I'm Following Jesus – Page 1866 – Mark 8:34 And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.

King James Bible Study – “And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.” – Mark 8:34

Date: Sunday, April 07, 2019
Chapters: Ruth 1-4
Message: The Will LORD Recompense You

Hello My Friend,

Recompense; To compensate; to make return of an equivalent for any thing given, done or suffered. If there is one thing I have learned these past few years it is that God is the one who recompenses you for your work, sometimes it is quickly, sometimes it takes a while, and sometimes you get nothing at all, but as long as we are faithful to Him we will always get a reward for our labor in some form. “For whosoever exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted. Then said he also to him that bade him, When thou makest a dinner or a supper, call not thy friends, nor thy brethren, neither thy kinsmen, nor thy rich neighbours; lest they also bid thee again, and a recompence be made thee. But when thou makest a feast, call the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind: And thou shalt be blessed; for they cannot recompense thee: for thou shalt be recompensed at the resurrection of the just.” – Luke 14:11-14.

“for they cannot recompense thee:” The other day I was sitting in a cafe filling out work when a woman came up to me asking me for some money, I did not have any to give her, but I did have some popcorn that I had bought to bring home to my nephews, as I was leaving I handed her the popcorn, she took it willingly, no thank you given, but I did not stay around to wait for it either. The little things matter too, and God keeps track of all of them. The Book of Ruth contains four chapters, the author is unknown, but is probable to be Samuel as he wrote the Book of Judges. The timeline for theses events is approximately 1300 -1290 BC. The purpose of the book was to show Israel and everyone else that God is not a respecter of persons, He will redeem and accept anyone who comes to Him. “And the women said unto Naomi, Blessed be the LORD, which hath not left thee this day without a kinsman, that his name may be famous in Israel.” – Ruth 4:14.

Ruth was a Moabite, and if you study history the Moab despised Israel, and the feelings were mutual. Moab was full of idolatry, and known for sacrificing children to their god. When a terrible famine hit the land, a Judean named Elimelech, decided to go to Moab with his wife Naomi, and two sons until the famine was over. The sons managed to find wives, and Ruth was one of them, in the process of ten years Elimelech and his sons died, leaving Naomi alone with her daughter-in-laws. Naomi decided to head back to Bethlehem, and Ruth followed.

“Then she arose with her daughters in law, that she might return from the country of Moab: for she had heard in the country of Moab how that the LORD had visited his people in giving them bread. And Naomi said unto her two daughters in law, Go, return each to her mother’s house: the LORD deal kindly with you, as ye have dealt with the dead, and with me. And they lifted up their voice, and wept again: and Orpah kissed her mother in law; but Ruth clave unto her. And she said, Behold, thy sister in law is gone back unto her people, and unto her gods: return thou after thy sister in law. And Ruth said, Intreat me not to leave thee, or to return from following after thee: for whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge: thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God: So they two went until they came to Bethlehem. And it came to pass, when they were come to Bethlehem, that all the city was moved about them, and they said, Is this Naomi? And she said unto them, Call me not Naomi, call me Mara: for the Almighty hath dealt very bitterly with me. I went out full, and the LORD hath brought me home again empty: why then call ye me Naomi, seeing the LORD hath testified against me, and the Almighty hath afflicted me?” – Ruth 1:6,8,14-16,19-21.

“for the Almighty hath dealt very bitterly with me.” Naomi felt like a lot of Christians who stop serving God, she was bitter of His taking her family away. She never spoke against God, she felt He took everything of worth from her. I will be honest and say that I have gotten bitter, and sometimes it resurfaces, especially when I see so many others full, while I am empty. However, with every single thing that God takes from us He replaces it with much more, we just have to be faithful and wait for it. Naomi realized something, if she could help Ruth find a kinsman to marry her then God would turn things around, she remembered her husband had kin, Boaz.

“And Naomi had a kinsman of her husband’s, a mighty man of wealth, of the family of Elimelech; and his name was Boaz. And Ruth the Moabitess said unto Naomi, Let me now go to the field, and glean ears of corn after him in whose sight I shall find grace. And she said unto her, Go, my daughter. And, behold, Boaz came from Bethlehem, and said unto the reapers, The LORD be with you. And they answered him, The LORD bless thee. Then said Boaz unto his servant that was set over the reapers, Whose damsel is this? And the servant that was set over the reapers answered and said, It is the Moabitish damsel that came back with Naomi out of the country of Moab: And Boaz answered and said unto her, It hath fully been shewed me, all that thou hast done unto thy mother in law since the death of thine husband: and how thou hast left thy father and thy mother, and the land of thy nativity, and art come unto a people which thou knewest not heretofore. The LORD recompense thy work, and a full reward be given thee of the LORD God of Israel, under whose wings thou art come to trust. And Naomi said unto her daughter in law, Blessed be he of the LORD, who hath not left off his kindness to the living and to the dead. And Naomi said unto her, The man is near of kin unto us, one of our next kinsmen.” – Ruth 2:1-2,4-6,11-12,20.

“and a full reward be given thee of the LORD God of Israel,” You know, salvation may be a free gift, but God does not take lightly what we do for Him after we are saved. And it is not about the amount of work we do, it is about our faithfulness to Him in whatever it is that we are doing, and one day we will receive the full reward of immortality when we see Jesus. Now, since all arrangements for marriage were made by the parents in those days, it was Naomi’s duty to find a husband for Ruth, and since Boaz was a relative to her husband, that could mean their lineage could be preserved. You see, back then, the first born son would preserve the lineage of the family, if that son died the next one would marry the widow and the first born son would take the name of the deceased. If there were no other sons the next of kin would redeem the widow, and then the first born son would take the name of the deceased. Naomi gave Ruth some strange instructions, dress nice, go into town, and when she sees Boaz asleep, lay down at his feet.

“Then Naomi her mother in law said unto her, My daughter, shall I not seek rest for thee, that it may be well with thee? And now is not Boaz of our kindred, with whose maidens thou wast? Behold, he winnoweth barley to night in the threshingfloor. And it came to pass at midnight, that the man was afraid, and turned himself: and, behold, a woman lay at his feet. And he said, Who art thou? And she answered, I am Ruth thine handmaid: spread therefore thy skirt over thine handmaid; for thou art a near kinsman. And he said, Blessed be thou of the LORD, my daughter: for thou hast shewed more kindness in the latter end than at the beginning, inasmuch as thou followedst not young men, whether poor or rich. And now, my daughter, fear not; I will do to thee all that thou requirest: for all the city of my people doth know that thou art a virtuous woman. And now it is true that I am thy near kinsman: howbeit there is a kinsman nearer than I. Tarry this night, and it shall be in the morning, that if he will perform unto thee the part of a kinsman, well; let him do the kinsman’s part: but if he will not do the part of a kinsman to thee, then will I do the part of a kinsman to thee, as the LORD liveth: lie down until the morning.” – Ruth 3:1-2,8-13.

“behold, a woman lay at his feet.” What was this all about? The laying down at his feet was as act of submission, meaning Ruth wholly submitted herself to Boaz, she was respectable of her body, remained pure, and everyone around town saw that. While this may have seemed like a strange request, it was one that proved respect and honor, and even found to be of a great comfort to Boaz. This is proof that Christians are being watched at all times, not only by other Christians, but the world as well, which is why we always need to present ourselves a virtuous, whether man or woman. Boaz did not make a promise to Ruth because there was a kinsman of nearer kin to Elimelech and if he chose to redeem Ruth there was nothing he could do about it. Boaz stood before the kinsman and elders, he would have to purchase Ruth from the kinsman to make her his wife and the first born son would be raised as though he were Elimelech’s.

“And he said unto the kinsman, Naomi, that is come again out of the country of Moab, selleth a parcel of land, which was our brother Elimelech’s: And I thought to advertise thee, saying, Buy it before the inhabitants, and before the elders of my people. If thou wilt redeem it, redeem it: but if thou wilt not redeem it, then tell me, that I may know: for there is none to redeem it beside thee; and I am after thee. And he said, I will redeem it. Then said Boaz, What day thou buyest the field of the hand of Naomi, thou must buy it also of Ruth the Moabitess, the wife of the dead, to raise up the name of the dead upon his inheritance. And the kinsman said, I cannot redeem it for myself, lest I mar mine own inheritance: redeem thou my right to thyself; for I cannot redeem it. And Boaz said unto the elders, and unto all the people, Ye are witnesses this day, that I have bought all that was Elimelech’s, and all that was Chilion’s and Mahlon’s, of the hand of Naomi. Moreover Ruth the Moabitess, the wife of Mahlon, have I purchased to be my wife, to raise up the name of the dead upon his inheritance, that the name of the dead be not cut off from among his brethren, and from the gate of his place: ye are witnesses this day. And all the people that were in the gate, and the elders, said, We are witnesses. The LORD make the woman that is come into thine house like Rachel and like Leah, which two did build the house of Israel: and do thou worthily in Ephratah, and be famous in Bethlehem:” – Ruth 4:3-6,9-11.

“have I purchased to be my wife,” This may sound strange, and to our own human comprehension the idea of being purchased is absurd, but think about what he did, Ruth was redeemed, and became as though she were a child of Israel herself. This is a perfect illustration of Jesus purchasing His bride, which are the souls of those who believe in and receive Him, with His blood. The second we receive Christ as our Saviour we are one of God’s children, and that means whether Jew or Gentile, we are of God, and treated no differently. “And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely. He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son. But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.” – Revelation 21:2,6-8.

Jesus Christ Magnified: “Moreover Ruth the Moabitess, the wife of Mahlon, have I purchased to be my wife, to raise up the name of the dead upon his inheritance, that the name of the dead be not cut off from among his brethren, and from the gate of his place: ye are witnesses this day.” – Ruth 4:10.

Today’s Prayer: God, I know, and believe with all my heart that Jesus is Your Son, who died for my sins, was buried, and arose again on the third day, and I accepted Him as my only way to You and Your Kingdom. And because of this I am redeemed, purchased with His blood, and will wait patiently for the day He comes for me. To acknowledge this truth comes so naturally with great enthusiasm, boldness, and conviction, but the real test is when I publicly acknowledge these truths among those who do not agree with me. Lord, where You go, I go, no matter where you place me or what test You give me, by Your grace, I know I can and will endure the things before me, and will be recompensed for my work. In Your name, Jesus. Amen.

God Bless You, I am praying for you,

Christina

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