May 6 – God is merciful even to a Moabitess

May 6
Ruth 2:1-4:22
John 4:43-54
Psalm 105:16-36
Proverbs 14:26-27

Ruth 2:3 – hap – is an interesting concept.  Ruth happened to go to Boaz’s fields. The lot happened to fall on Jonah (Jonah 1:7). The casting of the lot is of the LORD (Proverbs 16:33). Wealth doesn’t come to the lucky, it is of the LORD (Deuteronomy 8:18). Nothing happens by coincidence, if God cares about the birds of the air – He cares about you! (Matthew 6:26).

Ruth 2:12 – Naomi refers to the LORD bringing grief 4 times. Ruth seemed more familiar with the generic name of God than the personal name of the God of Israel (YHVH, in most English Bibles as the LORD). But Boaz and his crew knew the name of the LORD. And Boaz recognizes her trust in this God she barely knows, the LORD God of Israel.

Ruth 4:7 – The kinsman redeemer is a great motif of how Jesus redeemed us. John MacArthur shares this truth in a sermon – here’s a highlight that answers the question from yesterday.

Moabite people were, by God, shut out from the assembly of those who worshiped Him. Shut out, as it were, from redemption because of their iniquities. Turn to Isaiah 56… verse 1…prophet writes, “Thus says the Lord…this is from God…’Preserve justice and do righteousness, for My salvation is about to come and My righteousness to be revealed. How blessed is the man who does this, and the son of man who takes hold of it; who keeps from profaning the Sabbath, keeps his hand from doing any evil.’ Let not the foreigner who has joined himself to the Lord say, ‘The Lord will surely separate me from His people.’

Ruth 4:12 – Chuck Missler points out the background of this prophecy:

In Genesis 38, Tamar had married Judah’s firstborn son, Er, who died without having any children. Under Mosaic law, Judah was expected to provide Tamar a brother to raise up issue and failed to do so.¹ Tamar then resorted to posing as a prostitute and Judah unknowingly got her pregnant. When confronted with the evidence, he confesses that his sin was greater than hers.² Tamar gives birth to two sons, Zarah and Pharez. Both are, of course, illegitimate. The Torah provides that a bastard results in being cast out of the congregation for 10 generations.³ The strange remark in Ruth 4:12 was, in fact, a prophecy: the tenth generation from Pharez was none other than David. And to emphasize this, the book closes with David’s genealogy: [Ruth 4:18-22]

https://www.khouse.org/articles/2004/522/

John 4:46 – This nobleman was possibly Chuzah, husband of Joanna that we met earlier.

John 4:50 – This nobleman had more faith than Naaman (2 Kings 5:11-12).

Psalm 105:24 – Throughout the Bible we see constant pointing back to the Patriarchs and the message of the Torah. The foundational message of sin and consequence, obedience and blessing, foreshadowing the Savior thru messengers like Joseph and Moses (Deuteronomy 18:18).

Proverbs 14:27 – Take a minute and see what the Bible says about the Fear of the LORD. Or listen to this from Patch the Pirate.