Ruth 2: 10 #daily devotions # bible studies # scriptures # word of God
Why have I found such favour in your
eyes that you noticed me – a foreigner?
The context
of this verse was the expression of surprise from a foreign woman from Moab who
was poor and did not know the culture of the Jews. Ruth was surprised that a
total stranger whom she had never met before was so kind to her. In this verse
we notice two key points. First was the favour that she enjoyed and secondly
she was a foreigner in the fields of a Jew.
There was no
reason that she could enjoy this as a stranger but we also read that Boaz gave
special instructions to the reapers to purposely leave extra grain for Ruth to
gather. Boaz showed her exceptional favour because he was a godly man and
practiced the teaching of the law. The law as given to Moses was all about
godly living and a command to be kind to others.
Lev 19: 18 Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge
against anyone among your people but love your neighbour
as yourself. God gave this command that all believers must love their
neighbour as themselves. This means that they must have mercy and compassion to
everyone who comes in contact with them and who is under their hospitality as
in the case of Ruth who came to the property of Boaz to glean some wheat.
Christian living
is all about kindness and love, this is a universal virtue with all Christian
brothers and sisters as we can experience this genuine love and compassion wherever we go. When we go into the mission fields in foreign nations and when we meet our Christian brothers and sisters, we
will be able to experience that great outpouring of love from our hosts. They
may be from another culture, another rung of society but their demonstration of
love and compassion is genuine when they host us and open their homes to us.
Some of us
have been to the tribal areas where the natives are so much poorer and less
blessed than we in the cities are, nevertheless the native brethren will do their
very best to provide for our needs and comfort.
Paul the
apostle to the gentiles also had experienced the same like what we have just discussed.
He had endured hardship, seen hardship and understands hard ship. He also empathizes
with the poor who are experiencing lack and needs. He looked to the poor and
had compassion for them. Paul wrote in Eph 4: 32 …and be ye kind one to another, tender hearted, forgiving each other,
even as God also in Christ forgave you.
Again he wrote
to the Church at Ephesus in Eph 5: 1-2 Be
ye therefore imitators of God, as beloved children; and walk in love, even as
Christ also loved you, and gave himself up for us, as an offering and a
sacrifice to God for an odor of a sweet smell. Paul had personally experienced the kind of sacrificial love of the poor brethren who have given their best to Paul even when they are yet in great needs. he therefore encouraged that for all of us who are able to, then we must operate in the love and compassion of the Lord Jesus Christ.
So this is
the clear instruction given to all believers, we must love one another, care
for one another; have compassion with one another especially those who are in
need. The rich and privileged must extend their hand of charity to those who are
less fortunate as in the life of Boaz.
Today I saw
a TV advertisement seeking for donations to support school children from poor
homes. These children do not have pocket money to buy food during recess time,
they have no money to join school outings and excursions, and they are meek and
lack self-confidence. These will grow up to have low self-esteem and may become social recluse. If we can, we must do whatever little we are able to because that would mean so much to our brethren who are in need.
For us who are
able and have in abundance, we need to be kind and compassionate as Boaz was in
today's text, when we can bless others then we will in turn be blessed as we obey
the commandment of God.
No comments:
Post a Comment