Ruth 1:1-18, Psalm 146, Deuteronomy 6:1-9, Psalm 119:1-8, Hebrews 9:11-14, Mark 12:28-34.
A). YOUR GOD SHALL BE MY GOD.
Ruth 1:1-18.
Ruth 1:1. “The days when the judges judged” was an age of anarchy (Judges 21:25). Cycles of godlessness were followed by trouble and invasion, the raising of ‘saviours’ and restoration - only for the people of the LORD to fall back again into unfaithfulness. It was not a good time.
Yet it was in such a time that the Bible narrative draws our attention to the plight of one family within one clan in one tribe of the children of Israel. Perhaps as a result of some invasion, Bethlehem - ‘the house of bread’ - is uncharacteristically afflicted with famine. The little family seek refuge in an enemy nation - much as their descendants would one day also sojourn in the most unlikely of places (Matthew 2:13-15).
Ruth 1:2; Ruth 1:4. The name of Elimelech means ‘my God is king’ - reminding us that we are dealing with a godly, covenant family here. Naomi means ‘pleasant’ - a name which the good lady sought to repudiate later in this chapter, in a moment of darkness, despondency, and despair (Ruth 1:20). The name of Ruth means ‘friend’ - it is good to have a friend, and to be a friend in a time of trouble.
Ruth 1:3; Ruth 1:5; Ruth 1:8. Having fled their homeland for fear of death, the family is next afflicted with multiple deaths abroad. First Elimelech dies, then ten years later his two sons - who by now are married. There appears to be an all-round loss of fathers and husbands: Naomi later tells the young women to return each to her mother’s house.
Ruth 1:6-7. Naomi heard that the LORD had visited His people in giving them bread. This is a reversal which sets in motion a chain of redemptive events which thread their way not only through the book of Ruth, but throughout the Old Testament and into the New. It approaches its culmination in the words of a priestly relative of the family many centuries later (Luke 1:68-69).
Ruth 1:8-9. Naomi thanks her two daughters-in-law for their kindness to the dead and to her. The word is suggestive of the covenant loving-kindness of the LORD. She prays that each may find her place of rest and security.
Ruth 1:10-14. At first both of the young women were determined to remain with Naomi, but she warned them of the potential loss of inheritance. The return was fraught with uncertainty for Naomi, and she seemed to blame God. Yet even in the midst of her grief and perplexity she was showing consideration for the two younger women.
Ruth 1:13. Perhaps Naomi could have justifiably said with Jacob, ‘All this is against me’ (Genesis 42:36). She is extremely offended that the LORD has treated her so unkindly. She had gone out with a husband and children, but was returning as a widow bereft of her children.
Ruth 1:9; Ruth 1:14-15. These exchanges call forth tears of grief and uncertainty.
Orpah goes back, and her husband’s inheritance in Bethlehem reverts to Naomi (Ruth 4:9).
Ruth “cleaves” to Naomi (same word as Genesis 2:24).
Ruth 1:16-18. Ruth’s words of determined loyalty, faithfulness, and loving commitment are a pattern of devotion. Ruth’s vow seals the promise, binding her forever not only with Naomi, but also with the LORD. Naomi has no answer to such an overflow of affection.
The language of Ruth’s dedication is echoed in Jesus' words to Mary outside the empty tomb: "I am ascending to My Father and your Father, and to My God and your God" (John 20:17). We are privileged to call His Father “Our Father” - so let us pray…
B). A CALL TO WORSHIP.
Psalm 146.
The last five Psalms (146-150) all begin and end with an exhortation to praise the LORD, addressed collectively to the congregation of God’s people. Yet it is not enough for the praise leader just to call others to worship: it is also the exercise of his own soul (Psalm 146:1; cf. Psalm 103:1). The writer’s praise is his very life’s breath (Psalm 146:2).
Such should be our praise. It is not something in which we indulge ourselves on special occasions only, but something which is relevant to all times and in all places (cf. Philippians 4:4). It is easy to say “Praise the LORD” in the good times: but we should not be prevented from such worship even in the shackles of the deepest dungeon of our lives (Acts 16:23-25).
With the Psalmist, our commitment should be to worship the LORD “while I have my being” (Psalm 146:2). Yet this is no individualistic super-piety. On the contrary: our ‘soul’ is ‘bound in the bundle of life with the LORD our God’ (1 Samuel 25:29); and our worship belongs to all the generations of God’s people (Psalm 146:10) – even to generations yet unborn (Psalm 22:30-31).
Yet even while we are worshipping the LORD, the temptation is always there to put our trust in something or someone else. The children of Israel very quickly resorted to the golden calf (Exodus 32:1), and throughout their history made unhelpful alliances with the super-powers of their day (Isaiah 31:1; cf. Isaiah 30:3). Even good king Hezekiah made the mistake of trusting the Babylonians (Isaiah 39:4-6).
So the Psalmist warns us: put not your trust in princes, nor in the sons of men in whom there is no help (Psalm 146:3). They are, after all, men like any other. They too, like Adam, will return to the earth from which they were drawn (Genesis 3:19); and their thoughts will perish with them (Psalm 146:4).
Our help and our hope is in the LORD our God (Psalm 146:5; cf. Psalm 121:2). The contrast brings us back to the beatitude of Psalm 1. If we are like ‘this’ and not like ‘that’, then “happy are we”.
Yet who is this LORD, that we should worship Him? First, He is the God of Creation (cf. Psalm 8:3; Psalm 19:1). Second, and not far behind it, He is the God of Covenant “who keeps His promises for ever” (Psalm 146:6).
“The God of Jacob” (Psalm 146:5) “executes judgment for the oppressed” and “gives food to the hungry” (Psalm 146:7). This covenant God heard the voice of the cry of the children of Israel in bondage in Egypt (Exodus 3:9), and fed them in the wilderness (Exodus 16:32). The LORD loosed the captives (Psalm 146:7).
The name of “the LORD” resounds throughout the rest of the Psalm - yet we could just as easily read the name of Jesus. After all, it was He who set us free from our sins in His own blood (Revelation 1:5), and who goes on releasing those who have been held in bondage to sin and to death (Romans 6:6; Hebrews 2:15). It is He who opens the eyes of the blind (Psalm 146:8; cf. Acts 26:18), and who raises up the bowed down (Luke 13:11-13).
We are also able to see what we should be doing. The LORD cares for the strangers, the refugees, the outsiders (Psalm 146:9): so should we. The LORD relieves the orphans and widows – and often that is through the obedience His own people.
Again there is the echo of Psalm 1. The LORD loves the righteous (Psalm 146:8), but the way of the wicked He turns upside down (Psalm 146:9). It is no wonder that, from a worldly perspective, the early Christians were accused of ‘turning the world upside down’ (Acts 17:6).
Why should we trust and praise this God? Unlike the princes (Psalm 146:3), He shall reign for ever and ever, and to all generations (Psalm 146:10). This is your God (the Psalmist addresses God’s people) - so be sure you all “Praise the LORD” (Psalm 146:10).
C). THIS IS THE COMMANDMENT.
Deuteronomy 6:1-9.
“This is the commandment” (Deuteronomy 6:1) is emphatic. The whole law is boiled down to the one commandment to “love the LORD thy God” (Deuteronomy 6:5). The outworking of this commandment is seen in our ‘loving our neighbours as ourselves’ (Leviticus 19:18). Jesus says, ‘There is none other commandment greater than these’ (Mark 12:30-31). ‘Love is the fulfilling of the law,’ teaches Paul (Romans 13:10).
The “statutes and the judgments” include what has gone before (e.g. the ten commandments, Deuteronomy 5:6-21), and the minutiae that will follow in the rest of Deuteronomy (especially from chapter 12 onwards). They belonged to a time then future when the children of Israel would have entered the promised land and taken possession.
The “fear” of the LORD (reverence, respect) was enjoined (Deuteronomy 6:2), not only for the Joshua generation, but for their children and grandchildren ever onwards. Obedience would lead to longevity, and the nation would live on in its children.
Israel were exhorted to “hear” and to “do” (Deuteronomy 6:3). Promises were made: “that it may be well with thee;” “that ye may increase mightily;” “in the land that flows with milk and honey.”
One of the core texts in the whole Bible is the Shema (Deuteronomy 6:4-5). “Hear O Israel…” is something of a refrain in Deuteronomy, much as Jesus would later often say, ‘he who has ears to hear, let him hear.’ Here we are told who the LORD is, and what our duty is towards Him.
“The LORD our God, the LORD is one.” We know the name Yahweh (translated as the “LORD” in capital letters) speaks of the oneness of our God, who was, and is and ever shall be. Or perhaps, “the LORD our God, the LORD alone!” The LORD is God alone, and will tolerate no rivals (Deuteronomy 5:7-9).
Yet the word “Elohim” (translated here as “God”) is in fact plural. So even in this statement (and in many other places in the Old Testament) we cannot rule out the presence of a plurality - a Trinity indeed - within the Godhead. This is a great mystery, but not our subject today.
“Thou shalt” (Deuteronomy 6:5). Who says that the Old Testament only teaches what thou shalt NOT do?
“Thou shalt love the LORD thy God.” A command to love.
“Love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.” Love is not just an emotion, but a commitment. Jesus said, ‘If ye love me, keep my commandments’ (John 14:15).
The precedent for our love of God, is that He first loved us (1 John 4:19; Deuteronomy 7:7-8; 1 John 4:10; John 3:16).
Ours is a heart belief (Deuteronomy 6:6). And it is the LORD who writes “these words” upon our hearts (Jeremiah 31:33). ‘Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly’ (Colossians 3:16).
“And you shall teach (these words) diligently unto thy children” (Deuteronomy 6:7). Our children are the future of the church, just as surely as the Israeli children were the future of the Joshua generation. The word of God should be the subject of our conversations, both indoors, and outdoors; both when we lie down, and when we rise up.
The word of the LORD is pictured figuratively as being upon our hand, and before our eyes (Deuteronomy 6:8). This is individual. The corollary is ‘lay up these my words in your heart and in your soul’ (Deuteronomy 11:18).
When I was in my first year at Bible School, my ‘outreach’ involved working with a Christian mission to the Jews within our city. I would accompany a missionary as he went from door to door, sharing the gospel in the more obviously ‘Jewish’ areas. Sometimes we would be surprised: we might have identified a little box on the doorpost, which would have contained a copy of the Shema (cf. Deuteronomy 6:9), only to find that the Jewish family had moved out, and non-Jews were living there. Nevertheless, we still shared the gospel.
Interestingly, the doorposts was where the blood was sprinkled at the first Passover (Exodus 12:7). Now that God has made His final sacrifice for us, surely our lives should be marked out, at least metaphorically, with the marks of the sacrifice of Jesus.
Finally, “thy gates” - the gates of the city - represent the place of law and justice. We may with some justification hold opinions about the separation of church and state. Nevertheless, if there is no acknowledgment of God in the state, there will be failures in the justice system.
"Hear O Israel: the LORD our God, the LORD is one. Thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might" (Deuteronomy 6:4-5).
D). A STATE OF BEING WHICH GIVES RISE TO ACTIVITY.
Psalm 119:1-8.
We begin our study of the selected passage with the observation that the word for “blessed” is not a verb, but a noun. It is a state of being, not an activity. We are “blessed” not because “we walk in the law of the LORD”; but rather we “walk in the law of the LORD” because we are “blessed” (Psalm 119:1).
In Adam we cannot attain the ideals of Torah, God’s ‘law’ or ‘instruction’, which is celebrated in so many ways in this Psalm. Striving to keep the law serves only to highlight our inability to keep the law without Christ (cf. Galatians 2:16). Thank God, then, that the believer is saved by grace through faith, not by works (Ephesians 2:8-9).
So what happy event brought about this happy, blessed state of being? It was something outside of ourselves. It was something forensic, whereby we were proclaimed to be “the undefiled” (Psalm 119:1).
That event was the Cross of Jesus. By it we are made ‘right with God through our Lord Jesus Christ’ (Romans 5:1). In Him there is the perfect substitution which set man anew upon the right path (2 Corinthians 5:21).
Jesus said, ‘I am the way…’ (John 14:6). So the “undefiled” are those who are found in Him, and consequently “walk in the law of the LORD” (Psalm 119:1). This is the positive counterbalance to Psalm 1:1, which tells us that the blessed man is the one who ‘walks not in the counsel of the ungodly’.
There are eight different words for the instructions of the LORD used throughout the 119th Psalm. They are translated variously, but probably stand for more or less the same thing throughout. Variety makes good poetry, and is an aid to memory for those who wish to see the many different hues of the subject matter.
A second beatitude follows, in which the blessed are now described as “those who keep His testimonies, and seek the LORD with the whole heart” (Psalm 119:2). It is not enough to be saved, if we will not walk the walk with Jesus. We must take up the cross daily and follow Him (Luke 9:23).
Those who are joint-heirs with Christ do not strive to enter into the kingdom of heaven by good works, for they are already its citizens. On the contrary, they demonstrate their faith by their works (James 2:18). They are God’s workmanship, first and foremost – but saved UNTO good works (Ephesians 2:10).
The forensic statement follows: “they also do no iniquity: they walk in His ways” (Psalm 119:3). This is not just hyperbole, but it is the way that the great Judge of all views His people. An artist may paint us, ‘warts and all’, and we are all well enough aware of our imperfections: but when the Father looks upon us He sees only the perfection of the indwelling Jesus (John 14:20).
The Psalmist continues, “You have commanded us to keep your commandments diligently” (Psalm 119:4). Is there a little tinge of regret in the exclamation that follows: “O that my ways were directed to keep your statutes!” (Psalm 119:5)? None of us keeps the law perfectly, but ‘if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous’ (1 John 2:1).
Our desire is to keep all God’s commandments, especially as they are summarised in the one great commandment to love (cf. Luke 10:27). Then we need not be ashamed (Psalm 119:6). We must make all due diligence to learn God’s righteous judgments, and to praise Him with a pure heart (Psalm 119:7).
The section ends with a resolution: “I will keep your statutes.” This is followed by a wistful, almost regretful, petition: “O forsake me not utterly” (Psalm 119:8). We may always have regrets for past failures, but we must not dwell on that: rather we must resolve to do better in the present, and in the future.
E). AN INFINITELY SUPERIOR HIGH PRIEST.
Hebrews 9:11-14.
This short passage is the high point of the writer’s comparison between the old covenant and the new.
In an argument from the lesser to the greater, the chapter commences with a demonstration of the limitations of the access to God allowed in the annual Day of Atonement (Hebrews 9:6-7).
There is also displayed a limit to what the Old Testament sacrifices could accomplish (Hebrews 9:8-9).
Yet even in this negative side of the argument, there are already hints of the better that was to come. The way into the heavenly sanctuary was ‘not yet’ opened (Hebrews 9:8).
The bodily regulations were imposed only ‘until’ the time of reformation (Hebrews 9:10).
All this anticipates the comparison: “But Christ…” (Hebrews 9:11).
The writer has already proved that Jesus is superior to Aaron (cf. Hebrews 5:1-10).
Now we see that the “building” in which Jesus serves is a “more perfect” tabernacle (Hebrews 9:11).
The ‘worldly sanctuary’ (Hebrews 9:1) served for a time, in both tent and Temple, but now the ‘reformation’ has been accomplished (Hebrews 9:10).
Jesus has ‘passed through the heavens’ to the heavenly sanctuary (Hebrews 4:14), of which the earthly was only a copy (Hebrews 8:5).
The sacrifice which Jesus offered was a more abiding sacrifice than that of Aaron, procuring our “eternal” redemption (Hebrews 9:12).
“Redemption” speaks of the release of slaves: the release of those who have been hitherto held in thralldom to sin, death and the devil. We are ‘redeemed by the blood of the Lamb’ (cf. 1 Peter 1:19).
Rather than merely providing temporary purification for the flesh (Hebrews 9:13), the sacrifice of Jesus “purges our conscience” (Hebrews 9:14).
It will never suffice for our salvation to go through even God-appointed rituals and rites, only to have to repeat them over and over again.
Yet what Jesus has accomplished, “by His own blood” – and that just “once” (Hebrews 9:12) – is the eternal “purging” of all our sins (Hebrews 9:14). Nothing else would have sufficed.
Our consciences are set free from the guilt of sin, and our lives released from the tyranny of the law. Furthermore, our purged conscience leads us out from dead works “to serve the living God” (Hebrews 9:14).
Just like the Hebrews of old, we are called out of captivity that we may worship and serve Him (Exodus 9:1).
F). NOT FAR FROM THE KINGDOM OF GOD?
Mark 12:28-34.
Long before the invention of the printing press, men called Scribes would work together to copy out the Scriptures for future generations. By doing this, we might suggest, they became well-versed in the Law of Moses (cf. Ezra 7:6). They were the men to go to for the clarification of legal points, and they also busied themselves in the interpretation and application of the text.
Now one such Scribe came to Jesus (Mark 12:28). Jesus had silenced the Pharisees (Mark 12:13-17); and the Sadducees (Mark 12:18-27): and this man was well impressed with Jesus’ answers. The Scribe asked Jesus directly for His input on a subject that was being openly debated throughout the schools of thought, and in all the forums: “Which is the greatest commandment of all?”
Jesus’ answer takes us all the way back to basics: specifically, to the Jewish ‘Shema’ (which means ‘Hear’, from its first word). “Hear O Israel, the LORD our God, the LORD is One. And you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength” (Mark 12:29-30; cf. Deuteronomy 6:4-5).
When God speaks, He calls us to hearken: ‘Thus says the LORD’ (e.g. Jeremiah 9:23-24); ‘Hear the Word of the LORD” (e.g. Jeremiah 22:29); and the like. Jesus’ own catch-line is: ‘Ye have heard that it was said… but I say unto you’ (Matthew 5:44); or ‘Amen, Amen, I say unto you’ (e.g. John 5:24). The LORD says of Jesus: ‘Listen to Him’ (Luke 9:35).
“Hear O Israel” bases the command to love in the context of our covenant relationship with God. As the Scribe rightly noted in His commendation of Jesus’ reply, “He is One, and there is no other” (Mark 12:32). So, ‘we love Him because He first loved us’ (1 John 4:19).
The love required by an absolute suzerain is an exclusive, absolute love. Thus, the injunction to love God with heart, soul and strength (Mark 12:30) is a call based in what He has done through the Cross of Jesus, not in our own ability to remain steadfast. ‘Without Him we can do nothing’ (John 15:5).
Jesus also emphasises the engagement of our minds in our love to God. When you come to church, quipped one preacher, please don’t leave your brains at the door! Ours is not to be the blind faith of the ignorant.
But Jesus goes one step beyond the Scribe’s request. He adds another commandment, and places it alongside the Shema as of equal importance. “You shall love your neighbour as yourself” (Mark 12:31; cf. Leviticus 19:18).
Just as the Oneness of God set the limit for the first of these commandments, so our relationship to ourselves sets the limit for the second. Self-loathing is never commended, but rather a healthy self-love in which we take care to nurture ourselves, etc. And just as we would that others should do for us, so should we do for them (Matthew 7:12).
“There is no other commandment greater than these,” says Jesus. They belong together. He who loves God will love his neighbour (cf. 1 John 4:21).
The Scribe understood all this. “Well said, Teacher,” he said (Mark 12:32-33). The Shema is true, and to love God thus wholeheartedly, and to love one’s neighbour as oneself is so much more important than the sacrificial system represented right here in this very Temple! Not that he was disparaging his own religion: but even our own reading of the Old Testament itself teaches us that God requires obedience rather than sacrifice (1 Samuel 15:22; cf. Matthew 9:13).
When Jesus saw that this man answered discreetly, Jesus had His own discreet word for the man. “You are not far from the kingdom of God” (Mark 12:34). From then on, no-one dared question Jesus any more.
“Not far” seems to echo the early preaching of Jesus: ‘The kingdom of God is nigh’ (Mark 1:15). How so? In that the King was present.
This man was in the very presence of the Lord, but he could not understand the full implications of the self-giving love which Jesus called for until after the Cross. What then: did he ever come to faith, or was he like the rich young ruler who ‘went away sad’ (Mark 10:22)? We do not know.
What we do know is that Jesus came to fulfil the law and the prophets (Matthew 5:17). The Temple was soon to be destroyed (Mark 13:2). Meanwhile, the ability to love God and neighbour was held forth as the sum of the whole of the law (cf. Romans 13:9).
‘Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends’ (John 15:13). ‘By this we know the love of God, in that He laid down His life for us’ (1 John 3:16). Therefore, ‘Let us love one another, for love is of God’ (1 John 4:7).
