A Mother-Daughter Covenant

August 11, 2019 Background Scripture: Ruth 1:1 – 18 Lesson Passage: Ruth 1:6 – 11, 14 – 18 Many women who lived during biblical times have not had their great deeds documented or actions appreciated perhaps because the societies they lived in were controlled by men. It is not very often that women are the focus of something positive in the scriptures. Today’s background scripture gives us information about a relationship between two women who lived in the shadow of their society. Their relationship with each other and their actions impacted the biblical genealogy of our Lord Jesus Christ. Naomi was a wife and the mother of two sons. Her family traveled to the land of Moab to escape the famine in Judah. While in Moab, Naomi’s two sons married Moabite women. Naomi’s husband and both sons died in Moab. As a childless widow, Naomi was destined to become impoverished. Naomi urged her two daughters-in-law to return to their Moabite families so they could find husbands and she would return home to Judah. One daughter-in-law left to return to her family but the other, Ruth, refused to leave Naomi. To Ruth, Naomi had become her mother and she would stick with her through thick and thin. She refused to allow Naomi to push her away—even if it was for her own good. What Ruth said to Naomi is being looked at as a personal covenant in today’s lesson. In fact, the words of Ruth oftentimes can be found in various marriage vows spoken by the bride to the groom. Ruth pleaded with Naomi to stop asking her to leave. Ruth pledged to go and live wherever Naomi went to live. Ruth was pledging to give up her entire family just to go and live with Naomi. To make clear her intent, Ruth declared that she wanted Naomi’s family to become her family. Further, Ruth vowed to make Naomi’s God her God. This goes well beyond day-to-day living and brings in the element of faith and religion. Ruth pledged her entire being in covenant to Naomi—physically and spiritually. Ruth said that she was willing to die wherever Naomi died. Ruth stated that death would be the only acceptable reason for her to be separated from Naomi. The depth of Ruth’s commitment to Naomi was enough to silence Naomi. What person would go to such an extreme to show their allegiance to another? Ruth was not offering to make a sacrifice to benefit Naomi. Ruth offered her whole self as a sacrifice to benefit Naomi. Naomi’s husband and two sons had died, but God had placed a person in Naomi’s life who was more dedicated to her than any reasonable person would have been. There is no wonder that Naomi was silent. How could one respond to such a devoted person? Although our lesson title is, A Mother-Daughter Covenant, one must remember that Ruth was not Naomi’s daughter. Ruth was Naomi’s daughter-in-law. This makes Ruth’s commitment to Naomi even more special. Ruth was pledging all that she was and even what she could become. It is noteworthy that Ruth would extend herself in such a way. It begs the question as to how Naomi had presented herself to her daughter-in-law to elicit such devotion. Although the words may be found in modern wedding vows, Ruth’s commitment is worthy of the bloodline of God’s only begotten son. Robert C. Hudson July 20, 2019

Love One Another

July 14, 2019 Background Scripture: Matthew 5:21 – 32 Lesson Passage: Matthew 5:21 – 32 This lesson is Part 3 in this series that is taken from the Sermon on the Mount. In this lesson, Jesus teaches about the nature of sin. After careful consideration of what Jesus told them about sin, there is no wonder that at some point in Jesus’ ministry, someone noted that they had never heard anyone teach like that. Jesus did not focus exclusively on a person’s actions. Jesus taught that sin is a condition of a person’s heart. In other words, sin is a matter of the person’s inward disposition and not to be equated with the action that may or may not ensue. A person may never act immorally or unjustly towards another and yet they can still be very sinful. In fact, Jesus taught them that sin was present in the person before the person took action. That is radical teaching! This is the kind of teaching that would have been irritating to the Jewish religious leaders who made their reputation based on outward show. Their reputations were based on what they were known to do or not do. If you did not see them do it or could not prove that they had done it, then they considered themselves to be innocent of all sins. To this, Jesus said: Not so fast. You may never do a wrongful act publicly or privately and still be a very sinful person. As Jesus stated previously in this narrative, the believer’s righteousness must exceed that of an outward display of holiness or piety. Jesus encouraged his followers to resolve any differences they may have with another person. Jesus gave this a higher priority than bringing a gift to the altar. In fact, he taught that reconciliation should be sought before a gift is offered on or at the altar. He also taught that personal harm can be limited by making reconciliation with one’s enemy rather than going before a judge or arbitrator. Jesus taught that even something as egregious as murder is a secondary response to internal sin. Murder is the repercussion of the sin that is internalized within the sinner. Likewise, he dealt with the subject of adultery. Jesus defined the lust of the sinner as the sin. So, even if the person does not act beyond their lust, the sin has been committed in the person’s heart. Understanding this is what makes it abundantly clear that we need a Savior because we could never become righteous on our own. Our thoughts betray us. When we meditate on our thoughts, they can easily become lust. The Apostle Paul’s outburst was related to this understanding when he said, “O wretched man that I am!” The old adage that you can’t judge a book by its cover is especially true when it comes to sin. When it comes to the true spiritual condition of the person, it is a matter of what’s on the inside that counts. This is central to what Jesus was teaching his followers. Sin is present inside of a person. Unrighteous and immoral actions are manifestations of internal sin. The other saying that we sometimes hear is, “It doesn’t hurt to look.” Well, according to Jesus’ teaching, maybe it does hurt to look. With so much sin, with and without actions, it is best that we practice loving one another—even more so, now that we have a better understanding of the true nature of sin. Robert C. Hudson June 19, 2019