Week of October 30th, 2013

God Wants YOU!!

Esther 1-2:11

In today's class we launched into our study of Esther.
Now I have to confess, I was a bit surprised as I read the opening to Esther in the first two chapters.  There were some issues - such as seven days of feasting and drinking by Xerxes and his pals, Xerxes summons of the queen to come and "display her beauty" for all these men, then her refusal to do so, and then this kingdom-wide search for the most beautiful virgins to choose a new queen - these issues make me a bit uncomfortable.  I squirm in my chair as I read this stuff. Why?  I guess it's the treatment of women here.  Yet, this is a real portrait of this time and this culture and it is real history.  I think the problem is that the children's version has been my past experience.  This is the real deal.  And God doesn't sugar coat anything.  And God sometimes gives us stories and situations that make us uncomfortable.  And it's in this uncomfortable place where we learn, grow, understand, and appreciate....

We spent time placing the book of Esther on the map and on the timeline:  Persian Empire, and probably about 479BC.

Then we took a small diversion.  We must take a moment to compare Ruth and Esther.  We just finished Ruth.  And we're beginning Esther.... and there are very big differences between the two!!  

Check this out:
In the Book of Ruth, there are at least 37 references to God.

In the Book of Esther, there are none.

In the Book of Ruth, we see famine, harvests and life in a simple rural community.

In the book of Esther, we see life in a Royal Palace where oppulence and luxury and excess rule.

The book of Ruth begins with famine and 3 deaths, and ends with the birth of King David.

The book of Esther begins with a King’s Feast, and ends with the death of 75,000 enemies of the Jews.

The book of Ruth features a Gentile woman who marries a Jewish man - and who is then used by God in the ancestry of Israel’s greatest king, king David, and she then becomes part of the genealogy of Jesus.

The Book of Esther features a Jewish woman who marries a Gentile and ends up preserving the Jewish race.

The 2 books in the Bible named after women.  2 very different stories - different times - different settings and very different plots!  

Whether we are simple rural women or women in palaces, GOD IS AT WORK.

Whatever your circumstances, whatever YOUR situation, God wants to use you.  God wants to impact others through you.  God can even use you to change the course of history.  

Even Vashti is important here. Did you know she is seen by many as a heroine for women's rights?

Vashti's refusal to obey the summons of her drunken husband has been admired as heroic in many interpretations of the Book of Esther. We admire Vashti's principle and courage. Even Harriet Beecher Stowe called Vashti's disobedience the "first stand for women's rights."  

Now onto Esther. Chapter 2

The kingdom-wide search for the most beautiful virgin to become the new queen end with Esther. A Jewish orphan girl who is being raised by her cousin Mordecai. Mordecai, and the fact that Esther is a Jew, will be important as we move ahead in this story.

v11 “Every day he walked back and forth near the courtyard of the harem to find out how Esther was and what was happening to her”.

As we leave Esther today, I hope you see WOMEN - despite not being in the forefront of ancient history and arguably in many parts of the world today not having the same rights or positions of authority as men - we can take hope!  

NO MATTER WHAT OUR POSITION….be it queen, widow, farm girl, housewife, banker, lawyer, actress, doctor, it doesn’t matter what your profession or situation is - YOU ARE IMPORTANT and GOD WANTS TO USE YOU FOR HIS KINGDOM GOOD.  God has a plan for you!  

In this first part of Esther, we see a Greedy, selfish, arrogant king...Yet WE HAVE a humble, loving compassionate God - the one true God….our God is good and holy and righteous.  And God can use any of us to change the course of history.  We are that important.  

Some extra questions for thought:

How do you feel as you read this first part of Esther?

Why do you think Queen Vashti refused to obey the King's command? Do you feel it was disobedience to the King or protection for herself of simply her own stubbornness?

Do you know what happens to Vashti after this? Is she banished from the kingdom forever? Or does she retain some power, and how?

How do you feel about the King and his advisors plan to find a new queen?

What do we know about Ether so far in this story?

How might God use events or circumstances in your life for his greater good?

God is our Redeemer - week of October 16th

Lesson 4

Ruth Marries Boaz

NO CLASS NEXT WEEK ON OCT 23rd!!

We will see you on October 30th as we begin Esther.

We have completed the book of Ruth!  This short love story is so much more than meets the eye.  Is it short, but there is SO much in this story.  It appears to be a love story, but there is SO much more than a love story going on!!

We began by briefly discussing "the encounter" on the threshing floor.  There's a bit of mystery here.  It seems so strange for us, from our cultural point of reference and our time in history.  However, for THIS time and THIS culture, it was completely acceptable and part of a plan that Naomi had been contemplating for some time.  

A couple of reasons why this encounter not only makes sense but also was not of a physical nature:

First, Boaz is an older man.  He probably does not see Ruth as "in his league" (v10 "you have not run after the younger men"). He often remarks on her "noble character".

And, he knew of the 1st in-line kinsman - he obviously has given this some thought and has been contemplating Ruth and a potential relationship with her.

For Ruth, she is a widow.

She has been married before, and any woman who finds herself either divorced or widowed and interested in marrying again will certainly look at marriage with different eyes, not the fleeting attraction that youth might seek.  

She has seen the beautiful caring protection and provision that Boaz can provide, and felt flattered and honored (2:10 "why have I found such favor in your eyes?")

These reasons are part of the picture of how this encounter on the threshing floor makes sense.  Naomi wanted Ruth to be very clear to Boaz about her desire.  Boaz had already shown his wilingness to provide for Ruth when she was in his fields. Boaz probably finds Ruth to be out of his league, and knows that there is a kinsman redeemer 1st in line before him.  Also, it has been threshing time, so he would not have been able to deal with this matter.

So, Ruth is there, very clear about her intentions - saying, "I am interested in you"….what courage that must have taken.  She waits for the response.  Will he reject her or redeem her?

NOW setback.  v12 There is another who is closer than I.  Boaz commits by oath to redeem her and to follow the law and even supplies her with grain (a generous gift).

Honorable MAN, that Boaz! I don't think this scene would play out in much popular culture, which makes it all the more precious.  Which is why anytime a man says, we can wait, THAT is the kind of guy you want - not a yes, now, me first, my needs kind of guy....

I wonder if you have ever experienced setbacks or times when God has said WAIT.  It is for our blessing.  And it is for our protection.  Our good.  Can you think of times in your life when you have had to wait or had a setback, but later you see God's blessing in that?  Maybe you feel like God has you in a waiting period right now!!  Can you trust him with his perfect timing???

On to Chapter 4: Ruth did not have to wait long.  The very next day, as promised, Boaz went to the town gate (which was the place of all formal business, the town hall so to speak, for business and legal transactions).

Naomi needs a male family member to "redeem" her land - and the closest male relative to Elimelech is the first in line to do so.  He does not have a name, but in v 4 "I will do it" but when he learns about Ruth the Moabite, he then says I cannot redeem it, for fear of endangering my own estate"v6.  So Boaz, who apparently has no hiers or members of his family who would be displaced, perhaps he lost his wife and children (not unusual in those times) gets his chance.  Then they do the sandal thing/in front of witnesses/etc  and the people pronounce their blessing upon the transaction:  may you be like Rachel & Leah, Perez etc..

And who do we see a picture of at the end of this story?  Naomi.  Yes, Naomi is the one perhaps whose joy is most complete "Naomi has a son"! verse 4:16

Now the theme here: Redemption.  Let's talk a bit more about this idea of "redeeming Ruth".  Just what is it to redeem a person?  For Ruth, it saved her, gave her new life, gave her family - including Naomi - new life and property rights, continued the line of Elimelech and Naomi.

The idea of a kinsman redeemer is directly connected to the idea of Redemption in the NT.

Redeem=

verb  Always takes an object.  You can't just say "I redeem".  We redeem SOMETHING>

1 compensate for the faults or bad aspects of:

2gain or regain possession of (something) in exchange for payment:

3fulfil or carry out (a pledge or promise):

Well, When we were in Sainsburys this past weekend, after checking out with our groceries, my receipt said I had a certain amount of Nectar points and I could redeem them for more than 40£ of value.  I thought, I’d better redeem these points soon.  I had not even realized I had those points!

If I gave you all a voucher today, and said this voucher is good for a free meal in the cafe.  Now, that is a nice gift.  You’d think, great, a free meal!  I don't have to cook.  Wonderful.  

But is the end?  NO.  You must take action.  You have to physically GO to the cafe, present the voucher, and the person at the counter must accept it.  It is a transaction.  It is not passive.  Some people might not redeem their voucher for the free lunch.  Some people might be too busy.  Some people might say, I'm not hungry.  Some people might be too proud (I dont need a lunch, I have my own lunch thank you).  Some people might go and look at the menu and decide they don't like the offerings.

All of these people then, have something that goes to waste.

And so it is with Christ.  

He has given each of us a voucher.

Each of you has that voucher.  All of us have the opportunity to redeem it.  But we must feel the need to do so. You must take action!

John 1:12 To all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God

2 Corinthians 5:17 Anyone who is joined to Christ is a new being, the old is gone, the new has gone!

Ephesians 2:8-10 For it is by God's grace that you have been saved, through faith.  It is not the result of your own efforts, but God's gift, so that no one can boast about it"

Each of us has a free voucher from God.  We can present it to him, admitting our need (that we are sinners) and humbly coming to his feet, like Ruth did to Boaz.  It takes courage to do this.  Pride must be put aside.  The action must come from YOU.  Otherwise God doesn't know you are interested!  

Boaz redeems Ruth.  Through their marriage, Naomi is also redeemed, because now she has gone from emptiness to fullness, she has gone from destitution to security and hope.  Ruth's great-grandson, The Great King David, redeems Israel to peace and prosperity in the early days of Solomon.  The ultimate redeemer, we know, follows this genealogy and is called "Son of David" - he fulfilled prophecy and will to bring US to rest.  To redeem us.  To redeem you and Me!!

Have you redeemed your voucher?

Have you been humble enough to lay at the feet of Jesus and ask him to redeem you?

If yes, then thank him!! Thank him for being your redeemer!  For filling your emptiness, for protection and provision!!  If not, I say, do it today!!  Do not let that voucher go unredeemed.  Do not wait any longer.

I hope that you can see now, at the end of Ruth, that ALL of Ruth was more than a love story.  It was about redemption for us.

Week of Oct 9th "Ruth meets Boaz"

Lesson 3
Ruth Meets Boaz
Ruth 2-3:5
GOD IS OUR PROVIDER

This week we reviewed the beautiful masterpiece found in 1:16-17, then dove into the study of Chapter 2 and the first few verses of Chapter 3.

We get a new feeling here.  It is scene two in our drama, and what a change in scenery.
Scene one included death, famine, travel, depression, separation, loss, bitterness, poverty...
Scene two is something altogether different: barley harvest (abundance), hope (Naomi's new perspective), protection (Boaz protects Ruth), honorable sacrifice (Ruth taking risks by going to glean for her and Naomi's welfare).

Ruth suffers from the weight of being a Moabite woman in Israel, a widow, poor, really having no status - and alone except for Naomi.  YET she is honorable, virtuous, hard-working, confident, obedient.

In fields gleaning barley, she is noticed by Boaz, the landowner, who is also from the clan of Elimelech, and therefore one of the kinsman-redeemers.  Boaz, being a Godly man, takes interest in her welfare, offering her drink, food, protection, and blessings.

Ruth took great risk in going to glean, during the time of the Judges, when "everyone did what was right in their own eyes" - she could have been insulted or harmed.

Boaz, as an honorable man, kept an honorable workplace.  He protected and respected his workers.  We can be sure that this was not the case in all of the fields in the area at this time in history - a time of lawlessness.  So just the fact that Ruth is in Boaz's fields shows how God protects His followers.  Our sovereign God not only arranges for Ruth and Naomi's welfare, but beyond that, He plays the role of matchmaker to ensure the continuation of the lineage in the family - one that we know becomes very important indeed.

Some further optional questions:
--Have you ever noticed God working in your circumstances?  Have you ever said, this is more than a "coincidence"?  If not, take a close look, God is working through you, in what may seem like random details of your life, He is there.

--In what ways do you care for God's people - those who have needs?

--In what ways do you show gratitude towards those who provide for you or offer you protection?

--What similarities can you draw between Boaz and Jesus, our redeemer?

--Would you have the courage to do as Ruth?  To respond, as she does in verse 5 "I will do whatever you say"?  Why or why not?

This week's homework will conclude our study of Ruth!

Week of October 2nd

Just a note that this week's homework (Lesson 3) is a bit longer than the first two lessons - three pages of questions.  May you be blessed as we continue to learn from Ruth and Naomi!!

 Lesson 2 Ruth 1:15-22

This past week's lesson involved only seven verses.  BUT OH, the depth of those precious words from our holy book!
We studied Ruth 1:15-22.  This short passage of scripture contains so much for us to examine.
First of all, we see Orpah leaving - "going back to her gods and her people".  Immediately in verse 15 we see that Orpah is making her choice partially based on her religious beliefs.  She is going back to HER GODS.
Ruth, in contrast, does not choose this path.  She chooses the road that will lead her to complete reliance, trust and faith in the one true God, the God of Israel.  And she does this without anger.  In contrast, she does this with her chin up, her eyes fixed upon the God of Heaven.
All three women are facing dire circumstances.  They have nothing; they are destitute and poor.  Historically, at that time, women could rely only on men's protection and property for their well-being.  Naomi has no male family members remaining, therefore she is essentially cut off from society.  Yet, Ruth clings to her. 

Some extra insight from

Henri Rossier...

Naomi's daughters-in-law accompany her, moved by the thought of returning with her to her people (Ru 1:10). But this good intention is not enough, for nothing less than faith will do in order to enter into relationship with grace. The behavior of Orpah and of Ruth illustrates this principle. In appearance there is no difference at all between them. Both leave with Naomi and walk with her, thus demonstrating their attachment to her. Orpah's affection is real: she weeps at the mere thought of leaving her mother-in-law; and full of sympathy, sheds still more tears when she finally leaves her. Orpah, the Moabite, also loves Naomi's people: “They said to her, We will certainly return with thee to thy people.” But it is possible to have a very amiable character without having faith. Faith makes a gulf between these two women who are so similar in so many ways. Confronted with impossibilities, the natural heart draws back, whereas faith is nourished on impossibilities and so increases in strength. Orpah gives up a path which has no outcome. What could Naomi offer her? She was ruined, stricken by God, and filled with bitterness; did she yet have sons in her womb to give as husbands to her daughters-in-law? Orpah kisses her mother-in-law and returns to her people and to her gods (Ru 1:15).

Here at last the secret of the natural heart is unveiled. The natural heart may attach itself to God's people without actually belonging to this people. A woman like Naomi surely is worthy of awakening sympathy, but that is not the sign of faith in operation. In the first place faith separates us from idols, causes us to give up our gods, and turns us to the true God. This was the Thessalonians' first step in the path of faith, too (1Th 1:9-note). Orpah on the contrary turns away from Naomi and the God of Israel in order to return to her people and her gods. Confronted by this difficulty, she shows that she is unable to endure the test. She indeed weeps as she leaves, but she does leave, just like that charming young man who went away sad, unable to decide to separate himself from his possessions in order to follow a poor and despised Master.

Ruth's case is quite different. What precious faith she displays: full of certainty, resolution, and decision! No objection can change her mind. How clearly faith sees its goal! She listens to Naomi's words but her decision has been made, for she knows only one path, which for her is the necessary path. What are nature's impossibilities before faith's necessities? Ruth neither allows herself to be deterred by the prospect of not finding another husband, nor even by the Lord's hand stretched out against her mother-in-law; in the obstacles that mount up she sees only so many new reasons for clinging to her decision. Naomi is everything to Ruth, and Ruth cleaves to Naomi.

For me, the most stunning, inspiring, BEAUTIFUL words in this passage are found in verses 16-17!

"Entreat me not to leave you or return from following you; for where you go I will go, and where you lodge I will lodge; your people shall be my people and your God my God; where you die I will die and there will I be buried. May the Lord do so to me and more also if even death parts me from you."

The more I re-read these words the more amazing they become. Ruth's commitment to Naomi is simply mind-boggling, it really doesn't make sense for her to feel this way - this is how we KNOW it is God! She is deserting her homeland, leaving for a country she does not know, with no husband, and she is professing a radical loyalty to her destitute mother-in-law!   "Where you die I will die and there be buried" (v. 17). In other words, she will never return home, not even if Naomi dies.

BEST of all is this: "Your God will be my God" (v. 16). Naomi has just said in verse 13, "The hand of the Lord has gone forth against me." Naomi is bitter, angry, alone. Yet Ruth puts all her trust in Naomi's God, she sees beyond the anger that Naomi expresses, Ruth sees a hope, she sees a future, she trusts in the one true God.  Her faith here is all-inspiring, truly awesome, a real testament to her character.  Something for all of us to strive for - to have absolute faith and a positive hope in the worst of times.

Some optional questions for further consideration:
Do you think Ruth's commitment and loyalty is commonly seen in people today?
Why or why not?
Do you feel that our culture encourages a faith in God in the toughest of times, or does it rather encourage us to look to blame others, express our anger, and embrace bitterness?
How do you respond to God when there has been great suffering in your life?
What will you do today to prepare yourself to follow Ruth's example in any future difficult circumstances?