I am talking about today? Based on our present world view?
Then throw in the current Christian perspective?
And finally the true Christ-like perspective?
And Ruth who is she, today?
Where do you find Ruth?
What do you think she is doing?
Who do you think Naomi is today?
And where can Ruth find her, so, she can ID BOAZ?
:peace:
Just something I have been pondering today! I wasn't sure whether to put this here or over in the Bible section.
:angel:
Susan
1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.
2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
If you are Naomi (I don't think so), he would be found in the family (body of Christ) but then you need to introduce him...
If you are Ruth, leave all you have known to know God, hang-out in the women's Bible study, be kind to the mothers-in-Christ, be faithful when faced with bitterness in others, have humility, grace, and a cheerfulness to gleen where ever possible in spite of poverty and being seen at the welfare place, and Boaz will notice you!!!
Becareful to how you seek Boaz. Remember, no where in Ruth is LOVE a factor in the relationship. Boaz is first loyal to God and second to the commandments of the Lord. He honors his commitment to his family by being a redemeer of a widow by Jewish law. Love and passion come AFTER the honoring of this commitment. If you want a Boaz in your life, stop seeking "love" as Americans view it. Seek to honor God first and obay the Holy Spirit. It alone will provide for you a mate SHOULD the Lord see it fit. Remember what Paul said, sometimes the unmarried are better of for they can better focus on God alone.
Emmanuel, Climbcrew and that was a very good post to this thread. I marvel at your wisdom for such a young man but just thrills me to see the next generation so involved with the LORD'S calling. You are highly favored and honorable.
Now, tell me where I can find the verse you quoted about the unmarried being able to focus more on GOD? I remember reading it but have lost it's whereabouts....old age, you know.:laugh:
Oh, Susie, I guess this blows away my scenario of Madonna, Britney & bill.:ROFL:
This is suppose to be about Boaz and his character.
Okay let's talk about Ruth.
Today she would be called a "Gold- digger", or a leech, or beneath his standards: She served her husband and her mother-in-law and has no profession. She is dirt poor, a receipiant of the days social services, begging for the left-overs and bowing in gratitude to glean.
My concern is considering how much the body of Christ is living according to the spirit of this world, following its patterns of lifestyle and thoughts regarding success and finance, having accepted and even promoted the unnatural uses of women. Poor Ruth would be seduced instead of married, dishonored, and having her faith destroyed and Naomi would starve to death while dying of bitterness.
The story doesn't work without a Boaz? and his character? And what do you think was a major influence in his life (Matt 1:5 and Joshua 2) to look beyong Ruth's circumstances, see her godliness, and pray she was repaid by LORD God of Israel (Ruth 2:12) plus the rest of the story.
:angel:
Susan
Love had a lot to do with the story it just wasn't eros but agape.
Tomie, I think perhaps this is the chapter specifically verse32
1 Corinthians 7
Principles on marriage
1 Now concerning the things of which you wrote to me:
It is good for a man not to touch a woman. 2 Nevertheless, because of sexual immorality, let each man have his own wife, and let each woman have her own husband. 3 Let the husband render to his wife the affection due her, and likewise also the wife to her husband. 4 The wife does not have authority over her own body, but the husband does. And likewise the husband does not have authority over his own body, but the wife does. 5 Do not deprive one another except with consent for a time, that you may give yourselves to fasting and prayer; and come together again so that Satan does not tempt you because of your lack of self-control. 6 But I say this as a concession, not as a commandment. 7 For I wish that all men were even as I myself. But each one has his own gift from God, one in this manner and another in that.
8 But I say to the unmarried and to the widows: It is good for them if they remain even as I am; 9 but if they cannot exercise self-control, let them marry. For it is better to marry than to burn with passion.
Keep Your Marriage Vows
10 Now to the married I command, yet not I but the Lord: A wife is not to depart from her husband. 11 But even if she does depart, let her remain unmarried or be reconciled to her husband. And a husband is not to divorce his wife.
12 But to the rest I, not the Lord, say: If any brother has a wife who does not believe, and she is willing to live with him, let him not divorce her. 13 And a woman who has a husband who does not believe, if he is willing to live with her, let her not divorce him. 14 For the unbelieving husband is sanctified by the wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified by the husband; otherwise your children would be unclean, but now they are holy. 15 But if the unbeliever departs, let him depart; a brother or a sister is not under bondage in such cases. But God has called us to peace. 16 For how do you know, O wife, whether you will save your husband? Or how do you know, O husband, whether you will save your wife?
Live as You Are Called
17 But as God has distributed to each one, as the Lord has called each one, so let him walk. And so I ordain in all the churches. 18 Was anyone called while circumcised? Let him not become uncircumcised. Was anyone called while uncircumcised? Let him not be circumcised. 19 Circumcision is nothing and uncircumcision is nothing, but keeping the commandments of God is what matters. 20 Let each one remain in the same calling in which he was called. 21 Were you called while a slave? Do not be concerned about it; but if you can be made free, rather use it. 22 For he who is called in the Lord while a slave is the Lord�s freedman. Likewise he who is called while free is Christ�s slave. 23 You were bought at a price; do not become slaves of men. 24 Brethren, let each one remain with God in that state in which he was called.
To the Unmarried and Widows
25 Now concerning virgins: I have no commandment from the Lord; yet I give judgment as one whom the Lord in His mercy has made trustworthy. 26 I suppose therefore that this is good because of the present distress�that it is good for a man to remain as he is: 27 Are you bound to a wife? Do not seek to be loosed. Are you loosed from a wife? Do not seek a wife. 28 But even if you do marry, you have not sinned; and if a virgin marries, she has not sinned. Nevertheless such will have trouble in the flesh, but I would spare you.
29 But this I say, brethren, the time is short, so that from now on even those who have wives should be as though they had none, 30 those who weep as though they did not weep, those who rejoice as though they did not rejoice, those who buy as though they did not possess, 31 and those who use this world as not misusing it. For the form of this world is passing away.
32 But I want you to be without care. He who is unmarried cares for the things of the Lord�how he may please the Lord. 33 But he who is married cares about the things of the world�how he may please his wife. 34 There is[a] a difference between a wife and a virgin. The unmarried woman cares about the things of the Lord, that she may be holy both in body and in spirit. But she who is married cares about the things of the world�how she may please her husband. 35 And this I say for your own profit, not that I may put a leash on you, but for what is proper, and that you may serve the Lord without distraction.
36 But if any man thinks he is behaving improperly toward his virgin, if she is past the flower of youth, and thus it must be, let him do what he wishes. He does not sin; let them marry. 37 Nevertheless he who stands steadfast in his heart, having no necessity, but has power over his own will, and has so determined in his heart that he will keep his virgin,[b] does well. 38 So then he who gives her[c] in marriage does well, but he who does not give her in marriage does better.
39 A wife is bound by law as long as her husband lives; but if her husband dies, she is at liberty to be married to whom she wishes, only in the Lord. 40 But she is happier if she remains as she is, according to my judgment�and I think I also have the Spirit of God.
That would be it SusQ. Thanks for the quick reply :)
As to Boaz character, I think, perhaps, your directing his love in the wrong direction. His love is for the Lord not for Ruth. The amazing thing about this story is it reflects exactly how we should be looking for our "balance mates" as I call them. It should be the sole act and will of God through the Holy Spirit. We aren't called to any level of emotional love. Remember when God told us to love one another he never said anything about being emotional about it. Eros, Nomos, ect. all those are words for love but what does it really mean? It means to trust and obey, to follow what is right in spite of what you desire, and for humbling giving of yourself... to sacrafice. By Jewish law Ruth was a woman ready to be redemed, in fact by many Jewish sects she would have been forced to remary. What we need to focus on in Ruth is the two absolutes that occur: 1) Faithfulness is rewarded - Ruth gets her blessing from God when she first chooses to follow the woman that had provided for her and second when she obeyed what that woman (Naiomi) instructed her to do. (2) Obeying the Lord (a.k.a. doing the right thing in this story) even when everyone else turns from it will also bring blessings - Boaz fulfilled the obligation to him by law when his friend would not. Thus he became the head of the line of David and thus of Christ.
Sometimes, we want to disect individual characters in the bible. Although I don't knock the practice, we also need to step back and see what the Holy Spirit is speaking to. This case, I dont think we can really speak much to the exact character of Ruth, Naomi, or Boaz appart from what the story says. (I know theres been tons of books with asumptions on the book of Ruth but how can we draw conclusions on such a small circumspect book?)
Exactly! His love of God along with the influence of his mother and personal life experiences as her child provided him the insight to spot the godly character through the choices/ actions Ruth took.
Boaz was successful but his mom did not travel through the wilderness. SHe wasn't of the generation to claim the pomised land. She was Rahab, the HARLOT of Jericho. I believe Boaz might have been treated a little different by his peers throughout life. Developing a character and faith to see beyond the status quo, to a diamond living in rough circumstances, Ruth.
Both Rahab and Ruth are named in Jesus lineage in Matthew. God honored their names along with their husband's. I look to the character's in the WORD to learn how to live and what not to do. When I study the couples of the Bible, the way they met and what was being looked for... I try to be aware to be willing to give water to a servant's camels or in this story be kind to the older women in the body. After all, I don't know who might be reporting, what I do, to whom?
And that is really my point, for the guys to see with spiritual eyes beyond the circumstances to the actual calling on a woman. Take a good look at Boaz and what he said and did regarding Ruth. He didn't have to there was one closer. He chose to be the Kinsman Redeemer.
God bless you, your enthusiasium for the LORD is inspiring!
I always loved this story. I mean, look at Naomi, she became widowed in a foreign land away from family. Her desire was to go home where she knew she would hopefully find some kind of relief. Then there was Ruth , her widowed daughter-in- law ,who was encouraged to stay behind but chose to cling to Naomi...Why? Was it because she was alone or was it because she was stronger and could somehow support Naomi? Let's face it Naomi probably wasn't a spring chicken. Regardless of the reason, she, Ruth, gave up her old ways for the new ones introduced to her by Naomi...Then there was the gleaning of the fields...Boaz watched the integrity of Ruth and her hard work...It impressed him...he rewarded her by instructing his servants to leave more food in the fields for her to glean...she became favored...Boaz was not first in line to marry Ruth (family to marry the widow)...but in the end it was arranged (worked out) for him to marry her. Was Boaz a sap...no...as a matter of fact he was a man of God who watched the life of the woman before agreeing to marry her.
Their relationship was first based on mutual respect for each other and a love for God. It certainly didn't start out as love at first sight but grew through by integrity imposed by each other.
