SCRIPTURE [1]
Joshua son of Nun secretly sent out two spies from Acacia. Joshua said to them, “Go and look at the land. Look closely at the city of Jericho.”
So the men went to Jericho. They went to the house of a prostitute and stayed there. This woman’s name was Rahab.
Someone told the king of Jericho, “Some men from Israel have come here tonight. They are spying out the land.”
So the king of Jericho sent this message to Rahab: “Bring out the men who came to you and entered your house. They have come to spy out our whole land.”
Now the woman had hidden the two men. She said, “They did come here. But I didn’t know where they came from. 5 In the evening, when it was time to close the city gate, they left.
I don’t know where they went. Go quickly. Maybe you can catch them.” (But the woman had taken the men up to the roof. She had hidden them there under stalks of flax. She had spread the flax out there to dry.) So the king’s men went out looking for the spies from Israel. They went to the places where people cross the Jordan River. The city gate was closed just after the king’s men left the city.
The spies were ready to sleep for the night. So Rahab went to the roof and talked to them. She said, “I know the Lord has given this land to your people. You frighten us very much. Everyone living in this land is terribly afraid of you. We are afraid because we have heard how the Lord helped you. We heard how he dried up the Red Sea when you came out of Egypt.
We heard how you destroyed Sihon and Og. They were the two Amorite kings who lived east of the Jordan. When we heard this, we became very frightened. Now our men are afraid to fight you. This is because the Lord your God rules the heavens above and the earth below! So now, make me a promise before the Lord. Promise that you will show kindness to my family just as I showed you kindness. Give me some proof that you will do this. Promise me you will allow my family to live. Save my father, mother, brothers, sisters and all of their families from death.”
The men agreed. They said, “We will trade our lives for your lives. Don’t tell anyone what we are doing. When the Lord gives us our land, we will be kind to you. You may trust us.
[1] Joshua 2: 1-22 Ibid.
Jesse Tree Ornament #11 Loyalty and Love
THEME 11 LOYALTY AND LOVE
SCRIPTURE: [1]
Naomi said, “Look, your sister-in-law is going back to her own people and her own gods. Go back with her. But Ruth said, “Don’t ask me to leave you! Don’t beg me not to follow you! Every place you go, I will go. Every place you live, I will live. Your people will be my people. Your God will be my God. And where you die, I will die. And there I will be buried. I ask the Lord to punish me terribly if I do not keep this promise: Only death will separate us.”
Naomi saw that Ruth had made up her mind to go with her. So Naomi stopped arguing with her. Naomi and Ruth went on until they came to the town of Bethlehem. When the two women entered Bethlehem, all the people became very excited. The women of the town said, “Is this Naomi?” But Naomi told the people,
“Don’t call me Naomi. Call me Mara, because God All-Powerful has made my life very sad. When I left, I had all I wanted. But now, the Lord has brought me home with nothing. So why should you call me Naomi when the Lord has spoken against me? God All-Powerful has given me much trouble.”
So Naomi and her daughter-in-law Ruth, the woman from Moab, came back from Moab. They came to Bethlehem at the beginning of the barley harvest.
Now there was a rich man living in Bethlehem whose name was Boaz. Boaz was one of Naomi’s close relatives from Elimelech’s family.
One day Ruth, the woman from Moab, said to Naomi, “Let me go to the fields. Maybe someone will be kind and let me gather the grain he leaves in his field.”
Naomi said, “Go, my daughter.
So Ruth went to the fields. She followed the workers who were cutting the grain. And she gathered the grain that they had left. It just so happened that the field belonged to Boaz. He was a close relative from Elimelech’s family.
THINK ABOUT IT
There are several connections to Jesus in this story. Rahab from the last story was the mother of Boaz. Boaz’s father was Obed, and his daughter was Ruth. They are both ancestors of Jesus, and the story takes place in Bethlehem where Jesus was born.
This is a story of loyalty and love. Ruth stayed with Naomi after becoming a widow. She did not need to do that, but chose Naomi’s people as her own. The very famous love quote begins this passage. She promises that Naomi’s people will be her people, and her God will be her God.
God sees her loyalty and love and eventually sends Ruth to Boaz who notices her, and later loves her. She is gleaning barley from the field, pieces of grain left over from the harvest, so she and Naomi have food to eat. Without husbands, they are very poor.
God rewards Ruth for loving her former mother-in-law, and protects her from harm, giving her a new life, and Ruth loves God and eventually becomes part of the lineage of Jesus because she is
Obed’s mother, Jesse’s grandmother. and David’s great-grandmother. Yes, the same Jesse as the Jesse tree is named for. God has a plan, and Ruth was part of that plan.
PRAYER:
Heavenly Father,
Help us to be loyal and loving when you send people to us, whatever the circumstances. Naomi and Ruth teach us the importance of relationships, and we love it when a story has a happy ending. Thank you that you can bring happiness after sorry. These two women were lonely and they were facing poverty. But You were a blessing to them. We thank You for using these women to teach us to be loyal and loving to one another, and pray You will use us as examples of those who help other people who may need our attention. Amen.
[1] Ruth 1: 15-2: 3 Ibid.
Theme 12
SCRIPTURE[1]
The Lord said to Samuel, “How long will you continue to feel sorry for Saul? I have rejected him as king of Israel. Fill your container with olive oil and go. I am sending you to Jesse who lives in Bethlehem. I have chosen one of his sons to be king.”
But Samuel said, “If I go, Saul will hear the news. And he will try to kill me.”
The Lord said, “Take a young calf with you. Say, ‘I have come to offer a sacrifice to the Lord. Invite Jesse to the sacrifice.
Then I will show you what to do. You must appoint the one I show you.”
Samuel did what the Lord told him to do. When he arrived at Bethlehem, the elders of Bethlehem shook with fear. They met him and asked, “Are you coming in peace?”
Samuel answered, “Yes, I come in peace. I have come to make a sacrifice to the Lord. Make yourselves holy for the Lord and come to the sacrifice with me.” Then he made Jesse and his sons holy for the Lord. And he invited them to come to the sacrifice.
When they arrived, Samuel saw Eliab. Samuel thought, “Surely the Lord has appointed this person standing here before him.”
7 But the Lord said to Samuel, “Don’t look at how handsome Eliab is. Don’t look at how tall he is. I have not chosen him. God does not see the same way people see. People look at the outside of a person, but the Lord looks at the heart.”
Then Jesse called Abinadab and told him to pass by Samuel. But Samuel said, “The Lord has not chosen this man either.” Then Jesse had Shammah pass by. But Samuel said, “No, the Lord has not chosen this one.” 10 Jesse had seven of his sons pass by Samuel. But Samuel said to him, “The Lord has not chosen any of these.”
Then he asked Jesse, “Are these all the sons you have?”
Jesse answered, “I still have the youngest son. He is out taking care of the sheep.”
Samuel said, “Send for him. We will not sit down to eat until he arrives.”
So Jesse sent and had his youngest son brought in. He was a fine boy, tanned and handsome.
The Lord said to Samuel, “Go! Appoint him. He is the one.”
So Samuel took the container of olive oil. Then he poured oil on Jesse’s youngest son to appoint him in front of his brothers. From that day on, the Lord’s Spirit entered David with power. Samuel then went back to Ramah.
But the Lord’s Spirit had gone out of Saul. And an evil spirit from the Lord troubled him.
Saul’s servants said to him, “See, an evil spirit from God is troubling you. Give us the command. We will look for someone who can play the harp. When the evil spirit from the Lord enters you, he will play. Then the evil spirit will leave you alone. And you will feel better.”
So Saul said to his servants, “Find someone. If he plays well, bring him to me.”
One of the servants said, “Jesse of Bethlehem has a son who plays the harp. I have seen him play it. He is a brave man and fights well. He is a good speaker and handsome. And the Lord is with him.”
Then Saul sent messengers to Jesse. The message said, “Send me your son David, who is with the sheep.” So Jesse loaded a donkey with bread and a leather bag full of wine. He also took a young goat. He sent them all with his son David to Saul.
When David came to Saul, he began to serve him. Saul loved David very much. And David became the officer who carried Saul’sarmor.22 Saul sent a message to Jesse. He said, “Let David stay and serve me. I like him.”
THINK ABOUT IT
Honoring God means we are ready to serve Him, whatever He tells us to do. It means we pray about what we are to do with our lives as careers. It means we develop our talents so they can be used by God. It means being ready to do His will whenever and wherever we are called to do so.
In this story David, who became King David and wrote many of the Psalms in the Bible, and was another ancestor of Jesus, is anointed with oil. This was a sign that he was set apart to do something great for God. In this case, Saul was the king. He liked David for several reasons.
David was a young son of Jesse, yes, the same Jesse as the Jesse Tree’s name. He could play the harp well. He practices while he took care of the family’s sheep out in the field.
Any of his brothers could have become Saul’s companion and later king, but God chose David. He was younger than the others, and perhaps they were jealous when the oil anointed David’s head. Nevertheless, David was the chosen one and he was obedient.
One of his special talents was that he could calm Saul when he had trouble sleeping or thinking. He played the harp very well, and no doubt sang songs which later became part of the Bible book called Psalms. He gave his talent to the Lord and was used mightily for it.
We can learn from David to be ready with whatever gifts God gives us. That is a powerful blessing and goal for our lives.
PRAYER:
Heavenly Father,
We are thankful that you prepare us, even before we’re born, with the talents and gifts You will use to advance Your kingdom when we are Your children. Without a doubt, You used David to bless Saul, but even more, You chose Him to be king, anointed for Your service.
We pray You will prepare us well for how You will use our lives, and that we will always honor You in the opportunities which come to us through Your plan for our lives. Amen.
[1] I Samuel 16: 1-15 Ibid.
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