A Good Man

Recently, someone made a crack about men not being like a romance novel hero.  I disagree.  They're out there.  I just reread about one yesterday.  His name is Boaz and he's the romantic hero in the book of Ruth.

Before I begin to share what I learned about him, I want to mention the first thing I noticed as I read. I'm sure everyone's read the book Ruth and perhaps you've already learned what spoke to me yesterday so strongly, I just had to share.  In the aside, I noticed that Naomi's daughter's-in-law each made a choice when she told them to go home.  Orpah, as we all know, returned to her people, but Ruth refused to return.  As I thought of it, it made me think of other events in Scripture that show we have 2 choices. Accept or reject. The two thieves on the cross are a second example.  One chose to accept and went to heaven with Jesus.  The other rejected and I'm sure he is now regretting it or will someday. Cain and Abel were brothers who made different choices.  Cain refused to choose the right sacrifice and God rejected his offering.  Abel chose what he was told to bring and was honored by God-and murdered by his brother.  When it comes to making a choice, there are only 2.  Accept or reject.

On to the story of a good man.  The first thing said about him is that he was a man of standing.  He was respected in the community.  He had a position of influence-what influence I do not know, but the Bible says he was a man of standing.

Verse 3 says, "As it turns out, she was working in a field belonging to Boaz, who was from the clan of Elimelek," Ruth's father-in-law. Verse 4 says, "Just then Boaz arrived from Bethlehem and greeted the harvesters" Coincidence?  No way.  Godcidence.  Even in matters of the heart, God is in control.

Now comes the proof that Boaz was a good man. He greeted his harvesters.  Ever work for a boss who doesn't have time to extend courtesy to his employees?  Not so Boaz. He truly cared about the people who worked for him.  It showed in the response of his employees. "The Lord bless you!"  He was so good to his people, they not only worked for him, they loved him.  That's a good man.

Immediately Boaz spots Ruth and asks his overseer who she is.  Hear the violins begin to play soft, romantic music? So often, men seem to make up their mind about the woman they want to spend their life with like they shop.  Snap decision. See it, get it. It doesn't take long. When he learned she was a Moabite, he could easily have snorted in disgust and walked away.  Moabites were not Israel's favorite people.

Instead, he was impressed with her work ethic and told her to stay in his fields.  He was protecting her.  Strangers don't always fare well in new territory, especially a woman alone, a woman without influence.  Boaz was also a pragmatic man.  He knew the way some men treat women and told them to leave her alone. And, he told her what he'd done.  That had to be reassuring.

When she asked why he was being so good to her, he deflected any pride and said it was because she was treating her mother-in-law right. He knew she had done a very brave thing by leaving her homeland and going into enemy territory.  Pronouncing a blessing on her was endearing, I'm sure.

He made sure she had something to eat.  If that wasn't enough, he not only told the harvesters to not embarrass her should she get too close to the area normally off-limits to gleaners, but to pull out some of the sheaves to make sure she had enough grain.  That's a generous man.

Naomi decided to move things along and instructed Ruth to gussy up and go spend the night with Boaz. Something I dearly love about Scripture is that it tells it like it is.  Do I think anything happened? No, I don't but, the intentions were clear.  Ruth needed a husband, and Boaz was her choice.  Some men are intimidated by women and need a little help.  Apparently Boaz was one of them. Waking in the middle of the night to find a woman laying at his feet was the perfect opportunity for him to pounce, but he didn't. He'd have had every excuse. He'd been drinking. She was a foreigner. She started it. Not even after she practically proposed to him.  That's a noble man.

It makes me think of Dennis Rodman.  He was on a show with a psychologist who counsels famous people with drug and alcohol abuse problems.  Video got out of him being rude and abusive to young girls who ventured into his bedroom in the middle of the night. "What did they expect?" was his defense.  Not so Boaz.

He was a discreet man, too.  He made sure no one knew Ruth came to the threshing floor in the middle of the night.  Some people would have delighted in branding her as immoral as well as an enemy. Women didn't have it so good in those days.  If their husbands divorced them, many were forced to turn to prostitution. As a poor widow in a foreign land, it could have been her lot.  It's no wonder she was so grateful for his kind attention and intentions.

Boaz must have been an older man because he praises her for not chasing after a young guy.  And, he's an honest man.  He knows there is a closer relative who has a prior claim on Ruth.  He seems to be a shrewd man, as well.  When he approaches the other man, he mentions the property first and the man jumps at it until he realizes the first child would jeopardize his own estate.  Certainly, he's shown himself to be a righteous man with everyone he's dealt with, from his employees, to Ruth and her mother-in-law, to the relative who had a stronger claim on Elimelek's property.

Of course, Ruth has a happy ending.  It's not a romance novel unless it has a happy ending, right? As I read, I couldn't help admiring a man who's listed in the lineage of Jesus. Boaz was a good man.  He did romance God's way.  God's way is always best.

Prayer

As missionary liaison at church, I give a report about once a month. Today, I chose a different subject and it had more meaning for me than ever.  Hopefully, it was helpful to the congregation as well.  The reports are usually about one of the 40+ missionaries the church supports.  Missionaries send letters, I read them, and make a report to the congregation in order to keep them informed.

Recently, the sending agency of one of our missionaries sent their own letter.  In it, the President of the agency said he was asked more about how to pray for missionaries than anything else.  He went on to suggest several ways to pray.  I found them helpful.  He suggested using the hand as a reminder of how to pray.  Let the thumb be a reminder to pray for those closest to us.  When a missionary comes to the church to speak, sometimes they will have a message that speaks to us personally. Sometimes members of the church will send support on their own to a specific missionary. Whatever makes them feel close to certain one, the thumb is to remind them, that like the digit closest to us, pray for those we feel closest to.The index finger is used to point, so use it to remind us to pray for teachers and healers. The middle finger is the tallest, making us think of church spires, so use it to remind us to pray for pastors and church leaders. The ring finger is the weakest finger on the hand and it can be a good reminder to pray for those missionaries who may have difficulties such as illness, finances, or relationships.  The little finger can remind us to pray the Holy Spirit will prepare the hearts of those who are hearing the Gospel but have not yet responded.

I also told them how I was taught to pray.  I pray Scripture back to the Lord.  That way, I hide God's Word in my own heart, it reminds me how the Lord wants me to live and best of all, I know I am always praying God's will to be done when I use His Word. I might ask the Lord to increase their ministry (territory) like He did Jabez. Or I might pray that He will be the Shepherd that makes them lie down in green pastures.  Perhaps I'll pray that they will be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, and faithful in Prayer (Romans 12:12)

Last night, as I was thinking about what I had prepared for today, the thought occurred to me that Jesus prayed a blessing over 5 loaves and 2 fish.  He fed more than 5000 and had leftovers. Only God can give that kind of increase.  I also remembered that Jesus said we would do MORE than Him and I can't begin to describe how my faith soared. If God can feed 5000 with leftovers from 5 loves and 2 fish, He can certainly take care of any need I might have.

I've often said I'm so glad God does not count slowness as men do. It took me 30 years to get a 4 year degree.  It's taken over 50 years to reach a plane of faith beyond what I've ever known or dreamed. He's not finished with me yet and He's continuing to perform the good work He began in me 54 years ago.  I am humbled and filled with His praise and joy at the same time.


It's been said that Satan trembles when he sees the weakest saint on her knees.  I have to believe that tonight.  This has been one of  most difficult blogs I've ever done.  Sheila, bless her little heart, is jealous of the computer and wants to sit in my lap.  Try working on the computer with 23 pounds of fur in your lap! The computer has stuck it's tongue out at me all evening.  Moving the pictures around has been a bear. Trying to find a picture of Jesus blessing the loaves and fish has been impossible and I may have nightmares about the devil because I was looking for visuals for this paragraph.  That just tells me what I've written is necessary as a reminder to myself and all who read this.  God is calling us to call on Him.

I Come to the Garden Alone

This morning, Sarah Young's writing in Jesus Calling reminded me of  childhood experiences that have done much to make me who I am today.  In today's devotional, she said, "Your deepest, most constant need is for My Peace. I have planted Peace in the garden of your heart, where I live but there are weeds growing there too: pride, worry, selfishness, unbelief. I am the Gardner, and I am working to rid your heart of those weeds.  When you sit quietly with Me, I shine the Light of My Presence directly into your heart. In this heavenly Light, Peace grows abundantly and weeds shrivel up.  When you trust Me in the midst of trouble, Peace flourishes and weeds die away.  Thank Me for troublesome situations; The Peace they can produce far outweighs the trials you endure."

To begin with, I grew up in a small bedroom community of Pittsburgh, PA. If you know anything about the state, you know it's all up hill, down hill or around a corner. The hill I lived on had two nicknames.  It was known as "Big Bug Hill" because the first street had many big, Victorian structures. It was also know as "Boy Scout Cabin Hill."

The Boy Scout Cabin was in a lonely, isolated, and heavily wooded part of the hill at the edge of town.  Above that area is where the majority of the houses were-until the field above where I lived was turned into a housing development while I was in Germany.  More about that later.

At the bottom of the hill was a creek and on one bank of the creek was a path beneath the trees. The other bank was steep and had one house and the far side of the bridge that crossed the creek.  Just beyond the house and the creek was a highway that took you out of our small community.  But, it was along that path that God gave me what I felt was my own special garden. Tall trees made the path and hillside very shady and not much grew under the trees, except in springtime. Then, violets would grow and I would wonder along that path, alone, and listen to the creek bubbling over the rocks and pick those violets.

I've come to understand I wasn't really alone.  The Lord was with me. I learned as a young girl to appreciate the beauty of what God had created. The beauty He's created is so lavish and it's for us!

Another place I used to wander was closer to the top of the hill.  At the very top of the hill was a farm. A little lower was a wide open field.  I spent a lot of time wandering there, too.  The grass would grow about knee high and I don't ever remember it being mowed.  After frosts and winter freezes, that grass would turn the color of wheat and coil into tight little curls.  That made it easier to find the tiny little forget-me-nots, clothed in their pale blue with bright yellow centers.  Joyce Kilmer was right in saying only God could make a tree.  Only He can clothe the lilies of the field, too.  And the forget-me-nots.  Can't remember how many times I tried to transplant them in my yard, but they never made it. Today, that open field is covered with houses.  I'm grateful that didn't happen until after I was grown and gone. Enjoying the peace of God's Presence would never have happened if those houses were built earlier.

I've come to so deeply appreciate those times alone in God's creation.  It's often been said that David spent many lonely days and nights watching the sheep and communicating with the Lord.  I'm not the poet David was and my life has never touched royal palaces, but God touched my heart because of all that time I spent with no human companionship, marveling at the beauty of God's creation.  It humbles me to think He did that for me and I'm grateful. Is it any wonder I marvel at Zephaniah 3:17? It's so humbling to realize that God takes great delight in me, quiets me with His love, and rejoices over me with singing.  He chose those times to be alone with me!

There was other reasons for my lack of human companionship.  Our house was directly across the street from the Boy's Home, where most of the boys were placed there by the state for repeated minor infractions of the law.  Parents didn't trust those boys and the only thing separating those boys and our house

were shrubs surrounding the playground.  Then, too, my mother was what popular 80's pop psychologist, John Bradshaw called "shame-based."  She was ashamed of everything and was never comfortable with company in the house.  I was alone much of my childhood, unless I chose to visit a neighbor.

I learned to make friends through books and wandering the field and by the creek, enjoying God's creation. I would say my childhood made me the richest girl in town.