23 February 2011

Psalm 119:145-176; Ruth 2:1-13; 2 Cor. 1:23-2:17; Matt. 5:21-26

We meet Boaz and are told that he is a “worthy man of the clan of Elimelech.” What we see in this man’s behavior towards his servants and towards Ruth proves to us that indeed he is a worthy man. His greeting for the reapers is “The Lord be with you” and their reply is “The Lord bless you.” That is a good bit better than our normal mode of greeting one another and establishes the basis for the relationship in the Lord. He is also a man who keeps the law, allowing others to glean what has been left behind according to the law. Not only does he allow it for Israelites, and remember that there had recently been famine in the land so there would likely have been more gleaners than usual, but he also allows this foreigner. The law said that there was one law in the land, for both foreigner and Israelite. In these few verses we learn a great deal about the godly character of Boaz.

We hear sometimes today that “Jesus never said anything about…” and the inference drawn is that it wasn’t important enough for Him to have mentioned it therefore it must mean that He didn’t care about that issue. Here in the first and longest recorded teaching we see in the Gospels we see that when Jesus did speak on matters of the law concerning sin He always raised the bar. Recall that yesterday He said our righteousness had to exceed that of the scribes and Pharisees. Here He raises the bar concerning righteousness, sin is more expansive than the law would seem to indicate. Hatred becomes murder under the law as Jesus teaches it. The main obligation of a teacher of the law was to explain and define what was meant by the commandments and the fine points of the law. There were some things that were abundantly clear in the law that required no one to interpret them. You would think murder was one of those things but here we see that even murder has to be defined in order to determine righteous keeping of the commandment.

Paul has required the congregation at Corinth to exercise godly discipline and this has caused him anguish at the way he has had to speak harshly towards them. Does this refer to 1 Corinthians 5 where they are tolerating sexual immorality in the body? He is heartened to hear that they have done what was necessary and the result seems to be that the person repented and has been forgiven by them and restored to the body. Paul commends both the discipline and the restoration. He moves from that to the church now as one in spirit and its role of spreading the aroma and fragrance of Christ to the world. In order for the body to function properly in this role we need to be able and willing to deal with sin among us so that we can truly represent Him to the world. Too often we become like the world and lose our true distinction, we become, unlike Boaz, unworthy of the clan of Jesus.

Praise to the Lord, who hath fearfully, wondrously, made thee;
Health hath vouchsafed and, when heedlessly falling, hath stayed thee.
What need or grief ever hath failed of relief?
Wings of His mercy did shade thee.