Ruth (Advent 24, 2022)

Continuing our look at Jesus’ genealogy and the remnant being increasingly one of faith while becoming more inclusive we read, Luke 3:32 “the son of Jesse, the son of Obed, the son of Boaz, the son of Salmon, the son of Nahshon”.

Again, Matthew’s gospel fills us in on some points worth noting. Matthew 1:5 “Salmon the father of Boaz, whose mother was Rahab, Boaz the father of Obed, whose mother was Ruth, Obed the father of Jesse,”

As if it isn’t bad enough with Rahab, the prostitute,
now we have Ruth often called “the Moabitess”.

Yeah, she was from Moab. Nothing good happens in Moab. The people of Moab descended from the elder of Lot’s two daughters (remember how they got pregnant by dear old dad, drunk dad?) Genesis 19:32-38 tells the whole seedy story of girls with bad ideas.

Ruth, however, had a noble pledge to her Israelite mother-in-law Naomi: “Don’t urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God” (Ruth 1:16).

Hers would be a story of inclusion, faith, and turning away from idolatrous Moab. Her legacy would be as part of redemption. Her reward, in part, was to be included in the line of Christ.

Questions for further thought:

In Ruth 4:11-12, we read, “Then the elders and all the people at the gate said, “We are witnesses. May the LORD make the woman who is coming into your home like Rachel and Leah, who together built up the family of Israel. May you have standing in Ephrathah and be famous in Bethlehem. Through the offspring the LORD gives you by this young woman, may your family be like that of Perez, whom Tamar bore to Judah.” In verse 13, Ruth conceived a son. In what ways did God fulfill that blessing?

Do you see “Rachel and Leah, who together built up the family of Israel” and Perez’s family line as the remnant of faith?

Boaz’s grandson Jesse is the father of King David. How does that further inform your understanding of fulfilling the scepter line of Judah?

Prayer:

Thank You God for fulfilling the blessing upon Boaz and for the way You have included outsiders in the family of faith. We praise You and thank You for the legacy of redemption. We ask Lord that You would help us to look at others through the lens of inclusion; through the lens of faith; and we would see people who are trying to turn away from the culture and who have place their faith in You as members of our family. Thank You for Jesus Christ and for His humble birth and inconspicuous early life. How amazing that You redeemed the world through Him and His shed blood on the Cross. Help us to always remember all that You have done for us while we were yet sinners. We offer You praise; we offer You glory; and for Your Name’s sake, we pray. Amen.

===

Advent began Sunday, November 27, 2022 and continues to Saturday, December 24th as we explore the remnant spoken of in Scripture and awaken as the end draws near.

By signing up on the sidebar of my Home Page you can receive these daily “Awaken, Remnant” devotionals. Or they will be reposted on SeminaryGal’s Facebook page as well.

===

Acknowledging inquiries about an entire season’s devotionals for your study group’s planning purposes, Seminary Gal’s prior seasons’ Advent devotionals can be accessed via the archives to the right and are as follows:

The multi-faceted Interlude between the promise of a Deliverer and the birth of our Messiah and King was the theme of 2021’s devotional series. It is archived beginning November 28, 2021.
2020’s Devotional Series Divine Intervention began on November 29, 2020 and explored God’s activity on behalf of a hurting world and nations in tumult– Intervention for you and for me when our status as sinners required nothing short of a miracle.
God’s Christmas list explored what might be on God’s Christmas list, learning what He wants from us. It began December 1, 2019.
Storyteller began December 2, 2018 and entered into the Christmas story through its telling.
The 2017 series Still Christmas, began December 3, 2017 and was the Advent complement to the Lenten series, Be Still and Know that I AM God.
The 2016 season devotionals were called “Timeless: The Message of Christmas for All Ages” and explored how the message of Christmas is timeless truth, for all ages of people, and for all ages at all times. Timeless hope, encouragement, grace, peace, and love as we looked into the Word, saw the face of our Lord Jesus, and experienced restoration in His presence. His goodness and His Gospel are truly Timeless. The 2016 devotionals began November 27, 2016.
The 2015 season devotionals were titled Incarnation and involved digging deep–and yes, I mean deep– in this important mystery of Christian theology. They began November 29, 2015.
Carol Me, Christmas! remains one of my most popular offerings and tells the Christmas story through our most beloved Christmas hymns and carols. You can access all of the numbered devotionals from 2014 via the archives. They began November 30, 2014.
The 2013 series was Emmanuel: When LOVE Showed Up in Person and examined the Prologue to the Gospel of John. It began December 1, 2013.
The 2012 series focused on Expecting the Unexpected…the unexpected, unlikely, and uniquely divine qualities of God’s perfect plan outlined in Luke’s account of the Christmas story. It began December 1, 2012.