satisfy someone else’s desires. This is why Christians must not only have nothing to do with pornography and the sex trade “industries” but also speak out against them. No believer should think that these are harmless for they treat humans as mere objects including those who indulge in them.