I love genealogy. I love finding out the stories of people's lives - their family, where they lived, what they did for a living, the culture of the time and so on. Well, John, the beloved disciple, has a story. He did not live in a vacuum. He was a man of his culture and time. As I did today's lesson of Beth Moore's study, "Beloved Disciple", I discovered that family life and spiritual life were intertwined. They were not separate activities. Deuteronomy 6:4-9 states: "Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates." NIV ...
Scripture: Proverbs 14:23 In all labour there is profit: but the talk of the lips tendeth only to penury. KJV All hard work brings a profit, but mere talk leads only to poverty. NIV Work brings profit, but mere talk leads to poverty! NLT 1 Thessalonians 4:11 And that ye study to be quiet, and to do your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you... KJV Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business and to work with your hands, just as we told you...NIV Make it your goal to live a quiet life, minding your own business and working with your hands, just as we instructed you before. NLT Observation: Clark's Commentary on the Bible ~ In all labor there is profit - If a man work at his trade, he gains by it; if he cultivate the earth, it will yield an increase; and in proportion as he labors, so will be his profit: but he who talks much labors little. And a man words is seldom a man of deeds. Less talk and more work...
After experiencing such tragedy, Naomi decided to return home. The Lord had attended to His people by giving them food. I am also sure she was longing for the comforts of home and extended family. She left Moab with her daughters in law. On the way, Naomi encouraged them to return to their family homes. She wished them kindness and blessings. She wished that they would go and find husbands to care for them. However, Ruth and Orpah insisted that they would return to Bethlehem. At this point, Naomi tells the women she could not fulfill the levirate marriage custom [Duet. 25:5:10]. She was too old to have children and even if she could have children, it would be years before the sons would be old enough for them to marry. Naomi asks them,"Would you wait?" All of the women were sad because of the circumstances. Reality dawned on them. The only choice for Ruth and Orpah seemed to be to return back to their family. Choices needed to be made. There were two different response...
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