Excursus: The Line of Boaz
As part of my research for a sermon on Ruth 3, I wrote this brief excursus to help understand Boaz’ risky acceptance of Ruth. God was at work before Boaz was even born to prepare Boaz for the Moabitess who was to come, and through whom the line of David, and of Jesus, would come. As of this writing I have not read anything on the fact of Boaz’ family prior to his marriage to Ruth. We aren’t given alot of information on the family, but what we are given provides a great deal of insight, in my opinion, of the man Boaz. Boaz is a wonderful OT example of righteous living. His righteousness and kindness to Ruth and Naomi were a result of his acknowledgement of God’s righteousness and kindness to Israel. He had great reason to be sensitive to...
Read MoreHow Can I Remain Faithful
Sermon Notes THEME: Battle against worldliness. How can we remain faithful in a pagan land? Why should we? The Israelites and their prophets asked that question. Psalm 137 asks, “How can we sing the Lord’s song in a strange land.” We find four young men who are among a host of Judeans who find themselves in a strange land, in a strange culture… - Being taught a different worldview - Being influenced by different religions - Being expected to conform to different values We must trust in the sovereignty of God even in the most difficult circumstances. (1-2) Nebuchadnezzar – the general of the Babylonian army; laid siege to Jerusalem (605 B.C.) As king, led Babylonian renaissance; military conquest, cultural resurgence; bldg. projects;...
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