Pursuing Righteousness

September 4, 2011


Background Scripture: Proverbs 3
Lesson Passage: Proverbs 3:1 -12

The Book of Proverbs represents a collection of wise sayings compiled for the nation of Israel in the tenth century B.C. Historians have noted that all nations of people had collections of such sayings during the times of Solomon. The Book of 1 Kings states that Solomon received wisdom from God that exceeded the wisdom of all others. It is reported there that he spoke three thousand proverbs. This is more than what is recorded in the Book of Proverbs. Although the entire Book of Proverbs is often attributed to Solomon, there are two others identified as authors of portions of it—namely, Agur and Lemuel. The overarching theme of the book appears to be the importance of pursuing and obtaining wisdom. In fact, in a very poetic fashion, wisdom is often personified in the Book of Proverbs. Our lesson today from Chapter 3 addresses the benefits of righteousness that are enjoyed by the practitioner of righteous living. Righteousness in this context does not mean perfection but rather it means to be in right standing with God. Solomon describes eight actions and one attitude in the verses of our lesson that will bear fruits of righteousness in a person’s life. According to Solomon, our actions towards God should involve obeying His law, acknowledging Him, trusting Him, showing Him reverence, and honoring Him. Likewise, our character should reflect truthfulness, mercy, and avoiding evil. Finally, when we have done wrong, we should view personal chastisement as an act of divine love towards us. What is stated in the verses of our lesson reads very much like a list of promises. You will have a long life of peace if you keep the commandments. You will have favor with God and man if you are truthful and merciful. God will provide directions for your life if you acknowledge and trust Him. You will have health if you avoid evil and reverence God. You will have plenty of substance if you use what you have and what you obtain to honor God. You can be assured of God’s love for you and delight in you when you recognize when God is punishing you for disobedience. Surely a just God would not punish us if He had no desire to save us from the destruction that we would bring on ourselves. In other words, we are punished by God because of His love for us. These sayings challenge our conventional thinking about some of these areas. Such wisdom could only come from God. Since we are not born with a character that reflects these qualities, we must put forth the effort to pursue righteousness.


Robert C. Hudson
August 29, 2011

Caring for One Another

August 28, 2011


Background Scripture: Ruth 4
Lesson Passage: Ruth 4:1 – 10

We conclude this series of study in the book of Ruth with today’s lesson. There are two great acts of caring depicted in our text today. Both are defined in the Law of Moses. The rationale for their existence and the methodology by which they were to be executed are recorded in the Law.

The first act involved redeeming the land of a brother who was deceased with no male heirs. This requirement was given so that there would not be a redistribution of the tribal lands as stipulated by God through Joshua. God insisted that the original allocation of the Promise Land to the tribes of Israel was to be maintained according to their original boundaries that would be established under Joshua’s leadership. The law allowed for a man with only daughters to have his inheritance passed to his daughters with the restriction that they could only marry within their respective tribes to keep the inheritance from moving from one tribe to another. If an Israelite had to mortgage or otherwise pledge his property because of poverty, in the year of Jubilee, he had to be allowed to return to his possession to avoid oppression of their fellow brethren and to not allow the land to be redistributed. Likewise, there were regulations concerning inter-tribal marriage that prevented the redistribution of the land between tribes. Moses provided the instructions for the year of Jubilee in Leviticus 25.

The second act of caring was the use of a surrogate husband to continue the name of a brother who died without an heir. A brother or near kinsman was to marry the widow and the firstborn which she bears shall carry on the deceased brother’s name rather than the surrogate father’s name. Moses provided the instructions for this act in Deuteronomy 25.

Both of these acts put the welfare of the disadvantaged or deceased brother of Israel above that of his tribe. These were extremely selfless acts that would not normally occur except that God required it be done. The history of Israel that is recorded in the bible shows that all were not willing to readily embrace these ordinances. However, that same history shows that there were some who had more mature understanding and readily applied the ordinances according to God’s instructions. Such is the case with Boaz in our lesson today. Boaz understood the plight that Naomi was in as well as the situation created by the marriage and subsequent death of her son—the husband of Ruth. Since Boaz was of the same tribe as Naomi’s husband, Elimelech, he used the ordinance to approach another family member who was nearer kin than himself. After that relative refused the offer to redeem Elimelech and his son, Boaz gladly accepted it and took Ruth to be his wife. Boaz’s action was more than an act of affection towards Ruth; rather, it was a great act of compassion towards his deceased brethren by taking upon himself the responsibility to redeem Naomi and Ruth because he cared for them.

Robert C. Hudson
August 15, 2011

Empowering the Needy

August 21, 2011


Background Scripture: Ruth 2, 3: Leviticus 19:9, 10
Lesson Passage: Ruth 2:8 – 18

I remember when “empowerment” was the latest fad in management style. All discussions about leadership at that time revolved around empowering employees to propel companies to the next level. Unfortunately, many were unsuccessful at it because they spoke of empowerment as something you do to someone. Empowerment is not about doing something to a person. Empowerment is simply creating an environment where individuals feel comfortable making decisions at their level based on their knowledge and training. Of course the key word in this is “comfortable”. A person is comfortable when he believes he has the support of others in the endeavors he pursues. Furthermore, it is more comforting to know that mistakes are looked at as learning opportunities and not reasons to criticize or crucify. An environment that provides this will always bring forth creativity and hard work on the part of those who take pride in what they do. Individuals quickly learn that nothing has been done to them only that the environment feels right for them to be all that they can be.

Our lesson today is a perfect example of how empowerment works in the life of someone in need. Needy people don’t need handouts as much as they need opportunities to better their lot in life. As we continue our study in the book of Ruth, Naomi and her daughter-in-law Ruth, the Moabite, have returned to Naomi’s homeland in Judea. They have returned in an economically impoverished state—since they are both widows. It was the time of harvest, so Ruth volunteered to go into the fields and pick up the grain that had been dropped by the reapers so that she and Naomi could have substance in which to survive. When the owner of the field came to the reapers and noticed Ruth, he inquired as to who she was. The reapers knew she was the Moabite who had come to Judea with Naomi and told it to him. They also spoke well of her work ethic. The owner then instructed Ruth to not go to any other fields but to remain in his field along with his maids. She was told that the young men there were instructed to not harass her in any way and to provide water for her to drink as needed as they were to do for the other maidens there. The first part of creating a comfortable environment is to make it welcoming and safe. Ruth recognized that this was a special favor and thanked him in the most humble way. She was told that she was now reaping what she had sown into the life of her mother-in-law because her reputation had been discussed by others. This is the second part of creating the right environment. She was told that this was not a handout but instead this opportunity was the reward for the labor she had already bestowed. Finally, she was given the opportunity to have even more because her work ethic and reputation had paved a way for her to gather more than what was needed to suffice her. The environment had been created that allowed Ruth to seize an opportunity to better herself because the owner of the field, Boaz, understood how to empower the needy.

Robert C. Hudson
August 11, 2011

Making a Choice

August 14, 2011


Background Scripture: Ruth 1
Lesson Passage: Ruth 1:8 – 18

Decisions are made all around us everyday where people live, learn, play, and work. Part of life involves making decisions. In fact, if we try to avoid making a decision, we only concede that we have decided to live with the decision of another—in effect, choosing to make the same decision. The freedom and authority to decide seem fundamental to our being made in the image of God and after His likeness. Decisions also involve great responsibility for decisions have consequences. It is often the consequences that we are trying to avoid when we procrastinate and put off making a decision. Yet, having the ability and right to decide is a privilege of being a free moral agent. Unlike humans, other animals live by instinct and do not exercise the power of making a choice. Instinct serves to support sustaining life whereas making a choice involves determining the quality of life we choose to live. Our lesson today involves six people engaged in making choices that have profound consequences for them as well as countless others. Elimelech decided to take his wife and two sons out of the land of Canaan because of a famine and led them into the land of Moab where he died. His widow and two orphaned sons found themselves strangers in the land away from the land of their inheritance. The two sons made choices of Moabite women to be their wives rather than the Hebrew women back in Judah which would have been according to the Law. In the process of time, both sons died away from the land of their birth leaving their mother and widowed wives in the land of Moab. Upon hearing that conditions had improved in Judah, Elimelech’s widow, Naomi, made a decision to return home. Her daughters-in-law, Ruth and Orpah, desired to go with her but at her prompting, Orpah returned to her family in the land of Moab. Ruth, on the other hand, made a different choice. Ruth chose to forsake her family, homeland, and god that she might be able to follow Naomi. Ruth vowed that Naomi’s destination, lodging, family, God, and place of death and burial would also be hers. Ruth was claiming for herself all that Naomi would embrace and live and die for. This was her choice and the consequences that followed. Ruth did not simply embrace one of the decisions that Naomi was making, she was accepting all of them. So great was Ruth’s devotion towards her mother-in-law that Naomi ceased to try to persuade her otherwise. When Ruth accepted death as a possible consequence of her decision, what more could Naomi say to her? In the few verses covered by our lesson, many years are encompassed and the choices made by six people during that time had major impact for them and others around them. But none of those choices were as all-encompassing or as far-reaching as the one made by the Moabite named Ruth.


Robert C. Hudson
July 28, 2011

Walk in God’s Path

August 7, 2011


Background Scripture: Judges 13; 21:25
Lesson Passage: Judges 13:1 – 8, 24, 25

Today’s lesson chronicles the steps given to a couple from the tribe of Dan to prepare them to receive a blessing. This would be a blessing to them because it will take away the reproach that couples had to bear at that time for being childless. This would also be a blessing to Israel to take away the reproach of being oppressed for forty years at the hands of their enemy the Philistines. As is repetitious throughout the book of Judges, Israel had again found themselves without a leader and had backslidden and did evil in the sight of God. God had allowed the Philistines to oppress them for forty years as a result of their sin. What is different about this deliverance is that the bible does not say that the nation of Israel cried out to the Lord for deliverance from the oppression prior to God sending a deliverer. The focus of the text is the steps the woman had to take as prescribed by God. She was to keep herself from the fruit of the vine and all strong drinks and unclean food. She was to raise the child the Lord was going to bless her with under the vow of a Nazarite from his birth. These instructions were not given to the man but to the woman. She relayed it to her husband and he in turn sought directions from God in prayer relative to it. When the messenger of God returned to the woman the second time, she alerted her husband; he then asked counsel of the messenger. The messenger’s counsel was that the woman must follow the advice he had previously given her and so he repeated it for her husband that he might also know. The woman showed great respect towards her husband as well as confidence in him by sharing with him all that she had been told to do. Likewise, the husband showed great faith in accepting the words of God’s messenger as true and sought more clarity from God concerning the prophecy. When the messenger returned, the couple sought to make a sacrifice and prepare a meal for him. The messenger refused the offer of food and instructed the couple to only offer a sacrifice unto the Lord. At this point, the couple desired to know his name that they could honor him when the baby was born (perhaps by naming the child after him). When the offering was prepared and offered up by fire, the messenger ascended in the flame in the sight of the couple so that they were moved to bow down and worship for they recognized that this was no other than an epiphany or pre-incarnate Christ who had visited with them. This was the last time the couple was visited by the messenger but it was enough to fully persuade them that God was indeed with them. This must have been encouraging for them throughout the pregnancy and childhood of the promised baby. They would never be able to erase the memory of that visit. Whereas fear came upon them after learning the identity of the messenger, a spirit of wisdom was also on the woman in that she understood that this was further confirmation of God’s plans for them. When the boy was born, his mother called his name Samson and God’s favor was upon his life.

Robert C. Hudson
July 28, 2011