Naomi's Disaster

Ruth 1: 3-5

We saw yesterday that this man left Bethlehem to take his family across the border into nearby Moab temporarily during one of the famines to take care of his wife and sons.

(3) Then Elimelech, Naomi's husband, died; and she was left with her two sons.

When her husband died she was dependent on her sons to support her.

(4) They took for themselves Moabite women as wives;

These are the people they lived among, these boys grew into their manhood from boyhood here.

the name of the one was Orpah and the name of the other Ruth. And they lived there about ten years.

The name Orpah could be derived from orep, meaning "the back of the neck, mane" which would refer to "stiff-necked."

The name Ruth is traditionally derived from raah, "friend" or "friendship."

These names are indicative of how they ultimately responded, as told in the rest of this chapter.

We're not told whether they lived ten years after Elimelech died or if they were married for ten years, but they apparently stayed in this foreign land longer than they had originally planned.

(5) Then both Mahlon and Chilion also died, and the woman was bereft of her two children and her husband.

Being widowed and now with no sons to support her either, was a serious situation in her own community, but here in another land she would be in desperate straits.

We can see here that God is setting up Naomi for her part in His great Plan of the Ages, but she is completely unaware why God would be treating her this way.

Often we also cannot discern why God is letting negative and even disastrous events happen in our lives, but we can still trust Him through it all, as Naomi did.

O my Father, thank You for being worthy of our complete trust, even when we are bewildered and befuddled in the chaos and darkness around us. We know that You have told us that everything we are reading in the headlines today would happen, when You had Your prophets write so long ago.

My Father, as You have led me in my studies of Your written Word, You have let me connect so many dots, that I never before knew had any connection! But You have shown me that it is all one story, the story of Mankind, from before the beginning until after the end, and the Star of the Show is Jesus! He is the Lord God Almighty who appeared and gave the information to write, and who broke into our world as a Man like us to be our Savior and Redeemer.

And it will be He who will return soon to judge and clean up this world to rule it in righteousness, giving this Earth its Golden Age. Only after that, when everything is finished, will be the end, when it explodes, and the Universe implodes, and You create anew a completely different Earth-like planet in another Universe, in which to live with us, and we with You, forever.

O Father, send out Your children to cast broadly Your good seed of the Gospel. Please let every living person hear Your Good News while they are still able to make a free, informed choice. Father, draw to Yourself all of Your embryonic children to the birth into Your own family, and let no one else have any excuse!

And every eye shall see, every knee will bow, every tongue will proclaim that Jesus is our Christ, the Lord God Almighty, sovereign King over all Creation; to the everlasting glory of Almighty God the Father, for ever and ever. Amen.

Even so, please come quickly, Lord Jesus!

Setting The Stage In Ruth

Ruth 1: 1-2

This is a beautiful little story that can teach us some important theological truths, lived out by these simple people.

(1) Now it came about

This story begins with wayehi (literally, "and it was"), usually translated as "Now it came to pass," or in modern stories we might say, "It came upon a time." But this is not a fairy tale, "truth is stranger than fiction," and this little tale of history actually happened, and God wants us to know this charming story. 

in the days when the judges governed,

This took place during the time when Israel had come into the Promised Land and did not have a king yet, but when "every man did what was right in his own eyes" (Judges 17: 6; 21: 25). Moses had warned them not to do this, in Deuteronomy 12: 8, but since they "had no king" to lead them, instead of letting the Lord be their King and following His ways, they went around and around doing evil, suffering economic ruin, returning to the Lord, and doing it all over again.

This was during the last third of the second millennium B.C. It is not necessary to put the time of this story any more precise than that.

that there was a famine in the land.

This was one of the economic downturns they experienced in those days. Which one is not important.

And a certain man of Bethlehem in Judah went to sojourn in the land of Moab with his wife and his two sons.

The severity of the famine caused this man to leave his home and take his family to nearby Moab in the expectation of a fuller life, where the famine had not reached. This was not a permanent move, only a temporary sojourn, gur, "to live for a while." This is the legal status of a resident alien that usually included protection under the laws of the host land. Abandonment of one's homeland meant severance from one's family, clan, and deity.

(2) The name of the man was Elimelech, and the name of his wife, Naomi; and the name of his two sons were Mahlon and Chilion, Ephrathites of Bethlehem in Judah. Now they entered the land of Moab and remained there.

The name Elimelech means "God is King," Naomi means "pleasant" or "lovely." The first son's name, Mahlon, means "sickly," and his brother's name rhymes with his, Kilion, and means "weak."

So this little family traveled to this other country and lived there for a while, so that's where the boys probably grew up.

O my Father, thank You for this little story of Your faithfulness and love for us. Thank You for showing us how You provide for us, even when we are unaware of all the machinations You are guiding us through to Your conclusion and purpose.

Father, we can see that this family had no idea of how You would use their decisions to further Your great Plan of the Ages. And we are also unaware of how You are using our choices, because we do not see our personal futures. We can plan out where we want to go, but our steps are guided by You into the path each of us is to take, so You will receive all the credit, all the glory for what is done.

O Father, even when we don't see, we can trust You to lead us aright, when we turn to You and take Your hand to lead and guide us through the darkness into Your great eternal Light.

Send us out, Father, to share with the world how much You have loved all of us to send Your own Son to be our Savior and rescue us. Let us broadcast Your Good News to every nation, so that every living person will hear, and realize how accessible You are to everyone who turns to You.

And every eye shall see, every knee will bow, every tongue will proclaim that Jesus is our Christ, the Lord God Almighty, sovereign King over all Creation; to the everlasting glory of Almighty God the Father, for ever and ever. Amen.

Even so, come quickly, Lord Jesus!

Peter The Apostle

I Peter 1: 1-2

(1) Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ,

This is Simon Peter, who was one of Jesus' twelve apostles, and walked with Him for the three and a half years of His ministry, witnessed His crucifixion death, and was one of the first to witness His resurrection at the empty tomb. Peter was the spokesperson for the group of the early disciples. He was a fisherman from Bethsaida, and had a home in Capernaum.

To those who reside as aliens, scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, who are chosen

Peter wrote this letter to the Christians who lived in the area north of where Paul traveled.

(2) according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, by the sanctifying work of the Spirit, to obey Jesus Christ and be sprinkled with His blood:

Peter acknowledges that all three Persons of the Triune God participated in their salvation: God the Father's foreknowledge and planning, God the Spirit's work of sanctifying and setting apart, and God the Son who sprinkled His blood on the sides of His altar the Cross to wash us clean from our sins and our sinfulness.

May grace and peace be yours in the fullest measure.

He blesses them with God's peace and grace, to the most they can receive.

O my Father, please help us to realize how intimately You are involved with us, in loving us so much that You planned to choose us to be Your own family even before You made us.

O Father, Your love for us is beyond what we can comprehend. And Your care for us is complete and total. You will never allow us to face anything that You are not ready to lead us through in Your strength.

Father, these recipients of this letter were going through some serious persecution at this time, and Peter wanted them to experience Your grace and peace in the midst of it all, just as You will comfort us and strengthen us through whatever You allow into our lives.

My Father, keep us strong and bold to disseminate Your Truth throughout the nations of the whole world, so that every living person will hear how much You love us all. Father, You don't want anyone to be left behind without knowing how to come to you. Send us out and enable us to reach them.

And every eye shall see, every knee will bow, every tongue will proclaim that Jesus is our Christ, the lord God Almighty, sovereign King over all Creation; to the everlasting glory of Almighty God the Father, for ever and ever. Amen.

Even so, come soon, Lord Jesus!

Accept Him As You Would Me

Philemon 17-25

Paul has just asked Philemon to have mercy on his run-away slave, Onesimus. And he asked if he could send him back to Paul to serve him in prison. This is asking much, and also defying Roman tradition concerning slaves.

(17) If then you regard me a partner, accept him as you would me.

Now Paul uses an accounting term, partner, koinonos, closely related to koinonia,"fellowship," here it has the idea of a business partnership. Paul wants Philemon to welcome Onesimus as he would Paul himself, as a partner in God's business, His Kingdom work.

(18) But if he has wronged you in any way or owes you anything, charge that to my account;

This is a wonderfully gracious and astonishing offer of Paul to assume any debt that this slave might owe his master, and he is very tactful in not accusing Onesimus of anything. A common act of runaway slaves was to steal something from the master to finance travel to a far distant location.

Paul uses another accounting term, charge, elloga, to maintain the imagery. Although he does not admit that Onesimus has stolen anything, he leaves open the possibility with his, wronged you in any way or owes you anything, even if it would only be the loss of the value of his work that may bring his master financial income.

(19) I, Paul, am writing this with my own hand, I will repay it (not to mention to you that you owe to me even your own self as well).

A handwritten statement carried great legal weight; so Paul is giving Philemon a promissory note. Then he shifts to a higher level, in noting that Philemon's spiritual indebtedness to Paul should easily cover all of Onesimus' wrongdoing. Paul's hint is obvious, "Charge it to my account in Heaven."

(20) Yes, brother, let me benefit from you in the Lord; refresh my heart in Christ.

Paul expresses a completely nonassertive wish with the word onaimen, translated here as let me, in asking Philemon to refresh his heart. As he refreshed the hearts of many in Verse 7, how would he not do the same for the apostle to the gentiles? This is an excellent example of literary reinforcement.

(21) Having confidence in your obedience, I write to you, since I know that you will do even more than what I say.

Paul has carefully avoided giving any commands to Philemon, but he expects obedience. To what? To the love of Christ? More than what I say, hyper ha lego, "beyond what I suggest;" more than simply loaning him as a slave, Paul may be suggesting that Philemon use his imagination and think of what more he could do than what Paul has already asked?

If this is a hint of suggesting that Philemon give Onesimus his freedom from slavery, it is not open; Paul never directly assaults the social and economic institutions of his day. The abolition of slavery was never thought of until hundreds of years later.

(22) At the same time also prepare me a lodging, for I hope that through your prayers I will be given to you.

Here the suggestion of an imminent visit lends more weight to Paul's hints and requests. This may suggest a hope on Paul's part of being released soon, or it may just be an added incentive for Philemon to do the right thing. The word for lodging here is xenia, "guest room" or "hospitality," one of the highest of Classical and early Christian virtues. Both meanings are in view here, as Paul is assuming that Philemon's prayers are for Paul's release and restoration to the church.

(23) Epaphras, my fellow prisoner in Christ Jesus, greets you,

(24) as do Mark, Aristarchus, Demas, Luke, my fellow workers.

The five co-workers sending greetings here are the same ones Paul names in his letter to the Colossians (4: 10-14), which was most likely written at about the same time.

Epaphras was from Colosse and a fellow prisoner, John Mark was Barnabas' cousin who traveled with them, Aristarchus was also a fellow prisoner, Demas was still there, though he later left (see II Timothy 4:10), and Luke was the physician who tended to Paul, traveling with him. He mentions that they all are his fellow workers, and Onesimus has also proven to be useful in ministering to him (vs. 11, 13).

(25) The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.

Paul ends this note with the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, his usual ending, finishing this brief and beautiful letter.

O my Father, please help your children to love one another as Paul loved both Philemon and Onesimus, two men of opposite social strata, both brothers in Christ. Father, help us all to see one another as brothers and sisters, no matter how many differences there are among us. We are all one human race, multi-colored, and we need to appreciate the variety among us, not let it divide us.

O Father, You love a variety; teach us how to enjoy the varied differences in color, in culture, in language, in likes and propensities, in desires and dreams, in skills and abilities and interests. You made us all different, Father; help us to accept one another as You have accepted us, regardless of all of our rough edges.

My Father, show us how to love You by loving one another. Let us see how to show Your love, in all the ways people look for love. Show us the differences in our personalities, and how to get along and let slide the things that otherwise would irk and irritate us. Help us get along in Your family as brothers and sisters without any of the worldly sibling rivalry.

Let us all work together to broadcast Your good seed of the Gospel into all the fertile fields of the nations of the world, so that every living person will be able to hear and understand Your love to have sent Your own Son to be our Savior. Help them all to know Your plan to rescue us, so they can make an informed decision to turn to You, or else to reject Your generous and gracious gift.

And every eye shall see, every knee will bow, every tongue will proclaim that Jesus is our Christ, the Lord God Almighty, sovereign King over all Creation; to the everlasting glory of Almighty God the Father, for ever and ever. Amen.

Even so, come, Lord Jesus!

More Than A Slave

Philemon 8-16

Paul has just commended Philemon for his love for Paul and the other Christians.

(8) Therefore, though I have enough confidence in Christ to order you to do what is proper,

Paul's confidence is in Christ, not in Philemon, and he knows that he has the authority to give him a command.

(9) yet for love's sake I rather appeal to you--since I am such a person as Paul the aged, and now also a prisoner in Christ Jesus--

Instead Paul appeals to him as one he loves, who is an old man now, and even in prison. Paul is unable to do anything except to appeal to Philemon.

(10) I appeal to you for my child Onesimus, whom I have begotten in my imprisonment,

He is appealing to Philemon on behalf of Onesimus, who became a Christian under Paul's ministry while he sat in chains between two guards, imprisoned.

(11) who formerly was useless to you, but now is useful both to you and to me.

This is a double play on words, as Onesimus, is a common slave name, which means "useful" or "profitable." It is also the meaning of chrestos, which appears in this verse as achrestos ("useless"), and euchrestos ("useful"). Chrestos, in turn, sounded so much like Christos that the Roman historian Seutonius takes this to be Jesus' name. This word play was very clever and humorous to an ancient reader. That Paul uses it at the beginning of his plea for Onesimus shows his exquisite sensitivity and tact.

(12) I have sent him back to you in person, that is, sending my very heart,

Again we see how dear to Paul is Onesimus.

(13) whom I wished to keep with me, so that on your behalf he might minister to me in my imprisonment for the gospel;

Paul would like to keep Onesimus in Philemon's place.

(14) but without your consent I did not want to do anything, so that your goodness would not be, in effect, by compulsion but of your own free will.

Paul would not "take" this slave or his labor without the permission of his owner and master, but he is urging him to share him because it's the right thing to do.

If he weren't in prison, he would have been able to assume custody of a runaway slave after he had given guarantees of his return to the public officials, and suggested that the slave be assigned to him for a time. This was not uncommon.

But Paul was not free to follow this legal procedure, so instead he confronts the social and economic order head-on; and his request for clemency for Onesimus and hint of his assignment to Paul defied Roman tradition. By this plea Paul was giving dignity to the slave class.

Paul has been speaking as an urbane, deferential, educated man of the classical world, then goes further and urges Philemon to make his decision out of Christian love rather than obligation.

(15) For perhaps he was for this reason separated from you for a while, that you would have him back forever,

(16) no longer as a slave, but more than a slave, a beloved brother, especially to me, but how much more to you, both in the flesh and in the Lord.

The contrast between a while and forever show God's hand in this whole situation, and reveals Paul's tact; instead of referring to him as a runaway, he speaks of a temporary separation that will result in a permanent reunion with him.

And he contrasts slave, a temporal and demeaning position, with brother, an eternal relationship in the Lord.

In many of the ancient religions and in Greek and Roman law concerning religions, a slave was treated as an equal with the other adherents to the religion, breaking the economic and social barriers between people; but as they feared and appeased their gods they never claimed to love them, or to be loved by them.

Only in Christ are we to love God and love our fellow human beings as Christ has already loved us. And Paul loves Onesimus very much, and Philemon will love him all the more, as more than a slave, a beloved brother.

O my Father, there is so much I do not know yet of You and Your ways. Help me to follow You in what I do know so far. Strengthen me to stand my ground, on the Rock of my salvation, even in the midst of the storm.

My Father, as I obey what I know, help me to learn further truths so I can also follow You deeper into the Secrets of God. You want us to search out matters, and to connect the dots in Your Scriptures to understand more of the Big Picture.

O Father, let me share the insights You give me with others. Give me Your words, Father, to express Your ideas and Your ways to the world. Use my efforts to inform many of who You are and how much You love them, too.

Father, let every living person hear and understand to make an informed decision to follow You, or to turn away.

And every eye shall see, every knee will bow, every tongue will confess that Jesus is our Christ, the Lord God Almighty, sovereign King over all Creation; to the everlasting glory of Almighty God the Father, for ever and ever. Amen.

Even so, come quickly, Lord Jesus!

Philemon's Godliness

Philemon 4-7

Letters written in the first century, whether Christian or pagan, usually began with an expression of thanksgiving and a prayer after the salutation.

(4) I thank my God always, making mention of you in my prayers,

(5) because I hear of your love and of the faith which you have toward the Lord Jesus and toward all the saints;

Paul starts off the body of this letter with thanking God for Philemon's godliness, in his loving lifestyle toward the Lord and others.

(6) and I pray that the fellowship of your faith may become effective through the knowledge of every good thing which is in you for Christ's sake.

And his prayer is that Philemon would continue and be even more effective in his service through knowing Christ more intimately, and learning His ways.

(7) For I have come to have much joy and comfort in your love, because the hearts of the saints have been refreshed through you, brother.

Paul has been repeatedly impressed with all the expressions of Philemon's love, bringing him much joy and comfort. Paul is praying for great Christian maturity in his brother, which would find expression in Philemon's treatment of Onesimus.

O my Father, I pray for all Your children, that we may each draw closer to You in Your love, enjoying deeper intimacy with You, loving You more, and expressing this relationship with You in our dealings with one another. Teach us Your ways, to think Your thoughts, adopt Your attitudes, seeing reality with Your eyes, Father.

My Father, protect us from vulnerability to all the seductive deception that surrounds us in this world. Keep us grounded and firm in Your Truth, and bathed in Your compassionate Love, so that Your gentleness and Your meekness in Your strength will sustain us as we intermingle with the world and have dealings with them.

O Father, You are so good and so kind to us. You have told us Your great Plan of the Ages, and we are witnessing it unfold before our very eyes.

Father, we can discern that our Lord Jesus will be returning soon to this Earthly realm, because we can see all the turmoil You said would precede His coming transpiring, and all the minions of the devil stirring up hatred in the masses of people who do not know You.

Strengthen us, dear Father, to withstand the onslaught of all the evil, and after having done all, to stand.

Let our witness go out into all the nations of the world, so that every living person will hear of Your great love and provision for all of us, to rescue us.

And every eye shall see, every knee will bow, every tongue will proclaim that Jesus is our Christ, the Lord God Almighty, sovereign King over all Creation; to the everlasting glory of Almighty God the Father, for ever and ever. Amen.

Even so, come quickly, Lord Jesus!

Paul To Philemon

Philemon 1-3

The Story: Onesimus was a slave who ran away from his master, all the way to Rome, where he could get lost in the crowd. There he somehow met Paul, who was in prison there. Paul witnessed to Onesimus, who became a Christian, and turned out to be a good help to Paul.

The return of a fugitive slave was a complicated, technical procedure in Roman law by this time, so the Roman authorities may not have been aware of Onesimus' legal standing. Paul was able to arrange for the return of Onesimus to his owner, who happened to be Philemon, who Paul knew. Philemon and his family lived in Laodicea, and they and perhaps their son Archippus, hosted a local church in their home.

And in running away, Onesimus apparently stole something from his master, perhaps something he could use to buy his passage to Rome.

The reason and purpose of this letter is for Paul to intercede on behalf of Onesimus.

(1) Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus, and Timothy our brother,

Paul is obviously in prison for his faith, and he mentions Timothy as being with him, lending even more authority to this letter.

To Philemon, our beloved brother and fellow worker,

Philemon is the master of the household, and a Christian man, who is beloved by Paul and commended as a fellow worker.

(2) and to Appia our sister,

His wife Appia would have had the daily responsibility for managing the household, giving the slaves their duties and overseeing their ministration.

and to Archippus our fellow soldier,

If Archippus was their son, then he was grown and most likely had a position in their church, as a fellow soldier.

and to the church in your house:

The whole family must have participated in the church life, as they hosted the congregation in their home. It was common in the early church to hold their meetings in private homes. It wasn't until the third century that we have records of separate church buildings.

(3) Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

This is a normal greeting at the beginning of a letter in that day. Grace and Peace are both from both the Father and the Son, the Lord.

The form of the salutation here departs from Paul's other salutations, because it is a letter of commendation, and the wording is calculated to suggest that his appeal should be favorably received.

O my Father, thank You for every part of Your written Word, even this slip of a personal missive. Help us to learn Your ways, even in Paul's sensitivity and tact in this message. In loving one another, we are to treat each other with consideration and respect, allowing them to make their own decisions for which they will be accountable.

And we can encourage them to do the right thing, but allow them to make their own choice. And accept for them whatever they decide. This is not easy for us to do, so Father, help us to learn to be this way. The way You are with us.

And every eye shall see, every knee will bow, every tongue will confess that Jesus is our Christ, the Lord God Almighty, sovereign King over all Creation; to the everlasting glory of Almighty God the Father, for ever and ever. Amen.

Even so, come soon, Lord Jesus!