Get Prepared for Ruth

Feeling unprepared is the worst. We all have experienced this feeling in many ways and in many different circumstances. Maybe you have experienced this sensation on a daily basis lately! You walk into an important meeting, presentation, or conversation with a stomach that is sinking, a heart that is pounding, and a forehead that is sweating because you know that you are not ready for what is coming. You didn’t adequately work ahead. You didn’t put enough thought into what you will say or how you will respond to what others might say. In these moments of frustration, our present selves get angry at our past selves for their lack of forethought and planning. You have no idea how many times I’ve thought to myself, “Ugh, I hate past Taylor! He is such a procrastinating jerk! Why did he do this to me!” Obviously, past Taylor and present Taylor are the same exact person but I think you get my point. We long to be more prepared but for some reason, we often don’t take the necessary steps to actually be more prepared.

I think that many Christians have this feeling in regard to church. They go to bed late on Saturday night, roll out of bed late on Sunday morning, hurry to get the kids fed and looking somewhat presentable, lose their temper on the way to church, and walk into service several minutes late. They feel rushed, annoyed, and exhausted. Then they walk out of the service thinking, “Well, I didn’t get anything out of that,” and go about the rest of their day. Maybe you didn’t get anything out of the service because you didn’t put much into it. Maybe you didn’t reap a harvest of blessing because you didn’t sow seeds of preparation throughout the week. You didn’t truly prepare your heart and mind to pray to the Lord, to sing His praises, to receive His Word, and to engage with brothers and sisters in Christ. You came unprepared so you leave unfed and ill-equipped.

You may be reading this and thinking, “That’s me! How can I address this problem? How can I come prepared on Sunday morning?” That is a great question and I am so glad that you asked it! Let me answer that question by pointing you forward to what is coming up very soon. This Sunday, we are beginning a four-week series through the book of Ruth. This is an often-overlooked book because it just seems like a straightforward love story. But it is so much more than that! Ruth may seem a bit slight and unimportant compared to theological mountain peaks such as Genesis, the Gospel of John, Paul’s letter to the Romans, or Revelation. But it is actually a small book that is packed with BIG truths. Big truths about this life, ourselves, and God Himself. One pastor describes the book of Ruth as “much in little – a little book containing far more about God than its size would suggest.”[1] I hope and pray that every single one of you reading this blog post will come to church throughout February with hearts and minds that are ready to receive and apply these big truths from Ruth. Let me give you three quick ways to get the most out of this sermon series:

Pray:

• Pray for the Preacher – This may sound a bit self-serving but I ask that you pray for me! I don’t feel bad asking for this because the apostle Paul often did as well (Romans 15:30-32; Ephesians 6:19-20; Colossians 4:2-4). If Paul, the greatest Christian to ever walk the face of this planet, needed prayer, then I most certainly do! I want to diligently prepare. I want to accurately represent the text. I want to preach with clarity, passion, and urgency.

• Pray for Yourself – Go to the Lord throughout this week (as well as every week in February) and ask that you would have open ears, a receptive mind, and a willing heart as you sit under the preaching of the Word.

• Pray for Others – Ask that the Lord would bless your fellow brothers and sisters in Christ with the gift of His Word. Pray that the Holy Spirit would encourage, comfort, guide, challenge, convict, and equip His people. Pray that the Spirit would use every aspect of the services (singing, praying, preaching, fellowship) to draw the lost in the room to a saving knowledge of Christ.

Read/Meditate:

• Read Ruth in Its Entirety - As I wrote earlier, Ruth is a very short book which means that you can easily read it in one sitting. I know we all vary in our reading speeds but even the slowest of readers can knock Ruth out in about twenty or so minutes. That is the length of a sitcom episode! Instead of watching yet another episode of Seinfeld or The Office, read Ruth instead! I would encourage you to read Ruth at least once before Sunday. If you are able, try to read it two or three times so that you can familiarize yourself with the flow of the narrative and soak your mind in the richness of its themes. You could even read the entire book aloud with your spouse and/or your kids during your devotional time as a family.  

• Take Notes – Your Bible shouldn’t be pristine and unmarked. Highlight key passages that stand out to you, write notes in the margins, put question marks next to verses that confuse you and require further study. Ask yourself questions and see if I answer them during one of the sermons!

• Pay Attention to the Big Picture and the Small Details - When you read any book of the Bible, it’s important to pay attention to the context and background. Here are some important details to keep in mind as you read Ruth:

  1. Author - Scholars are not exactly sure who wrote the book of Ruth. Some believe it was Samuel but there is no internal or external evidence of his authorship.

  2. Setting - The author provides the background of Ruth in the very first verse: “In the days when the judges ruled,” (1:1). So, we know this historical account took place around 3,000 years ago during the time of judges such as Ehud, Jephthah, and Sampson. At this point in Israel’s history, there is no king and wickedness reigns supreme. This background is vitally important for understanding the message and ultimately the ending of Ruth.

  3. Characters -

  A. God - As with all of Scripture, the central figure of Ruth is God Himself. We mainly catch glimpses of God in conversation and through the actions of the other major characters.

  B. Naomi - An Israelite woman who has lost her husband and two sons while living in Moab as Israel endures a harsh famine. She returns to Israel once the famine comes to an end with her daughter-in-law Ruth.

  C. Ruth - A widowed Moabite who is miraculously converted to saving faith in Yahweh. She demonstrates this saving faith by turning away from the false gods of Moab and sticking by Naomi in the town of Bethlehem. She is a woman of loyalty and perseverance.

  D. Boaz - A wealthy field owner in Bethlehem who displays integrity throughout the entire narrative. He is a relative of Naomi’s deceased husband.

• Focus on the Major Themes – As you read and study, make sure to be on the lookout for these major themes:

1. The Providence of God – This is the overwhelming emphasis of the book of Ruth. All throughout the four chapters, we come face to face with a God who is in complete control of everything. He is at work behind the scenes directing human history and our own lives in a very specific direction. A direction that leads to His glory and our ultimate good.

2. The Kindness of God – We do not serve a passionless and indifferent deity who couldn’t care less about us. We serve a loving God who constantly showers us with gifts of kindness every single second of every single day. In Ruth, the loving-kindness of God is seen most clearly in the loving-kindness of His people. Make sure to note where you see the kindness of God displayed through the kindness of others (spoiler alert: you will be taking a lot of notes on this).

3. The Redemption of God – As does every other book of the Bible, Ruth reveals our sinfulness and points us to our need for redemption. Ruth needed to be redeemed from her unfortunate position as a widowed Moabite living in Israel. We need to be redeemed (bought back) from our horrible position as slaves to Satan, sin, and death so that we can be brought into God’s kingdom and family (Colossians 1:12-14).

4. The Fulfilled Promises of God – Yahweh is a covenant making and promise keeping God. When He says that He is going to do something, it is as good as done. You can count on Him and His Word. We see this truth on display in Ruth as God providentially secures the family line that His Son, Jesus Christ, would eventually come out of at the perfectly planned time in history.

Discuss:

• Have Meaningful Conversation with Family and Friends – As you read and study, do not keep these truths to yourselves! Share what you learn with your loved ones. Call a friend to share your notes and thoughts. On your drive to church each Sunday, recount the story of Ruth in your own words to your spouse or have your kids try to provide a recap themselves! Find creative ways to work the Word of God deep into your bones so that it becomes a part of who you are and shapes how you think, speak, and act.

• Come Ready to Engage at Small Group – Your small group discussion will only be as good as your preparation and participation. Ready yourself to engage in meaningful conversation at small group by re-reading the chapter that was studied the Sunday before or by even listening to the sermon again online. I guarantee that your small group discussion will blossom if the members choose to properly prepare themselves to meditate upon how the Word applies to their everyday lives.

During this past month of study, I have grown in my love for the book of Ruth and it has become one of my favorites in the entire Old Testament. It is a beautiful snapshot of our wonderful God. I cannot wait to dig into the Word together over the next four Sundays. Please pray that I will be prepared and I will pray that you will be prepared!

[1]Sinclair Ferguson, Faithful God: An Exposition of the Book of Ruth, pg. 14.

Leftover Questions from Q & A Day

Thank you to every one who submitted a question for yesterday’s Q & A Sunday! Unfortunately, we ran out of time and were unable to answer every single question from the stage. However, we’ll quickly tackle the leftover questions on this blog post.

1. Why does God allow trials in my life to test my faith, if in His sovereignty He already knows how I’ll respond (positively or negatively)?

The apostle Peter has a fantastic answer to this question in his first epistle: “In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ,” ( 1 Peter 1:6-9). There are some lessons you can only learn in the crucible of pain and hardship. Look at all of the OT and NT figures that we read about and study: Abraham, Joseph, Moses, David, Daniel, Paul, etc. All of them went through the wringer but the Lord used their hardships for His perfect purposes. It is almost impossible to gauge the strength of your faith until your faith is tested. Even though this testing can be uncomfortable and difficult, it should lead us to thanksgiving and worship.

2. Can you explain what Jesus means in Luke 14:26-27 where He says we cannot be His disciples unless we hate our fathers, mothers, brothers, sisters, children? This seems totally contradictory to His message for us to love one another as He has loved us.

Years ago, I heard a pastor preach on this passage and he said something that has stuck with me ever since: “We should love God so greatly and intensely that our love for other people should look like hate in comparison.” Matthew 10:37 communicates the same teaching of Jesus but provides a helpful perspective with different wording, “Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.” We are commanded to love our spouses, our children, our other family members, and our friends. But they should never usurp the place of God in our lives. He must be our first and greatest love.

3. Is it Biblical to still speak in tongues?

Below is an excerpt from the beliefs page on our website regarding speaking in tongues:

Harvest Bible Chapel is a non-charismatic, conservative, evangelical fellowship that welcomes all who know Jesus Christ as their Savior and all who are seeking Him. Those who claim to possess the gift of tongues and other sign gifts are welcome to worship and fellowship with us if they are willing to be a source of unity rather than division within our church body. We believe that the Christian life is supernatural and that the Lord continues to perform miracles. We also believe that current displays of the gift of tongues distract from the main task of the local church, which is to glorify God through the fulfillment of the Great Commission - Matthew 28:19-20

Current displays of the gift of tongues:

1. Give unwarranted prominence to the gift, which is described in the New Testament as being only one of many spiritual gifts (1 Corinthians 12).

2. Emphasize speaking in tongues as the primary manifestation of the Spirit's work in a person's life, while minimizing the Spirit's work in producing a holy life (2 Corinthians 3:17-18; 2 Timothy 1:9) and a life that displays the fruits of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22).

3. Often suggest that speaking in tongues is a required proof of being Spirit-filled or of possessing salvation in Christ, even though the Scriptures do not teach this.

Harvest Bible Chapel seeks to prevent the propagation of doctrines that would cause divisions within an individual church. Therefore, members to and adherents of Harvest Bible Chapel are not to propagate the teachings and emphases of the current charismatic movement. Although we do not control personal, individual interactions with the Lord, the expression of tongues and other sign gifts are not to be overtly expressed at meetings that are under the organization and authority of Harvest Bible Chapel.

Digging Deeper: The Bible

This past Sunday, we kicked off a new series called: Did God Really Say? The major purpose of this 4 week series is to examine the important doctrines and scriptural realities that our enemy constantly attacks and seeks to undermine. We began by answering the question: Did God really say that His Word can be trusted? We focused our time and attention upon 2 Peter 1:16-21 which teaches us that the Bible is historical fact, a complete source of light and guidance, and an authoritative message from God Himself. We also learned that Scripture can be trusted because it is verified by eyewitness testimony, archaeological evidence, and scientific accuracy. Maybe you walked away from hearing this sermon wanting to know more. Wanting to know more about the trustworthiness of the Bible and how you can become a better student of it. Below are several vetted book that will help you to dig down deep into the Word of God. You can find all of my suggested resources on Amazon or Christian websites like Reformation Heritage Books and Christianbook.com.

1. Taking God at His Word by Kevin DeYoung (144 pages) - This is a brief yet strong introduction to the reliability and sufficiency of Scripture. DeYoung is a master of presenting complex truths in an easily undertandable way. He explores the truths that God’s Word is enough, clear, final, necessary, and unbreakable.

2. How to Read the Bible for All It’s Worth by Gordon D. Fee and Douglas Stuart (304 pages) - This is one of the first books that I read at Geneva College after I switched over to a degree in Christian Ministry. This book opened my eyes to the beauty and purposefulness of how the Lord arranged His Word. Fee and Stuart will walk you through all the different genres and types of books that are in the Bible such as history, poetry, prophecy, letters, etc. It was a helpful tool to me as an 18 year student and it’s still a valuable resource that I turn to as a 32 year old pastor. Every Christian needs this book in their library.

3. Knowing Scripture by R.C. Sproul (153 pages) - The late R.C. Sproul is one of the most important theologians and teachers of the 20th and 21st centuries. He had more degrees than Fahrenheit yet still managed to possess a compelling and easy to follow style. In this particular book, Sproul gives you a crash course on how to accurately and passionately study the Bible.

4. How Can I Get More Out of My Bible Reading? by Jeremy Kimble (64 pages) - Maybe you don’t have a lot of time to read right now or you aren’t a big fan of reading in general. Don’t worry! I got you. This 64 page booklet will give you practical tips for Bible reading and study that you can apply to your devotional time right now. You could easily knock out this book in one sitting or over the course of a few days.

Jesus in the Old Testament

Since December of 2022, we’ve been diving deep into the book of Hebrews as a church. This epistle reveals so much about who Jesus is, what He has done in the past, what He continues to do in the present, and what He will accomplish in the future. Hebrews is such a rich book that constantly points us back to the Old Testament and how Jesus is the perfect fulfillment of the promises of God. Many Christians tend to skip over the Old Testament in favor of the New Testament. The NT pages of their Bibles are marked up and worn while many of the OT pages are pristine and even stick together from lack of reading. But I hope and pray that it’s been obvious throughout this seres that you miss out on so much essential theology and blessing when you neglect the OT section of your Bible. By largely ignoring the OT, you are ignoring 75% of God’s Word. The 39 books of the OT are just as inspired and important as the 27 books of the NT. The OT constantly points forward to the person and work of Jesus Christ and this truth is made evident all thought the gospels and the epistles.

The greatest example of this is Jesus’ time with two of his followers on the Road to Emmaus after His resurrection. These two guys are bummed out because of Jesus’ death on the cross and they didn’t understand the true significance of His empty tomb. Jesus plays a bit of a holy prank on them by disguising His appearance from them. He eventually reveals to them that the Messiah had to suffer, die, and then rise from the grave. Then “beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, He interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself,” (Luke 24:27 ESV). As He sits and eats with them later He says, “These are my words that I spoke to you while I was with you, that everything written about me in the Law and Prophets would be fulfilled,” (Luke 24:44 ESV). So, according to Jesus, who is the OT all about? Himself! Jesus perfectly kept the Law of God which we never could. He fulfilled the promises and prophecies written about Him by men such as Isaiah, Zechariah, and Micah. We also see Jesus pop up throughout the OT in two other ways: Christophanies and foreshadowing.

A Christophany is a pre-incarnate appearance of Christ in the OT. Below are several examples.

1. The LORD Appeared to Abraham and Sarah (Genesis 18:1-33) - In Genesis 18, we are told that the LORD appears to Abraham and Sarah. This visitor who is labeled as the LORD can’t be the Father because the Bible tells us that the Father is spirit and He has never been seen and will never be seen. This isn’t the Holy Spirit because we only see Him appearing in the likeness of a dove and tongues of fire in the gospels and the book of Acts; He never appears in the form of a man throughout Scripture. So, this divine visitor must be Jesus in His pre-incarnate state because no other explanation makes sense according to Scripture.

2. The Angel of the Lord - This special and very specific angel pops up throughout the Old Testament and scholars have different opinions on who this figure is but the overwhelming majority agree that the Angel of the Lord is Jesus Christ in His pre-incarnate form. Why do many OT scholars and I believe that this angel is Jesus Himself? There are several reasons: (1) He speaks with divine authority – He often says things that only God could say and even swears by Himself which no angel or mere human being ever does throughout Scripture. Only God could swear by Himself which He did with Abraham according to Genesis 22:16 and Hebrews 6:13. (2) He appears to have to have omniscient knowledge (3) He identifies as God and is often identified as God by those whom He appears to – Hagar identifies the Angel of the Lord as God, in Genesis 22. The Angel of the Lord and the Lord are spoken about as if they are one and the same person. After Samson’s father encounters the angel, he tells his wife, “We shall surely die, because we have seen God!” (Judges 13:22). When the Angel appears to Jacob in a dream He says, “I am the God of Bethel,” (Genesis 31:13). The Angel of the Lord wrestles with Jacob (Genesis 32:22-32), appears to Moses out of the burning bush (Exodus 3:1-4:17), and calls Gideon to fight against the Midianites (Judges 6:11-27).

3. The Commander of the Lord’s Army (Joshua 5:13-15) - Before the Israelites’ famous march around Jericho, Joshua is approached by the Commander of the Lord’s army. This must be a Christophany because Joshua bows down and worships at the commander’s feet and He isn’t rebuked for doing so. If this commander was just an angel, He would have yelled at Joshua and redirected this worship to the Lord. But since He was the second member of the Trinity, He accepted Joshua’s worship because he was more than worthy of it.

4. The Fiery Furnace (Daniel 3:8-30) - After Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego are thrown into the furnace for refusing to bow down before the king’s statue, Nebuchadnezzar looks in to see that not only are these three men not hurt but there is a fourth figure among them. Nebuchadnezzar says to his guards, “I see four men unbound, walking in the midst of the fire and they are not hurt; and the appearance of the fourth is like a son of the gods,” (3:25).

I’m a big film buff and I love to watch movies; one of the greatest devices of the film medium is foreshadowing. Foreshadowing is when a filmmaker or writer warns the audience of a particular plot point or event that will come to pass later on in the story. One of the most famous examples of foreshadowing in film occurs in The Empire Strikes Back. In this movie, Luke Skywalker goes to the planet of Dagobah to be trained by the great Jedi master, Yoda. During his training, he duels with a vision of Darth Vader; at the end of this quick fight, Luke cuts off Vader helmeted head. Once the helmet hits the ground, the mask explodes and Luke sees his own face staring back at him. This foreshadows that Darth Vader is actually Luke’s father which we discover at the very end of the movie (spoiler alert for a 40-year-old movie). In a much greater way, the OT foreshadows or points towards Jesus through many characters and events. Theologians identify these examples of foreshadowings as types; David Murray describes types in this way: “A type is a real person, place, object, or event that God ordained to act as a predictive pattern or resemblance of Jesus’ person and work.” [1] To be clear, types are not allegories; allegories are almost always fictional stories or examples that speak to spiritual truths while types are historical people, events, places, or objects that point forward to Jesus. Below are several examples of types:

1. Jesus is the greater and better Adam who succeeded in all the ways that our first representative failed.

2. Jesus is the greater and better Noah who brought us onto the ark of salvation and saved us from the overwhelming flood of God’s wrath.

3. Jesus is the greater and better Isaac who willingly laid down His life on the altar of sacrifice.

4. Jesus is the greater and better Moses who led God’s people out of slavery to Satan, sin, and death.

5. Jesus is the greater and better Passover lamb whose blood covers us from eternal death.

6. Jesus is the greater and better bronze serpent who we look to for salvation from the deadly illness of sin.

7. Jesus is the greater and better David whose rule over the entire earth will never come to an end.

8. Jesus is the greater and better Jonah who descended into the belly of the grave for three days and three nights but rose again.

I could go on and on with more examples but this post is long enough already! I hope that it’s apparent to you that Jesus is all over the OT and you can spot Him like a Where’s Waldo book if you have the eyes to see. If this topic fascinates you and you want to know more, I recommend two fantastic books to you: Jesus on Every Page: 10 Simple Ways to Seek and Find Christ in the Old Testament by David Murray and What is Biblical Theology? by James M. Hamilton Jr.

[1]Jesus on Every Page: 10 Simple Ways to Seek and Find Christ in the Old Testament, David Murray, pg. 138.