Philippians 1:12 says, But I would ye should understand, brethren, that the things which happened unto me have fallen out rather unto the furtherance of the gospel;  Paul did not ask for the sympathy of those that he was writing to because of his situation, but said even though he was imprisoned that it was for the furtherance of the gospel.  If we find ourselves discriminated against or even imprisoned because we are a Christian and are living by God's standards, we should likewise count it as an honor to suffer for our faith.  We should never complain if something bad happens to us because we are living by faith, nor should we expect sympathy from anyone.  Verse thirteen states, So that my bonds in Christ are manifest in all the palace, and in all other places;  Paul said that people in the palace as well as in other places knew why he was in bonds.  If Paul had been in prison for something that he had done that was wrong then his imprisonment would likely not have been noted by so many people, especially those in power.  As followers of Christ, just because we may be suffer may not mean that we are suffering for our faith.  We like Paul must truly be persecuted for our faith if our suffering is to bring glory to God and be a witness to the world.  Verse fourteen says, And many of the brethren in the Lord, waxing confident by my bonds, are much more bold to speak the word without fear.  Paul said that instead of making his fellow believers afraid to proclaim the gospel, it impowered them to do so even more.  When we hear of Christians being persecuted, imprisoned and even killed today because of their faith, does it make us bolder in Christ or does it cause us to be silent for fear of the same thing happen to us?  We should always choose to be bold in our faith.  Verse fifteen states, Some indeed preach Christ even of envy and strife; and some also of good will:  Paul said that not all people preached the gospel the same way, or even for the same reasons.  There will always be those who preach the gospel differently, but the question should be is if the truth of the gospel is being preached.  Verse sixteen adds, The one preach Christ of contention, not sincerely, supposing to add affliction to my bonds:  Paul said that some people preached a Christ of contention hoping to add to his bonds, or suffering.  He also said that they were not sincere in what they preached.  I believe that these people would have been saying that Paul should have fought harder and not allowed himself to be imprisoned, but that they themselves were not really going to do anything to cause themselves to be imprisoned.  Verse seventeen continues, But the other of love, knowing that I am set for the defence of the gospel.  Paul said others preached out of love for God and for Paul himself, knowing that it was for the sake of the gospel that he was imprisoned.  As followers of Christ, when we see or hear of a fellow Christian being imprisoned for their faith, we must still preach the gospel based on the love of Christ.  Verse eighteen declares,What then? notwithstanding, every way, whether in pretence, or in truth, Christ is preached; and I therein do rejoice, yea, and will rejoice.  Paul said that whatever the reason for the gospel being preached, as long as it was preached in truth, then he would and did rejoice.  Our question should never be how or why the gospel ids being preached, but simply is it being preached and preached accurately.  If it is, then we should rejoice in God.  Verse nineteen adds, For I know that this shall turn to my salvation through your prayer, and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ,  Paul said that his suffering would lead to his salvation through their prayers and the power of the Holy Spirit.  Paul was not saying that his suffering was what brought him salvation, but that his faith in Christ did, and that if he remained imprisoned in this life that he would be set free in death.  This has to be the kind of faith that we have.  Verse twenty continues, According to my earnest expectation and my hope, that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but that with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ shall be magnified in my body, whether it be by life, or by death. Paul said that whatever happened to him in this life was unimportant as long as his life glorified Christ.  How often do we complain to God when the least little thing goes wrong in our life instead of glorifying God?  Vere twenty-one concludes, For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.  Paul said that if he lived that he would live that Christ would be glorified, and that if he died that would be even better for him, because he would be with Christ forever.  This did not mean that Paul wanted to die, but that he was unafraid of dying for his faith in Christ.  We should be the same way today.

Philippians 1:1 says, Paul and Timotheus, the servants of Jesus Christ, to all the saints in Christ Jesus which are at Philippi, with the bishops and deacons:  Timothy was with Paul at this time and Paul was writing to the church at Philippi, addressing the church leaders in particular.  I don't believe that he was only writing to them, but that he expected the church leaders to share his letter with the rest of the members.  Church leaders have always had a responsibility to share the news of God with their congregations.  Verse two states, Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ.  As always, Paul ask that the grace of God be with the church, which would bring them His peace.  As followers of  Christ, we are living under the grace of God, and since we are we should be at peace in the world.  Verse three adds, I thank my God upon every remembrance of you,  Paul said that he thanked God every time he remembered the believers at Philippi.  Verse four continues, Always in every prayer of mine for you all making request with joy,  Paul said that he was always praying for them in joy.  We should likewise remember our fellow Christians in prayer and pray that they will continue in the joy of Christ.  Verse five declares, For your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now;  Paul said that he was thankful for their fellowship in Christ from the very first, which indicates they were some of the first to accept Christ as Savior and Lord.  We should always be thankful for those fellow believers who have been a part of our Christian life from the beginning.  God always calls His people to fellowship with one another and to be thankful for each other.  Verse six adds, Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:  Paul said not only had they been followers of Christ since the very beginning, but he had confidence that they would remain true to Christ until He returned, or until they went to be with Him, though he didn't say the last specifically.  We should likewise have confidence in our fellow believers today.  As followers of Christ, we must remain true to His teachings until He returns or until we leave this world to be with Him.  Verse seven says, Even as it is meet for me to think this of you all, because I have you in my heart; inasmuch as both in my bonds, and in the defence and confirmation of the gospel, ye all are partakers of my grace.  Paul said that it was proper for him to think of and pray for the Christians at Philippi, because they had defended the gospel and had remained faithful to him as well, even after he had been arrested.  It would have been easy for them to distance themselves from Paul after his arrest, but they didn't.  If Christian leaders are imprisoned today for their faith, then we must continue to pray for them and support them any way we can.  Verse eight states, For God is my record, how greatly I long after you all in the bowels of Jesus Christ.  Paul called on God to be his witness as to how much he desired to come visit the church at Philippi again.  When we look at the life of Paul, I believe that we can pretty much disclaim the name it and claim it religion.  Paul, one of the greatest men of faith, often had a desire to do something, and God denied his request.  What we need to do today is not attempt to get God to endorse our plans, but to make sure that we are following His plan.  Verse nine adds, And this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment;  I believe that Paul was praying that they would grow in their knowledge and judgment through their faith in Christ.  He was not praying that they would become more educated in the things of the world, but that they would become more educated in the things of God.  We may become very educated in the things of this world, and we may even think we are a good judge of what is right or wrong, but unless this is based on our faith in and obedience to God, it is of no real value.  Verse ten continues, That ye may approve things that are excellent; that ye may be sincere and without offence till the day of Christ;  The things that are excellent that Paul was writing about were the things of God.  Paul asked that they be sincere and without offence until Christ returned, and this is what we today as Christians should do as well.  Our faith in Christ should never waver.  Verse eleven continues, Being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God.  Paul prayed that they would be filled with the fruits of righteousness, which was only possible by faith in Christ, and resulted in glory ot God.  Likewise today, as followers of Christ, we should be full of fruit for Him and for God's glory.

Ruth Review

We will do a review of what we learned from the book of Ruth.   First, we see that bad things do happen to God's people.  Because of a famine in Israel, the land of God's chosen people, Elimelech, Naomi, and their sons Mahlon and Chilion left Israel and went to Moab.  While there, another tragedy struck Naomi, as Elimelech died, leaving her dependent on her two sons.  The sons had married women of Moab, Orpah and Ruth and lived there for about ten years, then both sons died, another tragedy for Naomi.  We need to realize that just because one tragedy strikes us in life as followers of Christ that it does not mean that we are exempt from another one.  Naomi was left with her two daughters-in-law that she did not know how to provide for, so she decided to return to Israel and her people.  When tragedy does strike us today, the best thing we can do is turn to God and His people if we are Christians.  Of course, the best thing anyone can do in a tragedy is to look to God for help, but if we are His people but are away from Him spiritually for whatever reason, then we definitely need to return to Him.  Then, Naomi told Orpah and Ruth that they would be better off going to their own people for help.  I believe that even if we don't know all the answers, we should never attempt to send others away from God.  Naomi seems to have become bitter toward God though and this may have influenced her actions.  No matter what happens in life, as followers of Christ we cannot allow it to make us bitter toward God or to even question His love and provision for us.  Orpah left, but Ruth declared her devotion to Naomi, her people, and her God.  Our best choice in a tragedy is to declare our devotion to God, even if He was not our God before.  In Israel, Ruth proved her devotion to Naomi by working to provide them with food.  She was a widow herself in a strange land, but she exhibited a greater faith than Naomi did.  She did not expect others to provide for them.  Because of her willingness to work, she met Boaz.  I believe that we can accurately say that God led Ruth to this place.  Even when we may not realize it, God is at work in our lives if we are His people.  Naomi saw a solution to their problem after there was no longer a crop to glean for food, and that was the fact that Boaz was one of her kinsmen, and she was going to put Ruth in a position where he would have to marry her.  I don't believe that we should ever use deceitful or dishonest means to better ourselves if we are followers of Christ.  Boaz looked out for Ruth's good name and then did the honorable and legal thing concerning her.  He first made sure that another closer kinsman did not want to redeem Naomi's land with the stipulation that he marry Ruth, who could also have had a claim on the land.  We must never try to claim what might rightly be considered something that belongs to another without letting them have a chance to claim it themselves.  Then, we see that God blessed Ruth with a husband and a child and Naomi with a grandchild, and that Ruth, a woman of Moab, was in the direct lineage of David.  It does not matter where we are born, if we become a follower of Christ, then we are a part of His family forevermore.         

Ruth 4:11

Ruth 4:11 says, 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:  The people at the gate told Boaz that they would be witnesses that he had been honorable in his actions.  They then asked that God would bless his marriage to Ruth and that she would be like Rachel and Leah who had produced the nation of Israel.  Of course, there were two other women who were also responsible, but they were not mentioned.  Even if we are honest in our actions, unless we are doing what God has led us to do, we should not expect Him to bless us in the action.  Verse twelve adds, And let thy house be like the house of Pharez, whom Tamar bare unto Judah, of the seed which the LORD shall give thee of this young woman.  The men continued to ask by asking God's blessing on the family, that they might have many descendants, like Pharez of old.  Verse thirteen continues, So Boaz took Ruth, and she was his wife: and when he went in unto her, the LORD gave her conception, and she bare a son.  After they were married, God gave Ruth and Boaz a son.  Boaz, and Ruth as well, had lived honorably and followed God's laws, and He had blessed them with a son.  This is not to say that they were prefect people, but they were doing their best to follow God's law.  Even as followers of Christ, we will never be perfect, but if we want to be blessed by God, then we need to try to follow His laws.  Verse fourteen states, 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.  The women also said that God had blessed Naomi by giving her a grandson, so that her name would not be cut off but that her grandson would be famous throughout Israel.  She was still considered Ruth's mother-in-law, and the son was seen as a continuation of her family name, even though Naomi had seemingly become somewhat bitter toward God.  God had not forgotten her, and He will never forget us today if we have accepted Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord.  Verse fifteen adds, And he shall be unto thee a restorer of thy life, and a nourisher of thine old age: for thy daughter in law, which loveth thee, which is better to thee than seven sons, hath born him.  The women told Naomi that this grandson would restore her life and that Ruth's love for her was better than seven sons would have been.  Naomi now had no reason to give up on life and to be bitter toward God.  Of course, as followers of Christ, we should never do either of these things.  Verse sixteen continues, And Naomi took the child, and laid it in her bosom, and became nurse unto it.  Naomi now had a new purpose, and that was to nurture her grandchild.  When we accept the salvation of God, we have a new purpose in life.  We are to nurture our fellow Christians in faith, as they are to nurture us.  Verse seventeen says, And the women her neighbours gave it a name, saying, There is a son born to Naomi; and they called his name Obed: he is the father of Jesse, the father of David.  The women named the child, and said he was Naomi's son, though he was really her grandson.  He was the one through whom her family name would be carried on.  Then, the next five verses list the genealogy of Obed, Ruth's son, going back to Pharez and ending with David.  Verse eighteen adds, Now these are the generations of Pharez: Pharez begat Hezron,  Verse nineteen continues, And Hezron begat Ram, and Ram begat Amminadab,  Verse twenty states, And Amminadab begat Nahshon, and Nahshon begat Salmon,  Verse twenty-one adds, And Salmon begat Boaz, and Boaz begat Obed,  Verse twenty-two continues, And Obed begat Jesse, and Jesse begat David.  Ruth, a widowed Moabite woman because of her devotion to her mother-in-law and becoming one of her people and accepting her God as her own, became a part of the lineage of David.  We really aren't told of anything great that Ruth did, except to be a devoted daughter-in-law who accepted her mother-in-law's people and God as her own, and then lived honorably to provide for the two of them.  We may not think that we have done a lot in life today, but if we accept Christ as our Savior and Lord, try to live honorable lives by the guidance of the Holy Spirit, identify with God's people, and reach out to others with His message of redemption, that is all that we can do.  Fortunately, that is all that is required after we accept Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord.

Ruth 4:1

Ruth 4:1 says, Then went Boaz up to the gate, and sat him down there: and, behold, the kinsman of whom Boaz spake came by; unto whom he said, Ho, such a one! turn aside, sit down here. And he turned aside, and sat down.  Boaz went up to the gate and sat down there, waiting to see if his kinsman would come by, and he did.  Boaz asked him to come and talk with him.  The gate of the city was where court was held.  Verse two adds, And he took ten men of the elders of the city, and said, Sit ye down here. And they sat down.  Boaz had ten of the elders of the city there with him to do things legally.  Even if we are attempting to get something we want as Christians, we must do it honesty and above board.  Verse three continues, 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:  Boaz told his kinsman that Naomi had a parcel of land to sell that belonged to Elimelech before he left.  There were specific redemption laws in Israel, and Matthew Henry says that Elimelech might have mortgaged the land before he left during the famine, and now Naomi wanted one of her kinsmen to redeem it for her.  He also said that the other possibility was that Naomi wanted to sell her rights to the property so she would have money to live on.  I believe we can say that God has the right of redemption for every person, but it is up to us whether or not we allow Him to use it.  Verse four states, 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.  Boaz told his kinsman that he wanted to come before the elders and see if the man would redeem the property, and Boaz told him if he didn't that he was the next in line to be able to redeem it.  He was doing nothing behind the man's back, but was dealing honestly and openly with the situation.  We must do the same with people today, even if means that we may not get what we want.   The man said he would redeem the property.  Verse five adds, 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.  Boaz then told his kinsman that when he redeemed the land from Naomi, he was also redeeming it from Ruth, a woman of Moab, who was the widow of one of Naomi's sons, and that he would need to marry her to produce an heir.  Matthew Henry points out that the marriage law at least at first only applied to the brothers of the man who had died but may have been changed at some time.  Still, this was basically being done based on the law of redemption.  Verse six continues, 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.  The kinsman then said he couldn't redeem it himself because he might mar his inheritance.  Matthew Henry says that the man may have already been married and had children and didn't want another heir with a claim to his inheritance, but for whatever reason, he would not or could not claim the inheritance if it meant marrying Ruth as well.  He told Boaz to redeem the property himself.  God offers us redemption today if we accept Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord, but he does not force us to accept it, just as this man was not forced to redeem the land.  God will continue to offer redemption to others, even if we turn it down.  Verse seven says, Now this was the manner in former time in Israel concerning redeeming and concerning changing, for to confirm all things; a man plucked off his shoe, and gave it to his neighbour: and this was a testimony in Israel.  We are told that in Israel that the manner of confirming a deal was for a person confirming it to take off his shoe and give it to the one with whom he was confirming it.  This may have been a better way than all the lawyers who would likely be involved today.  Verse eight adds. Therefore the kinsman said unto Boaz, Buy it for thee. So he drew off his shoe.  The kinsman confirmed the deal with Boaz by handing him his shoe to confirm the deal.  Verse nine continues, 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.  Boaz told the elders and all the people around that they would be witnesses to the fact that he had bought all that was Elimelech's and his two sons, Chilion and Mahlon, inheritance, from Naomi.  We are never told what the price was.  We can rest assured that when we accept redemption through faith in Christ as our Savior and Lord that the price has been paid by Him through the His death on the cross.  Verse ten concludes, 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.  Boaz said he had also purchased Ruth to be his wife to raise up an inheritance, or a child, to carry on the name of Mahlon.  We don't have any such inheritance laws today, but we do know that Christ died so that we can have an eternal inheritance with Him if we accept salvation that He alone makes available.

Ruth 3:8

Ruth 3:8 says, And it came to pass at midnight, that the man was afraid, and turned himself: and, behold, a woman lay at his feet.  Boaz awoke at midnight afraid, and turned over and saw the woman, Ruth, at his feet.  We are not told why he was afraid, but I am sure he didn't expect to find a woman at his feet.  Verse nine adds, 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.  Ruth told him her name and said she was a near kinswomen of his.  She also said she was his handmaiden and asked that he spread his skirt over her.  She was simply asking Boaz to take her under his protection as the Jewish law of that time would have dictated he do.  We are likewise to come under the protection of Christ if we are His followers, and when we do, we will be wrapped in his protective arms.  Verse ten continues, 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.  Boaz asked God's blessings on Ruth, since she had not gone to a young man for protection, but had come to him, even though he was old.  There may be more physically appealing things in the world today than the ways of God, but we need to realize that the old paths of God will always be better.  Verse eleven states, 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.  Boaz told Ruth not to fear, that he would do what she asked so that all the city would know that she was a virtuous woman.  He had seen her work to take care of her mother-in-law and knew that she would not be there for immoral reasons.  What does our character tell people about us today?  Verse twelve adds, And now it is true that I am thy near kinsman: howbeit there is a kinsman nearer than I.  Boaz told Ruth that he was a near kinsman, but that there was one who was closer kin.  If Boaz were to follow the law of God, he could not simply ignore a part of it to suit himself, just as we cannot ignore any of God's law today simply to suit ourselves if we are followers of Christ.  Boaz would only marry Ruth if the closer kinsman refused to do so.  Matthew Henry says that Naomi must not have known of this closer kinsman, or she would have sent Ruth to him instead of to Boaz.  Verse thirteen continues, 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.  Boaz told Ruth to lie down until the morning, and if the closer kinsman would fulfill his obligation to marry her, then that was how it would be.  We as followers of Christ should never have to rely on others to fulfill our obligations to God, but sometimes if they don't fulfill theirs, we may have to fulfill theirs.  Boaz also said that if this other kinsman would not marry Ruth, then he would.  Verse fourteen says, And she lay at his feet until the morning: and she rose up before one could know another. And he said, Let it not be known that a woman came into the floor.  She rested there until sometime before morning and then left as Boaz had instructed her to do.  Though they had done nothing wrong, it would have appeared that they had to others.  Boaz did not want this to be a problem for either of them.  We must live in such a way that no one can accuse us of sinning just because the appearance of what we are doing makes it look like we may be doing something immoral.  When it comes to our relationship to God, we do have to care what others think.  Verse fifteen adds, Also he said, Bring the vail that thou hast upon thee, and hold it. And when she held it, he measured six measures of barley, and laid it on her: and she went into the city.  Before Ruth left, he gave her a measure of barley in her veil.  He was already beginning to take care of her needs, just as God will always take care of ours today if we put our faith in Hm through our relationship with Christ.  Verse sixteen continues, And when she came to her mother in law, she said, Who art thou, my daughter? And she told her all that the man had done to her.  When Ruth returned to Naomi, she asked Ruth who she was, not because she didn't recognize her, but because she wanted to know if she was now married or not.  Ruth told Naomi all that had happened.  Verse seventeen states, And she said, These six measures of barley gave he me; for he said to me, Go not empty unto thy mother in law.  Ruth told Naomi that Boaz had not sent her away empty handed but had sent her with food for the two of them to eat.  Since it was past gleaning time, Ruth would not be able to get food for them that day.  We do not need to simply glean spiritually from God's provisions as Christians but can feast at His table if we put our faith in Him.  Verse eighteen adds, Then said she, Sit still, my daughter, until thou know how the matter will fall: for the man will not be in rest, until he have finished the thing this day.  Naomi told Ruth to rest, because Boaz would not wait, but would settle the matter that day.  We as followers of Christ can rest easy today, because God has already settled the matter of our salvation when we accepted Jesus as our Savior and Lord.  

Ruth 3:1

Ruth 3:1 says, 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?  Naomi asked Ruth if she should not seek rest for her.  She was concerned about Ruth's health and welfare, especially now that there were no crops to glean.  Verse two adds, And now is not Boaz of our kindred, with whose maidens thou wast? Behold, he winnoweth barley to night in the threshingfloor.  Naomi's intention was to get Ruth a husband, and Boaz was the selected groom.  Naomi pointed out that he was their near kinsman, and under the law of that time might have even been the one who should have married Ruth, since she was a widow of one of Boaz's kinsmen who had no child.  Of course this really only applied to brothers.  Still, Naomi did not present her case to Boaz, but instead devised a plan to trap him into marrying Ruth.  If we need help from our fellow Christians today, we should simply ask them for help and never attempt to trick them into helping us.  Verse three continues,Wash thyself therefore, and anoint thee, and put thy raiment upon thee, and get thee down to the floor: but make not thyself known unto the man, until he shall have done eating and drinking.  Naomi told Ruth to get cleaned up and go down to Boaz's house but to not let him know she was there.  People who are doing things that might not be legally or morally correct often don't want to be found out until they have completed what they have set out to do.  We need to also remember that Ruth had declared her faithfulness to Naomi and her God, so she may have felt that this was God's plan as well.  We cannot just simply conclude that God is behind everything that those who profess to be His people do.  Verse four states, And it shall be, when he lieth down, that thou shalt mark the place where he shall lie, and thou shalt go in, and uncover his feet, and lay thee down; and he will tell thee what thou shalt do.  Naomi told Ruth to watch where Boaz went to bed at, and then to go into his room and uncover his feet and lie down there.  Naomi intended for Ruth to approach Boaz as a wife, according to Matthew Henry, since under Jewish law he might have been required to marry her if he was the closest kinsman.  Still, we cannot justify this as God's plan.  We, as followers of Christ, cannot do evil in order to accomplish good, especially if that good is for our benefit.  Verse five adds, And she said unto her, All that thou sayest unto me I will do.  Ruth told Naomi that she would do as she had advised her to do.  We should not necessarily do what someone else tells us to do, even if they are supposedly a Christian.  As a matter of fact, we should always pray and seek God's guidance before we do anything if we are one of His children.  Verse six continues, And she went down unto the floor, and did according to all that her mother in law bade her. Then verse seven concludes, And when Boaz had eaten and drunk, and his heart was merry, he went to lie down at the end of the heap of corn: and she came softly, and uncovered his feet, and laid her down.  Ruth went into the bedroom or chamber of Boaz and laid down at his feet.  I have to wonder how Ruth was feeling at this time.  She put herself in a very compromising position at the direction of Naomi, and she had no assurance that she would not be called all kinds of bad things and run out of Boaz's house.  I don't believe she even had the assurance that this was what God would want her to do.  We will never know what Boaz's reaction would have been if Naomi and Ruth simply approached him and presented the situation to him.  As Christians, we should never attempt to trick people into doing something, even if it might be the morally correct thing to do.

Ruth 2:10

Ruth 2:10 says, Then she fell on her face, and bowed herself to the ground, and said unto him, Why have I found grace in thine eyes, that thou shouldest take knowledge of me, seeing I am a stranger?  Ruth fell on the ground and asked Boaz why she, a stranger, had found grace in his eyes.  As followers of Christ, this is a question that we could ask God every day, because when we were but a stranger to Him, we found grace in His eyes.  Verse eleven adds, 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.  Boaz said that he knew all that Ruth had done for her mother-in-law, leaving her own people to come to a strange land to help provide for her.  How much are we willing to give up to provide for the spiritual and even physical needs of others today?  Verse twelve continues, 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.  Boaz then gave the credit to God for protecting and providing for Ruth.  He did not claim the honor for himself.  If we help those in need today, as Christians we must make sure that we give God the credit.  Verse thirteen states, Then she said, Let me find favour in thy sight, my lord; for that thou hast comforted me, and for that thou hast spoken friendly unto thine handmaid, though I be not like unto one of thine handmaidens.  Ruth asked that she might find favor with Boaz, even if she wasn't like the other maidens around him.  We likewise need to treat those that we encounter with kindness out of the love of God, even if they are not like us.  Verse fourteen adds, And Boaz said unto her, At mealtime come thou hither, and eat of the bread, and dip thy morsel in the vinegar. And she sat beside the readers, and he reached her parched corn, and she did eat, and was sufficed, and left.  Boaz invited Ruth to come and share with him at mealtime.  Sometimes, the first thing we may be able to do is to ensure that others have enough to eat and offer them our hospitality.  Verse fifteen continues, And when she was risen up to glean, Boaz commanded his young men, saying, Let her glean even among the sheaves, and reproach her not:  When Ruth got up to glean again, Boaz told the young men working for him to allow her to glean even among the areas that hadn't been harvested.  He was allowing her to gather more than just the leftovers, and when it comes to helping others today, we should be willing to allow them more than just the leftovers of what God has blessed us with.  Verse sixteen says, And let fall also some of the handfuls of purpose for her, and leave them, that she may glean them, and rebuke her not.  Boaz told his servants to not only allow Ruth to glean, but to also leave a little more behind.  We likewise should be willing to give to others in need more than just the remnants of what God has blessed us with.  Verse seventeen adds, So she gleaned in the field until even, and beat out that she had gleaned: and it was about an ephah of barley.  After gleaning all day, Ruth then separated the barley from the chaff, and she had about four pecks worth.  Verse eighteen continues, And she took it up, and went into the city: and her mother in law saw what she had gleaned: and she brought forth, and gave to her that she had reserved after she was sufficed.  Ruth returned that night to where she and Naomi were staying, not only with the barley, but also with some of the food that she had been given at lunch.  She had not simply eaten the good food herself, but she was concerned with Naomi as well.  Verse nineteen states, And her mother in law said unto her, Where hast thou gleaned to day? and where wroughtest thou? blessed be he that did take knowledge of thee. And she shewed her mother in law with whom she had wrought, and said, The man’s name with whom I wrought to day is Boaz.  Naomi was curious as to where Ruth had been gleaning, and Ruth told her in the field of a man called Boaz.  Like Naomi, we should be curious as to what our children are doing in the world today.  Verse twenty adds, 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.  Naomi said that Boaz was a near kinsman of theirs, but he was related to Ruth by marriage only.  Still, we are told when a man and a woman are married that they become one flesh, so family of each spouse becomes the family of the other spouse.  I am not sure why Naomi had not gone to Boaz for help, but it may have been that she had been gone so long that she forgot him.  Verse twenty-one continues, And Ruth the Moabitess said, He said unto me also, Thou shalt keep fast by my young men, until they have ended all my harvest.  Ruth told Naomi that Boaz had told her to keep close to his young men, to work behind them only and for no other reason.  He was looking out for Ruth in his own way.  People do not necessarily know everything that we are doing to help them out today, but we need to rely on God to direct our help that He might be glorified.  Verse twenty-two says, And Naomi said unto Ruth her daughter in law, It is good, my daughter, that thou go out with his maidens, that they meet thee not in any other field.  Ruth told Naomi to not go to any other field but to continue to glean in Boaz's field and to continue to associate with his maidens.  Verse twenty-three adds, So she kept fast by the maidens of Boaz to glean unto the end of barley harvest and of wheat harvest; and dwelt with her mother in law.  Ruth continued to work in Boaz's field until the harvest was over.  Then there would be the new problem of what they would do then.  God had provided for them so far, even if they did not recognize it, and He will provide for us today, if we are followers of Christ, whether we always recognize it or not.

Ruth 2:1

Ruth 2:1 says, And Naomi had a kinsman of her husband’s, a mighty man of wealth, of the family of Elimelech; and his name was Boaz.  Naomi was back with her people, the nation of Israel.  There was a man that she was kin to named Boaz, and he was a wealthy man.  Verse two adds, 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.  Ruth proposed that she go glean for food, which was a common practice then.  Ruth was taking responsibility for providing for both of them.  Verse three continues, And she went, and came, and gleaned in the field after the reapers: and her hap was to light on a part of the field belonging unto Boaz, who was of the kindred of Elimelech.  Ruth was gleaning after the reapers, and was in Boaz's field.  We might say that she was lucky that this happened, but I believe that God was blessing her by placing her there.  God is always at work in the world, even when we may not realize it or give Him credit.  Verse four states, And, behold, Boaz came from Bethlehem, and said unto the reapers, The LORD be with you. And they answered him, The LORD bless thee.  Boaz came to the field where the workers were, and greeted them by asking that the LORD bless them, and they returned the greeting.  We need to ask God's blessing on those that we encounter each day, and we need to sincerely mean it if we do.  Verse five adds, Then said Boaz unto his servant that was set over the reapers, Whose damsel is this?  Boaz saw Ruth gleaning in the field and asked the one over the servants who she was.  If we are to help others, we must first notice them and then find out who they are.  We may see people in need every day, but if we don't care enough to find out about them, then we are no help to them at all.  Verse six continues, 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:  The servant firsts identified her as a Moabite damsel, not even an Israelite, and then said she came back with Naomi.  When we first meet someone in need, do we first identify them by some physical characteristic, or do we simply identify them as a fellow human being of great value in God's eyes?  Verse seven says, And she said, I pray you, let me glean and gather after the reapers among the sheaves: so she came, and hath continued even from the morning until now, that she tarried a little in the house.  The servant said Ruth asked permission to glean, and she had been doing so most of the day.  Ruth was dedicated to providing for Naomi and herself.  People should be willing to whatever they can that is honest to meet their needs.  Verse eight adds, Then said Boaz unto Ruth, Hearest thou not, my daughter? Go not to glean in another field, neither go from hence, but abide here fast by my maidens:  Boaz told Ruth to not go anywhere else to glean, but to continue to do so in his field.  He also invited her to abide with his maidens.  We need to do as much as we can to help make life easier for those in need, especially if God has blessed us with more than enough.  I believe God will let us know what we should do if we only ask Him.  Verse nine continues, Let thine eyes be on the field that they do reap, and go thou after them: have I not charged the young men that they shall not touch thee? and when thou art athirst, go unto the vessels, and drink of that which the young men have drawn.  Boaz told her she would be safe and that if she was thirsty, there was water to drink.  If we put our faith in Christ, we are forever spiritually safe, and there is always Living Water to satisfy our thirst.

ruth 1:10

Ruth 1:10 says, And they said unto her, Surely we will return with thee unto thy people.  Naomi's daughters-in-law said that surely they would return with her to her people.  Having married into her family, they may have felt that their best opportunity for survival was with her.  Verse eleven adds, And Naomi said, Turn again, my daughters: why will ye go with me? are there yet any more sons in my womb, that they may be your husbands?  Naomi called them her daughters, and told them to return to their people and asked why they would want to go with her.  She said she had no more sons who could become their husbands, which was the custom in that day.  Verse twelve continues, Turn again, my daughters, go your way; for I am too old to have an husband. If I should say, I have hope, if I should have an husband also to night, and should also bear sons;  Naomi said that she was old, and even if she could find a husband she could have no more sons.  She was looking out for them the best way she knew how.  We may find that the way things are customarily done may not always be possible to be continued, and when this happens, we need to look for the best solution for all concerned, under the leadership of the Holy Spirit if we are followers of Christ.  Verse thirteen states, Would ye tarry for them till they were grown? would ye stay for them from having husbands? nay, my daughters; for it grieveth me much for your sakes that the hand of the LORD is gone out against me.  Naomi then asked if she were to have more sons, would they stay with her until the sons were grown so they could have husbands.  This was really not much of an option, even if it were possible.  Of course, then Naomi blamed God for her problems, if not by His directly causing them then at least by allowing them to happen.  We cannot blame God for causing our problems, either directly or indirectly, if we are Christians.  Verse fourteen adds, And they lifted up their voice, and wept again: and Orpah kissed her mother in law; but Ruth clave unto her.  The three women again cried, and Orpah kissed Naomi good-bye, but Ruth hung on to her.  Both were presented with the same facts, but they reacted differently to them, just as people will do today when confronted with the same facts.  Verse fifteen continues, 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.  Naomi told Ruth that her sister-in-law had returned to her people and her gods, and that Ruth should go as well.  We should never attempt to send people back to other gods, no matter how hopeless our situation may seem.  Verse sixteen declares, 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:  Ruth told Naomi not to ask her to leave.  Then, she made a statement that is used many times to declare the love of a man and a woman, but it was made between a woman and her mother-in-law.  Ruth said that she would go where Naomi went, that her people would be Ruth's people and that her God would be Ruth's God.  Ruth made a committed decision to go with Naomi.  If we are followers of Christ, we should pray that we could lead others to accept our God, the only real God, to be their God.  Verse seventeen adds, Where thou diest, will I die, and there will I be buried: the LORD do so to me, and more also, if ought but death part thee and me.  Ruth said that only death could part Naomi and her, and she said this as a vow to God.  This may not have even looked like the best opportunity for Ruth, but she was bound by love to Naomi.  Verse eighteen continues, When she saw that she was stedfastly minded to go with her, then she left speaking unto her.  When Naomi saw that Ruth was steadfast in her decision, she quit asking her to leave.  When we know that someone has made a decision based on a commitment under God' guidance, we should never ask them to change it.  Verse nineteen states, 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?  The two of them went to Bethlehem, and the people there gathered around them and recognized Naomi.  She was back with her people.  If we have been away from God' people, who as Christians are also our people, and we return, we should hope that they would still recognize us.  Verse twenty adds, And she said unto them, Call me not Naomi, call me Mara: for the Almighty hath dealt very bitterly with me.  Naomi told them to no longer call her Naomi but to call her Mara.  She said this was because the Almighty had dealt bitterly with her.  She was still blaming God for her situation, and we as followers of Christ can never afford to do that.  Verse twenty-one continues, 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?  Naomi said that she left Bethlehem full, or with many blessings, but had returned with nothing, because God had afflicted her.  We should never blame our problems on God.  Verse twenty-two concludes, So Naomi returned, and Ruth the Moabitess, her daughter in law, with her, which returned out of the country of Moab: and they came to Bethlehem in the beginning of barley harvest.  Naomi and Ruth, her daughter-in-law but also a woman of Moab, returned to Jerusalem at the time of the barley harvest.  They were back with Naomi's people, God's people, but their situation had not changed very much.  Just because we return to God's people if we have been away doesn't mean that our situation is necessarily going to change immediately.  Naomi had not necessarily been away from God spiritually, but her attitude seems to indicate that she was not close to Him at this time.

Ruth 1:1

Ruth 1:1 says, Now it came to pass in the days when the judges ruled, that there was a famine in the land. And a certain man of Bethlehemjudah went to sojourn in the country of Moab, he, and his wife, and his two sons.  During the rule of the judges, there was a famine in Israel.  Just because Israel was the people of God and He raised up judges to rule over them did not mean that everything was perfect in the land.  A certain man of Israel went with his to sons to the land of Moab to escape the famine.  Verse two adds, And the name of the man was Elimelech, and the name of his wife Naomi, and the name of his two sons Mahlon and Chilion, Ephrathites of Bethlehemjudah. And they came into the country of Moab, and continued there.  Though the first verse didn't say so, the man's wife, Naomi came with her husband and sons to the land of Moab.  Verse three continues, And Elimelech Naomi’s husband died; and she was left, and her two sons.  Elimelech, Naomi's husband died, so she was left to rely on her two sons.  Naomi was a widow in a foreign land, so she really had to depend on her sons.  Verse four states, And they took them wives of the women of Moab; the name of the one was Orpah, and the name of the other Ruth: and they dwelled there about ten years.  Naomi's two sons took a wife from the people of Moab, who were named Orpah and Ruth and they lived in Moab for about ten years.  I am not sure if the famine was over by this time or not, but evidently her sons were content to live where they were.  No matter what reason we may have for moving away from fellowship with God's people, we should never be content to remain there.  If we are a follower of Christ, then we need to identify with His people.  Verse five adds, And Mahlon and Chilion died also both of them; and the woman was left of her two sons and her husband.  Then, Naomi's two sons died, leaving her with no one to provide for her and with two daughter's-in-law who were in the same situation.  Naomi had no other family there to turn to.  If we find ourselves in what looks like a hopeless situation, hopefully we will be able to look to God and His people for help.  Verse six continues, 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.  Naomi decided to return ot her people in Israel, because she heard that the famine was over.  She was taking her two daughters-in-law with her.  Verse seven says, Wherefore she went forth out of the place where she was, and her two daughters in law with her; and they went on the way to return unto the land of Judah.  The three women left where they were and started on the trip to the land of Judah.  Verse eight adds, 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.  Ruth told her two daughters-in-law to return to their own families and asked that the LORD deal kindly with them, as they had with their husbands.  Verse nine continues, The LORD grant you that ye may find rest, each of you in the house of her husband. Then she kissed them; and they lifted up their voice, and wept.  Naomi then asked that God would give them rest with their husband's families, and they wept.  Verse nine concludes, And they said unto her, Surely we will return with thee unto thy people.  The two women then asked  Naomi if they would not surely return with her to her people.  There was a lot of loyalty between the three women.

We will look at a few more lessons from the book of Judges.  We see that sometimes, that some one who should be one of God's people only wants power for themselves and is willing to sacrifice or even kill others to attain it.  If a person begins to see what should be a role of service to God as a means of self service instead, then that person is a child of God in name only, at least at that point in time.  We cannot follow God and glorify our self at the same time, and if we are only following God for self glory, then we will ultimately fail.  I believe that we also cannot take our relationship for granted, as we learned from Samson.  He was dedicated to God from birth, and as long as he remained faithful to that dedication, he was unbeatable.  Then, he began to play games with his relationship with God, and was completely defeated.  If we begin to treat our relationship to God as if it is not important, then we set ourselves up for failure.  We also learn from Samson that if we return to God, though we may be suffering physically from our departure from him, then we can be restored to a right relationship to Him.  In Samson's case, that restoration to power cost him his life, and in our case if we stray from Christ and return, it may cost us everything that we have gained while we are not in a right relationship with Him, but it is worth it.  It is better to die following God's guidance than to live under the bondage of sin.   Finally, I believe that we learned that just because people are called a part of the people of God does not make them so, as we saw with the tribe of Benjamin.  When a fellow man of Israel came to them for safety and security, they only wanted to abuse him.  We cannot be the same way today, but if anyone comes to us for help, we need to do our best to help them under the leadership and power of God.  We should never treat those in need with anything less than the love of God.  Of course, if someone who calls himself or herself a Christian or group of people who do commit a sin, no matter how great it may be, we should not want them to be annihilated, but should look to God for a way to restore them.  We will next look at the book of Ruth.      

We will review some of the things that we learned from the book of Judges.  First, it wasn't long after the death of Joshua before the people of Israel strayed away from God, as they had always tended to do.  This is a tendency that still exists today.  People follow God as long as they can see what He is doing in their lives, maybe connected to a particular church leader, but then when they no longer see a physical evidence of God's presence, they turn away from Him.  The people of Israel were God's people in name only when this happened, just as some people are God's people in name only in the world today.  Next, we see that when the people of Israel turned away from God, He no longer offered them His protection, and they were defeated by other nations.  As followers of Christ today, if we turn away from God, we should not be surprised if we lose His protection.  Of course, we will never cease to be one of God's children if we have put our faith in Him, but we may lose our victory over the power of the world.  If we are acting by our own understanding instead of by the power and leadership of the Holy Spirit, then we may question why God is allowing certain things to happen in our lives and may go hunting for answers somewhere other than from God.  Then, we learned that the people would call out to God again, and He would raise up a judge to deliver them from bondage.  Today, we have a Savior to deliver us from the bondage of sin if we will only call out to him in repentance and faith.  Once we have accepted Christ as Savior and Lord of our life, we no longer have to call out to Him for salvation, but if we stray away from doing His will, we may still find ourselves in need of deliverance from a situation that we have gotten ourselves in.  Our faith can waver between total trust in God and complete questioning of Him if we aren't careful.  Often, this occurs in times of prosperity more than in times of need.  In these cycles of faith on the part of the people of Israel, it was only when they were in great need that they called out to God again.        

Judges 21:12 says, And they found among the inhabitants of Jabeshgilead four hundred young virgins, that had known no man by lying with any male: and they brought them unto the camp to Shiloh, which is in the land of Canaan.  There were four hundred young women from Jabeshgilead who were brought to th camp of the people of Israel at Shiloh.  Verse thirteen states,  And the whole congregation sent some to speak to the children of Benjamin that were in the rock Rimmon, and to call peaceably unto them.  The people of Israel then sent some representatives to speak to the remnants of the tribe of Benjamin who were in the rock of Rimmon.  They went to them in peace.  After a battle with the people of this world, even if we are successful, we need to reach out to them with the love of God and offer them the peace that can only be found in Him.  Verse fourteen declares, And Benjamin came again at that time; and they gave them wives which they had saved alive of the women of Jabeshgilead: and yet so they sufficed them not.  The men of Benjamin returned with them and were given wives from the women of Jabashgilead who had been left alive for this purpose.  Verse fifteen adds, And the people repented them for Benjamin, because that the LORD had made a breach in the tribes of Israel.  The people repented for what had had to happen to the people of Benjamin.  They took no joy in their defeat, but said that the LORD was behind it.  We should likewise be heartbroken when anyone dies who does not know Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord.  Verse sixteen says, Then the elders of the congregation said, How shall we do for wives for them that remain, seeing the women are destroyed out of Benjamin?  The question is now raised about how to provide wives for the remainder of the men of Benjamin since all the women of Benjamin were killed.  Verse seventeen adds, And they said, There must be an inheritance for them that be escaped of Benjamin, that a tribe be not destroyed out of Israel.  We are again told that the rest of the people of Israel were concerned with preserving the tribe of Benjamin.  This was a retelling of some of the things that had already been discussed.  We should also be concerned with preserving the everlasting salvation of those who may have been born into a Christian family and yet have not accepted the salvation of Christ.  Verse eighteen says, Howbeit we may not give them wives of our daughters: for the children of Israel have sworn, saying, Cursed be he that giveth a wife to Benjamin.  They had sworn not to give the men of Benjamin wives from any of the rest of the tribes of Israel, which had already been stated.  Verse nineteen adds, Then they said, Behold, there is a feast of the LORD in Shiloh yearly in a place which is on the north side of Bethel, on the east side of the highway that goeth up from Bethel to Shechem, and on the south of Lebonah. Then, they brought up the fact that there was a feast at Shiloh.  Verse twenty continues,Therefore they commanded the children of Benjamin, saying, Go and lie in wait in the vineyards;  The men of Benjamin were told to go and wait in the vineyards.  Verse twenty-one declares, And see, and, behold, if the daughters of Shiloh come out to dance in dances, then come ye out of the vineyards, and catch you every man his wife of the daughters of Shiloh, and go to the land of Benjamin.  Then the men of Benjamin were told if a woman of Shiloh came out to the vineyards that they were to each take one for a bride and return to the land of Benjamin.  This is not what we usually think of as the way courtship should work, but it was a way to remain true to the vow to not allow any of the women of Israel to marry a man from Benjamin and still preserve the tribe of Benjamin.  Of course, the men of Benjamin would be marrying outside the people who were called God's people, but we know that being a part of the family of God is not really determined by physical birth.  Verse twenty-two adds, And it shall be, when their fathers or their brethren come unto us to complain, that we will say unto them, Be favourable unto them for our sakes: because we reserved not to each man his wife in the war: for ye did not give unto them at this time, that ye should be guilty.  The leaders of Israel said that if any of the fathers came complaining that they would handle the situation.  Of course, since all the men who could have been their fathers had been killed, this was not going to happen.  Verse twenty-three states, And the children of Benjamin did so, and took them wives, according to their number, of them that danced, whom they caught: and they went and returned unto their inheritance, and repaired the cities, and dwelt in them.  The men of Benjamin each claimed a wife and returned to their land and began to rebuild it.  If someone today has strayed away from their relationship with  God. all he or she can do is return to Him in repentance and begin to repair the relationship.  Verse twenty-four declares,  And the children of Israel departed thence at that time, every man to his tribe and to his family, and they went out from thence every man to his inheritance.  The rest of the people of Israel returned to their own land.  They had gathered to deal with the problem created by the men of Benjamin and had successfully done so, even coming up with a way to preserve what was left of the tribe of Benjamin.  Now it was time to return home.  We may gather today to resolve problems or to worship God, but eventually we must return home to our own lives.  Verse twenty-five concludes, In those days there was no king in Israel: every man did that which was right in his own eyes.  In those days, there was no king, or ruler over Israel, so everyone did what they thought was right for them.  If we are a follower of Christ, we have a King in God, and we must do what is right in His eyes.

Judges 21:1 says, Now the men of Israel had sworn in Mizpeh, saying, There shall not any of us give his daughter unto Benjamin to wife.  The men of Israel swore that they would not give their daughters as wives to any man from the tribe of Benjamin.  Matthew Henry said this was like an article of war, that anyone who would marry his daughter to a man from Benjamin did not take seriously the great sin that some of the men of Benjamin had committed and that others fought against those who would have punished them.  Verse two states, And the people came to the house of God, and abode there till even before God, and lifted up their voices, and wept sore;   Then the people of Israel came to the house of God, and stayed there till evening, and wept.  They were not celebrating the victory over the tribe of Benjamin, but were mourning their demise of the people of Benjamin.  Matthew Henry says it was more a sorrow for the people of Benjamin then for their own dead.  We should mourn those today who are killed without knowing God, because even though the men of Benjamin were a part of the children of God in name, they did not know Him spiritually.  Verse three declares, And said, O LORD God of Israel, why is this come to pass in Israel, that there should be to day one tribe lacking in Israel?  The people of Israel then asked God the question that we too often ask, and that is why?  They wanted to know how it had happened that a tribe of Israel could become so corrupt as to be totally cut out of the people of Israel.  What we can be certain of is that it wasn't God's responsibility, but it was the lack of obedience on the part of the people of Benjamin.  Verse four says, And it came to pass on the morrow, that the people rose early, and built there an altar, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings.  The next morning, the people arose early and built an altar to God and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings.  Their questioning of God did not stop their worshipping God, and neither should ours today.  We are not always going to understand why things happen in this world, but we should never allow that to stop us from worshipping God if we are His people.  Verse five states, And the children of Israel said, Who is there among all the tribes of Israel that came not up with the congregation unto the LORD? For they had made a great oath concerning him that came not up to the LORD to Mizpeh, saying, He shall surely be put to death.  They next asked if there were those of the people of Israel who had not come there to worship.  If so, this would have meant that they did not take this solemn occasion seriously, and they were ordered to be put to death if they had not.  The people of Israel were very serious about being in a right relationship with God.  Though I don't believe that we should kill those who profess to be Christians today and yet do not obey God, we need to take our relationship with God seriously, both individually and collectively.  Verse six adds, And the children of Israel repented them for Benjamin their brother, and said, There is one tribe cut off from Israel this day.  The rest of the people of Israel repented for the fact that the tribe of Benjamin had been cut off from the nation of Israel.  We should always be saddened when anyone who professes to be a part of the followers of Christ is proven by his or her actions to not be, as the actions of the tribe of Benjamin proved in that day.  Verse seven asks, How shall we do for wives for them that remain, seeing we have sworn by the LORD that we will not give them of our daughters to wives?  Even though they had sworn not to allow their daughters to be wives to the men of Benjamin who may have remained, they asked how these men were going to get wives.  They were not plotting the demise of the rest of the men of Benjamin, but were attempting ot figure out how they might be preserved.  Our concern today should not be the eradication of evil people, but it should be a concern for how to bring them to salvation.  Verse eight declares, And they said, What one is there of the tribes of Israel that came not up to Mizpeh to the LORD? And, behold, there came none to the camp from Jabeshgilead to the assembly.  They then asked if there were any of the people of Israel who had not come to the assembly.  There were none there from the people of Jabeshgilead.  Verse nine adds, For the people were numbered, and, behold, there were none of the inhabitants of Jabeshgilead there.  The people gathered there were numbered and it was found that the people of Jabeshgilead were not there.  If God's people were numbered today, would we be among them, or would we be found to be missing.  Verse ten says, And the congregation sent thither twelve thousand men of the valiantest, and commanded them, saying, Go and smite the inhabitants of Jabeshgilead with the edge of the sword, with the women and the children.  The people of Israel dispatched twelve thousand men to Jabeshgilead to kill all the men and married women in the city.  Verse eleven  states, And this is the thing that ye shall do, Ye shall utterly destroy every male, and every woman that hath lain by man.  The command was repeated in this verse.  We are not told if the people consulted God about this plan or not.  We need to make sure that our plans are God's plans if we are His people.  This was the solution of the people of Israel to provide wives for the remainder of the men of Benjamin, as we shall see.

Judges 20:33 says, And all the men of Israel rose up out of their place, and put themselves in array at Baaltamar: and the liers in wait of Israel came forth out of their places, even out of the meadows of Gibeah.  The men of Israel came out of their hiding places.  They were using better tactics this time.  When we go into battle, we should not only make sure that we are doing what God wants us to do, but we should also make sure we rely on Him for understanding of the best way to fight the battle.  Verse thirty-four states, And there came against Gibeah ten thousand chosen men out of all Israel, and the battle was sore: but they knew not that evil was near them.  The ten thousand men came against the tribe of Benjamin that day, and though the battle was fierce, the men of Benjamin did not know the trouble they were in.  They did nit realize that they were caught in a snare at first.  People of the world today may fight bravely against the followers of Christ, not realizing that they are caught in the snare of believing in themselves instead of believing in God.  Verse thirty-five declares, And the LORD smote Benjamin before Israel: and the children of Israel destroyed of the Benjamites that day twenty and five thousand and an hundred men: all these drew the sword.  As always, it was not the people of Israel who won the victory, but it was God Who gave them the victory.  The same is true for Christians today.  It is not our own abilities that give us the victory, but it is the power of God that does. Twenty-five thousand one hundred men of Benjamin were killed in the battle.  Verse thirty-six says, So the children of Benjamin saw that they were smitten: for the men of Israel gave place to the Benjamites, because they trusted unto the liers in wait which they had set beside Gibeah.  Verse thirty-seven adds, And the liers in wait hasted, and rushed upon Gibeah; and the liers in wait drew themselves along, and smote all the city with the edge of the sword.  Those of the people of Israel who had been lying in wait came out and defeated the city of Gibeah.  They had their purpose in the battle, just as each individual has his or her purpose today in the battle against evil in the world if he or she is a follower of Christ.  Verse thirty-eight states, Now there was an appointed sign between the men of Israel and the liers in wait, that they should make a great flame with smoke rise up out of the city.  The people of Israel had made sign to indicate the victory over the city, and that was a great smoke rising out of the city.  Verse thirty-nine adds, And when the men of Israel retired in the battle, Benjamin began to smite and kill of the men of Israel about thirty persons: for they said, Surely they are smitten down before us, as in the first battle.  The men of Benjamin were at first confident as they had been before, since they had twice defeated the men of Israel.  People in the world today may have great confidence in their battle against God, but they are already defeated and don't even realize it.  Verse forty declares, But when the flame began to arise up out of the city with a pillar of smoke, the Benjamites looked behind them, and, behold, the flame of the city ascended up to heaven.  The men of Benjamin then looked behind them and saw the smoke and fire rising out of the city.  Verse forty-one adds, And when the men of Israel turned again, the men of Benjamin were amazed: for they saw that evil was come upon them.  Suddenly, the men of Benjamin realized that they were in trouble.  Even if it isn't in this lifetime, one day those who are the enemies of God, those who have not accepted Christ as their Savior and Lord, are going to know that they are in trouble.  The battle will have already been lost.  Verse forty-two says, Therefore they turned their backs before the men of Israel unto the way of the wilderness; but the battle overtook them; and them which came out of the cities they destroyed in the midst of them.  The men of Benjamin ran toward the wilderness, but it was too late.  Verse forty-three states, Thus they inclosed the Benjamites round about, and chased them, and trode them down with ease over against Gibeah toward the sunrising.  The men of Benjamin were overtaken in their fight.  Verse forty-four adds, And there fell of Benjamin eighteen thousand men; all these were men of valour.  Another eighteen thousand men of Benjamin fell at this time.  They were called men of valor.  It doesn't matter how brave a person is if they are fighting against God, ultimately they will fall.  Verse forty-five says, And they turned and fled toward the wilderness unto the rock of Rimmon: and they gleaned of them in the highways five thousand men; and pursued hard after them unto Gidom, and slew two thousand men of them.  Those that were left of the men of Benjamin were pursued and killed.  Verse forty-six states, So that all which fell that day of Benjamin were twenty and five thousand men that drew the sword; all these were men of valour.  This once again gives us the total number of the men of Benjamin that were killed.  Verse forty-seven says, But six hundred men turned and fled to the wilderness unto the rock Rimmon, and abode in the rock Rimmon four months.  Six hundred men of Benjamin hid in the rocks for four months.  Then verse forty-eight concludes, And the men of Israel turned again upon the children of Benjamin, and smote them with the edge of the sword, as well the men of every city, as the beast, and all that came to hand: also they set on fire all the cities that they came to.  The people of Israel continued to destroy the rest of the cities of Benjamin.  There is no place where a person is safe if that person is at war with God.

Judges 20:22 says, And the people the men of Israel encouraged themselves, and set their battle again in array in the place where they put themselves in array the first day.  The men of Israel gathered together again after their defeat.  We should not allow a defeat to keep us from continuing to fight when we have asked God's direction as to what we should do.  Verse twenty-three states, (And the children of Israel went up and wept before the LORD until even, and asked counsel of the LORD, saying, Shall I go up again to battle against the children of Benjamin my brother? And the LORD said, Go up against him.)  The people of Israel went before the LORD weeping.  Then, they asked the LORD once again if they should go to battle against the people of Benjamin.  Once again, God said yes.  When we have asked God if we should do something, then we should obey Him, even we we have done so before and have met with failure.  This is also true even if we aren't guaranteed success this time.  Verse twenty-four adds, And the children of Israel came near against the children of Benjamin the second day.  The people of Israel did as God directed them to do, just as the we must today.  Verse twenty-five declares, And Benjamin went forth against them out of Gibeah the second day, and destroyed down to the ground of the children of Israel again eighteen thousand men; all these drew the sword.  For the second day, the people of Benjamin were successful, this time killing eighteen thousand men of Israel who drew swords, or were fighters.  The people of Benjamin had to be encouraged, and the people of Israel disheartened.  When the world seems to be winning today even when we are doing what we know that God has instructed us to do, we cannot lose faith.  God is still in charge even when it looks like everything has failed.  Verse twenty-six states, Then all the children of Israel, and all the people, went up, and came unto the house of God, and wept, and sat there before the LORD, and fasted that day until even, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the LORD.  The people of Israel returned to the house of God and wept and worshipped Him.  They did not question God nor blame Him, and neither should we if we fail in the eyes of the world while doing God's work.  Verse twenty-seven adds,  The children of Israel inquired of the LORD, (for the ark of the covenant of God was there in those days,  Verse twenty-eight continues, And Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron, stood before it in those days,) saying, Shall I yet again go out to battle against the children of Benjamin my brother, or shall I cease? And the LORD said, Go up; for to morrow I will deliver them into thine hand.  All the things that represented God were there, as well as the grandson of Aaron, and he asked God if they should again go against the people of Benjamin, their brothers, or fellow Israelites.  This time, God said yes and also promised them the victory.  We as Christians have God's assurance of everlasting victory over evil, even if we suffer defeat more than once in our lifetime here on earth.  Verse twenty-nine states, And Israel set liers in wait round about Gibeah. Verse thirty adds, And the children of Israel went up against the children of Benjamin on the third day, and put themselves in array against Gibeah, as at other times. The people of Israel basically laid a trap for the people of Benjamin, then went against them as they had before.  We may need to change our tactics to be successful in our battle against the forces of evil in the world today.  Verse thirty-one declares, And the children of Benjamin went out against the people, and were drawn away from the city; and they began to smite of the people, and kill, as at other times, in the highways, of which one goeth up to the house of God, and the other to Gibeah in the field, about thirty men of Israel.  The men of Benjamin went out as they had before, and were seemingly being successful.  If a particular tactic works against God's people today, the people of the world will likely continue to use it.  Still, if we are following God's leadership, He will help us find a way to defeat them.  Verse thirty-two concludes, And the children of Benjamin said, They are smitten down before us, as at the first. But the children of Israel said, Let us flee, and draw them from the city unto the highways.  The men of Benjamin once again thought they were winning.

Judges 20:12 says,  And the tribes of Israel sent men through all the tribe of Benjamin, saying, What wickedness is this that is done among you?  The rest of the tribes of Israel sent men to the tribe of Benjamin to ask them about the wicked thing they had done.  They didn't just take the Levite's word for it, but gave the people of Benjamin a chance to present their side of the story.  We should always give people a chance to tell their side of the story before just condemning them outright.  Acting without being sure of the facts is almost as bad as not acting at all when we think someone has done something wrong.  Verse thirteen states, Now therefore deliver us the men, the children of Belial, which are in Gibeah, that we may put them to death, and put away evil from Israel. But the children of Benjamin would not hearken to the voice of their brethren the children of Israel:  The men of the rest of the tribes of Israel, after giving the people of Benjamin a chance to confess to the crime then asked them to present the men of Belial so they could be put to death.  They were not at odds with the whole tribe of Benjamin, but wanted the men who were guilty so they could be punished.  As followers of Christ, we cannot just condemn whole groups of people for the actions of one or a few.  Verse fourteen declares, But the children of Benjamin gathered themselves together out of the cities unto Gibeah, to go out to battle against the children of Israel.  Instead of doing the right thing and turning the guilty men over, the people of Benjamin prepared to go to war with the rest of Israel.  Not only were they not willing to do the right thing, they were willing to go to war to defend those who had committed a great sin.  If we have a disagreement with others today, especially those who are at least supposed to be our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ, we better make sure that it isn't over something that we are in the wrong about.  Verse fifteen adds,  And the children of Benjamin were numbered at that time out of the cities twenty and six thousand men that drew sword, beside the inhabitants of Gibeah, which were numbered seven hundred chosen men.  There were twenty six thousand men of Benjamin, plus seven hundred men of Gibeah who drew the sword.  That was a lot of people ready to go to war for a few.  Even though they were a part of God's chosen people, they were not consulting God nor acting in accordance with His will.  As Christians, we must always make sure that we are acting under the leadership of the Holy Spirit if we are in a dispute with others who profess to be Christians.  Verse sixteen states, Among all this people there were seven hundred chosen men lefthanded; every one could sling stones at an hair breadth, and not miss.  Among these men were seven hundred left-handed men with great accuracy with the sling.  Verse seventeen declares, And the men of Israel, beside Benjamin, were numbered four hundred thousand men that drew sword: all these were men of war.  There were four hundred thousand men of Israel who drew the sword against the twenty six plus thousand men of Benjamin who did.  When confronted with this great disparity in numbers, especially if the opposition was also a part of God's chosen people, you would think that the men of Benjamin might have decided that seeking the truth of the situation and acting accordingly would have been their best choice.  This is not to say that we should simply give in if we are confronted with a far superior force against us, but if those against us also profess to be followers of Christ, then we had better at least make sure we ask God for guidance in how to act in the situation.  Verse eighteen declares, And the children of Israel arose, and went up to the house of God, and asked counsel of God, and said, Which of us shall go up first to the battle against the children of Benjamin? And the LORD said, Judah shall go up first.  At least the rest of the people of Israel were seeking God's guidance.  Instead of just the whole four hundred thousand going against the men of Benjamin, they asked God who they should send, and God said send the men of Judah.  If we are going to do something in the name of God, we better first make sure that He has sent us.  Verse nineteen adds, And the children of Israel rose up in the morning, and encamped against Gibeah.  Then verse twenty adds, And the men of Israel went out to battle against Benjamin; and the men of Israel put themselves in array to fight against them at Gibeah. The men of Israel, I would assume the tribe of Judah arose and encamped near Gibeah, ready to fight them.  Verse twenty-one concludes, And the children of Benjamin came forth out of Gibeah, and destroyed down to the ground of the Israelites that day twenty and two thousand men.  The men of Benjamin came out and destroyed twenty two thousand men of Israel.  We would think that since the men of Israel were acting under God's leadership that the battle would have gone the other way, but as followers of Christ we can never assume that we are going to be successful physically in all our battles in the world, even if we are doing what God calls us to do.

Judges 20:1 says, Then all the children of Israel went out, and the congregation was gathered together as one man, from Dan even to Beersheba, with the land of Gilead, unto the LORD in Mizpeh.  The people of Israel were about to go to war with each other.  If we are really followers of Christ, there should never be a time when we are at war with each other.  Verse two states, And the chief of all the people, even of all the tribes of Israel, presented themselves in the assembly of the people of God, four hundred thousand footmen that drew sword.  The leaders of all the people of Israel presented themselves to the people.  There was a large number of men who were able to draw a sword, whether they were called an army or not.  We should be able to stand and defend our calling as Christians today, no matter what it might cost us.  Verse three says, (Now the children of Benjamin heard that the children of Israel were gone up to Mizrpeh.) Then said the children of Israel, Tell us, how was this wickedness?  The people of Benjamin were not there, but they heard abut the gathering;  The ones in charge there asked the Levite who had his concubine killed by the people of the tribe of Benjamin to tell them what had happened.  At least they were attempting to gather the facts before taking any action.  We today need to make sure that we know all the facts before we take action in any situation.  Verse four declares, And the Levite, the husband of the woman that was slain, answered and said, I came into Gibeah that belongeth to Benjamin, I and my concubine, to lodge.  The Levite told the people that he and his concubine had come to Gibeah, in the land of Benjamin.  He was a fellow Israelite who expected to be safe there.  Verse five adds, And the men of Gibeah rose against me, and beset the house round about upon me by night, and thought to have slain me: and my concubine have they forced, that she is dead.  The man said during the night that they men surrounded the house that he was in and would have killed him if he had gone out, and that they did rape and kill his concubine.  Then verse six continues, And I took my concubine, and cut her in pieces, and sent her throughout all the country of the inheritance of Israel: for they have committed lewdness and folly in Israel.  The Levite told them that he had cut his concubine into pieces and sent the pieces to the leaders of the tribes to bring to light the great evil that existed in Israel.  Though they were separate tribes, they were still supposed to be united as the people of God, just as we as Christians should be united spiritually as the people of God.  Verse seven continues, Behold, ye are all children of Israel; give here your advice and counsel.  The Levite asked them as the people of God to give him advice and counsel as to what should be done.  If we are wronged today, especially by someone or group who profess to be god's people, we should take the issue before the church to see what we should do, after we first pray about the situation.  Verse eight declares, And all the people arose as one man, saying, We will not any of us go to his tent, neither will we any of us turn into his house.  They resolved to not return home until the matter was resolved.  Verse nine adds, But now this shall be the thing which we will do to Gibeah; we will go up by lot against it;  The people of Israel then resolved to go up by lot against Gibeah.  Verse ten continues, And we will take ten men of an hundred throughout all the tribes of Israel, and an hundred of a thousand, and a thousand out of ten thousand, to fetch victual for the people, that they may do, when they come to Gibeah of Benjamin, according to all the folly that they have wrought in Israel.  They were first going to send a tenth of their forces to get provisions for the rest.  They had committed to not return home until the matter was resolved, so they would need provisions.  They could not stay long without provisions for their needs, and neither can we today, but we have God's promise that He will meet our needs daily if we put our trust in Him.  Verse eleven concludes, So all the men of Israel were gathered against the city, knit together as one man.  The men of Israel were united as one man against he city of Gibeah, just as we need to be united in purpose today as followers of Christ, and that purpose should be to do what God has called us to do.

Judges 19:22 says. Now as they were making their hearts merry, behold, the men of the city, certain sons of Belial, beset the house round about, and beat at the door, and spake to the master of the house, the old man, saying, Bring forth the man that came into thine house, that we may know him.  While the old man and his guest were inside making merry, or I believe enjoying themselves, the men of the city surrounded the house demanding that the old man send the visiting man out so that they could have sex with him.  Sounds a lot like the men of Sodom and their demand that Lot send the angels out to them.  Evil in the world never really goes away, but is always lurking just beyond the surface when it is not being displayed outwardly.  Verse twenty-three states, And the man, the master of the house, went out unto them, and said unto them, Nay, my brethren, nay, I pray you, do not so wickedly; seeing that this man is come into mine house, do not this folly.  The master of the house said the man was under his protection and begged the men of the city to not do what he called this folly.  Of course, he was trying to reason with a mob, and this is never easy to do.  Sometimes, the very fact that there are great numbers behind an action makes those participating feel that they have the right to do whatever they want to do.  Verse twenty-four declares, Behold, here is my daughter a maiden, and his concubine; them I will bring out now, and humble ye them, and do with them what seemeth good unto you: but unto this man do not so vile a thing.  The master of the house was willing to send his daughter and the visitors concubine out to the men and allow them to do whatever they wanted to do with them to keep them from doing this great evil as he called it.  As I have said before, this was not a good time to be a female, since they had no rights and were often seen as being of little value.  Of course, this is still true in many parts of the world today and by some people even in America.  We are not told how the visiting man felt about this, but it seems he may have only been concerned with his own safety, as the next verse seems to verify.  Verse twenty-five states, But the men would not hearken to him: so the man took his concubine, and brought her forth unto them; and they knew her, and abused her all the night until the morning: and when the day began to spring, they let her go.  The man may have gone to a lot of trouble to reclaim his concubine, but he was willing to sacrifice her to help ensure his own safety.  As followers of Christ, and this man was one of God's chosen people, we cannot sacrifice the safety and well being of others simply to ensure our own.  We must stand against evil, even if it costs us everything.  The woman was abused all night.  Verse twenty-six says, Then came the woman in the dawning of the day, and fell down at the door of the man’s house where her lord was, till it was light.  The next morning, the woman made it back to the house and fell down at the door.  She tried to get back to what should have been a place of safety, but I believe that she would have had to doubt it being so, but where else did she have to go.  Verse twenty-seven adds, And her lord rose up in the morning, and opened the doors of the house, and went out to go his way: and, behold, the woman his concubine was fallen down at the door of the house, and her hands were upon the threshold.  The implication is that the man had slept that night and was going to leave the next morning without the woman, his concubine.  It may be that after what he had sent her out to have happen to her that he no longer wanted her in his life.  We cannot just write people out of our life if they have had terrible things happen to them, especially if we are responsible for these things happening.  Verse twenty-eight declares, And he said unto her, Up, and let us be going. But none answered. Then the man took her up upon an ass, and the man rose up, and gat him unto his place.  The man seemed to have little concern for her.  he simply said get up and let us be going.  She didn't answer, and Matthew Henry says she had died there on the threshold of what she thought would have been a place to find help and comfort.  Hopefully, people today in need of salvation will not die on the threshold of redemption.  The man put her body on one of the asses and took it with him.  Verse twenty-nine states, And when he was come into his house, he took a knife, and laid hold on his concubine, and divided her, together with her bones, into twelve pieces, and sent her into all the coasts of Israel.  When he got home, the man cut the woman's body into twelve pieces and sent the parts to all the tribes of Israel.  Matthew Henry says this was done so that all the people of Israel would know of the evil thing that had been done by the tribe of Benjamin.  This man had passed by a closer city to get to what he felt would be the safety in a city of one of the tribes of Israel, and then this great sin had occurred there.  We may think that we can find safety in certain places in the world today, but the only real safety is in putting our faith in Christ as our everlasting Savior and Lord.  Verse thirty declares, And it was so, that all that saw it said, There was no such deed done nor seen from the day that the children of Israel came up out of the land of Egypt unto this day: consider of it, take advice, and speak your minds.  The man sent word to the rest of the people of Israel to let them know what had happened to the woman and to consider what it meant about certain ones of the people of Israel.

Judges 19:10 says, But the man would not tarry that night, but he rose up and departed, and came over against Jebus, which is Jerusalem; and there were with him two asses saddled, his concubine also was with him.  The man would not stay another night, but left with his concubine, servant and two asses and came to Jebus, which was later Jerusalem, but at this time was still under the control of the Jebusites.  Verse eleven adds,  And when they were by Jebus, the day was far spent; and the servant said unto his master, Come, I pray thee, and let us turn in into this city of the Jebusites, and lodge in it.  At the end of the day, the man's servant proposed that they spend the night in Jebus.  The servant was looking for a place of shelter, but it was his master who was in charge.  When we look for a place of shelter in the world today, we need to remember that it is God, our Master if we are followers of Christ, Who is in charge.  Verse twelve declares, And his master said unto him, We will not turn aside hither into the city of a stranger, that is not of the children of Israel; we will pass over to Gibeah.  The man told his servant that they would not stay in the city of strangers but would go on to Gibeah, a city of the Israelites.  Though we are not to live by the same values as those who do not know God, we are still to be in the midst of them to share God's word.  Verse thirteen adds, And he said unto his servant, Come, and let us draw near to one of these places to lodge all night, in Gibeah, or in Ramah.  The man told his servant that they should go on to Gibeah or Ramah to lodge for the night.  Matthew Henry says that he was saying basically that Israelites should not lodge with non Israelites, but as I just stated, today we are not called for a physical separation from the world but a spiritual one.  Verse fourteen declares, And they passed on and went their way; and the sun went down upon them when they were by Gibeah, which belongeth to Benjamin.  They passed by Jebus and went on to Gibeah, which belonged to the tribe of Benjamin.  Verse fifteen adds, And they turned aside thither, to go in and to lodge in Gibeah: and when he went in, he sat him down in a street of the city: for there was no man that took them into his house to lodging.  When they got to Gibeah, they ended up in the street, because no one would take them in.  This was very much against Jewish law.  We need to make sure that we do all that we can today to offer help to the stranger, especially those who are also God's people.  Verse sixteen says, And, behold, there came an old man from his work out of the field at even, which was also of mount Ephraim; and he sojourned in Gibeah: but the men of the place were Benjamites.  An old man from the tribe of Ephraim, who also lived in Gibeon, though it was of the tribe of Benjamin, came in from working in the fields.  He himself was but a sojourner in the city, but he was more hospitable than the people of the city.  He was also an old man and may have known the laws of the people of Israel better than some of the younger people did.  As followers of Christ, we are but sojourners in this world, and we should therefore be more hospitable to those that we encounter who are in need than the rest of the world is.  Verse seventeen declares, And when he had lifted up his eyes, he saw a wayfaring man in the street of the city: and the old man said, Whither goest thou? and whence comest thou?  When the old man saw the strangers in the street, he asked them who they were and where were they going.  This is a question that we should ask people today if we find them in need of help, and then we should point them to Christ.  This does not mean that we should not help them physically as well though, if we are able to.  Verse eighteen says,  And he said unto him, We are passing from Bethlehemjudah toward the side of mount Ephraim; from thence am I: and I went to Bethlehemjudah, but I am now going to the house of the LORD; and there is no man that receiveth me to house.  The man who was travelling explained his situation to the old man, and added that no one would take them in.  Verse nineteen adds, Yet there is both straw and provender for our asses; and there is bread and wine also for me, and for thy handmaid, and for the young man which is with thy servants: there is no want of any thing.  The man who was travelling told the old man that they had everything they needed but a place to stay.  Verse twenty states,  And the old man said, Peace be with thee; howsoever let all thy wants lie upon me; only lodge not in the street.  The old man told them to allow him to provide for their needs so that they might be at peace.  We should likewise be willing to help those that we encounter who are in need in the world today.  Even if their basic needs are met, they still need to be invited to the heavenly home with God.  Verse twenty-one adds, So he brought him into his house, and gave provender unto the asses: and they washed their feet, and did eat and drink.  The old man brought them into his house and provided for their needs.  We need to pray that the time doesn't come where the old men and women of the church are the only ones who do what God calls on us to do as His people.