The passage uses the word "glean" a good bit
doesn't it? Did you see the hidden
gleaning in the midst of it all. Boaz
invited Ruth to join his laborers and he himself gave her some roasted grain
and she had some left over, the gleanings.
What does she do with it? In verse
18 we see it again, she gave what she had left over after she was satisfied to
Naomi. She could have eaten it all but
she stopped when she was satisfied and kept the rest for her
mother-in-law. Boaz, after he sees this
woman not be greedy, not only allows her to glean, but personally takes some
out of the bundled grain that belongs to him and leaves it for her to pick
up. Naomi is astounded that Ruth has
gleaned so much and inquires where she has gleaned, who has provided such
bounty. When she hears it is Boaz she
knows this man is a close kinsman, he could potentially be a redeemer. In the end, Boaz and Ruth find themselves in
the line of the redeemer, Jesus.
Some are last who will be first, and some are first who will
be last. Do we really believe that? It would certainly seem that we don't most of
the time, we are seeking to be noticed, to be first now. Jesus is talking to the disciples and they
have a problem with that mentality. It
was, in Roman culture, definitely not a virtue to be overlooked or humble. The culture was largely built on
self-promotion, as opposed to our own (sarcasm alert). In an age where pastors and everyone else
takes to Facebook, Twitter, and every other platform you can imagine to get
noticed, we need to hear such words. We
are called to follow the narrow way and that is not to seek out notice for
ourselves but to make the kingdom of God known in every way, believing that all
it needs to become something amazing is a little opening. What seems like
nothing at all, a mustard seed, the little bit of yeast in a large bowl of
dough, is a game-changer.
Indeed we need to have clear qualifications for leaders in
the church and we need to enforce them.
Paul knew that there were certain measurables that had to be taken into
account. There has to be a witness that
a man can manage his own household, that he knows the truth, and that he is
someone well-thought of outside the church.
Why does it matter what the world thinks of our leaders? It only matters in so far as their conduct
not bring scandal to the church. If the
world thinks I am a narrow-minded bigot because I insist that Jesus is the only
way of salvation, no matter, but if the world's opinion of me is that I am a
man who cannot be trusted in business dealings or with their wife and children,
that is an entirely different situation.
Paul ends in what seems a strange way, speaking of the mystery of
godliness revealed in Jesus. His point
is that the church is to be a revealer of this very mystery as the body of
Christ. When we consider that, we should
walk humbly and righteously in order that we reveal Him in truth.
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