Daily Devotion for October 28, 2017
Prayers
Scripture
Lord's Prayer
Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come; Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever and ever.
Our “Saturday Oldie” is the Staples Singers #1 hit and Grammy-nominated gospel song, I'll Take You There. This video is from the 1973 Grammy Awards.
Prayer of St. Ephraim the Syrian (350 A.D.)
O Lord and Master of my life, this day, give me not the spirit of laziness, despair, lust of power, and idle talk. But give rather the spirit of sobriety, humility, patience and love to Thy servant.
Yea, O Lord and King, grant me to see my own transgressions and not to judge my brother, for blessed art Thou unto ages of ages.
Let It Shine
Lord, I pray that this day I will let the light of Christ pour from me like a sunbeam, to brighten every dark corner that I come upon.
Teach Me to Love
Oh holy Christ, your life was perfect in constancy. You have never failed those who loved you, for your love is eternal, perfect and unfailing. You never change, never weaken, never vary. Teach me the steadfastness of your love, mighty Savior. Teach me your humility, your selflessness. Teach me to be a devoted servant.
Look with grace, I pray, on my small and tarnished loving; protect it, foster it, strengthen it, that my love may be less unworthy to be offered to you and to your children. O Light of the world, teach me how to love.
Meditation
[Christ never failed those who loved Him.]
Closing Praise
Now unto the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God, be honor and glory for ever and ever.
Think of the day ahead in terms of God with you, and visualize health, strength, guidance, purity, calm confidence, and victory as the gifts of His presence.
Psalm 102:1-2 (NKJV)
Hear my prayer, O Lord;
let my cry for help come to you.
Do not hide your face from me
when I am in distress.
Turn your ear to me;
in the day when I call, answer me quickly.
Ruth 3:1-12
The Story of Ruth (part 6) — Ruth and Boaz at the Threshing Floor
[If you have not been following along, you might want to read Ruth 1 before reading today's selection.]
One day Naomi her mother-in-law said to her, “My daughter, should I not try to find a home for you, where you will be well provided for? Is not Boaz, with whose servant girls you have been, a kinsman of ours? Tonight he will be winnowing barley on the threshing floor.
Wash and perfume yourself, and put on your best clothes. Then go down to the threshing floor, but don’t let him know you are there until he has finished eating and drinking. When he lies down, note the place where he is lying. Then go and uncover his feet and lie down. He will tell you what to do.”
“I will do whatever you say,” Ruth answered. So she went down to the threshing floor and did everything her mother-in-law told her to do.
Notes on the Scripture
hings are getting interesting in Judah. Naomi decides to make a bold move, and convinces Ruth — who is still young and fertile — to basically crawl into bed with Boaz, making sure she is clean and perfumed and looking her best. Some things have not changed in 3000 years. Whatever Naomi thinks might or might not happen, waking up to find an attractive single woman in his bed is definitely going to get Boaz’s attention. Since Naomi has told Ruth to do what Boaz tells her, Ruth is clearly prepared to take Boaz as a lover.
Most modern scholars believe that “feet” in this passage is a euphemism for genitals. Naomi’s advice is thus even bolder than it sounds. Just in case Boaz doesn’t get the message when Ruth — washed and perfumed — crawls into his bed in the middle of the night, she is supposed to uncover him and then do what he says. This does make more sense than uncovering his feet. We must remember that Ruth is a widow, not a virgin, so at least she knows what to expect. My my!
The sexual mores of the time, in a hand-to-mouth agricultural society, were hardly Victorian. But Naomi has seen what a decent man Boaz is, and she clearly expects that, if Boaz takes Ruth, he will assume some obligation for her future.
