The Everyday Prayer

Re:Verse reading–Ruth 2:1-12, 17-23; 4:1-14 (day four)

Naomi had a difficult run of circumstances.  She had lost her home, her husband, two sons and her livelihood.  When she returned to Bethlehem, she was embittered.  Even though she trusted God, she was focused on her circumstances rather than Him.  Naomi judged God’s love for her by her circumstances rather than judging her circumstances by God’s love for her.  God’s sovereignty was never demonstrated better than His use of Boaz as the kinsman/redeemer for the family lineage of His promised Messiah.  God’s vast love was being demonstrated and Naomi missed the bigger picture.

Has life brought difficult and maybe unbearable circumstances for you?  Could it be that God is seeking to bring His love and redemption to bear in your life?  Naomi and Ruth returned to Bethlehem with no idea what the future held for them.  They had no clue of the eternal significance of their circumstances.  When it is most difficult, we need to trust in God’s sovereign plan.

Re:Verse reading–Ruth 2:1-12, 17-23; 4:1-14 (day three)

May your family be like that of Perez, whom Tamar bore to Judah. 

What happened after Ruth’s encounter with Boaz at the threshing floor?  Eyebrows went up all over Bethlehem, that’s what.  Yes, Ruth and Boaz took steps to keep it quiet, but it ended up in the Bible anyway.  News like that tends to get out.  That’s not to say a sexual indiscretion occurred; it is to say that unless Ruth were to become the mother of a rich man’s baby, the sinkhole of abject poverty in which she and her mother lived would swallow them whole.  Whatever the original plans with the inebriated Boaz, Ruth ended up in the crucial moment just being straight up with him rather than trapping him in scandal: “Make me your wife.”  She took the risks, and her strength won the day.  The town took note.  Our Savior’s lineage owes as much to scandalized or sexually exploited women—Rahab, Tamar, Ruth, Mary, each of whom spoke with courageous voices—as it does to the men who make up that same family tree.  God raises up women whom this world has attempted to silence.

Re:Verse reading–Ruth 2:1-12, 17-23; 4:1-14 (day two)

May the Lord reward your work, and your wages be full from the Lord, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to seek refuge. vs. 12

 Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men…Colossians 3:23

Can you think of a more beautiful blessing for your labors than what Boaz gave to Ruth? Word of her faithfulness to her mother-in-law had reached the ears of many. Ruth’s commitment to Naomi was not for financial reward or gain. She did not seek to “get ahead” by a political alliance. She did what was right. Her focus was not on herself. The Lord honors that. Not always financially, but in kingdom-sized investments that cannot be measured. Where is your heart? Where is your treasure? Find your reward where the Lord is waiting.

Re:Verse reading–Ruth 2:1-12, 17-23; 4:1-14 (day one)

“Why have I found favor in your sight that you should notice me, since I am a foreigner?”–v 10

It is an ancient/modern story. Resonates with familiar issues.   Immigration.  Green cards.  Migrant workers.

Ruth was a foreigner.  (Hebrew–nokriy–” stranger, alien, outsider”).  But Boaz noticed her.  (Hebrew–nakar “to recognize, acknowledge, respect”) He could (and did) look past her skin color or accent or culture to see her loyalty, her hard work, her interest in the God of Israel.  See v 12.

Do we notice foreign people?  Not for the purpose of avoidance, resentment or fear.  Do we see them?  Recognize their hearts and their hopes?

At the deepest level for the believer, all immigration issues include some appreciation of the work of evangelism that is possible.  Behind the mass migrations of people (both ancient and modern) there are people who are searching for security in life that can only be found in God.

Re:Verse reading–Genesis 37:14-28, 50:15-21 (day seven)

“Come and let us sell him to the Ishmaelites and not lay our hands on him, for he is our brother, our own flesh.” And his brothers listened to him. v.27

Judah, the consummate businessman, saw an opportunity to take Reuben’s logic and turn it into profit.  If they did not kill Joseph they could sell him, but the stated reasoning here is more than profit.  Judah claims they cannot kill Joseph because he is their own flesh, and they determine to treat their brother better than murder.  Being a slave is better than being dead.

The logic is twisted, but a common thread. We are often tempted to justify our actions by claiming that they less detrimental than other options on the table.  Sometimes we even believe we are good or merciful for choosing a lesser evil when in reality the lesser evil is just as disobedient.  God’s call on our life is not to indulge lesser evils, but refinement unto purity.

Re:Verse reading–Genesis 37:14-28, 50:15-21 (day six)

I’m sure Joseph had his down days, but on the whole it seemed that he always was a blessing to others. It didn’t even matter who they were, baker, governor, or pharaoh; he blessed them all. This is remarkable given his circumstances. He never allowed his hard circumstances to dictate his behavior or how he treated others, and people took notice.

Will you bless others even when life has treated you harshly? There’s a gospel story there; let it be told.

Re:Verse reading–Genesis 37:14-28, 50:15-21 (day five)

Genesis 50:18 “Then his brothers also came and fell down before him and said, “Behold, we are your servants.””‭‭

We see in genesis 50 the real damage and effects of sin:  broken relationships, guilt and shame, and internal conflict.  Left unconfessed and unchecked, the sin of Joseph’s brothers had wrecked them for years. They had no place to go or turn in their poverty and despair.  Do you think they really believed that their sin against Joseph and then their deception of their father would ruin their lives, relationships, and long term future?  The truth is “Sin will take you farther than you want to go, keep you longer than you want to stay, and cost you more than you want to pay”.  Ravi Zaccharias

The solution- confession and repentance.  “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.  1 John‬ ‭1:9‬ ‭

 

 

Re:Verse reading–Genesis 37:14-28, 50:15-21 (day four)

When Joseph was first sold into slavery, He did not understand what God’s ultimate plan was.  He did trust in God though.  Joseph had had dreams and he knew that God had a plan for his life.  The more his life unfolded, the more he learned of God’s faithfulness.  Joseph saw the events of his life in perspective to God’s will.  In chapter 50, when his brothers feared that Joseph had not fully forgiven them and that they were in danger of receiving their just reward, they once again begged his forgiveness.

Joseph was able to see the bigger picture.  Verses 19-21 of chapter 50 reveal the maturity of Joseph’s relationship with God.  He could not have responded this way if he had not put aside personal rights and emotions in favor of God’s perfect will.  God had a servant that was prepared to be a savior for the sons of Israel.  What lies ahead for you?  Are you prepared to follow God’s will for your life?

Re:Verse reading–Genesis 37:14-28, 50:15-21 (day three) 

Here comes that dreamer! 

We mostly can’t be trusted with the future, though one can find exceptions.  Many prophets—not all, but many—have stewarded their knowledge of the future with great skill.  But they tend to have difficult lives and die early.  So yeah, the future’s a hard thing to handle well.  What happened when the deficient trustee of prophetic insight was a vision-casting, favorite-son-status-occupying, flashy-attire-flaunting seventeen-year-old kid?  In a family already prone to scheming, that kid’s pontificating came off as one more threatening agenda.  Joseph was right about the future, you know.  But rightness is a most dangerous quality.  The arrogance that often accompanies it will harm others.  Hardship—not least his brothers’ damnable human-trafficking transaction—transformed Joseph’s arrogance into wisdom.  And in God’s providence he became a life-saving steward of the future.

Re:Verse reading–Genesis 37:14-28, 50:15-21 (day two) When Joseph’s brothers saw that their father was dead, they said, “What if Joseph bears a grudge against us and pays us back in full for all the wrong which we did to him!” 50:15

Jacob/Israel had been the buffer between Joseph and his brothers. At least, that is what the brothers had come to believe. Years had passed, but they had never moved past that violent and heinous act against Joseph. Although God had used and shaped Joseph’s life since being sold to the Ishmaelites, the brothers were caught forever in that moment. It had likely shaped everything they did since that moment of sin. It surely impacted their relationship with their father. They had to lie to him and watch him grieve the loss of a child.

Sin is often easy, but truly never is. The sin of Joseph’s brothers would shape most of their adult lives. How you you ever expect to live, really live if you are haunted by your choices. We are not perfect. Joseph was not perfect, but Jesus is. Wouldn’t you much rather have your life shaped by Jesus, than by your sin?