Devotionals

1In the days when the judges ruled, there was a famine in the land.  So a man from Bethlehem in Judah, together with his wife and two sons, went to live for a while in the country of Moab. 2The man’s name was Elimelek, his wife’s name was Naomi, and the names of his two sons were Mahlon and Kilion.  They were Ephrathites from Bethlehem, Judah.  And they went to Moab and lived there.

Reflection:  This is the set-up to our story.  This was the era when the rule of judges reigned supreme.  Israel was in distress as people did pretty much what they pleased.  However, as we will see, people like Naomi (and Ruth, she will come later) remained faithful to God.  Moab (east of the Dead Sea) was one of the nations that oppressed the Israelites during this time of the judges.  Needless to say, Moab and Israel were not on good terms!

The famine was apparently quite bad in Israel, so Elimelek made the tough decision to move the family to Moab, hoping for a better situation.  [BTW … “Ephrathite” was an earlier name for Bethlehem.]

Your task:  Be thinking of tough situations that you have experienced, and the options that you considered … in short,  where do we go from here?!  How did these dilemmas impact various aspects of your life … your relationships, your faith?

Another way to look at this Old Testament chapter is to consider the times in which WE live … the social, political, religious issues and quandaries that seem to be dividing and challenging our beliefs and our culture.  Again, where do we go from here?  How does it impact you?  How do you cope?  With what do you cope and decide on a course of action?

3Now Elimelek, Naomi’s husband, died, and she was left with her two sons. 4They married Moabite women, one named Orpah and the other Ruth.  After they had lived there about ten years, 5both Mahlon and Kilion also died, and Naomi was left without her two sons and her husband.

6When Naomi heard in Moab that the Lord had come to the aid of his people by providing food for them, she and her daughters-in-law prepared to return home from there. 7With her two daughters-in-law she left the place she had been living and set out on the road that would take them back to the land of Judah.

8Then Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law, “Go back, each of you, to your mother’s home.  May the Lord show you kindness, as you have shown kindness to your dead husbands and to me. 9May the Lord grant that each of you will find rest in the home of another husband.”  Then she kissed them goodbye and they wept aloud 10and said to her, “We will go back with you to your people.” 

Reflection:  Where do we go from here?!  Truer words could not be spoken for Naomi!   The same goes for her daughters-in-law … no husband and making plans to head toward a “foreign” land … Israel.

So far, a great deal of despair on the part of many ladies here … questions, possible solutions, but nothing seems to lighten the burden from where do we go from here?  BUT we see a glimmer of daughter-in-law faithfulness … “We will go back with you to your people.”   That should relate to us in times of where do we go from here …!  Look at the FAITHFULNESS of the daughters-in-law.  That should be a catch-all term for us and our where do we go from here!  And there are many more positive attributes that we need to consider in dealing with our ups and downs in our lives, culture, and society.  More on that later; our story continues

11But Naomi said, “Return home, my daughters.  Why would you come with me?  Am I going to have any more sons, who could become your husbands? 12Return home, my daughters; I am too old to have another husband.  Even if I thought there was still hope for me – even if I had a husband tonight and then gave birth to sons – 13would you wait until they grew up?  Would you remain unmarried for them?  No, my daughters, it is more bitter for me than for you, because the Lord’s hand has turned against me!”

14At this they wept aloud again.  Then Orpah kissed her mother-in-law goodbye, but Ruth clung to her.

Reflection:  Naomi is certainly caring for the needs of others; a self-less attitude that would separate her from the only family she has left.  Orpah does not want to fight politics and the chance she would have to return to Moab, find a husband, and start life over again.  Wouldn’t you agree that Orpah made the wise decision?  She is looking out for her best interests, AND she is following the loving advice of Naomi.  Then we come to the other Moabite woman … “but Ruth clung to her.”  Let’s break this down, because there is a lot occurring in Ruth’s statement … for the umpteenth time, where do we go from here?  Naomi has thrown in the towel and is returning to her homeland to pick up what she can of her decimated life.  Under her system, if her deceased husband has a living brother, then he is obligated to financially care for the widow Naomi … she has a glimmer.  But Ruth is our main subject here and she has stated that she will stay with Naomi in a foreign land.  Ruth is not saying that Naomi should stay with her where Naomi would be a widowed outsider.  It is Ruth who risks being the outsider … and she has youth and a reasonable chance of a new life.  It appears that Ruth is either crazy or demonstrating love in the first degree!  Our story continues.

“15Look,” said Naomi, “your sister-in-law is going back to her people and her gods.  Go back with her.”  16But Ruth replied (and uttered the most famous words in the Book of Ruth) “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. 17Where 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.”

18When Naomi realized that Ruth was determined to go with her, she stopped urging her.

Reflection:  Ruth packed a wallop of information in these verses.  A Moabite woman was ready to face a different culture, and the possibility of ostracization, and even more significant, Ruth, a Moabite, will worship the true God!  Remember, the Israelites were not the only people God loved!  Through Jesus, a Jew, the whole world can come to know God.  The Book of Ruth is a perfect example of God’s impartiality.  Although Ruth belonged to a group of people often despised by Israel, she was blessed because of her faithfulness. There is much more to Ruth’s saga, but I will let you read the entire Book of Ruth to discover the fantastic tidbits.  Today, we face many different cultures in the USA; in this respect, our country is changing daily.  How do you adjust to cultural changes?  I wonder how Ruth had to adjust to acquaint herself with the customs of people of another land.  Or, more important, how would the Israelites respond to her cultural traits?  That is a question, it appears, for every generation and millennia!

19So the two women went on until they came to Bethlehem.  When they arrived in Bethlehem, the whole town was stirred because of them, and the women exclaimed, “Can this be Naomi?”  20 “Don’t call me Naomi,” she told them.  “Call me Mara, because the Almighty has made my life very bitter. 21I went away full, but the Lord has brought me back empty.  Why call me Naomi?  The Lord has afflicted me; the Almighty has brought misfortune upon me.”  22So Naomi returned from Moab accompanied by Ruth the Moabite, her daughter-in-law, arriving in Bethlehem as the barley harvest was beginning.

Reflection:  An unadulterated last spewing of bitterness from a broken woman returning home to … where do we go from here?   Naomi has returned home widowed, childless, and poor.  Naomi has changed her name to express the pain and bitterness she felt.  But look at her resources because she has (temporarily?) lost sight of her tremendous possibilities … she is with friends in her homeland, she has the love from Ruth, and she has her Lord God!  How would you respond in her situation?  What resources would you gravitate toward?  Remember … when you face bitter times, God welcomes your honest prayers, but do not overlook the love, strength, and resources that God provides in your present relationships.  And do not allow bitterness and disappointment to blind you to your opportunities.  

Hint:  This move was more than merely convenient for Ruth and Naomi … it led to the fulfillment of God’s promises.  You will find out the particulars when you read the entire Book of Ruth!

Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. 

Your people will be my people and your God my God.

Where do we go from here?

Reflection:  Make a promise!   Read the entire Book of Ruth … it’s only four chapters!  Let’s recap:

• Ruth’s faithfulness to Naomi as a daughter-in-law and friend is a great example of love and loyalty.

• You will see that Ruth and Naomi are faithful to God.

• Throughout the Book of Ruth we see God’s faithfulness to His people.

• When we are loyal and loving in our relationships, we are imitating God’s faithfulness.

• Ruth demonstrated tremendous kindness and faithfulness to Naomi.

• God’s kindness should motivate us to love and honor Him.

• Ruth showed integrity and moral character through her loyalty to Naomi.  These are values that are often in contrast to what we see and hear in our society.  We should stand out amongst the crowd!!

• We see in the Book of Ruth God’s care and protection over the lives of Naomi and Ruth.  God’s control over the circumstances brought them safety and security.  No matter how devastating our present situations may be, our hope is in Jesus Christ … his resources are infinite.  Jesus can work in the life of any person, regardless of culture or economic status … trust is his protection!

• What other traits do you see in these women and their situation … and in your dealings with life and the world … courage,  forthrightness, speaking what’s on your mind,  confronting evil, truthfulness, justice, compassion, heart-felt empathy, et al.

Where do YOU go from here?

Leviticus 23:1-3  The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to the people of Israel and say to them, These are the appointed feasts of the Lord that you shall proclaim as holy convocations; they are my appointed feasts.  Six days shall work be done, but on the seventh day is a Sabbath of solemn rest, a holy convocation.  You shall do no work.  It is a Sabbath to the Lord in all your dwelling places.

During this week, we are going to look at what the Bible says about pausing to celebrate and/or remember.  Festivals, a celebratory time typically with meaning.  We practice celebrations in our own culture.  If you spend some time reflecting, our celebrations are often a time where we are “remembering”; Birthday’s, Anniversary’s, National Holidays, Easter, Christmas.  Festivals are a time of community, where we pause daily life and acknowledge and remember.  The birth of a person, the day of a wedding, the birth of a nation or those who sacrificed their lives fighting for the ideals of our country.  The Bible calls us to stop, pause, celebrate and/or reflect!  It is interesting that the first festival talked about in this chapter is The Sabbath.  God calls us to rest and celebrate and reflect one day a week!  While the Israelites turned the Sabbath into a legalistic day, the Bible tells us that the Sabbath is made for man, not man for the Sabbath.  

Application, Prayers and/or Thoughts: Read Mark 2:24-28.  Do you take a Sabbath each week – a day set aside for rest and enjoyment of God’s provision?  If not, is there a way you can start incorporating this into your life?  How much would it change your perspective?

Leviticus 23:4-8  “These are the appointed feasts of the Lord, the holy convocations, which you shall proclaim at the time appointed for them.  In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month at twilight, is the Lord’s Passover.  And on the fifteenth day of the same month is the Feast of Unleavened Bread to the Lord; for seven days you shall eat unleavened bread.  On the first day you shall have a holy convocation’ you shall not do any ordinary work.  But you shall present a food offering to the Lord for seven days.  On the seventh day is a holy convocation; you shall not do any ordinary work.”

Yesterday, we started in Leviticus 23 where we learned the Bible calls us to stop, pause, celebrate and/or reflect – both as individuals and as a community.  For the rest of the week, we will be looking at the Feasts/Festivals the Bible called the Israelites to celebrate.  A common theme in the Bible is to remember, remember, remember…  Remember when the angel of death passed over the houses of the Israelites because they obeyed and painted their door jambs (up and down/left and right) with the blood of a lamb.  Remember when your ancestors fled Egypt and had to eat unleavened bread, leaven being a symbol for sin and decay.  Leviticus tells us to remember these events as a symbol of the triumph over death through the innocent lamb.  Additionally, we need to remember the effects of sin as it can become an inseparable part of our lives, like yeast is to bread.

Application, Prayers and/or Thoughts: Read Deuteronomy 4:9.  What is this reminding the Israelites to do?  Is this active or passive? 

Leviticus 23:9-10 and 15-16  And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to the people of Israel and say to them, When you come into the land that I give you and reap its harvest, you shall bring the sheaf of the firstfruits of your harvest to the priest  15-16:  You shall count seven full weeks from the day after the Sabbath, from the day that you brought the sheaf of the wave offering.  You shall count fifty days to the day after the seventh Sabbath.  Then you shall present a grain offering of new grain to the Lord.

The Feast of Firstfruits is one of three Jewish harvest feasts to thank and honor God for His provision.  This feast is celebrated on the 3rd day after the sacrifice of the Passover Lamb.  The 2nd day is the first day of Passover.  Therefore, the lamb is sacrificed, the celebration of the passing over of the angel of death and then the celebration of the Firstfruits –the 3rd day–Resurrection Day!  The Feast of Weeks, celebrated 7 weeks after the celebration of Firstfruits, (hence Pente (50) – where we get the name Pentecost).  The tradition is to offer the first harvest of grain and two loaves of leavened bread.  These two loaves are representative of God’s plan to include both the Jews and Gentiles, sinners in need of a savior!

Application,  Prayers and/or Thoughts:  How does the symbolism of this feast encourage you to reflect and remember God’s provision?  Read Luke 2:29-32  How do these verses in Luke (recalling the words of Simeon) relate to the Festival of Pentecost and its relation to the Firstfruit Festival?

Leviticus 23:23-24  And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to the people of Israel, saying, In the seventh month, on the first day of the month, you shall observe a day of solemn rest, a memorial proclaimed with blast of trumpets, a holy convocation.

Today’s verse is a command from God regarding celebrating the Feast of Trumpets.  On this day, no work is to be done, and it is to be a day of solemn rest with a food offering to God.  This day is to symbolize the day of rapture, the day the Trumpet will sound and the Lord will return to Earth once again.  The series of Feasts from Passover to the Feast of Trumpets symbolizes the purpose of Jesus’ coming.  From the Passover Lamb to the resurrection (Firstfruits) to the inclusion of the Gentiles (Pentecost) to the Feast of Trumpets, we see God’s plan for salvation and redemption in these Festivals!.

Application,  Prayers and/or Thoughts: Read 1 Corinthians 15:52 and Revelation 11:15 – how can celebrating the pattern of the Festivals help us remember?  Think about the Christian Church calendar – how can you incorporate this into your discipleship pattern?

Leviticus 23:26-30 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “Now on the tenth day of this seventh month is the Day of Atonement. It shall be for you a time of holy convocation, and you shall afflict yourselves and present a food offering to the Lord. And you shall not do any work on that very day, for it is a Day of Atonement, to make atonement for you before the Lord your God. For whoever is not afflicted on that very day shall be cut off from his people. And whoever does any work on that very day, that person I will destroy from among his people.

Yom Kippur - The Day of Atonement – a day set aside to atone for the sin in our lives and the life of the community. While the Israelites were called to provide an animal sacrifice, as Christians, we are no longer required to sacrifice an animal as the result of the blood of the one and only sacrifice that is required – Jesus Christ. While not specifically a time of celebration, it is a good practice of reflection.

Application, Prayers and/or Thoughts: How could a day set aside to reflect on our sins and request forgiveness benefit us and our community? Read Proverbs 28:13 and 1 John 1:9

Leviticus 23:33-34  And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “ Speak to the people of Israel, saying, On the fifteenth day of this seventh month and for seven days is the Feast of Booths to the Lord.

The final feast/festival in Leviticus, the Feast of Tabernacles and/or Booths.  This feast last for seven days and it is a time to celebrate and reflect on the wanderings in the desert where the Lord made the people of Israel dwell in booths when He brought them out of Egypt and into the desert.  This is a time to not only reflect on what their ancestors went through, but also on God’s great deliverance and provision during this time. Remember, remember, remember…

Application,  Prayers and/or Thoughts: As we come to the end of the week looking at the Feast/Festivals that the Lord instructed the Israelites to follow, what can we gain from looking at these Feasts and the associated patterns?  Is there a way to incorporate some of these celebrations and/or reflections into your life that would assist in helping you becoming a more faithful follower of our Lord Jesus Christ?