For the Empty....beyond Obed

From the desert of bitterness....

For the empty at heart, for those who are so tired of waiting, for those who wonder if there is more than the getting up and going to work and doing chores and running errands and all the other ordinary things we do daily...


Here is a story:

There was a lady who lost everything: her husband, her two sons, her security, her home. She used to be pleasant, but now she is bitter, so much so, she asks people to address her by the name. She has lost it all, except for one thing- her faithful daughter-in-law. This girl is so devoted to her mother-in-law, she goes to work to support her. And she just so happens to work in the fields of this man of character and respect. He takes notice of her diligence, her faithfulness, and after a little invitation, steps in to be this small family's redeemer. He marries the daughter-in-law. And they give birth to a son, but not just any son....for this son becomes the father of Jesse, the Father of David.........the Father of Jesus Christ, our Messiah.

Our Sunday School class just got done going through Ruth, and the Lord used this mornings' lesson to encourage my heart so much, I wanted to share it.

Naomi feels that God has deserted her. This Almighty, powerful God, one who is able to do all things, seems to have forgotten her and her needs. She looks around and the circumstances cause her to lose all hope, and from the human perspective, this is rightly so. The situation does look hopeless, but God never stops working. He was working and orchestrating the events behind the scenes. Are you tired of waiting? Are you bitter? Remember, HE IS GOOD! He is working behind the scenes, orchestrating this grand masterpiece, but not just for your life, for eternity.

You see, the story does not end: "Ruth and Boaz get married. The End."But rather, it ends with a focus on Naomi and Obed (the son Ruth and Boaz have). Obed becomes the Father of Jesse and Jesse the Father of David- and that was a name of promise for the Israelites! This name pointed to the Messiah- the one who would come to save them from their sins, just as Moses had led them out of their slavery years before. Our Sunday School teacher read an excerpt out of a John Piper sermon on Ruth, and it was such an exhortation! Part of it went something like this: this story is much more than a lovely romance, a grandmother holding her cute grandbaby, or even God's provision for two women, it is about God's plan for redemption! For this goes BEYOND OBED...to point to Jesus, the one who fills all in all! This means that even the everyday ordinary events in our lives point to something greater! God is working this detailed mosaic not only for our lives but for His glory, for His eternal purposes. It is so not about us.

To the streams of life abudant in knowing Him as your treasure...