Daily Bible Devotionals

“And I thought to inform you, saying, ‘Buy it back in the presence of the inhabitants and the elders of my people. If you will redeem it, redeem it; but if you will not redeem it, then tell me, that I may know; for there is no one but you to redeem it, and I am next after you.’ And he said ‘I will redeem it.’ Then Boaz said, ‘On the day you buy the field from the hand of Naomi, you must also buy it from Ruth the Moabitess, the wife of the dead, to perpetuate the name of the dead through the inheritance.’ And the close relative said, ‘I cannot redeem it for myself, lest I ruin my own inheritance. You redeem the right of redemption for yourself, for I cannot redeem it.’” Ruth 4:4-6 (NKJV)

There are right and wrong ways to do things. And the difficulty of successful decision-making is more a question of chemistry than decisiveness. Being successful often lies in the blend of “right and wrong ways,” with respect to “right and wrong places” and “right and wrong timing.” For instance, when you get a speeding ticket, it is an unhealthy combination of doing the wrong thing (breaking the speed law), at the wrong place (where a cop was waiting), and at the wrong time (When the donut shop was closed). A joke for my cop friends!

Boaz knew that the negotiation for Ruth would involve all three “right and wrongs” perfectly balanced. It is a beautiful picture and example for us of the balance of God’s graceful, merciful providence and our responsibility to act according to his Word and resist the temptation to be “Worldly” just long enough to get the job done. It is possible to be shrewd and faithful at the same time, to ethically negotiate with an expectation of succeeding against the most Worldly of opponents across the table.

I like how the writer chooses to refer to the other kinsman as “Mr. So-and-so.” He almost certainly knew the man’s name but deleted it to not further embarrass him and his descendants. If this were the old TV show, Dragnet, the announcer would “change the names to protect the innocent.” And though Boaz did not use a net, he most assuredly would have been an expert fly fisherman!

Notice how Boaz did not hide any detail concerning the land of Naomi and Elimelech, valuable land, indeed, and free for the taker. And the kinsman immediately took the hook. But what about the back taxes? Notice how Boaz refers to Ruth as a “Moabitess,” a despised people. And the reference to Mahlon and Chilion (whose names meant “sick” and “wasting away”) was equally disgusting. As impetuously as the kinsman said, “I will redeem,” he says, “I cannot redeem.”

The kinsman-redeemer failed to see that the land was not the prize of great value…it was RUTH! And this is how the Lord sees us! Formerly despised in our sin, Jesus, our Kinsman Redeemer, chooses to love and save us, including the Gentiles who esteem Him above anything this world could offer. Choose Him! He has chosen you!

“Then Naomi her mother-in-law said to her, ‘My daughter, shall I not seek security for you, that it may be well with you? Now Boaz, whose young women you were with, is he not our relative? In fact, he is winnowing barley tonight at the threshing floor. Therefore wash yourself and anoint yourself, put on your best garment and go down to the threshing floor; but do not make yourself known to the man until he has finished eating and drinking.’” Ruth 3:1-3 (NKJV)

Anyone who has seen Fiddler On The Roof must remember the song, Matchmaker. “Matchmaker, Matchmaker, make me a match, find me a find, catch me a catch…make me a perfect match.” But in the play, the young girl, Leitel’s dream, was shattered when her best shot turned out to be the financial security of marrying a prosperous local businessman old enough to be her father. All the while, Leitel loved an impoverished young man.

On the surface, we might be tempted to think that the matchmaker in “Fiddler” was modeled after Naomi and her search for security for her widowed daughter-in-law by matching her with the older landowner in Bethlehem. But two factors indicate that Ruth’s and Leitel’s “matches” are very different: 1) Much more than marrying for money was involved because Naomi undoubtedly knew Boaz’s character well and respected and trusted him completely. 2) Ruth was not at all interested in any younger men, no matter what their social status was, and that was already apparent to Boaz.

So, to whatever extent Naomi played the matchmaker, she was eminently successful. Despite the obvious massive differences in their backgrounds, Boaz and Ruth were well-matched. They were two-of-a-kind regarding excellent moral character. Having recently finished the book of Judges, we know that moral character was in low supply in the days of Ruth and Boaz.

That is a crucial principle that can be “gleaned” (pun intended) from that middle-of-the-night encounter between Ruth and Boaz and needs to be trumpeted in our day: Personal integrity commands at least as much respect and admiration under cover of darkness as in broad daylight.

“There was a relative of Naomi’s husband, a man of great wealth, of the family of Elimelech. His name was Boaz. So Ruth the Moabitess said to Naomi, ‘Please let me go to the field, and glean heads of grain after him in whose sight I may find favor.’ And she said to her, ‘Go, my daughter.” Then she left and went and gleaned in the field after the reapers. And she happened to come to the part of the field belonging to Boaz, who was of the family of Elimelech.” Ruth 2:1-3 (NKJV)

We live in a “Lottery” culture. I remember when there was no lottery in the US, except the military draft lottery. But today, there are many ways to gamble, from different “ball” lotteries to scratch-off tickets. The lottery is based on the concept of luck. Statistically, there is almost no chance of ever winning a lottery, yet people still play the lotto religiously. You hear them say, “I feel lucky,” or “I’m due for a stretch of good luck about now.”

On the other hand, many people feel they are stuck on the other side of the luck aisle. They superstitiously believe they are cursed with bad luck and that nothing they do can change their circumstances. As the song of old goes, “If it weren’t for bad luck, I’d have no luck at all…born under a bad sign”. If Naomi and Ruth had been superstitious, they might well have blamed luck. Their compounded misfortune had forced them into a hand-to-mouth existence. It also caused Naomi a great deal of embarrassment before her former neighbors when she returned to Bethlehem.

Interestingly, although Naomi does not try to explain her difficulties by the concept of “luck,” the writer of Ruth appears to do so at the beginning of Ruth 2. The writer uses the term: It happened. If we skip through the narrative, it could be assumed that God believes in luck, and He is personally uninvolved in our lives. The verse could be taken to mean: As luck would have it, she happened upon…” But, praise God, we have verse 12!

“The Lord repay your work, and a full reward be given you by the Lord God of Israel, under whose wings you have come for refuge.” Ruth 2:12 (NKJV)

When the dust settles on the story of Ruth (and on our personal stories), we are left with a sobering yet hopeful reminder that God is not a God of “luck.” He is the God of providence! And what seems like unrelated events leading us on is actually the providence of a God in control, despite the decisions of others and in harmony with faithful decisions at the same time. (Romans 8:28) So, make your choice to choose the God who has chosen you! And rest in the knowledge that while He is in control, we are responsible for seeking Him while He unfolds His plan, by His wisdom and in His timing.

“Now it came to pass in those days when the judges ruled that there was a famine in the land. And a certain man of Bethlehem, Judah, went to dwell in the land of Moab, he and his wife and his two sons. The name of the man was Elimelech, the name of his wife was Naomi, and the names of his two sons were Mahlon and Chilion – Ephrathites of Bethlehem, Judah. And they went to the country of Moab and remained there.” Ruth 1:1-2 (NKJV)

So that we understand the message of Ruth’s story, its author emphasizes that the events depicted here occurred during the time of the Judges. It was a time after Joshua’s leadership when men did what was right in their own eyes. More than walking away from God’s Word, the generation that arose after Joshua’s generation did not even know God’s Word enough to have walked away from it! The generation after Joshua had not been taught God’s Word by their fathers (Judges 2:10), who had obviously mixed worldly, pagan ideas with God’s prescribed way of worshiping Him, believing it was kosher to do so.

The story of Ruth begins with a man and his family leaving Bethlehem, Ephratha (Micah 5:2). Shakespeare famously asked, “What’s in a name?” But names are very important in the book of Ruth! First, we have the father, Elimelech, whose name means “God is my king.” Next is Naomi, whose name means “Pleasant.” Their names denote that when God is King of your family, life is pleasant. But there was a problem. Elimelech abandoned God’s “promised” land because of famine in Israel, representing a spiritual famine among God’s people. Israel could not persevere faithfully. Elimelech sought refuge in worldly Moab. At this point, we are told the names of Elimelech’s sons: Mahlon and Chilion, whose names mean “Sick and Tired.” Lesson: When you forsake God as King, the fruit of your worldly pursuits leaves you sick and tired. As Naomi will say later, “Do not call me ‘Naomi’ (Pleasant), call me ‘Mara’ (Bitter). In contrast to the children of Israel disregarding God as King, we meet a Moabite girl, Ruth (her name means “friend”), who receives Him, by faith.

“But Ruth said: ‘Entreat me not to leave you, or to turn back from following after you; for wherever you go, I will go; and wherever you lodge, I will lodge; Your people will be my people, and your God will be my God. Where you die, I will die, and there I will be buried. The Lord do so to me more also, if anything but death parts you and me.’” Ruth 1:16-17 (NKJV)

Compare God’s acceptance of a penitent Moabite with Isaiah’s prophecy of the Messiah.

“And now the Lord says, Who formed Me from the womb to be His Servant, to bring Jacob back to Him, so that Israel is gathered to Him (For I shall be glorious in the eyes of the Lord, and My God shall be My strength); indeed He said, ‘It is too small a thing that You shall be My Servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the preserved ones of Israel: I will also give You as a light to the Gentiles, that You should be My Salvation to the ends of the earth.’” Isaiah 49:5-6 (NKJV)

Grab your Bible & experience the Groundworks Ministries Podcast as Steve Wiggins leads us through the full chapter of Judges 21. Click the links below to watch or listen now!

“The whole Israelite army went to Bethel where they wept and sat before the Lord. They fasted that day until evening and offered burnt offerings and fellowship offerings to the Lord. Then the Israelites inquired of the Lord. In those days, the ark of the covenant of God was there, and Phinehas son of Eleazar, son of Aaron, was serving before it. The Israelites asked: ‘Should we again fight against our brothers the Benjaminites or should we stop?’ The Lord answered: ‘Fight, because I will hand them over to you tomorrow.’ So Israel set up an ambush around Gibeah. Judges 20:26-29 (HCSB)

Judges 20 is an example of “righteous indignation.” That is, once the Lord ordered Benjamin to be destroyed, the rest of Israel put family relations aside in pursuit of God’s will. This begs the question: Have you avoided holding a family member or someone close to you accountable because you don’t want to damage the relationship? Well, the truth is that the relationship is already damaged! Avoiding the “elephant in the room” will only prolong someone’s dysfunction. You should never value a relationship itself more than the well-being of the other person in the relationship. At that point, you’re only in the relationship for how it makes you feel. That’s not a relationship. That’s co-dependence.

We have learned over the past few chapters (because God has reinforced this idea daily) that the times of the Judges were times when people did what was right “in their own minds.” In Chapter 20, the “children of Israel” (Joshua 20:17) decided to unify and go to war against their brothers, the tribe of Benjamin. Before they went to war, they sought the Lord, Who directed them into battle. The problem arose when, after having sought the Lord and received His direction, Israel was soundly defeated by Benjamin. Men died. One may ask, “Is that fair? Why would God direct His people into battle and then allow them to lose?”

Perhaps, God was drawing Israel into a deeper relationship with Him. It is as if the people sought the Lord flippantly the first time and anxiously the second. When they approached Him from those postures, the Lord answered, “Of course, you should fight!” because it was the appropriate response to the offense. Yet, He did not promise Israel victory over Benjamin until they were truly broken and recognized their dependence upon Him. How do you approach the Lord? From a posture of scarcity (lack of resources) or abundance (recognizing God has more than enough resources to accomplish any task or situation He leads us to)?

One final thing to consider as we exit the “outrage in Benjamin” with respect to Gibeah is how the Lord chose a Benjamite from Gibeah to be king when the people asked. Beware of getting what you ask for.

“Samuel said to all the people, ‘Do you see the one the Lord has chosen? There is no one like him among the entire population.’ And all the people shouted, ‘Long live the king!’ Samuel proclaimed to the people the rights of kingship. He wrote them on a scroll, which he placed in the presence of the Lord. Then Samuel sent all the people away, each to his home. Saul also went to his home in Gibeah, and brave men whose hearts God had touched went with him.” 1 Samuel 10:24-26 (HCSB)

"In those days, there was no king in Israel; everyone did whatever he wanted." Judges 21:25 (HCSB)

The last three chapters in Judges have been given the titles “Outrage In Benjamin,” “War In Benjamin,” and “Brides For Benjamin.” There are profound lessons about the decline, judgment, and restoration of a people. It is important to view the end of Judges through the lens of Romans 11.

In chapter 19, there are two scenes that resemble tragic and shameful events in Scripture.

First, there is the image of the Levite and his entourage searching for a place to stay the night. It is a picture of Joseph and Mary looking for shelter the night Jesus was born.

“While they were there, the time came for her to give birth. Then she gave birth to her firstborn Son, and she wrapped Him snugly in cloth and laid Him in a feeding trough—because there was no room for them at the lodging place.” Luke 2:6-7 (HCSB)

Then, there is the Sodom and Gomorrah-esque image of the perverted men of Gibeah wanting to sleep with the Levite man. The story is almost an exact retelling of the Sodom story, down to the old man offering his virgin daughter. God was sending a message that the moral condition of Israel was as bad as it gets.

“The two angels entered Sodom in the evening as Lot sat at Sodom’s gate. When Lot saw them, he got up to meet them. He bowed with his face to the ground and said, ‘My lords, turn aside to your servant’s house, wash your feet, and spend the night. Then you can get up early and go on your way.’ ‘No,’ they said. “We would rather spend the night in the square.’ But he urged them so strongly that they followed him and went into his house. He prepared a feast and baked unleavened bread for them, and they ate. Before they went to bed, the men of the city of Sodom, both young and old, the whole population, surrounded the house. They called out to Lot and said, ‘Where are the men who came to you tonight? Send them out to us so we can have sex with them!’ Lot went out to them at the entrance and shut the door behind him. He said, ‘Don’t do this evil, my brothers. Look, I’ve got two daughters who haven’t had sexual relations with a man. I’ll bring them out to you, and you can do whatever you want to them. However, don’t do anything to these men, because they have come under the protection of my roof.’ ‘Get out of the way!’ they said, adding, ‘This one came here as a foreigner, but he’s acting like a judge! Now we’ll do more harm to you than to them.’ They put pressure on Lot and came up to break down the door. But the angels reached out, brought Lot into the house with them, and shut the door.’” Genesis 19:1-10 (HCSB)

By what standard do you measure our nation’s morality? If you measure it by society’s standards, then things that infuriate God probably don’t bother you, much. But if you measure our morality by God’s standard, then you should pray for our revival because we are on the verge of another of God’s reckonings!

“In those days, there was no king in Israel.” Judges 18:1 (NKJV)

It is a dangerous thing when the people of God depart from the Word of God. It is dangerous because departing from God’s Word communicates rebellion and/or ignorance. The danger of rebellion is that it supposes we know better than God. It refuses the Lordship of the One, Who is “Lord of all,” regardless of our acceptance.

“Do not have other gods besides Me. Do not make an idol for yourself, whether in the shape of anything in the heavens above or on the earth below or in the waters under the earth. You must not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the father's sin, to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me, but showing faithful love to a thousand generations of those who love Me and keep My commands.” Exodus 20:3-6 (HCSB)

Departing from His Word out of ignorance is dangerous because the ignorant person cannot perceive the downward moral trend, which leads to a horrible end.

“There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death.” Proverbs 16:25 (HCSB)

God had clearly outlined the purposes and procedures of warfare for His people. Notice how His Word was ignored by the Danites (and the Levites) in today’s chapter.

“When you approach a city to fight against it, you must make an offer of peace. If it accepts your offer of peace and opens its gates to you, all the people found in it will become forced laborers for you and serve you. However, if it does not make peace with you but wages war against you, lay siege to it. When the Lord your God hands it over to you, you must strike down all its males with the sword. But you may take the women, children, animals, and whatever else is in the city—all its spoil—as plunder. You may enjoy the spoil of your enemies that the Lord your God has given you. This is how you are to treat all the cities that are far away from you and are not among the cities of these nations. However, you must not let any living thing survive among the cities of these people the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance. You must completely destroy them—the Hittite, Amorite, Canaanite, Perizzite, Hivite, and Jebusite—as the Lord your God has commanded you, so that they won’t teach you to do all the detestable things they do for their gods, and you sin against the Lord your God.” Deuteronomy 20:10-18 (HCSB)

Contrary to secular opinion about God in the Old Testament, He was not against foreign people. (He is very gracious to foreigners like Ruth, Tamar, and Rahab) But He is against foreign gods! And He hates when we mingle idolatry with worshiping Him.

“There was a man from the hill country of Ephraim named Micah. He said to his mother, ‘The 1,100 pieces taken from you, and that I have heard you utter a curse about – here, I have the silver with me. I took it. So now I return it to you.’ Then his mother said, ‘My son, you are blessed by the Lord!’ He returned the 1,100 pieces of silver to his mother, and his mother said, ‘I personally consecrate the silver to the Lord for my son’s benefit to make a carved image overlaid with silver.” Judges 17:1-3 (NCSB)

Chronologically, the story of Samson in Judges 13-16 occurs after the events of Judges 17-18. As I mentioned yesterday, the story of Samson is the story of a real man’s exploits, as well as a metaphor for Israel’s idolatry and spiritual adultery. Samson was from the tribe of Dan. (Judges 13:2-3) The tribe of Dan’s moral decline begins with a woman of Ephraim’s worship confusion. She dedicates 1,100 pieces of silver to make an “image” and other objects for her son to worship the Lord. Interestingly, the pinnacle of Samson’s moral, physical, and spiritual decline is when Delilah sells him to the Philistines for 1,100 pieces of silver. In the person of Samson, God is sending a profound message to Dan and all Israel: Serve me as I have commanded you. Do not add or take away from my Torah (Law/teaching).

“This man Micah had a shrine, and he made an ephod and household idols, and installed one of his sons to be his priest. In those days, there was no king in Israel; everyone did whatever he wanted.” Judges 17:5-6 (HCSB)

The sin of one person can impact a whole nation. The apostle Paul said, “A little leaven spoils the whole lump.” Galatians 5:9 Jesus said, “Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of Herod.” Matthew 16:6. That is to say, beware of being unnecessarily legalistic or worldly. The woman of Ephraim’s lack of knowledge of how to worship the Lord was transferred to her son. Then we see how he transferred his idolatry to his own son and then a traveling young Levite priest, looking for people to minister to. “He answered him, ‘I am a Levite from Bethlehem in Judah, and I’m going to settle wherever I can find a place. Micah replied, ‘Stay with me and be my father and priest…’” (Judges 17:10a)

Finally, scouts from the tribe of Dan come to the home of Micah the Ephraimite and steal his Levite priest and his idols.

“The Danites set up the carved image for themselves. Jonathan, son of Gershom, son of Manasseh, and his sons were priests for the Danite tribe until the time of the exile from the land. So they set up themselves Micah’s carved image that he had made, and it was there as long as the house of Israel was in Shiloh.” Judges 18:30-31 (HCSB)

The lesson here is that we should seek ONLY God’s Word to know Him and rest within His Grace, Mercy, Requirements, and Love. Whenever we stray from the truth of the Bible, when we supplement the World’s philosophy for God’s Word, it always trends downward and leads us onto a path of destruction.