Above Board

Devotion: Ruth 4:7-12

Throughout the Book of Ruth Boaz demonstrates his high moral character. When Boaz sees women in need, he moves to provide and protect. When Ruth's own character could be called into question, Boaz provides cover for her. Finally, and perhaps most importantly, when Boaz makes a promise, he keeps it. What's more, though, is that Boaz never takes matters into his own hands. He allows God to work and work it out.

"Now this was the custom in former times in Israel concerning redeeming and exchanging: to confirm a transaction, the one drew off his sandal and gave it to the other, and this was the manner of attesting in Israel. So when the redeemer said to Boaz, 'Buy it for yourself,' he drew off his sandal. Then Boaz said to the elders and all the people, 'You are witnesses this day that I have bought from the hand of Naomi all that belonged to Elimelech and all that belonged to Chilion and to Mahlon. Also Ruth the Moabite, the widow of Mahlon, I have bought to be my wife, to perpetuate the name of the dead in his inheritance, that the name of the dead may not be cut off from among his brothers and from the gate of his native place. You are witnesses this day.' Then all the people who were at the gate and the elders said, 'We are witnesses. May the LORD make the woman, who is coming into your house, like Rachel and Leah, who together built up the house of Israel. May you act worthily in Ephrathah and be renowned in Bethlehem, and may your house be like the house of Perez, whom Tamar bore to Judah, because of the offspring that the LORD will give you by this young woman.' " -Ruth 4:7-12 ESV

Boaz had promised Ruth that he would see to the matter of redemption for Naomi (and her) that very day. He waited for the kinsman redeemer to appear at the city gate and made sure the man made a decision regarding the redemption. When the man decided against taking Ruth on as a wife and therefore refused the role of kinsman-redeemer, Boaz wants to make it official.
Moses taught the people regarding Levirate marriage (taking your brother's widow as a wife to bear a son in his name) in Deuteronomy 25:5-10. The consequence for refusing to take your brother's widow is that the widow, before the elders, removes your sandal and spits in your face. This insult is then branded with a new name for man, "The House (read: family) of him who had his sandal pulled off." That name would stick to the man for the rest of his days. This may shed some light on why Naomi instructed Ruth to uncover Boaz's feet in Ruth 3:4. It further illustrates why the removal of the sandal had become important in matters regarding redemption in the name of a dead relative. The man refused to take Ruth as a wife and therefore he refused to raise up sons in the name Elimelech and his elders son Mahlon, his legal heir . The man is spared the new family name and the spitting in his face, most likely because Ruth is a Moabite foreigner, but perhaps also because Boaz is a compassionate and gracious man.
What results is that Boaz calls all present to bear witness to his assumption of the role of kinsman-redeemer and to give blessing on his marriage to Ruth. He has done all of this honestly and openly, what we sometimes call above board. He has not used deception or plot to accomplish the end of redeeming Naomi and Ruth. He has trusted and waited upon God to move and God moved. Boaz takes his sacred duty seriously because he takes God seriously.
The response is an outpouring of blessing from the people upon Boaz and Ruth. Amazingly, they pray that Ruth will be like the great matriarchs of Israel, Rachel and Leah and that Boaz's house will be like that of Perez, son of Judah and Tamar, a revered ancestor of the Bethlehemites. This is amazing because Ruth is foreigner, yet she has displayed the highest form of love and compassion in the name of the God of Israel.
Boaz and Ruth put their trust in the Lord and the Lord provided for them. I think this is our greatest lesson from the text. We must trust in the Lord even in times of struggle and suffering, because ultimately it is the Lord who has provided salvation for us in our true, final and ultimate kinsman-redeemer, King Jesus the Risen. As such, let us take our sacred duties seriously because we take God seriously and serve one another in compassion and grace.

Just a reminder, we are taking our music selections 

from the Porter's Gate Worship Project.

News for You:

• Our next small group session, a 7-week study in Galatians, will begin sign-ups this Sunday, 2/4/18.
• The Ash Wednesday Service on 2/14 will be at 6:30 p.m. This is an invitation to enter a season of repentance by putting on the traditional sign of ashes.
• CPC is seeking a part-time youth director. Applications and more information are available at the church office.
• We are rounding out our homeless shelter year in February. Some dates are still available for overnight volunteer hosts at the Welcome Center.

Picking Up the Slack

Devotion: Ruth 4:3-6

Inevitably in life a situation arises when someone let's us down. We are counting on someone to come through in a pinch, to do the right thing, or simply to do what is required and, for whatever reason, nada, zip, zilch. Left in a lurch, we have to scramble and try to pick up the slack. That's what happend to Boaz in our passage today.

"Then he said to the redeemer, 'Naomi, who has come back from the country of Moab, is selling the parcel of land that belonged to our relative Elimelech. So I thought I would tell you of it and say, "Buy it in the presence of those sitting here and in the presence of the elders of my people." If you will redeem it, redeem it. But if you will not, tell me, that I may know, for there is no one besides you to redeem it, and I come after you.' And he said, 'I will redeem it.' Then Boaz said, 'The day you buy the field from the hand of Naomi, you also acquire Ruth the Moabite, the widow of the dead, in order to perpetuate the name of the dead in his inheritance.' Then the redeemer said, 'I cannot redeem it for myself, lest I impair my own inheritance. Take my right of redemption yourself, for I cannot redeem it.' " -Ruth 4:3-6 ESV

Boaz had promised Ruth that he would see to the matter of redemption that very day. He made sure to meet the closer kinsman-redeemer at the gate. Boaz is a man of his word and he promised that if, for whatever reason, the closer redeemer refuses, he would take up the role and redeem Naomi's property. Boaz, a man of honor and custom is bound by the Law of God and by respect for the way of his people. Boaz is to be emulated in our own lives as well. He does what needs to be done to bring about God's will in the lives of Naomi and Ruth.
Contrary to Boaz is this other unnamed man. The man hears that he will be able to purchase some land to help Naomi. This is a real win-win as the laws governing property in Leviticus detailed that all property would eventually revert to the family of the seller in the year of Jubilee. Naomi would get some much needed cash in the short-term, the man would get some more land to farm (and thus improve his income) and eventually, the land would revert to Naomi's family. And here is where the diabolical part of the man's reasoning kicks in. Naomi is beyond child-bearing years and so the man must believe that he will be able to keep her land in perpetuity as their will be no sons to inherit the land. Far from the lease/reversion system of Leviticus, the man will be able to outright claim the land and thus keep it forever as no male heir will be available to reclaim the land.
Boaz must sense what is happening and so he adds to the situation a requirement of Levirate Marriage. In essence, Ruth as the widow of Naomi's son must be married and sons must be raised up through her to perpetuate the family of Elimelech. Ruth, as a Moabite, would have been seen as a less than ideal wife. Further, the man is concerned that any son born to Ruth would endanger his own line of heirs. That last bit is strange, but it may have been a way for him to save face because he simply did not want to marry a foreign woman. So, despite the economic loss, he relinquishes his claim and cedes the right to Boaz, who is happy to pick up the slack.
From this I think we can learn a few things. First, we need to understand that following God will sometimes mean consequences for our faithfulness. We are to bear this consequences in faithfulness to Christ and not count the cost to us. Second, when other's come up slack, we need to be willing to pick up the slack. We should not do this to bail out others from their responsibility, but because some things simply cannot be left undone. Finally, we need to count obedience to God as the highest priority of our lives. That obedience may cost us as it cost Christ his very life, but it is only hope we have.

• News for You:

• The Okanogan Community Homeless Shelter is looking for volunteers to be overnight hosts on Tuesdays and Wednesdays at New Life Church in Okanogan.  Please see the sign-up sheet at the Welcome Center for available dates.
• The new youth director position has been posted online. If you know of anyone who is qualified for the position, please contact the church.
• Rooshie Mintzer is considering becoming an EPC World Outreach Missionary. Our Presbytery of the Northwest is sending her on a short-term missionary trip to Malaysia in February 2018! Please be in prayer for her!

A Man of His Word

Devotion: Ruth 4:1-2

Sometimes decisions are made in the heat of a moment and words are said that later are regretted and even reneged. These decisions often make sense at the time, but in the cold light of the morning the weight of those decisions' consequences seems too heavy. I had a mentor tell me once, "If you cannot say 'no,' I cannot trust you when you say, 'yes.' " I have taken that matter to heart in much of my life and try to let my yes be yes and my no be no. God does not waver in His sovereign electing choice to save us in Christ Jesus and the followers of Jesus should be just as clear in their own decision making. To that end, if the answer is really, 'no,' then say, 'no.' Yet, if the answer is, 'yes,' we need to be sure to follow through on our commitment and keep our word. Boaz, in our passage this week, shows he is a man of his word.

"Now Boaz had gone up to the gate and sat down there. And behold, the redeemer, of whom Boaz had spoken, came by. So Boaz said, 'Turn aside, friend; sit down here.' And he turned aside and sat down. And he took ten men of the elders of the city and said, 'Sit down here.' So they sat down." -Ruth 4:1-2 ESV

Boaz had promised Ruth in the night that he would see to the matter of redemption the next day. Keep in mind this in the midst of a busy season for him with the threshing going on in the background. Regardless, Boaz had made a commitment and he intended to keep that commitment. So instead of overseeing work at the threshing floor, Boaz, as an elder, goes to the city gates. Elders at the time would take their place at the busiest intersection of an ancient walled city, namely the gate where people would come and go on their daily business. The elders were given the task of settling disputes according to the Law established by God through Moses. Boaz, a respected elder in the community, knows all of these things and goes to sit in his place.
Now part of the promise that Boaz made to Ruth required the movement of God. As Boaz sits at the gate the closer redeemer (in terms of relationship to Naomi) walks by. Now Boaz may have known the man's habits and thus been fairly certain he would happen by that day, but this was no guarantee that he would and thus Boaz had to rely on God for him to be a man of his word. As a pastor I know this all to well. When pronouncing the promises of God through salvation in Christ, I am reliant upon God to vouchsafe those promises and bring them to fruition in the lives of the congregation and ultimately in history with the coming of Christ Jesus in glory.
In the end, Boaz is a man of his word as he invites the man to come sit with him to discuss the matter of redemption. I think we can all be more like Boaz, men and women who keep their word, who trust in the Lord to provide a way for us to keep our word and those who are concerned with the redemption of others.

News for You:

• Our 110th Annual Congregational Meeting will be January 21, 2018 following worship.
• A Chili Feed Fundraiser for Rooshie Mintzer's mission trip will be Saturday, January 20, 2018 at 5 p.m. Minimum donation of $5. Come support Rooshie as she prepares to go to Malaysia.
• We are still on the hunt for a Youth Director. If you or someone you feels the call of God to serve the youth of Omak, pick up an application!
• The Homeless Shelter season is winding down, but there are still volunteer opportunities available. Sign up at the Welcome Center!

Overflowing Grace

Devotion: Ruth 3:14-18

Ruth took a great risk going to Boaz in the middle of the night. Her risk was met by the grace of Boaz who promised that Naomi would have redeemer and the matter would be resolved in the near term. The joy of the grace that night then turns to the first light of the new day. In that dawning light Boaz moves to be more gracious yet to Ruth.

"So she lay at his feet until the morning, but arose before one could recognize another. And he said, 'Let it not be known that the woman came to the threshing floor.' And he said, 'Bring the garment you are wearing and hold it out.' So she held it, and he measured out six measures of barley and put it on her. Then she went into the city. And when she came to her mother-in-law, she said, 'How did you fare, my daughter?' Then she told her all that the man had done for her, saying, 'These six measures of barley he gave to me, for he said to me, "You must not go back empty-handed to your mother-in-law." ' She replied, 'Wait, my daughter, until you learn how the matter turns out, for the man will not rest but will settle the matter today.' " -Ruth 3:14-18 ESV 

Boaz acts in grace toward Ruth in three ways: 1) He takes into account the awkward situation. Ruth has come to Boaz in the middle of the night and that might call her moral quality into question. They both know nothing untoward had occurred, but we all know how people can get to talking. Recall that miraculous virgin birth of our Lord caused speculation about Mary's virtue (see John 8:41). Rumors can destroy people and communities. A trusted pastor mentor once told me that gossip destroyed more churches than sexual immorality--but I would add that most salacious gossip is about sexual immorality. Boaz, knowing that a woman seen walking home from the threshing floor in the early morning would be viewed as questionable, makes moves to shield Ruth from the eyes of the rumor mill. We too can shield people from the gossip machine. First, we need to be sure not to take part in gossip ourselves. Second, we need to call out those who do. Finally, if we hear a rumor then we need to do our due diligence and investigate the claim before we accept the gossip as fact.
2) Boaz sends Ruth away with an abundance of barley. This serves two purposes. First, it legitimizes her being at the threshing floor should someone spy her out on the way home. Second, it provides for her needs. Of course, the matter of the redeemer is still to be settled, but in the meantime, Boaz in giving the six measures of barley pledges that he will make sure that the matter comes to a just conclusion. We can learn from this that while we are working for a just and holy conclusion to matters, that we can still provide in the short term. I think of the homeless situation in our community. While I long for transitional housing and treatment programs for addiction as well as adequate mental health care, I can still be involved in the short term providing a warm place for our homeless population to sleep. The long term goal is not sacrificed by meeting the short term need, but rather the long term goal remains in the forefront of discussion as the short term need is being met. In providing the barley Ruth and Naomi have enough to tide them over while the long term matter of the kinsman redeemer is resolved.
3) Boaz will indeed make a move to settle the kinsman redeemer problem. Naomi is in legitimate need and Boaz will see the matter resolved (Naomi's speculation is well-founded!). In essence, after the late night meeting Boaz resolves to see Ruth and Naomi settled one way or another. We can learn from this that Christ Jesus, our kinsman redeemer for the Kingdom of God, will see our matter settled himself. He has taken up our plight and will see an end to our need. Perhaps we can do likewise for others in need in our community, serving with grace out of the overflowing grace of Jesus.

The music for the next few weeks will be taken from the Porter's Gate Project. This is really excellent music and worth checking out: The Porter's Gate Worship Project

News for You:

• The Okanogan Community Homeless Shelter is looking for volunteers to be overnight hosts on Tuesdays and Wednesdays at New Life Church in Okanogan.  Please see the sign-up sheet at the Welcome Center for available dates. Interested hosts can also come to a training at New Life Church in Okanogan on January 6 at 3 p.m.
• We are seeking a part-time youth director. If you know of anyone who is qualified for the position, please contact the church.
• Committee reports for the 110^th Annual Congregational Meeting are due no later than Wednesday, January 10. The meeting itself will take place 1/21/18 after worship.
• Beth Moore will be hosting her Living Proof Life Event at Overlake Christian Church in Redmond, WA from February 9-10.  Ladies, if you are interested in going, please sign up at the Welcome Center.
• CPC is sending Rooshie Mintzer to Malaysia for a short-term mission trip in February 2018.  If you feel called to support her financially, please indicate so on your tithing. Also, there will be a chili feed fundraiser for Rooshie on January 20 at 5 p.m. Admission is $5, but there is no cap on what you can give to support our sister!
• The men’s breakfast will be Saturday, January 13, at the church.  Breakfast is provided by Ron DeHaan and the devotional will be given by Elder Paul Freese.

Rest with the Redeemer

Devotion: Ruth 3:10-13

Happy New Year!
Welcome back to the blog after our Christmas recess. If you need to catch up on where we last left Ruth and Boaz, take a minute to read our last blog. Caught up? Great!
Ruth had gone to Boaz with Naomi's instructions. She had uncovered his feet and led him to wake up in the middle of the night as he slept on the threshing floor, presumably guarding his harvest. She boldly commanded him to take her under his wing and be her redeemer. We left off on a cliffhanger (of course, you know the story, but if not, it really was a moment of anticipation). What would Boaz do?

"And he said, 'May you be blessed by the LORD, my daughter. You have made this last kindness greater than the first in that you have not gone after young men, whether poor or rich. And now, my daughter, do not fear. I will do for you all that you ask, for all my fellow townsmen know that you are a worthy woman. And now it is true that I am a redeemer. Yet there is a redeemer nearer than I. Remain tonight, and in the morning, if he will redeem you, good; let him do it. But if he is not willing to redeem you, then, as the LORD lives, I will redeem you. Lie down until the morning.' " -Ruth 3:10-13 ESV

Throughout the book of Ruth, Boaz is presented as the ideal Israelite. He keeps the law. He cares for widows. He understands that as a faithful and true Israelite that he is to follow all of the Law as God has given it. So, while Boaz is touched by Ruth's boldness and her willingness to enter into marriage with him, he knows that another redeemer lives that has a greater claim. Now, if I were to play fast and loose with the text, I could make a play for Christ being that redeemer, but this would be disingenuous. If anything, Boaz and Ruth are both Christlike in the book and point to a greater one who works on behalf of his people and redeems his people from their labors.
Yet here we have vulnerability in the form of Ruth. Ruth is completely at the mercy of Boaz. She is a woman alone with a man. She is a foreigner with a native. She is poor with a rich man. She is young with an old man. In every way she can be vulnerable, she is vulnerable. Plus, she has labored long and the hour is late. So vulnerable and weary Ruth comes to her redeemer with nothing but hope.
In the end, that is how we all come to the Savior, our Redeemer, Christ Jesus. We are vulnerable and weary and we have only hope as we approach him. This is not a hope that is left to chance (like playing the lotto), but a hope born of observation and experience. Christ has demonstrated his character through his actions, specifically his atoning death on the cross. Our hope in Christ as our redeemer is sure. Unlike Boaz, there is no nearer redeemer. So when we come to him it is to find our rest with our true redeemer.
Are you weary? Are you at your rope's end? Are you ready to throw up your hands or throw in the towel? Go to the redeemer. Ruth's labors will not end this night, but her redemption will begin. Her labor will continue, but now it will not be in vain. Let it be true with you and Christ in the same way through hope in him.

News for You:

• The Okanogan Community Homeless Shelter is looking for volunteers to be overnight hosts on Tuesdays and Wednesdays at New Life Church in Okanogan.  Please see the sign-up sheet at the Welcome Center for available dates. Interested hosts can also come to a training at New Life Church in Okanogan on January 6 at 3 p.m.
• We are seeking a part-time youth director. If you know of anyone who is qualified for the position, please contact the church. See it at
• Articles for the January/February newsletter need to be submitted no later than Friday, January 5.
• Committee reports for the 110^th Annual Congregational Meeting are due no later than Wednesday, January 10.
• Beth Moore will be hosting her Living Proof Life Event at Overlake Christian Church in Redmond, WA from February 9-10.  Ladies, if you are interested in going, please sign up at the Welcome Center.
• CPC is sending Rooshie Mintzer to Malaysia for a short-term mission trip in February 2018.  If you feel called to support her financially, please indicate so on your tithing.
• The men’s breakfast will be Saturday, January 13, at the church.  Breakfast is provided by Ron DeHaan and the devotional will be given by Elder Paul Freese.