Handfuls of Purpose (Sampler)
Handfuls of Purpose Helping our Daughters Seize and Embrace their Destinies (Sampler)
Zebedee D. King
Copyright © 2010 by Zebedee D. King. ISBN:
Softcover
978-1-4500-5629-8
Softcover
978-1-4500-5629-8
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means without permission by the author. In this book, the author quotes from a variety of Bible versions. The copyright requirements of following versions have been faithfully adhered to: Unless as indicated, all scripture quotations are from the King James Version of the Bible. Scriptures marked MSG are taken from The Message. Copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group. Scriptures marked as “(CEV)” are taken from the Contemporary English Version Copyright © 1995 by American Bible Society. Used by permission. Scripture quotations marked NLT are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright 1996, 2004. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved. Scriptures marked NCV are taken from the New Century Version. Copyright © 2005 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Scriptures quotations marked ESV are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Scriptures marked God’s Word are quoted from God’s Word ®, GOD’S WORD is a copyrighted work of God’s Word to the Nations. Quotations are used by permission. Copyright © 1995 by God’s Word to the Nations. All rights reserved. Scriptures marked BBE are quoted from The Bible in Basic English. The Bible in Basic English was printed in 1965 by Cambridge Press in England and is in the public domain. Scripture quotations marked HNV are taken from the Hebrew Names Version, which is based upon the World English Bible, an update of the American Standard Version of 1901. The Hebrew Names Version is in the public domain. Scripture quotations marked “TEV” are taken from The Good News Bible: Today’s English Version, New York: American Bible Society, © 1992. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Warning: This book contains strong Christian language, depictions of realistic situations set in a spiritual context and pervasive Biblical content. Therefore the language used in this book is sometimes direct, frank and colloquial, but never foul. The names mentioned in the examples are fictitious. Any references to actual persons are coincidental. In this book, time-honored, often forgotten Christian precepts are juxtaposed against different “modern” mindsets and behaviors. Some audiences may find elucidation of Biblical precepts contrasted against contemporary thought forms to be too controversial and challenging. Others may find candid Biblical exposition and strong religious themes objectionable. Reader discretion is advised. This book was printed in the United States of America.
To order additional copies of this book, contact: Xlibris Corporation 1-888-795-4274 www.Xlibris.com Orders@Xlibris.com 43569
SECTION ONE Life Introduction The Story of Ruth presents a young lady whose life, by all respects, could’ve faded into obscurity. She was a foreigner, born to a nation that was at enmity with Israel and therefore excluded from all of the benefits extended to those nations who blessed God’s people. Nothing in her life’s story stated that she was beautiful, rich or popular. Nothing even suggested that she was a virtuous woman at the early part of her life. Yet Ruth was a decisive woman and the deliberate, purposeful decisions that she made throughout the pages of her story eventually catapulted her life out of the shadows of shattered hopes and dreams into a place of prominence within the broad scheme of God’s purpose. Indeed, some of the most important details in both the Old and New Testament would be incomplete without Ruth’s story. In this section, we will contrast the decisions that Ruth and her sister-in-law, Orpah each made which determined their individual destinies. We will discover that, whereas Ruth and Orpah were both young women who shared the same demographics, their choices in crucial areas differed greatly. Ruth’s decisions would be based more on the long-term benefits and immediate consequences of her choices; however, Orpah’s would be based upon her desire for short-term and immediate gratification.
Chapter 1 Cast Down, but Not Forsaken
T
HE MAIN CHARACTERS of the first few verses of Ruth’s book are Elimelech, Naomi, Chillion, Orpah, Mahlon and Ruth. Our focus in this discussion will primarily center on the lives of the three women: Naomi, Orpah and Ruth. It will be exciting to discover how their characters are revealed as their stories unfold so let’s jump right in! The story of Ruth, set during the times of the judges of Israel, begins by introducing the patriarch of a Jewish family, a man named Elimelech. The name Elimelech means God is my King. He was from a town called Bethlehem-judah. This is significant because Bethlehem-judah is the very same Bethlehem in Judah in which David, the great king and in which Jesus Christ, who is “God our King”, were born. Also interesting is the fact that the name Bethlehem means the House of Bread. That is significant because Jesus Christ who was born in the “House of Bread” actually declared Himself to be the Bread that came down from Heaven (John 6:51). I thought that you’d find that interesting. Another fact about Elimelech was that he was an Ephrathite. Commentators believe that this fact may indicate that Elimelech was from an aristocratic or noble lineage. Once again, this is noteworthy because Bethlehem Ephratha is mentioned in prophecy as the birthplace of Jesus, the King of Kings (Micah 5:2. Compare with Matthew 2:6). Even at the beginning, the story of Ruth prepares us for wonderful insights, Messianic and otherwise, that weave their way throughout the entire narrative. 27
28
ZEBEDEE D. KING
Elimelech decided to set out for the land of Moab with his wife, Naomi (whose name means pleasantness, beautiful or agreeable – a perfect package – beautiful on the inside as well as on the outside) and his two sons, Mahlon and Chillion. The Bible gives no indication of their character but the meaning of their names may offer insight as to some personal struggles that they may have been dealing with. These personal issues no doubt factored into what was to transpire in their lives shortly. Mahlon means infirmity or sickness and Chillion means pining, destruction, consumption, failing. Ironically, the family left Bethlehem, the House of Bread, because of a famine in the land. It is interesting that they couldn’t even find bread in the House of Bread. Moab was on the other side of the Dead Sea from Bethlehem so it was relatively proximate. It was also a fertile land, perfect for crops and livestock so this would be an ideal place to dwell temporarily. No doubt, other families in the region, displaced because of the famine, had also parked themselves in Moab, at least until the famine had subsided. Elimelech and his family left their home and heritage – a place of comfort and safety, and sojourned in a foreign land in order to preserve their own lives. God sometimes uses adversity to move His people from places of comfort so as to realign them according to His sovereign plan. Just think, without this move, they would’ve never met Ruth and she would have most likely been denied a place among God’s people. That means that she wouldn’t have shared in the inheritance of His people nor would she have left the legacy that she did. We will reveal her legacy at the end of the book. Elimelech’s pilgrimage reminds me of Jacob’s moving his family into Egypt-70 persons in all – to escape the famine in Canaan. In doing so, they were reunited with one of Jacob’s youngest sons, Joseph. Joseph, who had earlier been rejected and mistreated by his brethren, ultimately became a savior and a nurturer for his entire family, as well as the entire nation of Egypt and the entire region. That set the stage for the story in the book of Exodus, such as Israel’s slavery in Egypt and their subsequent deliverance. One never knows what redemptive story may be set in motion in one’s life because of what would otherwise be disguised as a series of unfortunate events. Not only did Israelites leave Egypt during the Exodus, but also a company of foreigners (Exodus 12:38). I know, Numbers 11:4 informs us that the “mixed multitude” did cause problems, but the point I’m trying to make here is that sometimes God uses our adversities to not only align and realign us according to His perfect pleasure, but also to unlock and open the door to someone else’s destiny. That’s worth remembering. Perhaps Elimelech’s family didn’t originally intend to stay in Moab for long because the Bible says that they “went to sojourn in the country of Moab”, but later it says that they “continued” there. That indicates a much longer stay than originally planned. The cause was that the famine in Judah was possibly prolonged.
HANDFULS OF PURPOSE
29
Unfortunately, while settled in Moab, Elimelech died, leaving Naomi and her two sons. The sons eventually married a couple of Moabitish women – Chillion to Orpah (gazelle, fawn) and Mahlon to Ruth (friendship, companion, comrade).
Where Are All the Men? Women constantly raise the above question in my conversations with them. I’ve heard it time and again in women’s church meetings and other community gatherings. This question has been advanced in the numerous articles that I’ve read over the years. I’ve even occasionally heard it asked by men who are concerned about the absence of other men to help shoulder the leadership responsibilities within their communities. Naomi and her two daughters-in-law raised this question also, but theirs weren’t just rhetorical questions about the perceived absence of good, dedicated men. Their question was based on a series of real and extremely tragic events. While in Moab, both sons died, just as their father, leaving no men left in the immediate family – only three heartbroken women deprived of their husbands. Naomi was devastated! If having been uprooted from her homeland to feed her household weren’t enough, now she had to deal with the loss of all the men in her nuclear family. This had tremendous economic implications as the women now had to take the place of their deceased husbands in maintaining a livelihood. It was a common misfortune that women in that culture and at that time did not enjoy all of the occupational advantages as their male counterparts. This economic obstacle could be surmounted, but there were more far-reaching consequences of this series of unfortunate events. First, these women no longer enjoyed the sense of security that they had when their men were alive. Naomi was in a foreign land without a covering. Her daughters-in-law were in similar situations although this land was more familiar to them than to Naomi. Neither of these women had a male covering to protect their personal and legal rights nor did they have a champion to protect their purity. They were more vulnerable to exploitation now.
32
ZEBEDEE D. KING
The other tragedy was that there was no heir or someone to carry on the family name and legacy. Elimelech’s name would be blotted out because there was not a man to carry on his name. How could this man from Bethlehem-judah be left without an heir when so many prophecies may hinge on his continuing bloodline? Actually, God did have a remedy for this. According to Deuteronomy 25:5-10, if a married man died without leaving an heir, his brother was to marry his wife and raise up an offspring for his dead brother. This is called the “levirate marriage”, also called the “brother-in-law marriage”. The man who would take this duty upon himself by marrying his dead brother’s wife was called the go’el or kinsman redeemer because the firstborn of this union would be accounted as his dead brother’s seed. This is how he built up his brother’s house – by redeeming his brother’s name and estate. If a man chose not to fulfill his duty to his dead brother, his brother’s wife would take the matter to the elders at the gate of the city. By the way, the city gate was where the elders of the city would gather to enact business transactions and decide cases. The elders would then call the man to them and ask him if it was as the woman alleges. If a man “stuck to his guns” and chose not to marry the woman, the woman would take the man’s shoe from off his foot and spit in his face. From that point on, he and his family would be known as “the house of him that hath his shoe loosed (Deuteronomy 25:10)”. The real challenge regarding the “levirate marriage” provision for these three women is that they were not in Bethlehem-judah, where Elimelech’s relatives were. Remember, they were in the land of Moab. It would be more challenging to find a kinsman redeemer in Moab.
Born for Adversity Although the women were still in heaviness because of their misfortunes, they decided to stick together and became a source of mutual support. Women generally are very supportive of one another, whereas we men often bear our afflictions alone. It seems hard for some men to share their troubles with others, even with other men. That has a lot to do with the social conditioning with we’ve been subject to ever since we were boys. We’ve been taught to be tough and self-reliant. I’m sure that this mindset factors into the reality that most men generally do not enjoy the longer life expectancies that women do. Additionally, women quite often travel in groups. They are very social. For example, they shop together and they eat out together. In fact, they can build a significant part of their entire social lives around “hanging” with their “girls”. Quite often they have a “ladies’ night out” to their favorite meeting places. Equally as important is the fact that many women have a support system of her peers to help through the tough times – her “girlfriends”, “sister-girls”, “friend-girls”, etc.
HANDFULS OF PURPOSE
33
Support systems are definitely needed; however, I would counsel my sisters to consider carefully the support system with which she surrounds herself. The reality is that some women simply do not have your best interest in mind. Some envy you. Others will only go so far to help you and some will even mislead you with unwise counsel, whether well-intentioned or not. Still others will “have your back” no matter what comes. Proverbs 17:17 declares, “A friend loveth at all times, and a brother is born for adversity ”. Of course, this also applies to sisters. This saying becomes obvious as we examine Ruth’s relationship to Naomi in particular. Time and again, the book of Ruth reveals Naomi’s concern for the well being of her daughters-in-law. She was always prodding them to maximize their options and opportunities for success. Orpah and Ruth in turn, displayed confidence in their mother-in-law’s advice. Naomi always tried to make life easier for her daughters-in-law, and they reciprocated. The tender love between these women is exemplary. Let me put in a plug for in-laws right here. I firmly believe that God’s intention is that we love our in-laws as our own family. They are actually our extended family. He also wants us to be a blessing to one another. That is obvious to me as I read the Bible. For example, Moses and Jethro had a mutually respectful relationship and on at least one occasion, they blessed each other (Exodus 3:1; 4:18; Chapter 18). The
34
ZEBEDEE D. KING
above scriptures proved that they were deeply concerned about each other. I don’t understand how there can be so much hatred and animosity between in-laws. I do understand that there are a host of factors that contribute to the breakdown of this vital bond, many of which are superficial and some may be due to such things as cultural differences. The cultural factor was probably at least partially to blame for the difficulties that Rebekah and Isaac had experienced with some of their daughters-in-law (Genesis 26:34, 35). I’m not prepared to go into this at length in this book. I will simply say that I see my in-laws as an addition to my immediate family and I love them just as much. I believe that God is pleased with this, as He desires that the love that He has placed into our hearts be constantly shed abroad to all around us. The love that we have for others should be a natural outgrowth of the mutual love that we share with God (Matthew 22:37-39; I John 4:21; 5:1). Even in their darkest hour, we can see the utmost respect that these women share between each other. The Bible does not record any sharp words exchanged or any blame levied between them. God knows how to place people in our lives that will be a source of strength rather than vexation when life seems especially challenging. That should encourage us to cherish the people that God places into our lives. As our journey through this book will show, these women will continually lean on each other for mutual support and blessing.
A Change of Fortune and a Change of Focus With the next turn of events, we’ll see the fortune of these women change. This is an important juncture because with every shift in one’s life, there are either a new set of decisions to be made, previous ones to be reaffirmed or both. Naomi was soon to be faced with the decision as to whether to stay in Moab or return to her homeland. Naomi found out that God had visited His people’s affliction by giving them bread. In other words, the famine was over. She, as the head of the household, decided to go back to Bethlehem-judah, with her daughters-in-law ready to go with her.
Battered but Still Blessing As they set out to their destination, Naomi paused. It would have been advantageous for her to have Orpah and Ruth accompany her back to Bethlehem because the journey was perhaps fraught with difficulties and even dangers. Naomi would also appreciate assistance from her daughter’s-in-law as she tried to reestablish herself in her hometown and make a living there. However, instead of looking after her own concerns (Philippians 2:4), she selflessly sought the welfare of Orpah and Ruth. She wanted her daughters-in-law to have a covering so she urged
HANDFULS OF PURPOSE
35
them to return to the security of each of their mother’s homes until they would eventually find rest (peace, security) in the home of each of their new husbands. Upon hearing this, the daughters-in-law tearfully kissed their mother-in-law and each other; nevertheless, they refused to leave Naomi. Naomi then reasoned that she could not provide any more sons for her daughters-in-law to marry, as she was too old. Even if she could conceive immediately, it would be unreasonable for her to expect them to wait until the boys were grown in order to marry them. Naomi did not want to put them in a similar situation as her ancestor Tamar, who, because Judah failed to give her Shela to marry, she resorted to prostitution in order to raise up seed for her dead husband. She ended up conceiving twins from her father-in-law, Judah. That was shameful. Although God was able to redeem this situation for His glory, this still wrought confusion both in Judah’s house and the house of Tamar’s father. Tamar’s story is found in Genesis, Chapter 38. Sadly, some women today have felt that their prospect for a good marriage has passed them by so they, like Tamar, have made the rash decision to sell themselves short just to have any ole’ kind of relationship. I’m sure that Tamar thought that she was doing the right thing by raising up an offspring for her dead husbands and it is understandable how her patience with her father-in-law had grown thin, but sometimes even good intentions lead to rash decisions. Ask the many women who felt that they were doing the right thing in getting involved with a right now man rather than the right man. Remember, Sister, if God promised you something, He will perform it, no matter how long it takes. Naomi had endured a lot up to this point. Yet, even though she’d been battered by adversity, even though she was baffled by the circumstances, she still sought the good of others. Even as she advised the young women to leave her and seek their own good, as a godly mother-in-law, she invoked a blessing upon both of them because of the kindness that they have shown to her and her dead sons. However, Orpah and Ruth clung to Naomi. Both daughters-in-law saw a kindness in Naomi that made them not want to leave her. Naomi said something interesting at this point of the discussion (Ruth 1:13). She alleged that the hand of the LORD has gone out against her. She was right about the fact that hand of the LORD was active in her life. She acknowledged His sovereignty, but her perspective was distorted. She was soon to find out that the hand of the LORD was definitely upon her, but it was to give her an expected end, and not to frustrate her steps. By the end of the Book of Ruth, she would realize that He had worked all things for her good and His glory (Romans 8:28). Despite Naomi’s circumstances, the fact that the famine in Judah was over tells us that rays of hope were already beginning to pierce through the clouds. Unfortunately, Naomi couldn’t see her situation from the same vantage point that we now enjoy because she was in the “thick” of her trials. That’s why she would need the encouragement of a friend to help “sharpen” her countenance (Proverbs 27:17).
Handfuls of Purpose By: Zebedee King ISBN: 978-1-4500-5629-8 (Trade Paperback 6x9) Pages: 243
This is excerpt from Chapter One of “Handfuls of Purpose�, written by Zebedee King. Find out how you can order the book at the following locations. www.xlibris.com\handfulsofpurpose.htm mosaicbooks.com\zebedee-king.htm The book is also available from Amazon.com, Borders.com, BarnesandNobles.com and over 25,000 online and local distributors.