In this week’s story, we see Naomi repeatedly responding to unwanted transitions. First, because of a drought, the family had moved from Bethlehem to Moab. Then an unwanted death intruded. Ruth 1: 3 Then Elimelech died, and Naomi was left with her two sons.[1] Naomi was now a widow. In that culture, a woman needed a …
Living between loss and direction can be difficult because you are in a place of uncertainty. As people, we don’t like experiencing loss and are often impatient while we wait for direction, yet this type of transition is not unusual. In the book of Ruth, Naomi experienced this challenging transition. In the days when the …
Decisions made without God’s guidance often rely on limited human understanding, leading to avoidable challenges and missed blessings. We can easily fall into this trap, as we see in the story of Elimelech and his family leaving Israel for Moab during a drought. Rutha 1:1In the days when the judges ruled in Israel, a severe …
Many people don’t bother to read the Old Testament because we have the New Testament. But what if we read the Old Testament through the lens of Jesus? Why would we do such a thing? Jesus tells us to. Jesus Says the Old Testament Points to Him Jesus had just joined two disciples returning home …
The Apostle Paul tells us that, in the end, we have victory over death. Now this is a future event, but it has compelling implications for each of us. If Jesus did not really rise to a new life in a physical body, we might as well live for this earthly life and do as …
The Apostle Paul encouraged the believers in Corinth that “your faith has not been in vain.” A group of heretics had slipped into the congregation. They claimed that only the spiritual was good and anything physical was bad. Therefore, Christ had not really risen in a physical body. While this sounded pious, it is not …
For the Festival of First Fruits to foreshadow the cross of Jesus Christ, Jesus had to have died and had a true resurrection. If Jesus had not really risen from the dead, then he couldn’t be the first fruits of the dead. Swoon Theory Against the Resurrection The swoon theory states that Jesus did not …
The Festival of First Fruits is always connected with Passover. God connected this third festival time with Passover from the beginning. Leviticus 23: 11 On the day after the Sabbath, (following the Passover) the priest will lift it up before the Lord so it may be accepted on your behalf.[1] It was God’s timing that directed the celebration of …
Jesus had predicted a triumph over the grave when He told the disciples that Lazarus’ illness would not result in death. The disciples must have been confused when they arrived at Lazarus’ home, as he had been in the grave for four days. But that wasn’t the end. When Jesus went to visit Lazarus’ tomb, …
Jesus’ prayer precedes God’s power in the raising of Lazarus. John 11: 41 So they rolled the stone aside. Then Jesus looked up to heaven and said, “Father, thank you for hearing me. 42 You always hear me, but I said it out loud for the sake of all these people standing here, so that they will …