WEDDINGS: Are you planning one? Perhaps you can remember the day of your wedding and all the plans and expectations you had of that new life to come. I wonder if the reality of that life has been equal to or perhaps exceeded the expectations you had on that day? I ask that question because we live in a day where the ceremony of a wedding carries far more weight than the actual life of the marriage. With divorce at an all time high and growing higher and with the emphasis from Society not to even marry at all, we have more resources and more counseling than ever on the subject of marriage and yet the reality of divorce still looms over most of the western civilized world.
The reason for the high rate of divorce can be summed up in one word, sin. That's a word the world and even the church does not like today. The specifics of that sin may vary in each marriage and subsequent divorce but the reality of sin causing the separation of two people who have been joined in the eyes of God and others is evident. God created the male and the female. Actually, if we are Biblical about it , He not only created male and female but, He created female out of and for the male. That reality is not popular today but it is a divine appointment by God who has created all things for His purpose and glory, including marriage.
I introduce the blog post in this way because when we turn to the little book of Ruth in the Old Testament, we find it filled with the subject of marriage, weddings and children as well as sin, separation and death. When I was younger and read this story, I contemplated much on Ruth, the young girl from a foreign land who had married into a family in Israel. She said of herself at one point, "I am not like the other women in Israel". How different she felt from those who had been born into the family of God and had learned about and served the true God their whole lives. One can only imagine the turmoil she felt in her heart as she went in and out among the people. We may wonder what the other women in Bethlehem thought of her. After all, she was a Moabite, from a land that God called his "wash pot" and upon whom the judgment of God lay. And, the men of Bethlehem seemed to have even less regard for her since Boaz had to instruct them at one point not to touch her. We assume they too had little respect for this young woman.
How did the citizens of Bethlehem feel about this foreigner coming into their town and living, working and eating among them? And, how did Ruth feel? We know one way she felt for she told us, "I am not like the other women in Israel". There is a lesson for us here to be sensitive to those who may not have had the same instruction in the things of God as we have had but have nevertheless, come to place their trust underneath the protecting wings of a loving God. I am sure Ruth's insecurities were much like those of the woman at the well or the woman who was taken in adultery in the New Testament. And, knowing something of human nature I am equally sure from the responses of those who had known this God all their lives, that these women thought they had reason to feel such a rejection. But, though Ruth may not have had acceptance and respect from the citizens of Bethlehem, she did have a loving mother-in-law who told her about the God of Israel and the blessings He had promised them in the land of Bethlehem.
That mother-in-law was Naomi and now that I am closer in age to her than Ruth, she has captured my contemplation. I have often wondered what Naomi's expectations were on the day of her wedding? I can't help but think that her expectation was that she would live a long, happy and fulfilled life with the one whom she was about to marry. She probably thought of having children and as the custom of the times were then, the more the better. Perhaps they would live in a fine home in Bethlehem and her husband, Elimelech, would be an honored and productive citizen of that town. And, of course her children would go to the finest schools to be educated not only in the vast array of knowledge of the times but in the true God of Israel and His law. At some time in the future those children would also marry but only of course to believers in the true God of Israel. Oh, how high were her expectations on that wedding day! How she waited and perhaps even prayed and believed that God would bring it all about in the years to come.
These expectations were not wrong, sinful or even selfish. They were the expectations of life and she had a right to have them. But, were those expectations true? Scripture says that "man plans his way (rightly so - what are we without plans), but God directs his steps." We are also told that we do not know what a day may bring. So, while expectations may be justified, they must be placed in the hands of a loving God, trusting that whichever way he directs our steps, He does it by His divine appointments for us for His glory, our good and the good of others as we will see in the life of Naomi.
The next blog post will expand on the life of Naomi and whether her expectations proved true in the long run. But, one of the things for us to consider from the introduction of Naomi's life is her faith and the sharing of it with a young woman to whom God had directed her steps. You may not be in the exact place you "expected" to be years ago, but that should not keep you from sharing your faith in the true God of Israel to those not only in your family, but with whom you come in contact in the providence of God.
Another thing to consider is the acceptance and respect we as believers are to give to everyone. The Apostle Peter tells us in one of his letters that we are to honor all people. After all, we all were created in the image of God and deserve the respect God has conferred on mankind. He makes His sun to shine on the just and the unjust. He has common blessings for all mankind if not covenant blessings for all. We are to receive others as the created beings of God with love and respect. We may not and probably do not know upon whom God has purposed those Covenant blessings. But, perhaps we may be the means of leading them to faith in the true God.
We may also ask ourselves if by our harsh judgments we are causing others to continue in their insecurities or stumble in their faith because "they do not feel like one of the people of God", even though they have come to put their faith in Him. Are we critical and judgmental of their lives? I think Paul had this in mind when he cautioned us to be patient with the weak in faith. We all need that patience and time to grow in grace and in the knowledge of God. So, let us exercise the same degree of love, acceptance and respect we would want others to give us as we mature in the faith. Perhaps you can call someone today who needs encouragement not judgement as they struggle to be accepted in the family of God and maybe you can be the one to further instruct them in the things of God as Naomi did Ruth. I can think of many who were patient with me when I first came to the Lord, who accepted me, loved me, prayed for me and instructed me in the Lord, for whom I am so grateful to this day. May the Lord bless your efforts as you do the same for others. And, may He grant your true expectations today as you bring them before His all wise counsel and yield to His direction of your steps even though it may not be exactly what you "expected". Paul tells us that "God is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or can ever "expect". May He do it for you, in you and through you today.
No comments:
Post a Comment