Archive for November, 2007

DEVOTION 6

November 29, 2007 · Filed under DEVOTIONAL MATERIALS

 

SUPERNATURAL PROVISION

Get thee hence, and turn thee eastward, and hide thyself by the brook Cherith that is before the Jordan. And it shall be, that thou shalt drink of the brook; and I have commanded the ravens to feed thee there 1Ki 17:3, 4 (ASV)

One of the world’s greatest missionary Hudson Taylor made a profound statement confirming the unquestionable providence of God in the life of His people. He said “the work of God done in God’s way will never lack God’s supply”. Christians are serving a God whose riches surpass the fathom of mortal man.

Elijah as a typical replica of God’s graciousness was called by God in a time of apostasy re the life of the Israelites. He was also called during the reign of the most vulnerable king whose reign was indirectly operated by a woman called Jezebel. God who is omniscient knew the heart of Ahab and Jezebel that they will plan to assassinate His servant the Prophet so He commanded Elijah to “hide himself” vrs. 3. This greatly stresses on God’s supernatural love for His servants who stands in the gap for Him to use them for His glory. God sent Elijah to predict the drought and Elijah irrespective of the danger appending this mission call obeyed the voice of God.

Obedience on the part of men attracts divine protection and providence on the part of God

We are called as “sheep in the midst of wolves” and this expresses the encroachment of danger. Risk our lives to satiate God’s will and what He pleases worth more than spending life in blissfulness outside the will of God. At first the king may have spurned the prediction as the utterance of a vain enthusiast; but when he found the drought did last and increase in severity, he sought Elijah, who, as it was necessary that he should be far removed from either the violence or the importunities of the king, was divinely directed to repair to a place of retreat, perhaps a cave on “the brook Cherith, that is, before [east of] Jordan.”

Elijah is the only Prophet who miraculously was fed my ravens and this episode has created a bone of contention among scholars who are famished enough to decry God’s supernatural abilities and they jump to the conclusions that the word “ravens” is figurative and symbolic. The fact remains that, God promised Elijah about the presence of the ravens and it did happen just as God predicted. This is a passage that reveals God’s intervention on behalf of His children who say YES to His call and beckoning.

The God who sends has the ability to provide the necessary logistics that will espouse His missionaries.

If you are called by God and you feel that it’s a tall order you are right, but the God who called or is calling you is ALL ABLE to supernaturally provide you with all that you need, including your safety.

Leave a comment »

DEVOTION 5

November 15, 2007 · Filed under DEVOTIONAL MATERIALS

2474525575.jpg

SPRING, A TIME FOR WAR

It was now spring, the time when kings go to war. David sent out the whole Israelite army under the command of Joab and his officers. They destroyed the Ammonite army and surrounded the capital city of Rabbah, but David stayed in Jerusalem. Late one afternoon, David got up from a nap and was walking around on the flat roof of his palace. A beautiful young woman was down below in her courtyard, bathing as her religion required and David happened to see her 2Sa 11:1,2 – CONTEMPORARY ENGLISH VERSION (CEV).

David as a King had been noted for his military prowess and adepts. God gave him ample rest from all his toils because he lived to please the Lord. This verse in 2 Samuel explicates to us that, David neglected his function as a king in wars and patently, it is identified in scripture that, the kings go for war in spring-that is harvest time. It was a proper season for war and this was the time David rested on his laurels. By virtue that he was surrounded by able hands who were strong to execute his wars for him, he tarried in the house.

According to the Targum, this was the month Adar or February, the spring of the year and it is a fit time to go out to war; when, as the Jewish commentators observe, the rains were over, and there were grass in the fields, and fruit on the trees, and corn ripe, and so food for horse and men.

Please let us try to map out the occasion which spelled David’s doom:

· He deserted his godly responsibility: This was the kiros moment he should have been abroad with his military army in the field, fighting the battles of the Lord for the children of Israel because that was the reason he was chosen and elected by God; as Christians, we are called to break the chains of darkness and set the oppressed free from the devils cohorts. A neglect of business on our part will give the devil a foot stool to maneuver his way through our loopholes and endanger our lives and ministries. We must pray hard for the weapons of our warfare are not carnal as it was in the time of David; we are called to wrestle against principalities and powers and by reason of this we must be ready in season and out of season with prayer and the our studies of the word of God. He devolved the care upon others, and he himself stayed in Jerusalem, 2Sam. 11:1. Had he been now at his post at the head of his forces, he would have been out of the way of this temptation. When we are strayed out of the way of our god given functions, we are in the way of temptation.

· He built monuments around passing ease and comforts and an over indulgence of a slothful attitude: He got up from a nap one afternoon, 2Sa_11:2. He basked in slothfulness and idleness which ultimately he should have spent this precious moment for his own improvement or the good of others via being of a good service to God in his calling. David was a man of prayer, but here, we see him dividing his ranks of identity and putting on the rags of uncertainty and idleness which became a catalyst for his incapacity. He used to pray, not only morning and evening, but at noon, in the day of his trouble: it is to be feared he had, this noon, omitted to do so. Redundancy gives great advantage to the tempter to preempt our responsibilities in causing us to clutch at straw. Still waters untouched gather debris and waste. The corridors of redundancy bespeaks of the arena of lasciviousness.

· A wandering eye: “He happened to see her. The sin of adultery and promiscuity came in at his eye, as Eve’s did. Perhaps he sought to see her naked body after his eyes beheld her naked body, at least he should have practiced according to his own prayer, Turn away my eyes from beholding vanity, and his son’s caution in a like case, Look not thou on the wine it is red. Either he had not, like Job, made a covenant with his eyes, or, at this time, he had forgotten it.

We as Christians must be admonished and exhorted by the negative deeds of David to seek for the right path unto righteousness. We are called into a life of beatitudes if we will be up and doing fulfilling what God pleases. We must stay clear of slothfulness and redeem the time for the days are evil. David couldn’t redeem his precious time by be up to the task but he allowed the adversary to step over the boundaries of his disciplined life and that was the starting point of his misery and melancholy.

Leave a comment »

DITTY 5

November 15, 2007 · Filed under DITTYS

3516735852.jpg

IS DAVID THE FIRST KING OF ISRAEL? WHY OR WHY NOT?

David is NOT the first king of Israel biblically or historically but Saul was. Many scholars have their bases of accepting the very fact that David was the first king because he became a king after God’s own heart. This reason doesn’t in any way nullify the very premise that Saul was the first officially crowned king of Israel. Though it is supposedly believed that David was a lad or even not born when Saul became king, but if God really wanted him to be the FIRST KING, He would have made provision for that.

Saul, from the Hebrew word pronounced shaw-ool, meaning asked, was the son of Kish, of the tribe of Benjamin. He was the first king of all of the tribes of Israel (the kingdom later split into “Israel” and “Judah” after the death of Solomon. Saul’s reign, a pivotal time in Bible History, is dated from approximately from 1010 B.C.

Saul was chosen the first king of Israel after the sons, and potential successors, of the high priest Samuel were rejected by the people as corrupt (1 Samuel 8:1-9). God permitted the establishment of the monarchy, but in speaking to Samuel, The Lord said of it:

“Hearken to the voice of the people in all that they say to you; for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected Me from being king over them. According to all the deeds which they have done to Me, from the day I brought them up out of Egypt even to this day, forsaking Me and serving other gods, so they are also doing to you. Now then, hearken to their voice; only, you shall solemnly warn them, and show them the ways of the king who shall reign over them.” (1 Samuel 8:7-9 RSV)

After being selected by God (1 Samuel 9:15-17), Saul was secretly anointed by Samuel (1 Samuel 10:1) before being publicly chosen by lot:

“Now Samuel called the people together to The Lord at Mizpah; and he said to the people of Israel, “Thus says The Lord, the God of Israel, ‘I brought up Israel out of Egypt, and I delivered you from the hand of the Egyptians and from the hand of all the kingdoms that were oppressing you.’ But you have this day rejected your God, who saves you from all your calamities and your distresses; and you have said, ‘No! but set a king over us.’ Now therefore present yourselves before The Lord by your tribes and by your thousands.”

“Then Samuel brought all the tribes of Israel near, and the tribe of Benjamin was taken by lot. He brought the tribe of Benjamin near by its families, and the family of the Matrites was taken by lot; finally he brought the family of the Matrites near man by man, and Saul the son of Kish was taken by lot. But when they sought him, he could not be found. So they inquired again of The Lord, “Did the man come hither?” and The Lord said, “Behold, he has hidden himself among the baggage.”

“Then they ran and fetched him from there; and when he stood among the people, he was taller than any of the people from his shoulders upward. And Samuel said to all the people, “Do you see him whom The Lord has chosen? There is none like him among all the people.” And all the people shouted, “Long live the king!” (1 Samuel 10:17-24 RSV)Anointing by oil is the ONLY sign which distinguishes someone from being an ordinary person to being a KING in those times. If Saul wasn’t the first king as some scholars believe, God wouldn’t have commanded the Prophet Samuel to anoint him.

Saul’s kingship was firmly established upon his victory at Jabesh-Gilead, after which he was proclaimed king at Gilgal (1 Samuel 11:1-15). Following initial successes, Saul soon began making a series of very serious blunders, beginning with the offering of a sacrifice, which was to be performed only by the priests (1 Samuel 13:9-12) (see Levites). It was this foolish and presumptuous disobedience to God that cost him the kingship, which would later be taken over by King David:

“And Samuel said to Saul, “You have done foolishly; you have not kept the commandment of The Lord your God, which He commanded you; for now The Lord would have established your kingdom over Israel for ever. But now your kingdom shall not continue; The Lord has sought out a man after His own heart; and The Lord has appointed him to be prince over His people, because you have not kept what The Lord commanded you.” (1 Samuel 13:13-14 RSV)

Saul’s behavior then further degenerated from unwise to outright insane, including ordering his military forces to go without food until they had defeated the enemy, and attempting to have his own victorious son Jonathan executed for disregarding the foolish order (1 Samuel 14:24-45). Saul’s continued bizarre behavior and disregard of God’s instructions resulted in the kingship being taken from him and transferred to David:

“The Lord said to Samuel, “How long will you grieve over Saul, seeing I have rejected him from being king over Israel? Fill your horn with oil, and go; I will send you to Jesse the Bethlehemite, for I have provided for Myself a king among his sons.” (1 Samuel 16:1 RSV)

Saul remained king for the time needed for the youthful David to prepare and mature. It was during this period that the incident between David And Goliath occurred (1 Samuel 17:1-58), after which David served the king in his palace, becoming a very good friend of Saul’s son Jonathan. Saul’s jealousy at the sight of David’s military success and popularity with the people resulted Saul’s trying to murder David with a spear while he was playing the harp (1 Samuel 19:9-10) (in illustration), after which David became a fugitive from the king.

In yet another failure in judgment and obedience to God, Saul consulted the witch of Endor (see Witches And Sorcerers) in which his doom was predicted by an apparent appearance by the dead Samuel (1 Samuel 28:4-25). Saul died during a battle with the Philistines the very next day (1 Samuel 31:1-13).Prophet Samuel to the house of Jesse to anoint a successor at God’s direction. When David his youngest son appears, God tells Samuel to anoint him.David’s qualities “after the Lord’s own heart” are perhaps best displayed in the famous contest with Goliath. The people of Israel are confronted by their enemies, the Philistines, and are terrified of their champion, Goliath. Goliath is huge and carries overwhelming military technology. He is the ancient equivalent of the Terminator and calls for a single combat to decide the battle. David, still a shepherd, is bringing provisions for his brothers in the Israelite army. He is dismayed by Israel’s fear of Goliath. King Saul hears of David’s attitude and sends for him. When David offers to fight in single combat, Saul dismisses the idea as a joke. But, as a shepherd, David has learned to trust God in the face of terrifying opposition.

David could only ascend on the throne as a king after the death of the first king, Saul.

REFERENCES:

Handbook on the Historical books: Joshua, Judges, Ruth, Samuel, Kings, Chronicles, Ezra-Nehemiah, Esther, V Hamilton, Baker Bookhouse Company (2001)

The David Story: A translation with commentary of 1 and 2 Samuel, Robert Alter, W W Norton (2000)

Samuel, Sidney Brichto, Sinclair-Stevenson (2000) – a translation into colloquial English of the book of Samuel

Leave a comment »

DEVOTION 4

November 9, 2007 · Filed under DEVOTIONAL MATERIALS

(Yahoo Images)

A TRANSFORMED HEART
And it was so, that, when he had turned his back to go from Samuel, God gave him another heart: and all those signs came to pass that day 1Samuel 10:9 (ASV)

After the unique meeting with the Prophet, Samuel, something unique and conspicuous began to happen in the life of this seemingly susceptible king to be. For my money, the expression “and God gave him another heart” can be A pregnant expression for “God changed him, and gave him another heart”. When God desires to use someone, the only place the change happens first is the heart of hearts of the entity to be used. We see here in this episode that, Saul experienced a great transformation principally in HIS HEART. He had a change of vision and burden. Irrespective the way we see ourselves during God’s call for us to be used by Him, He has the power to transform you into the object He meet or fit for His use. We practically observe this in all the life of the Patriarchs used by God. God made them go through experiences whereby He single handedly develop their inner strengths to endure and pan out in their callings.

God foresaw the physical and emotional frame work with which he had at his disposals and He taught it wise to implant in him the features and qualities which will invariably enable him to be up and doing re His agenda for Israel. He gave him such virtues as were fitting for a king.

God gave him another heart – This transformation in the heart in the case of Saul was not in a moral or spiritual sense, not a new heart, and a new spirit, as in conversion, but in a civil sense, a right heart, a heart fit for government; filled with sagacity and discretion to rule a nation and a separated people; with audacity and high-mindedness to protect and defend them against their enemies, and fight for them; this was a transformed heart not taken up with the affairs of husbandry, with care for his father’s asses, and looking after his herds, but filled with concern for the civil welfare of Israel, and with schemes and contrivances for their good, and with warm resolutions to deliver them out of the hands of their enemies. In our case as Christians, God transform us with the presence of the Holy Spirit to empower us for the propagation of the Gospel to the ends of the earth. If Saul is transformed for warfare against the enemies of Israel, then we are transformed also by God for warfare against the machination and orchestration of the enemy to sidetrack the elect from winning souls for God’s Kingdom.

Saul experienced a new fire which was spurred up in his heart, such as he had never before been au fait with: His seeking heart for the asses of his father was striped off out of his mind, and he thinks of nothing but fighting the Philistines, redressing the grievances of Israel, making laws, administering justice, and providing for the public safety; these are the things that now fill his head. He finds himself raised to such a pitch of boldness and bravery as he never thought he should be conscious of. He has no longer the heart of a husbandman, which is low, and mean, and narrow, and concerned only about his corn and cattle; but the heart of a statesman, a general, a prince. Whom God calls to any service he will make fit for it. If he advance to another station, he will give another heart, to those who sincerely desire to serve him with their power.

Leave a comment »

DITTY 4

November 9, 2007 · Filed under DITTYS

IS THE BOOK OF SAMUEL PRO-MONARCHY OR ANTI-MONARCHY? WHY/WHY NOT?
The book of Samuel is a book which unreservedly accentuates on the concept anti-Monarchy which was dealt with by the author explicitly in the 8th chapter of 1 Samuel. For my money, God had it in mind and in the records to rule over His own people without a crash of relying on human rulership like the other nations. I am banking on the books anti-monarchy because that is what the book asserts and affirms. Many scholars root for Isaiah being the writer of the book of Samuel and I attests to this fact because, the book it self reveals that the author will inevitably be a later entity who would possibly be from Judah and he mustered and collated all that he knows about the effects of forsaken the rulership of Jehovah for human leadership.

The author all along in his writing style, fashioned the book to be quite averse with the people’s request to opt for human kingship like the other nations. I will go ahead with my reasons for rooting for the nature of the book of Samuel being anti-Monarchy.

ANTI-MONARCHY

The exilic writer is pointing out that what has gone wrong is that Israel has always been a nation that has refused to submit to Yahweh’s kingship (1 Sam. 8). This proves to the fact that, hitherto, God’s purpose was to rule over His own people which will also bring a striking difference between Israel and the other surrounding nations. This writer pointed out succinctly that it wasn’t the intention of God to use kings as leaders and rulers.

But the thing displeased Samuel, when they said, Give us a king to judge us. And Samuel prayed unto Jehovah. And Jehovah said unto Samuel, Hearken unto the voice of the people in all that they say unto thee; for they have not rejected thee, but they have rejected me, that I should not be king over them (1 Sam. 8:6,7).

This highlights the foolishness of their request for a (human) king to lead them into battle. Yahweh’s anger is not with the request for a (human) king. It’s the type of king that’s the problem. They want a human king to take Yahweh’s place, whereas the only acceptable king is one who acknowledges Yahweh’s sovereignty. The Israelites think they’ll be better off, but this type of king will in fact be a tyrant who will bring them nothing but misery. However, the institution of Israel’s monarchy is not judged as either good or bad. The real issue is Yahweh’s kingship. 1 & 2 Samuel are book-ended by Hannah’s song (1 Sam. 2) and David’s song (2 Sam. 22), and the theme of both is Yahweh’s kingship. This is the obvious lesson in both Saul’s failure and David’s rise. The exilic writer is pointing out that what has gone wrong is that Israel has always been a nation that has refused to submit to Yahweh’s kingship.

Samuel as the Leader of Israel was anti-monarchy because they were not content with the order that God had appointed, but would be governed as the Gentiles were. Samuel’s dissatisfaction arose principally from the proposed change being revolutionary in its character. Though it would not entirely subvert their theocratic government, the appointment of a visible monarch would necessarily tend to throw out of view their unseen King and Head. God intimated, through Samuel, that their request would, in anger, be granted, while at the same time he apprised them of some of the evils that would result from their choice.

REFERENCES:

R P Gordon’s 1 & 2 Samuel commentary (Paternoster)

Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown Commentary (1Sam. 8 and 9)

Adam Clarke’s Commentary on the Bible (1 Sam. 8)

International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

Comments (2) »

DEVOTION 3

November 2, 2007 · Filed under DEVOTIONAL MATERIALS

(From Yahoo images)

THE POWER OF PRAYER

And Samson called unto Jehovah, and said, O Lord Jehovah, remember me, I pray thee, and strengthen me, I pray thee, only this once, O God, that I may be at once avenged of the Philistines for my two eyes – Judges 16:28 (ASV)

This is the prayer of Samson when he was used as a laughing stock for the enemies. This verse explicates on the power of prayer; irrespective the predicaments, anxieties and the despair we are wallowing in, we must pray to God and He will here from heaven and heal us from our uncertainties. Though the last phase of Samson’s life was humiliating, and we wish there were a veil partitioning his sins and depravity, yet this account here given of his death may be allowed to lessen, though it does not quite obliterate the reproach of it. Invariably, there was honor in his death. No doubt he greatly repented of his sin, and truly we see this via the power of God when He answered Samson’s prayer.

And Samson called unto the Lord … He voiced out his innermost desires in an impulsive manner; though he might possibly express it aloud by reason of the pains and torture he was going through or possibly he could pray without being heard and observed by the people, amidst their noise and mirth; and if it was heard, it might only furnish out more derision and contempt; and be it as it may, the prayer must have been preserved by the Lord himself, and given by inspiration to the writer of this book; since there were none that heard it that lived to relate it to others, no, not Samson himself.

We are serving a God who hates and despise those who live to gratify the desires their flesh like Samson, but in all our sins, He is ever ready to give us the power to over sin and the devices of the evil one if we will PRAYER. Prayer is the evidence of our s selflessness before God and if we will PRAY, He will come to our aid and keep us strengthened to defeat and overcome our adversary, the devil.

- This prayer was not an act of malice and revenge, but of faith and zeal for God, who was there publicly dishonored by the actions of the Philistines against Samson; and justice, in vindicating the whole common – wealth of Israel, which was his duty, as he was judge.

The devil is now trying to laugh at Christians because he has the world for himself by reason of the sins of many people. Nevertheless, if Christians can pray as Samson pray from the bottom of his heart, we will put the devil where he belongs and he cannot lob it over the chosen, peculiar and the royal people of God.

It was in effect of his faith in God that he should be strengthened to overthrow his enemies and the enemies of his country, that he is mentioned, Heb_11:32, among those who were remarkable for their faith. Our prayers to God in times of difficulties reveal our great faith in God. Prayer is the supernatural evidence of our reliance and faith in God. Lets have a paradigm shift with regards to our understanding of faith so that we can experience the power and blessings of God min our lives.

Comments (1) »

DITTY 3

November 2, 2007 · Filed under DITTYS

 

(From Yahoo images)

DISCUSS AND ANALYZE THE CONCEPT OF KINSMAN REDEEMER IN THE BOOK OF RUTH.

To tackle this question, I would like to start by defining the concept of “kinsman redeemer”. I will do this by also explaining the key words. What is a kinsman-redeemer? The description of “kinsman” is someone who is a “nearest male blood relative. If anyone from poverty was unable to redeem his inheritance, it was the duty of the kinsman to redeem it.” The Hebrew word for “kinsman” is “goel.” “Redeemer” is defined as “one charged with the obligation of restoring the rights of another and avenging his wrongs.” The Hebrew word for Redeemer is also “goel.” In Biblical times, these words were interchangeable. If a man was the redeemer of a family, he must have been a kinsman. And if he was a kinsman, then it followed that he was a redeemer for the family. Back in Ruth’s day, the kinsman redeemer avenged deaths, claimed inheritances for poor family members, and married the widow of a dead male relative. He played a role very similar to the one that Jesus played for all mankind, but for his family.

Naomi needed a kinsman redeemer to save them from the oppression of penury and despair. Ruth and Naomi were bereft of the hope as to whether they would be blessed or not. Nevertheless, they banked on God’s providence and God led them to the abundant and plentiful fields and loving arms of that munificent, God-fearing man, Boaz. Naomi’s environs calls for an entity who can be a catalyst for a unique blessings on her life as well as her daughter-in-law.

To clarify the phrase “Kinsman Redeemer”, let’s observe Ruth 4:4…

“And I thought to disclose it unto thee, saying, Buy it before them that sit here, and before the elders of my people. If thou wilt redeem it, redeem it: but if thou wilt not redeem it, then tell me, that I may know; for there is none to redeem it besides thee; and I am after thee. And he said, I will redeem it”.

Obviously, we can notice the word “redeem” mentioned many times over in the above verse. It is the translation of the Hebrew word gawal and lets us know the reason the kinsman was so important in the book of Ruth. The book of Ruth illustrates the law of the kinsman-redeemer. The law of the kinsman-redeemer is involved in is referred to as “the law of redemption.”

CHARACTERISTICS OF THE KINSMAN-REDEEMER

The concept of the Kinsman redeemer in the book of Ruth thrives on the character and attitude of Boaz, and this is seen clearly in his love fir Ruth. You can’t read the book of Ruth without realizing that as soon as Ruth met Boaz in the field, Boaz fell in love with her immediately. We ca n discover here that Boaz was not only in love with her, but he was kin to her and thus could become her redeemer, based upon love.

The requirements for someone to be a Kinsman Redeemer is, first, the man in question must be a near kinsman. Boaz was a near Kinsman to Naomi and being a near kinsman, he was a mighty man of wealth, he was a mighty man of valor, and he was a mighty man of law.

In the second chapter of Ruth, verse 1, Boaz is introduced as a “mighty man of wealth.” I surmise here that this statement could be translated “mighty man of valor” or “of strength.” Boaz had the ability to “redeem” Ruth because he was the nephew of Elimelech. Being the near kinsman, he was able to redeem the land.

According to Scriptures, we are given three requirements of a Kinsmen-Redeemer.

1. He must be a near kinsman. In other words, he must be related to the needing redemption. (Not spiritual redemption, but the redemption of property or life).

(Lev 25:48-49 ASV) “After that he is sold he may be redeemed: one of his brethren may redeem him; or his uncle, or his uncle’s son may redeem him, or any that is nigh of kin unto him of his family may redeem him; or if he be waxed rich, he may redeem himself“.

2. The second requirement of the kinsmen-redeemer is that he has the ability to pay the debt. The reason for this is obvious, at the root of the word redemption is the idea of a payment to settle a debt. One may be related by blood, but if he did not have the resources available all the desire in the world would not settle the debt.

3. The third requirement of the kinsmen-redeemer is that he must be willing to redeem. This is exactly what happened in the story of Boaz and Ruth. Boaz was a near kinsmen of Ruth’s deceased husband, and he was both able and willing to redeem, but there was a near kinsmen who was a nearer kinsmen than Boaz. Nearer in the sense of being closer on the family tree, therefore giving him the right of kinsmen redeemer over Boaz. The problem was that the nearer kinsmen was already married and realized the potential problems of such a transaction. He was not willing to pay the redemption price, allowing Boaz the next in line to execute the kinsmen right.

Ruth identifies Boaz as a near of kin of Naomi and gleans wheat in his field in the hope that she will find grace in his eyes (Ruth 2:1-2). Boaz uses his position to ensure the protection of Ruth (Ruth 2:8-18).

As the barley harvest was ending and the threshing was to begin Ruth goes to lay at the feet of her benefactor Boaz. By asking him to place his skirt over her she is asking him to perform the duties of the kinsmen redeemer (goël). After one closer in kin steps aside he marries Ruth and redeems the land for Naomi.

REFERENCES:

Ann Spangler. Women of the Bible – 52 stories for prayer and reflection. Grand Rapids, Michigan. Zondervan, 1999

John Darby’s synopsis.

John Wesley’s explanatory notes.

Comments (1) »