“So the Lord saved Israel that day. And the battle passed beyond Beth-aven.” (ESV – Read the chapter)
We never know when God will use our small thing to accomplish a big one. The Philistines were defeated and Israel had hardly lifted a finger to do it. This was a big, big thing because absent some other kind of divine intervention Israel stood no chance against the Philistines in battle. And yet, this big thing began with a small one. Read the rest…
“But Ruth said, ‘Do not urge me to leave you or to return from following you. For where you go I will go, and where you lodge I will lodge. Your people shall be my people, and your God my God. Where you died I will die, and there I will be buried. May the Lord do so to me and more also if anything but death parts me from you.'” (ESV – Read the chapter)
This beautiful expression of faithfulness is often read in the context of a wedding ceremony. And, given the words Ruth uses here, this is not an inappropriate use of them. But, let’s consider for a moment just how amazing they really are and perhaps the wonder of such moments will only increase. Read the rest…
“But Elimelech, the husband of Naomi, died, and she was left with her two sons. These took Moabite wives; the name of the one was Orpah and the name of the other Ruth. They lived there about ten years, and both Mahlon and Chilion died, so that the woman was left without her two sons and her husband.” (ESV – Read the chapter)
Ruth is one of the most beautiful stories in the Bible. This is for several reasons which unfold over the course of its telling. It takes place during the same time period as Judges. And, in the beginning, it figures to be about as dark as its companion narrative. Read the rest…
In part three of our series, Hard Sayings, we look at Jesus’ hard assurance that if we stick with Him, the world is going to hate us. This isn’t an easy truth to hear, but millions of Jesus followers around the world and in our own backyards can attest to the fact that it is true nonetheless. Keep reading as we talk about why and what we can do about it.
Misplaced Anger
Have you ever held up someone as a hero only to have them fail you? I’ve talked before about my being a Kansas basketball fan. When I was growing up, Roy Williams was KU’s coach. I idolized Roy Williams. When I played basketball in grade school, I was convinced that I was going to play for Coach Roy someday. I wrote him a letter to tell him about it and he sent back an autographed picture of the whole team. I got to go to several KU games and watched with keen interest as Roy led team after team to victory. Read the rest…
“In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes.” (ESV – Read the chapter)
This, at last, is the theme of the book and its final assessment. The people of Israel had fallen to a place where everyone was doing what was right in their own eyes. When a culture reaches this point, anything goes and most of it isn’t good. We each became gods unto ourselves and everything becomes a holy crusade as we try to establish our divine fiefdoms at the expense of those around us. In the end, no one wins. Read the rest…
The Nexus 