Month: August 2025

RUTH – DEVOTION TO DUTY IS CROWNED WITH BLESSING AND HONOR

SCRIPTURE: Book of Ruth; Matt 1:5

INTRODUCTION: The events recorded in this book took place during the time of the Judges and present a marked contrast to the enemy oppression, intertribal jealousy, and other turbulent events characteristic of that period of Israel’s history. Instead of violence and lawlessness, we see love, tenderness, and sacrifice. The book contains just four brief chapters, but it has a mighty message–in fact, several of them.

HER NAME

“Ruth” is one of the most popular girl’s names. Several years ago a statistician ranked Ruth seventh in the list of the 100 most popular female names in America, with almost 1.5 million bearing the name. It may mean either “something worth seeing,” or “friendship.” No doubt both meanings were true of this beautiful girl of Moab. She was certainly a sight worth seeing, and she was capable of loyal friendship seldom equaled in the annals of human history.

It took a real measure of grace to befriend a bitter woman such as Naomi became, but Ruth was bound to her mother-in-law by the cords of love! One

HER ADULT LIFE

l . As A Young Widow — When we first meet Ruth, she is a young wife married to one of Elimelech’s sons. In the very next verse we find Ruth (and Orpah as well) prematurely and unexpectedly losing her husband through death. The root cause is the chastening hand of God upon Naomi (Ruth’s mother-in-law). First, her husband died. Then both her sons, Mahlon and Chilion, who had sinned by marrying women of Moab, also died. (See Deut 7:3, 23:3 for prohibition of such marriages.) We have no information about the spiritual life of this Hebrew family while out of the will of God in Moab. However, it is safe to conclude from the context ( 1:16-17) that at least Ruth had been significantly influenced by her exposure to the one true God, Jehovah. She seems to have weathered the family’s shock of losing all the men much better than Naomi.

2. As A Faithful Daughter-in-law — The three widows–Naomi, Ruth, and Orpah—were no doubt bound together by their grief. But since Naomi’s sons died childless, when the famine in Bethlehem passed, she decided to pull up stakes and go back home. Ruth and Orpah were deeply attached to their mother-in-law and decided to go with her.

But on the way back to Bethlehem, Naomi urged them to go back to their own country and people. (What a sad testimony for one of God’s people to be urging others to stay in their idolatry!) For Orpah, ties of kindred and her own idolatry won out, and she went back to her people and to her gods ( and to an eternity without Christ!)

But with Ruth it was different. In the words of Alexander Whyte, “Ruth’s love for her dead husband’s aged mother is as pure gold and as strong as death. Many waters cannot quench Ruth’s love. And her confession of love . .is the most beautiful confession of love in all the world.” What pure and unselfish devotion! What beauty of character when Ruth cried, “Entreat me not to leave thee.” What a contradiction to modem flippancy and fickleness, especially in view of traditional attitudes toward “;mother-in-law.”

3. As A Determined Convert — In spite of her heathen background in the degenerate tribe of Moab, Ruth became a true worshiper of the true God! The last words of Ruth 1 :16 are the song of a new life! (See Psa 40:1-3) Now with God in her heart, Ruth longed _to live with those people “whose God is the Lord. “What a miracle in the heathen heart of Ruth, especially in light of Naomi’s poor testimony (urging her to stay in Moab) But wanting to be with God’s people is the “norm” for those who become new creatures in Christ–“old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”

4. As A Humble Gleaner — Ruth realized that Naomi could not work, so she volunteered to do the only profitable thing, and that was to go glean. It was the time of barley harvest, and she was directed by the providence of God to the field of Boaz.

Ruth was not ashamed of her menial task as she took her place with the poor and outcast gleaning in the barley fields. Because of her character, she was more concerned about providing for Naomi than about the impression she might make with the public. She was determined not to eat the bread of idleness, and God rewarded her with the immediate favor and kindness of Boaz. Little did she dream that she would soon become the much-loved wife of this great, good and wealthy man! How wonderful the workings of God! Boaz was one of Naomi’s near relatives, one of the few remaining kinsmen of her husband’s family.

The nearest relative was unable ( or unwilling) to function as kinsman redeemer (“goel”) but Boaz, next of kin, willingly took the responsibility. This not only provided a home and husband for Ruth, but brought ample provision and security for Naomi.

Ruth was lifted out of obscurity into a happy union with Boaz, the mighty man of wealth, and permitted to join the ancestry of our Savior! God smiled on the marriage of honorable Boaz and virtuous Ruth, and blessed them with a son, “Obed,” (meaning “a servant who worships”) who became the grandfather of David. This experience is one of the first in world history of a rise from rags to riches, from poverty to plenty!

LESSONS

1. Naomi had told Ruth, while still in Moab (1 :9), that she would find rest among her own people, but she finally learned that there is rest only with the people of God and in the will of God. (See Matt 11 :28-30)

2. The virtues of unselfishness and loyalty are the only foundation upon which true happiness can be built. Unfortunately, multitudes today–including many professing Christians–are actively seeking happiness for themselves. The simple truth is that one will never experience true happiness until he forgets about himself and learns to live for others!

3. “Opportunity is met on the road to duty.”

4. The ways of God are past finding out! Only an omniscient and merciful God could orchestrate the events recorded in the book of Ruth, such that a heathen Moabite girl would be brought into the human lineage of the Lord Jesus Christ. Surely, as said the Psalmist,” .. His mercy endureth for ever.” (See Psa 136; Lamentations 3:22-23)

NOAH – THE MAN WHO BUILT AN ARK

Scriptures: Gen 6, 7, 8; Heb 11 :7

INTRODUCTION: One of the best known men in all the Bible is Noah. (His name means “rest.”) He was the son of Lamech, a descendant of Seth. He was tenth from Adam, and lived to the amazing age of 950 years! Nothing is known of Noah’s early life, for he appears on the Bible stage when he was already 500 years old. Apparently his father was a godly man and not only gave Noah a fitting name, but from Gen 6:9 it is also safe to conclude that he brought up his son “in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.” One thing we can be certain about: Noah lived in a time when men were universally corrupt, so much so that God was moved to destroy the human race! But, praise God! in the midst of that age of moral and spiritual darkness, Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord. He lived a righteous life and was in such close contact with God that God revealed to him His plan to destroy mankind. God gave him the strange and almost impossible task of building a seaworthy vessel large enough to shelter not just his family, but also a pair of all the birds and beasts living on the land at that time! Noah believed God and set about the tremendous task of constructing the ark. No doubt every day Noah had to endure the ridicule and scorn of his godless neighbors, but he was steadfast and faithful to the great task God had given him.

NOAH WALKED WITH GOD – Gen 6:8-12 Noah was a just and perfect (upright, sincere, mature, balanced) man in his generation. This is commendable in any age and culture, but Noah’s life is even more amazing in view of the abounding iniquity of his day. (See Gen 6:5-7. Teacher, you may want to review briefly from the lesson on Enoch what is required in walking with God.) Note the command given in Phil 2:15–this is certainly appropriate for Christians today in the USA! We have an opportunity much like Noah had.

NOAH WAS OBEDIENT – Gen 6:14-22 Noah’s task was extremely difficult, first, because of the huge dimensions of the ship (v 15). But, no doubt, an even greater problem was that Noah was a pioneer in the ship-building business! Remember, that before the flood the earth’s land mass had not yet been broken into continents and there was LITTLE, if any, NEED for shipping. Where would Noah go for the expertise required to build such a great maritime vessel?! But Noah obeyed without question and set out at once to carry out God’s command-see Gen. 6:22. It is safe to assume that God inspired Noah and his sons with the requisite building skills in much the same way as He gave the wisdom and understanding to Bezaleel and others to build the tabernacle and its furnishings (Ex 36:1-2). One thing is sure: when we obey God and make a sincere effort to carry out His work, He will provide the means of accomplishing it!

GOD REMEMBERED NOAH – Gen 8:1 Noah believed God and obeyed Him completely. Consequently, God was faithful and delivered Noah and all those in the Ark from death! God is always faithful (Lam 3:22-23) and will remember us when we obey Him fully. Examples: children of Israel at Passover in Egypt; three Hebrew children in Babylon; Naaman the leper.

NOAH “WORKED OUT” HIS SALVATION – Heb 11 :7 “Faith without works is dead.” (See also Phil 2:12.) Saving faith always produces works! The very fact that Noah believed God’s Word caused him to get to work. The Bible says that Noah was “moved with fear.” On the other hand, the fact that the multitudes to whom Noah preached God’s message of coming judgment did not get on the Ark proved that they did not believe his message. Noah believed that God was holy and infallible and, therefore, He would keep His Word. (If we believed God like we say we do, we would get to work, too!)

NOAH PREACHED JUDGMENT – 2 Peter 2:5 Noah not only built an ark, but he was faithful to warn the mass of humanity of the coming wrath and judgment of Almighty God! Compare Noah’s faithful witness with Ezekiel 33: 1-20, which teaches us of our responsibility to warn the unsaved all about us today.

NOAH BUILT THE FIRST ALTAR – Gen 8:20 Although Abel brought a blood sacrifice to God, we are not told that he built an altar. So Noah is the first person on record as having built an altar. The altar he built speaks of Noah’s gratefulness to and worship of God

NOAH WAS HONORED BY GOD WITH AN EVERLASTING COVENANT– Gen 9:12-17 Compare this with the wonderful truth that we are now partakers of a new Covenant – Heb 9:15-20.

LESSONS From NOAH’S LIFE:

God honors faith.

Obedience is often it’s own reward! (Think what would have happened to Noah had he not obeyed!)

From conditions in the world today, we must be near the Coming of the Lord!

Our great task is to warn the lost of coming judgment and point them to Christ!

JOSHUA – THE SOLDIER-SAINT

INTRODUCTION: The star of today’s lesson is the son of Nun, successor to Moses, and author of the book bearing his name. There are several forms of Joshua, e.g., Jehoshua, Jeshua, Jesus. He is even called Hoshea (Deut. 32:44). “Joshua” is the Hebrew name that is the same as the Greek name Jesus, and means “Jehovah is salvation.” Joshua has been appropriately called, “The first soldier consecrated by sacred history.”

We will study this great man by considering him in the following roles:

AS A SON—

Joshua was the son of Nun (which means “prosperity, durable”) and of the tribe of Ephraim. We are not told anything of his mother, but one usually finds a good, gracious, charactered woman behind any man who reaches a position of influence and honor as a servant of God. There is every reason to believe that Joshua’s parents feared the God of Israel and that Joshua was a good son who followed their teaching. (See Pro. 22:6)

AS A SLAVE—

Joshua was already an adult when Israel came out of Egypt and thus had personally experienced the sufferings of slavery under Pharaoh. No doubt he could remember the sting of the whip and the wellnigh impossible tasks in the brick-fields. Little did he realize then as a slave that he would rise to become Israel’s supreme leader and military commander-in-chief.

Even worse than the slavery, Joshua had also witnessed the moral degradation of his country-men brought about by the terrible idolatries of Egypt in which they indulged. No doubt that experience had something to do with the solemn commands he gave the people many years later. (Josh 24: 15-25)

AS A SERVANT—

Joshua is referred to as “the servant of Moses”–Num 11 :28; Josh 1 :1. No doubt the second most important segment of his life (after his upbringing by godly parents) was his long and faithful service to Moses. Joshua’s unswerving loyalty and devotion to Moses was a significant part of his preparation for leadership. Before one can be effective as a leader, he must learn to be a good and loyal follower, submissive to authority. In his service to Moses, Joshua was a good example of some very important principles for adults as well as young people:

Be loyal to leaders. The late Dr. Bob Jones, Sr., used to say, “If you ain’t loyal, you ain’t nothing!” These leaders include parents, teachers, supervisors, Pastor, and mostof all, Christ!

Be faithful to the task at hand.

Do well the small tasks and the behind-the-scenes jobs. Do not expect to be given greater responsibility until you have proven dependable and effective at doing the small things!

AS A SPY—

Joshua was one of the twelve chosen to search out the land of Canaan (Num 13: 1-16). It was at this time that Moses changed his name from Oshea or Hoshea, which means “help,” to Joshua, meaning “God’s help,” or “salvation.” This is significant for it suggests that Moses was trying to lift the thoughts of the people Godward and to lead them to rely upon God’s help.

Along with Caleb, Joshua brought back a faithful report of the land and encouraged the people to go up and take it. Their stand pleased the Lord, and because of this, they were the only ones of the first generation allowed to go into the Promised Land. Sadly, the children of Israel rejected the true report and turned back from Kadesh-bamea in unbelief. [No doubt Joshua learned a lesson about committees from this experience, for, years later when he is in command, he only sent two men over to reconnoiter Jericho!] We learn from Joshua’s actions at Kadesh that we must 1) have faith in God, and, 2) be willing to stand for right regardless or what others may do or say.

AS A SOLDIER—

Joshua was one of the greatest military leaders of all time! He knew how to plan campaigns, discipline his troops, use spies, and, above all, pray and trust God. His strategies have been used in many modem military engagements and are still being studied in the war colleges. Read how he dis-comfited Amalek (Ex 17 :9-16) and note his devastating tactics against Ai (Josh 8).

It could be said of Joshua, “He was every inch a soldier and every inch a Christian.” Joshua was, above all, a good soldier of the Lord Whom he encountered and obeyed as Captain of the Lord’s host (Josh 5:13-15).

AS A SAVIOR—

Moses, representing the Law, brought the people to the border of the land, but it took a Joshua (God’s salvation) to take them into the land. He was probably about 85 years old when he assumed command at Shittim, and what a savior he was as he helped to roll away Israel’s reproach and to lead them to possess their possessions! His conquests and victories picture for us all that Christ has made available for believers today.

AS A SAINT—

Joshua’s saintliness marked him as the obvious successor to Moses (Deut 34:9). What a soldier-saint he was!

He was filled with the Spirit of God- Deut 34:9.

He enjoyed the presence of God – Josh 1 :5, 6:27.

He was indwelt by the Word of God – Josh 1 : 8.

He was obedient to the will of God – Num 32:12, Josh 5:14.

His example challenged others to serve God – Josh 24: 15.

No wonder his death at 110 years of age was deeply mourned and his outstanding service universally praised! His great spiritual influence outlived him, for Israel continued to serve the Lord all the days of the elders who outlived Joshua – Josh 24:3.

JOSEPH – THE MAN WHOSE DREAMS CAME TRUE

Scripture: Genesis 37-50

INTRODUCTION: Joseph was the eleventh son of Jacob, but the first of his mother, Rachel. He is one of the most outstanding men of the Bible, and it would take a book itself to fully detail all the virtues and victories over vicissitudes of Joseph. The story of this young man is so appealing to young and old alike, for it is the story of a man who went from a pit to a palace, from rags to riches, from being a slave to being a sovereign! But most importantly, it is the true story of a young man who stayed morally pure in the face of great temptation.

JOSEPH WAS A YOUTHFUL DREAMER – Gen 37:5-9, 41:42-44

It is not uncommon for a young fellow to be a “dreamer,” that is, to have his head in the clouds, daydreaming and wishing about one thing or another. If the adjective “lazy” can properly be placed before the noun (dreamer) then there’s not much hope for that person to amount to anything. But Joseph was different, his dream came true! [See Pro 23:7a. Discuss with your class the importance of dreams (goals for the future) and right thinking–Phil 4:8.] When we consider the nature of Joseph’s dreams and that the fulfillment of them resulted in the sparing, not only of his immediate family, but of the future nation of Israel as well, we are reminded of Solomon’s wise words in Prov29: 18a, “Where there is no vision, the people perish: … !”

JOSEPH LABORED AS A SLAVE – Gen 39:1-6, 20-23

Even though he was a slave, Joseph was faithful under hard circumstances and in unnoticed places. Here is a very important principle for living: There must be faithfulness in little responsibility in the obscure position before greater responsibility and a more prominent position will be given. When we learn to be faithful in the “little” things, God will give us greater things to do. You can be sure that if Joseph had complained and been a slacker in his work as a slave, he would never have been promoted to second ruler over the land of Egypt.

JOSEPH ENJOYED THE PRESENCE OF GOD – Gen 39:2-4

Because of Joseph’s attitude and his unbroken trust in God, God was with him and blessed him. (The theme of Joseph’s life could well be “Securing God’s Presence.”) Notice in v 3 that his master took note of God’s blessings upon Joseph. Because of the obvious presence of God in Joseph’s life, Potiphar had confidence in him.

JOSEPH RESISTED TEMPTATION – Gen 39:6-13

No doubt the most prominent and admirable thing about Joseph is the way he withstood every test that came his way. There are six of them in the divine record:’

1. The test of Adversity

2. The test of Prosperity

3. The temptation of sexual immorality

4. The test of False Accusation

5. The test of Broken Promises

6. The temptation to Get Even!

No. 3 is the subject of this passage. Joseph was a handsome, comely man (v 6) and, thus, became the unwitting and innocent target of his mistress’ wicked desires. It is hardly expected that a slave whose occupational background (shepherd) made him an abomination to the Egyptians would become the object of affection to the “high class” wife of Potiphar. A maid, a cook, or some other female servant, yes, but not Potiphar’s wife! Here is an important lesson: temptation often comes from unexpected directions. Joseph is to be commended for his response to her advances. Note specifically his words in v 9: Joseph understood that sin is against God and in this case would be “great wickedness.” He not only reproved his ungodly mistress, but he steadfastly resisted her advances. When he was “cornered,” he left his garment in her hand and fled! It would not be written till many hundreds of years later, but Joseph understood the principle Paul conveyed to young Timothy, “Flee also youthful lusts … ” (2 Tim 2:22) What an important lesson this incident in Joseph’s life is for us–when we are submitted wholly to God, we will allow neither shortcomings nor favorable traits to cause us to stumble in serving God. We also need to be reminded of the truth of 1 Cor 10: 13 and put it into operation when we are faced with temptation.

JOSEPH “ANSWERED NOT AGAIN” – Gen 39:14-20

This is the outcome of the incident dealt with above and comprises Joseph’s fourth Test. After Joseph had done that which pleased God by refusing to sin with his master’s wife, she, in her anger over being rejected, accuses him of trying to rape her. Without any effort to learn the truth of the matter, Potiphar has him thrown in prison! Joseph is a marvelous type of Christ in so many particulars of his life. But here is one of the most amazing–he was silent amid foul and false accusations and the appearance of guilt, and even to unjust imprisonment. No doubt there was some wisdom in this ( after all, what man would believe a slave instead of his wife) but there was also a great deal of Christlike humility. This is certainly not a merely human response. Jesus answered not again when he was falsely accused and then delivered up to die in total innocence.

JOSEPH WAS UNSPOILED BY SUDDEN PROSPERITY -Gen 41:14-20

This was possibly the greatest test of character Joseph experienced. Many a man who stood faithful through great opposition and hard trials has fallen when he met success. Joseph passed the “success test” with flying colors! When days of great honor followed days of servitude and humiliation, Joseph did not yield to pride.

JOSEPH KNEW HOW TO RETURN GOOD FOR EVIL- Gen 50:16-21

You would agree that this was a pretty big test also–after all, he had his brothers just where most of us would have wanted them!! But Joseph again exhibits great Christlikeness in his refusal to seek revenge. Consider Jesus’ teaching in Matt 5:43-48 and see how Joseph’s life compared to that. (How does your life compare?!)

CONCLUSION: We cannot have all the gifts of Joseph, who was such a complete type of Christ, but we surely ought to covet and strive to imitate all his graces. We will not achieve his greatness from a worldly perspective, but we can have his goodness reproduced in our lives by the Spirit of God!

Final Lessons from Joseph’s Life- The attitudes which helped Joseph secure the PRESENCE of Godare revealed in three scenes:

Scene #1: In Potiphar’s house – his attitude toward sin was fear – Gen 39: 1-13

Scene #2: In Prison – his attitude toward circumstances was faith – Gen 39:20-40: 14

Scene #3: In the Palace – his attitude toward people was forgiveness – Gen 50: 1-26

JONATHAN – THE MAN WHO WAS CONTENT TO BE SECOND

SCRIPTURE: I Samuel 13:15 – II Samuel 1:27

INTRODUCTION: One of the most unusual men in the Bible is Jonathan. (His name means “the Lord gave.”) He was the eldest son of Saul, first king of Israel. The most unusual aspect of Jonathan’s life is his close friendship with David, who was chosen of God to succeed Saul. The normal human reaction to this turn of events would have been great jealousy and even hatred on Jonathan’s part. (After all, Saul was insanely jealous of David and tried for years to kill him!) Even though he knew he would never succeed his father as king, with true humility Jonathan could say to David, “I shall be next to thee.”

After his lamentable death, he is only mentioned as the father of Mephibosheth. Also, is it not strange that Jonathan does not appear among the heroes of Hebrews 11; especially since he personified all the Christian graces Peter wrote about (II Pet 1:5-7)? Now let us consider some of the things that made Jonathan great.

JONATHAN WAS PREPARED FOR BATTLE – I Sam 13:22

How important it is to be ready when opportunity and responsibility come! In this band of 600 men, no one had a sword or spear except Saul and Jonathan. Young people need to prepare themselves to the fullest to serve the Lord. On a day-to-day basis, every Christian should prepare for service to the Lord by 1) Bible study, 2) prayer, and 3) yielding himself to the Holy Spirit.

JONATHAN HAD GREAT FAITH – I Sam 14:1-6

For a Samson this single-handed attack on the Philistines would have been child’s play; but for a mere man like Jonathan, this was an act of great faith–an utter and total dependence on God, believing He can do anything! Compare this with the faith mentioned in Heb 11:7, 30, 33-34. Although Jonathan had never read it, he certainly believed Jer 32:27 with Jer 33:2-3 !

JONATHAN’S COURAGE MATCHED HIS FAITH – I Sam 14:7-14

There is quite a difference between believing God can do something and believing He will do it! When you are personally facing a vastly superior enemy, that difference is courage. By the way, courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the determination to move ahead in spite of fear. Jonathan believed in his cause (against the uncircumcised Philistines, the enemies of God) and he believed in Almighty God Jehovah. So he fully committed himself to the battle. There is a great need for Christians today who, like Jonathan, will say, “Here am I, Lord, send me – use me.” Too many today are quick to say, “Send somebody, Lord, but not me or mine.”

JONATHAN WAS A FRIEND TO DAVID – I Sam 18:1-4, 19:1-7

There was a rare spark of divine inspiration in the love-bond between David and Jonathan. You will notice that it began before Saul became jealous of David. Jonathan’s love for David was certainly self-sacrificing, but make no mistake about it, David had a great love for Jonathan as well. This relationship surely equaled that between Ruth and Naomi.

The friend relationship is perhaps the most underrated of all human relationships. Friendship is a high and noble relationship. Few ever know its depth. Most people never have a true friend, and certainly, most are never a friend to someone else. The weighty nature of this relationship is evident from these two verses: “A man that hath friends must shew himself friendly: and there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother.” (Pro 18:24) & “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” (John 15:13) From this we can see that the word “friend” ought to be added to the words father, mother, son, daughter, and husband, wife.

Happy indeed is the man who has a friend. Happier still is the man who is a friend. And most blessed of all is the man who has a friend and is a friend! True friendship, as defined in the Bible, involves abiding love and endearment as typified by Jonathan and David. Our main concern should be being a friend rather than having a friend. (See Pro 18:24a) Thus, the place to start is by doing sacrificial things for others–learning to live for others. There is a great message for us in the song “Others” — first verse and chorus go like this:

“Lord, help me live from day to day In such a self-forgetful way,

That even when I kneel to pray My prayer shall be for others.

chorus: “Others, Lord, yes, others, Let this my motto be,

Help me to live for others That I might live like Thee.”

DAVID EULOGIZED HIS FRIEND UPON HIS DEATH – II Sam 1

There is nothing else in the Word of God comparable to David’s lament when he heard of the death of Saul and Jonathan in their last battle with the Philistines. Words like this come easy in describing a man who lived like Jonathan!

Of course God is not limited to means, but, humanly speaking, David owed his life to the intervention of Jonathan with Saul. In fact, on at least two occasions, Saul became so angry with Jonathan’s protection of David that he tried to kill him!!!

David never got over Jonathan’s sacrificial love for him, and after becoming king, he befriended Mephibosheth for Jonathan’s sake.

It is to be regretted that so few people ever experience such a relationship as that between Jonathan and David.

LESSONS:

o It is always right to do right, regardless of the consequences! Someone said, “It is better to be right than to be President.”

o No doubt, Jonathan will share in the rewards of David. Jonathan strengthened David’s hand and helped him escape the wrath of Saul.

o It is a great accomplishment in life to be a friend.