In John’s gospel, he begins with “In the beginning…” and “the Word”. In his gospel, he is speaking about the beginning of creation and Jesus Christ as the Word. In this letter “from the beginning” refers to the beginning of the gospel, the message of eternal life (this is seen again in 1 John 2:7, 24; 3:11). What John and the other apostles were proclaiming was what they originally heard and witnessed when they were present with Jesus. John’s readers were being presented with a different gospel. John wanted his readers to know that what he taught was based on historical reality. In this letter, the word of life is most likely speaking of that gospel message, the message of life. As he continues, it becomes clear that John personifies “life” as Jesus rather than the word—“the life was made manifest.” That eternal life which became man in Jesus Christ and who lived and had fellowship with the apostles, that is the life they have proclaimed to us so that we might have fellowship with the apostles and with the Father and the Son, Jesus Christ. In these opening verses, John reveals his purpose for this letter. He is writing to believers (1 John 2:12-14) so his purpose is not for their conversion—they are saved. His purpose is to bring believers into fellowship with the apostolic circle and with God the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ. The readers were facing false teachers who would deny their salvation, this would lead to them doubting God’s guarantee of their salvation and that would jeopardise their fellowship. Their fellowship, our fellowship, is founded on walking in the light (1 John 1:7). This letter will reaffirm the basic truths of the word of life so that our fellowship with God can be sustained. John was happiest when those he ministered to were spiritually healthy (3 John 4).

How would you rate your fellowship with God the Father and his Son Jesus Christ? Jesus came as a man in order to restore fellowship between us and Him and the Father. Jesus did everything needed to allow for that fellowship. He died in our place and then rose again to show that he had conquered sin and dealt with the barrier that keeps us separated from God. The first step to fellowship with God is to believe (John 5:24; 11:25-26), the next step is to walk in the light as He is in the light—more on that tomorrow.

Proverbs is a collection of wise sayings that are easily applied to everyday situations. Consider carefully which of the sayings you’ve read today are particularly applicable to you today and in the coming week. What do you need to change or do more of to make use of God’s wisdom in your life?

The Psalms are great for helping us relate to God and worship Him. It’s wonderful to spend time in the word and grow in your knowledge of God at a head level. Use today to do your quiet time a little differently and try to grow in your knowledge of God at a heart level. We must always strive to move from knowing of God to knowing God.

Boaz married Ruth and they had a son. Ruth had been barren in Moab but now God rewarded her for her faithful obedience by giving her a son. Naomi moved from the long-running despair of her time in Moab to a quick turn around to blessing in Bethlehem. It’s likely that Naomi and Elimelech’s move to Moab had been an unwise move outside of God’s will. Now that Naomi and Ruth have moved back under the protection of God’s wing, they find themselves showered with God’s blessing. Naomi returned in grief but is now blessed with a redeemer herself because her husband’s inheritance and family line have been preserved. Not only that but Ruth turned out to be a bigger blessing to her than seven sons. Naomi nursed the child and he was named Obed which means “Servant of the Lord.” Ruth’s decision to commit to Naomi had far-reaching consequences. Her faithfulness continued a family line that would include king David, and ultimately Jesus Christ.

Warren Wiersbe concludes his commentary with this interesting insight:

The Moabites were not to enter the congregation of the Lord “even to the tenth generation” (Deut. 23:3). But the little Book of Ruth closes with a ten-generation genealogy that climaxes with the name of David!
Never underestimate the power of the grace of God.

Wiersbe, W.W., 1993. Be Committed, Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.

Will you make the decision to commit to God and live His way even if you can’t see what benefit lies ahead? This is what Ruth did when she chose to cling to Naomi and said, “Your people shall be my people, and your God my God.” even though she was likely to remain a poor widow. God rewarded her faithfulness not only by giving her a husband and son but by grafting her into the family line of Christ.

Boaz went to the gates of the town of Bethlehem where personal and public business was attended to. There the redeemer who was closer in relation to Ruth’s late husband came by. This redeemer is not mentioned by name potentially as poetic justice for his refusal to become Ruth’s redeemer. Boaz presents the relative with the opportunity to redeem Elimelech’s land which may have been mortgaged when they moved to Moab. When the relative agrees to redeem the land, Boaz informs him that he will also be responsible for redeeming Ruth in order to continue the name and inheritance of Elimelech’s family. At this news the relative decides not to redeem the land. It is unclear how the redemption would impair his own inheritance. Perhaps he was concerned that if Ruth bore him a son, then that son would share in all of his property. Culturally the transaction was concluded with the relative giving Boaz his sandal which represented Boaz’s right to walk on the land as his own property. Boaz called on all present to witness the transaction. Boaz would redeem Ruth, marry her and have a son to secure the family inheritance. Implied in the transaction was his intention to continue to care for Naomi as well. The elders are glad witnesses of the redemption transaction. They pray a blessing of the fertility of Rachel, who was barren for many years before she had children just as Ruth had been barren in Moab. They also pray that Boaz would prosper in a worthy manner (The same word is used of Boaz in 2:1 and Ruth in 3:11) and that he would be famous in Bethlehem (Ephrathah is another name for Bethlehem). Their final prayer is that Boaz’s house is like that of Perez who was born of Tamar and Judah. Perez was also born of a levirate redemption even though it hadn’t been done in a God-honouring way (Gen 38). Perez was also an ancestor of Boaz.

Boaz is a picture of Christ in this redemption story. Christ became a man in order to be related to us. Jesus was willing to redeem us like Boaz and unlike the nameless relative. Jesus paid the price necessary to redeem us. Jesus wasn’t concerned about sharing His inheritance but included us in His inheritance. Consider how, like Ruth you are too poor to redeem yourself and how Christ did everything including paying the ultimate price to redeem you and secure you an inheritance from the Father.

Naomi set about arranging a marriage with Boaz to Ruth because he was a relative who could serve as her kinsman-redeemer. The farmers would all share the threshing floor during harvest time and Naomi knew that night Boaz would be using it. She told Ruth to prepare herself and then wear a large cloak to cover herself so she could be there unnoticed. When the festivities that accompanied threshing finished, Boaz would lie down near his barley to protect it. When that happened, Naomi told Ruth to go and lie at his feet and then follow his instructions from that point. Ruth agreed to do all Naomi had told her to do.

Ruth did everything Naomi had told her to do. When Boaz lay down, she quietly came, uncovered his feet and lay down. There was nothing suggestive about what Ruth was doing. Both Ruth and Boaz are referred to as noble and worthy people. Ruth was carefully making her expectations known and giving Boaz a private opportunity to accept or reject her proposal without embarrassment to either of them. When Boaz awoke in the middle of the night, he noticed Ruth at his feet. She asked Boaz to spread his wings over her (protect her in marriage). Boaz had pointed out that she had come under the protection of God’s wing (Ruth 2:12) and Ruth was giving Boaz the opportunity to be part of God’s blessing. Boaz praised Ruth for not going after a younger man but had done the honourable thing in fulfilling her commitment to her husband Mahlon and the family line of Elimelech. Boaz agreed to do as she requested but added a plot twist that there was another family member closer to her who could serve as her redeemer. Boaz had clearly already begun looking into the matter himself. Boaz would find out if the other family member wanted to redeem Ruth. If he did, that was good, but if not, Boaz would redeem her. Then Boaz continued to protect her by not sending her home at night and by keeping their meeting quiet. Nothing improper had happened but gossips do not care themselves with facts. Boaz sent her off in the morning with a large amount of barley to continue to care for Naomi. Naomi was seeing more and more the wisdom of returning to Bethlehem. Ruth recounted the events of the night to Naomi and Naomi told her that Boaz would not rest but have the matter settled that same day.

It appears that even as a widow Ruth could easily have married a young man. Instead, she humbly submitted to her mother-in-law and the custom of the people she had chosen, she did things God’s way. Today the culture of marriage is very different but we can still do things God’s way. When you consider marriage, are you inclined to follow the advice of your parents and church leaders? Are you looking to find someone noble and worthy (God-honouring) or just someone who makes you feel a certain way? God has said that believers should not bind themselves with unbelievers (2 Cor 6:14-15). Is marrying another believer vitally important to you or are you willing to ignore that principle in your relationships?

Ruth went out to glean in the fields. In Israel, the poor had the right to go in after the harvesters and collect the grain that had fallen to the ground during harvesting. Farmers were not to harvest up to the edges of their fields or go back and pick up the gleanings. God had designated all of that for the poor (Lev 19:9-10). Ruth knew this and instead of waiting on Naomi to provide for her, she took the initiative to go out and gather food. We see Ruth’s trust in God’s providence as she sets out expecting to end up in a field where someone would show her favour. God led her to Boaz’s field where he enquired of her as she worked in his field. He was told that she was the Moabite who had returned with Naomi. He was told that she had asked permission to glean and had worked diligently all day except for a short rest. Boaz invited Ruth to continue her gleaning in his fields, not only that day but for the rest of the harvest season. He encouraged her to continue working close to the women who worked for him and told her that he had charged his men to leave her alone. He also generously offered her access to water that was drawn (from the well) by his workers rather than having to draw her own water. Boaz was a man of faith. He spoke words of faith and lived a life of faith. He was generous beyond the requirements of the law. Ruth knew she was receiving grace beyond what she expected as a foreigner and was grateful. Boaz explained that news about how she had treated Naomi and how she had chosen to leave her family and people to come to Israel had become widely known. Boaz prayed that God would reward Ruth for her faith as she had chosen to place herself under God’s protection. When it came to meal time, Boaz invited her to eat with the reapers. She ate her fill and still had some leftover. By the end of the day, Ruth had gleaned about 22 litres of barley which she took to Naomi. She also gave Naomi the food she had leftover from her meal.

When Naomi asked about where she had worked, Ruth told her about Boaz’s kindness. Naomi explained that Boaz was a relative of theirs (he was from the clan of Elimelech, Naomi’s husband) and as a close relative, was one of their redeemers (a kinsman-redeemer). Boaz would be able to fulfil the levirate law that required a man to marry his brother’s widow to continue the family line. Because Boaz wasn’t a brother to Mahlon (Ruth’s husband) he could act as redeemer if he chose to. Naomi sensed that Boaz might be willing to this and began to see out of her grief that God was working for their benefit. Naomi encouraged Ruth to continue to work in Boaz’s field where she would be well treated.

Boaz was a man who lived out his faith in God. He didn’t do the minimum required by the law but showed generosity far beyond what was required. How would you evaluate your life of faith? Do you find yourself living by a set of rules and trying to do things just right or do you feel like you’re living in freedom and doing things as an outpouring of your love for God and as a result of what He has done for you? God doesn’t want you to live from rules but from relationship.
Also, consider Ruth. She also lived out her faith. She had moved to Israel to live under God’s protection. She recognised that God had made provision for the poor and she worked diligently in gleaning to benefit from what God had provided.

The story of Ruth happens during the same period as the book of Judges between the time of Joshua and the kings. During that period, God raised up various judges to lead Israel. Ruth probably lived during the time of Gideon. The famine described was likely a result of God’s judgement against Israel’s sin. Israel had not purged the land of the Canaanites as God had commanded and now they found themselves open to the temptation of looking to the idols of Baal and Ashtoreth rather than to God for their agricultural blessing.

Elimelech, a man from Bethlehem decided to take his wife and two sons to Moab. He probably heard there was no famine there and he didn’t expect to stay there long. But the grass certainly wasn’t greener on the other side. Sometimes we might make the decision to move somewhere because life there seems to be better for any number of reasons while missing the fact that God is wanting to bless us where we are if we will just allow Him to work in our lives. While in Moab, Elimelech died and his two sons, Mahlon and Chilion married Moabite women. Then both sons also died leaving Naomi his wife alone with her daughters-in-law, Orpah and Ruth.

Naomi decided to return to Bethlehem where she had heard that God had brought rain. She thought it best to leave her daughters-in-law with their own people where they could find husbands and continue their lives. Naomi asked that God would deal with them with kindness, undeserved loyalty and grace, because of their loyalty to their husbands and her family. Naomi wanted her daughters-in-law to remarry because marriage provided a woman with security. They both declined but Naomi insisted pointing out that she was old and unable to provide them with husbands. Even if she could find another husband and conceive sons, was it really practical for them to wait to marry them? Naomi was referring to the Levirate custom where a brother was responsible to marry his brother’s childless widow in order to preserve his name and inheritance (Deut 25:5-10). Orpah did what was expected, she took her mother-in-law’s advice and returned to her home. Ruth did the unexpected and insisted on remaining with Naomi. Ruth’s decision was one that had no prospect of marriage or children. Ruth gave up her own family, national identity and religion to cling to Naomi. She chose the people of Israel (your people) and the God of Israel (your God) instead.

When Naomi returned to Bethlehem, she was welcomed by the women of the town but she expressed her grief by refusing to be called Naomi, which means “sweetness or pleasantness” and chose to be called Mara, which means “bitter.” Naomi acknowledged God as Almighty, she understood God’s sovereign work in her life but she was unable to recognise the good. In her mind, she had been dealt a harsh blow by God and was not able to see any positives. Naomi believed she had returned to Bethlehem empty-handed. She didn’t see any significant worth in Ruth who had returned with her.

When your current situation is dire, it doesn’t mean God is not working in your life. Elimelech left Bethlehem because of the famine and thought he’d find a better life for his family in Moab, but didn’t. Naomi returned to Bethlehem stricken with grief and considered her life empty. She acknowledged God as almighty but thought He was heavy-handed against her. Ruth chose the living God even though it meant she would likely remain widowed and childless. What is motivating your decisions? Do you choose what looks good to you or are you choosing first and foremost to do things God’s way? What needs to change in how you make decisions if you’re going to make God-first choices?

Proverbs is a collection of wise sayings that are easily applied to everyday situations. Consider carefully which of the sayings you’ve read today are particularly applicable to you today and in the coming week. What do you need to change or do more of to make use of God’s wisdom in your life?

Mark 16:1–8 (Listen)

Early on Sunday morning, some of the women who had witnessed Jesus’ death and where He was buried set out to anoint Him with burial spices. On the way, they considered who they were going to get to move the large stone that covered the mouth of the tomb. (Perhaps they didn’t know about the Roman guard stationed to watch the tomb or they knew the Romans wouldn’t help them, Mat 27:62-66). As they got there they noticed that the stone had been rolled away and on entering the tomb they saw an angel sitting, dressed in white, and they were afraid. He told them not to be alarmed. They were looking for Jesus’ body but He was risen. They were looking to honour Him in death but He was alive. The angel told them to look see that He was not where they had laid Him. He had gone on to Galilee to meet them just as He had told them He would. The women were tasked with telling the disciples, including Peter (who was still one of the disciples despite his triple denial). They left the tomb astonished and amazed and afraid and rendered speechless because of the awesomeness of what God had done in raising Jesus from the dead.

Mark most likely ended his gospel there and there is debate about whether the following verses 9-20 were written by Mark. He leaves us with a bit of a cliff hanger to contemplate what we are going to do with the news that Jesus has risen. The angel declared it. The women witnessed it. No body has been found which validates it. Jesus subsequently appeared to many who attest to it. If Jesus has been raised, then everything He said is true. Will you believe it?