Ruth 2v1-23
The Gleaning (Part Four)
(Click here to listen to the third Ruth teaching)
Verse of the Week:
“MAY THE LORD, THE GOD OF ISRAEL, UNDER WHOSE WINGS YOU HAVE COME TO TAKE REFUGE, REWARD YOU FULLY.” Ruth 2v12 NLT
More Words from the Father:
Psalm 36v7-8
Psalm 91
John 14v1-6
Matthew 10v16-31
2 Timothy 1v7
From my Heart:
In the Shadow
Fear has stalked me my whole life.
Since I can remember, I’ve been afraid. Afraid of heights, afraid of falling, afraid ofgetting lost in the grocery story, afraid of getting in trouble, afraid of anything fast.
Nicknames get attached to little girls like that…
Scaredy-cat,
Chicken,
Worry-wart...
I was afraid of people too. Afraid of being noticed, of talking to someone I didn’t know. Afraid of standing in front of people, of giving book reports, of giving speeches. Afraid to walk to my teacher’s desk to ask a question (After all, someone might see me!).
My imagination ran rampant. It ran my life, defined my days, and determined my future.
And my fears grew up with me.
As a teenager, I was afraid to walk through the courtyard area where hundreds of students gathered for lunch. Instead, I’d walk all the way around the school to slip into the cafeteria unnoticed.
As a young woman, I was terrified of staying alone at night. Every creak and groan of our old house shot a surge of adrenalin through me. Was someone there?
I wouldn’t drive alone to visit my little sister in college three hours away. The roads were isolated, after all. What if my little Volkswagen Bug broke down?
Earthquakes scared me the most. When I was fifteen, my family moved to California. Every few months, it seemed, the earth rattled and shook. The slightest tremor would leave me weak-kneed for weeks. I imagined the house coming crashing down around me, being trapped, alone. The rumbling of a truck left me scurrying for cover, an airplane overhead sent my heart racing.
But somewhere in there I gave my heart and life to Christ. I heard that He was my Father.
That He cared about me. That He would take care of me. I read His Word and sang His songs and surrounded myself with His people. Little by little, fears fled. I grew more confident, composed even.
But earthquakes were still my undoing.
I remember sitting on the edge of my bed once, talking on the phone, when the bed began to wiggle wildly. I turned to scold my son (sure he was bouncing on the bed!) only to realize that the whole room was shaking! I could hardly sleep on that antique iron bed after that, every movement felt like that tremor.
I prayed for courage…prayed for strength…prayed for healing…
Nothing.
It seemed I was destined to be defeated by fear for the rest of my life.
Then it struck. On a mellow October day, the Great Quake of ‘89 rocked my world. Literally. As soon as it started, I knew it was a big one. Really big. Hollering for my kids over the earsplitting roar, I grabbed them close as we huddled in a doorway. When it was finally over, we weaved our way through our broken glass-filled living room to the back yard. News from neighbors filtered in fast. Several tuned in to the emergency broadcast system since phones were out and power lines down. Hundreds of people had been crushed beneath falling bridges and buildings. Some were still trapped.
And that’s how God freed me of fear.
In that moment, when all our lives were completely and unequivocally out of our control, He stepped in. He took over. He became to me who He is-
El Roi: the God Who Sees
El Shaddai: the All-Sufficient One
Adonai: Master
Who can fear when He is so supremely in charge? When the Master of the Universe, the One who can shake and subjugate the very earth, is watching over me, how dare I be afraid? Suddenly my fear-filled life seemed silly, trite, and petty.
A few weeks later, Phil and I wrote our first and only song together. And though the tune is over two decades old now, the words still ring true and ageless. Perhaps this is a song Ruth could have sung as she labored out in those fields, gleaning, working, sweating, yet resting in the shadow of the Almighty (Ruth 2v12).
In the Shadow of His Wings
By Phil and Diane Comer
In the shadow of Thy wings I find my refuge,
In the shadow of Thy wings I will abide,
It is there that I will lay my burdens and my cares,
It is only there my heart finds rest.
It is there that I will feel You lift my heavy load,
And in the shadow of Thy wings,
In the shadow of Thy wings,
Yes, in the shadow of Thy wings
I’ll rest,
For in the shadow of Thy wings
I’m blessed.
In the shadow of Thy wings, I find my refuge
In the shadow of Thy wings, I will abide
For You are the source of strength
To those who wait for You
And in Your strength I’ll run and not grow tired
For You are the Most High God,
It's You that I desire
And in the shadow of Thy wings,
In the shadow of Thy wings,
Yes, in the shadow of Thy wings,
I’ll rest,
For in the shadow of Thy wings
I’m blessed.
From my no longer fearful heart,
Diane
ETC.
Words
Wings
Boaz pays Ruth a beautiful compliment when he meets her for the first time. Apparently, he’d been inquiring about her previously, for he already knew of her reputation around town.
“May the LORD reward your work, And your wages be full from the LORD, The God of Israel, Under whose wings you have come to take refuge.” Ruth 2v12
The Hebrew word translated here as “wings” is kenapayim. Later in Ruth 3v9, the same word is translated into English with the word “skirt.” When a woman took refuge under the “skirt” or the “wings” of a man’s garment, she became his wife - his to take care of, to provide for, to lead, and to love. All the town, and Boaz especially, took notice of Ruth’s devotion and dependence on Yahweh. She was like one married to Him. Faithful, determined, secure, and thriving.
No wonder Boaz couldn’t keep his eyes off her!
Words
Fear
Jesus taught that fear is something to be battled. We have the ability to choose not to fear.
Fear and afraid come from the same Greek word: phobeo. It is where we get our English word, phobia. The meaning is rich and graphic: to put in fear, terrify, frighten. At its root is a sense of terror and of running for your life.
Timidity is a little different. Deilia means cowardice or one who is cowardly and fearful.
Paul spoke of a “spirit of timidity” that does not come from God (2 Timothy 1v7). He also referred to a “spirit of bondage” which leads to fear (Romans 8v15). Both of these spirits are to be replaced with the truth of God’s Word.
