It’s a head scratcher. We’ve just read the miracle birth story of Samson, a young man who is filled with the Spirit of the Lord. So, we anticipate what righteous measures he’ll take to turn Israel from its wandering ways.
What we discover is a self-absorbed hothead with poor judgment.
Read More grace, faithSamson’s sinful nature is an example to avoid, but his active faith is to be admired.
Did you notice Samson is alone in his opposition to the Philistines? The tribe of Judah, which occupies this area, is content to allow enemies of Israel’s God to rule over them. Three thousand men from Judah confront Samson (v 11): “Don’t you know that the Philistines rule us, and they will punish us for what you did?”
Read More trust, protection, faithIt’s been said the root of all sin is pride. Pride could be defined as living independently of God, like our accomplishments are our own.
It would be easy to criticize the prideful Samson, but I’ve been there. Many of us have. It’s surprisingly easy to believe in our own success. Ever notice when things are going well, you don’t feel like you need God? I have.
Read More forgiveness, pride, independenceWe can see how it happened, but Samson’s demise is still unpleasant. I admit thinking, “It didn’t have to end this way. If only ….”
But it’s so much easier to see this in someone else’s life, isn’t it? All the mistakes. All the sins that separate a person from God’s perfect will for their lives. It’s a little more difficult to notice when we are straying.
Read More sin, mercy, consequencesWelcome to one of the only stories in the Bible told from a woman’s perspective. Quickly read, it is a beautifully told ancient love story. But slow it down, and you find penetrating truths about God’s goodness and about faith.
Today, we meet the main character, Ruth, who could never have imagined we would know her name 3,000 years later!
Read More trust, faith, faithfulnessIf we’re honest with ourselves, most of us have been there. Bitter about our circumstances. Maybe even bitter about God’s involvement – perhaps blaming him for causing the problems, perhaps blaming him for allowing the problems to occur.
Naomi is so honest about the condition of her heart, she actually demands to be renamed!
Read More loyalty, bitterness, problemsNaomi is not alone. There are times when we all wallow in bitterness so thoroughly that we are blind to God’s solution to our problems. We all suffer that sickness at some point.
In Naomi’s case, she has traveled all the way from Moab to her hometown, a journey estimated to take at least a week on foot. Yet, apparently, it never crossed her mind to ask a kinsman to redeem Ruth.
Read More hope, redemption, kindnessHere’s where it gets hard to identify with Ruth. She abandons all fear, steps out in faith and places herself in a position of complete vulnerability. Let’s admit it: that sounds like a crazy idea.
Ruth has already left her country, her family and her people and has risked being raped by going alone into fields to pick up leftover grain (2:8-9, 22-23). The ancient world was not kind to women; just by being a foreigner and a widow, she was at risk.
Read More faith, trust, humility, courage, vulnerabilitySometimes the Old Testament makes for tough reading, but don’t miss the gold nuggets.
Here, Ruth is considered property to be purchased, a vessel by which a piece of land can be secured by men. Yes, that is how the men saw it. Which might irk some of us.
But note that Boaz was different. He saw Ruth as a person.
Read More women, God’s handThrough Jesus, we can have a full life (John 10:10), overflowing with blessings (Psalm 23:5-6).
In the story of Ruth’s life, we see what that looks like, what it means to be redeemed, to be bought back from a life of limited hope, or no hope. We see how God responds to those who genuinely pursue him, even Ruth, a woman who once worshiped false gods (Ruth 1:15), and even Naomi who was bitter toward him.
Read More Saviour, blessing, redemption, women