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May 7, 2009
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=========================== TODAY'S ARTICLE ==========================
What Difference Can One Make?, by Phil Ware
I'm just a nobody ... yes, that's the pigeon hole so many want to
make me fit -- just a little nobody, from nowhere, stuck in this
place that's not my home.
It doesn't feel like any of my concerns matter to anyone. My
opinion doesn't really matter. No one in high places cares about
what is important to me. To be honest, nobody in low places really
cares either.
People talk about their careers, their spouses, their homes, and
their children. I'm not even sure how I'm supposed to join the
conversation. I've lost everything that matters -- home, husband,
boys, country, and dignity. It's just too painful to even think
about those things.
I would like to believe that my life matters -- that God has a
purpose for me in His grand scheme of things -- but in the current
moment and the painful mess of my life, it's just too hard to
believe that could be true.
I've been told many times that I'm just bitter. I guess I've begun
to believe it. In fact, I've told folks to just call me
"Bitterness" -- but my real name is Naomi and all I have left in my
life is one daughter-in-law. Just Ruth. That's all I've got left
... just Ruth.
Can one person, especially one old woman who has lost everything,
really make a difference in the world? Can she really make a difference
in God's grand scheme of things?
Naomi reminds us that a faithful woman can change everything! God made
sure we could know this truth by providing a beautiful story He made
into a book in the Bible. The story is not really about Naomi, but
about her daughter-in-law. This daughter-in-law is named Ruth.
Naomi and her husband, Elimelek, were forced to leave their home and
move to a foreign land because they could not feed their family during
a severe famine in their homeland. In this foreign land, they had to
speak a foreign language and live with people who worshiped false gods.
Naomi and her husband along with their two sons, Mahlon and Kilion
worked as migrant farmers. Over time, the two sons married foreign
daughters. Then, Elimelek and his two sons died, leaving Naomi and her
daughters-in-law, widows. Kinfolks bound together by grief and loss,
but not much else.
In those times, widows, especially foreign widows, had no support.
These three women were alone, destitute, and without hope. So Naomi set
out to return home to the place she had left. She encouraged her
daughters-in-law to return to their families, and one did. But the
other, Ruth, spoke words of loyalty, faithfulness, and grace to Naomi:
But Ruth replied, "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. Where 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" (Ruth 1:16-17
TNIV).
These two women, broken by life but tied to each other by love,
returned to Naomi's home. And yes, Naomi was bitterness personified.
She had lost her home, her husband, and her two boys. Her only real tie
to life was Ruth, who now found herself in a foreign land. Because God
required His people to care for the hungry, even if they were
foreigners among them, Ruth was able to take care of Naomi. It was hard
and dangerous work, but Ruth did it to provide for her mother-in-law.
Before long, Ruth's faithfulness and beauty caught the eye of godly man
named Boaz, who made sure Ruth was provided ample opportunity to
provide for Naomi and also made sure she was protected from those who
might abuse her. Ruth was surprised by such grace and tenderness:
She asked him, "Why have I found such favor in your eyes that you
notice me -- a foreigner?"
Boaz replied, "I've been told all about what you have done for your
mother-in-law since the death of your husband -- how you left your
father and mother and your homeland and came to live with a people
you did not know before. May the LORD repay you for what you have
done. May you be richly rewarded by the LORD, the God of Israel,
under whose wings you have come to take refuge"
(Ruth 2:10-12).
Naomi's bitterness began to sweeten as she saw God's hand at work in
her life and in the faithfulness of Ruth. Ruth, through a bit of
romantic scheming and faithful living, was admired by Boaz and
ultimately became his wife:
"The LORD bless you, my daughter," he replied. "This kindness is
greater than that which you showed earlier: You have not run after
the younger men, whether rich or poor. And now, my daughter, don't
be afraid. I will do for you all you ask. All the people of my town
know that you are a woman of noble character (Ruth 3:10-11).
Not only did Ruth and Boaz marry, but the LORD God blessed them with a
child. The story ends with Naomi, the one who was once nicknamed
"Bitterness," being blessed by a grandchild. The story ends with these
sweet words:
Then Naomi took the child in her arms and cared for him. The women
living there said, "Naomi has a son!" And they named him Obed. He
was the father of Jesse, the father of David (Ruth 4:16-17).
Yes, Naomi's great-great-grandson was the great King David. Something
unimaginable when all of life was broken and she had lost everyone dear
to her, except Ruth. And many years later, because of the faithful love
of Ruth in times of her own unspeakable grief and hardship, God would
send His Messiah, whom we know as Jesus (Matthew 1:5-6).
Does one person matter?
Does one woman's decision to be faithful when it looks like God has
abandoned her really matter?
Can a poor wife of a foreign sharecropper who follows her bitter
mother-in-law back to live in a foreign land make a difference?
Go to a manger in Bethlehem and ask the shepherds and the angels; and
they will tell you, "Yes!"
Go find a bunch of stargazers from Iran who traveled across a desert
following a star looking for the King of the Jews, and they will tell
you, "Yes!"
Go ask old Ms. Bitterness herself, a powerless widow named Naomi so
broken by life and grief, and she will shout, "Yes!"
What does this life-story teach us?
Go stand before the throne of mercy and grace, have the King of Kings
wipe every tear from your eyes, and see the Lamb of God, and you, too,
will shout, "Yes!"
----------------------------------------------------------------------
LIFE Questions:
These are questions designed for you to discuss with others in a small
group, house church, friendship circle, or share with our
Heartlight.org community on the blog. I'd love to hear from you:
http://thephilfiles.com -- and on the blog, you will find a series of
free, beautiful Scripture graphics that help you tell the story of Ruth
in images.
Be sure and read the book of Ruth in preparation for the following
discussion questions!
What strikes you most powerfully about the story of Naomi and Ruth?
What are your favorite verses in this life-story?
What would a woman in Naomi's position -- a foreigner and impoverished
widow who has lost her two sons and has no family in the land -- have
to face in ancient times?
What would she face today?
God demanded that his people not harvest the corners of their land or
pick up anything they dropped when they harvested so the poor could
come and pick it up. Why would this be important for Naomi and Ruth?
Why do you believe that God made sure this life-story, and this foreign
woman who was so faithful (Ruth), was included both in a book in the
Bible and also in the lineage of King David and also of Jesus?
What does this life-story teach us about not giving up in our grief,
brokenness, despair, and bitterness?
What does this teach us about how we should feel about aliens and
foreigners in our land?
What does this teach us about being faithful to those in our family
even when they are difficult to get along with?
If you were to summarize the message of Ruth in one sentence, in terms
of what God is saying to you in this life-story, what would it be?
---------
(c) 2009 Phil Ware <phil@heartlight.org>. All rights reserved.
RELATED LINKS:
* Loyalty
http://www.heartlight.org/cgi-shl/todaysverse.cgi?day=20000116
* I Want You to Stay with Me Forever and Ever
http://www.heartlight.org/articles/200012/20001206_forever.html
* The View from a Troubled Heart
http://www.heartlight.org/articles/200807/20080722_view.html
* Southern Hills Church of Christ
http://www.southernhillschurch.org
This article can be found on the web at:
http://www.heartlight.org/articles/200905/20090507_one.html
=========================== FEATURED PRODUCT =========================
LESSONS FROM A SHEEP DOG: A TRUE STORY OF TRANSFORMING LOVE, by Phillip Keller
Allow yourself to see Biblical truth in this classic tale of what can
happen when you yield to the Master.
http://shopping.heartlight.org/cgi-shl/link?250
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