Tag: Serve

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Conquest and Judges – Ruth and Naomi

But Ruth said, “Do not press me to leave you or to turn back from following you! Where you go, I will go; where you lodge, I will lodge; your people shall be my people, and your God my God. Where you die, I will die— there will I be buried…” Ruth 2:16-17

Some of the most popular jokes in movies and on tv are about in-laws. Frustrations about in-laws in general are a common theme from shows like Modern Family and Everybody Loves Raymond, and movies like Monster-in-Law and Meet the Parents. Relatives are always a challenge, but even more so when they are not blood related. 

For this reason, it’s interesting that this passage is actually most often used in wedding ceremonies, the process through which families are united and in-laws created.

In the story, Naomi, a Hebrew, is the mother-in-law to both Ruth and Orpah who are Moabites. After the death of all three women’s husbands, Naomi begs her daughters-in-law to leave her and find new husbands. They were not born into the Hebrew clan, and they are young enough to start their lives over somewhere else rather easily. Orpah departs, but Ruth decides to stay. She selflessly vows to live with Naomi, travel with her, worship with her, and remain faithful to her God and people for the rest of her life. 

Ruth goes on to marry one of Naomi’s relatives in order to restore her claim on the family land. She even has a child with her new husband, Boaz, whom they named Obed. The baby grows up to become grandfather to King David. The book of Ruth is a story of conversion. It’s unique because it shows how foreigners joined the family of Abraham, and even contributed to the bloodline of kings.

Ruth and Naomi understood the selfless love of God. They worked for one-another and not their own personal interests, and together they triumphed. It is a selfless love which we are all called to model as people redeemed by God through Christ. Naomi and Ruth’s generous actions became the seed from which the Tree of Jesse flourished to bear the fruit of King David, ancestor of Jesus Christ. May all of our selfless actions give birth to something beautiful as we see the family of God grow.

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Conquest and Judges – Deborah’s Servant Leadership

Now Deborah, a prophet, the wife of Lappidoth, was leading Israel at that time. She held court under the Palm of Deborah …and the Israelites went up to her to have their disputes decided.  Judges 4:4-5s

The Book of Judges runs in a pretty predictable cycle. Israel rebels against God, God raises up an enemy to punish Israel, the people complain and turn back to God so God raises up a judge to lead them in defeating the enemy. This happens about seven times in the Book of Judges, and the third judge is actually a woman named Deborah. At God’s direction, she commissions a man named Barak to the army in defeating an oppressive neighboring Kingdom. However, Barak says he’s too afraid to go without her. Together they go and defeat their dangerous neighbors, but the glory doesn’t to Barak because he is determined to be a coward.

Deborah is a powerful woman in the story of Scripture, and she breaks a lot of the stereotypes about what a Godly woman should look like. She is described as a prophet. She’s working as a judge and making wise decisions. The text says she’s leading all of Israel, and she understands politics and the military. Deborah also has a personal life. She’s married and might even have children.

Deborah is a woman who wears many hats. She has a lot of responsibilities. Which begs the question, what qualifies a person to serve God in a particular way? How do we know someone should be a teacher or leader or preacher in the church? According to Paul, the Holy Spirit equips each follower of Jesus with spiritual gifts to use in service of the Kingdom of God. We have a responsibility to discover and nurture these gifts within ourselves and other Christians.

Deborah would have spent time cultivating her gifts for leadership and prophecy before taking on a formal role. She was a wonderful leader and served Israel well. What spiritual gifts has God gifted you with, and how can be a servant leader in the church of Christ?

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Conquest and Judges – Serve Sombody

Now if you are unwilling to serve the LORD, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served in the region beyond the River or the gods of those in whose land you are living; but as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD.” Joshua 24:15

Who are you going to serve? It’s a simple question that Joshua asks the people of Israel as they settle into the Promised Land. The Lord rescued them from slavery, brought them through the desert, and conquered their enemies. God has provided them every step of the way, but Joshua knows that humans are fickle. Now that God is asking for their loyalty will they give it?

In 1979, Bob Dylan released a song entitled “Gotta Serve Somebody.” It won a Grammy Award for Best Rock Vocal Performance, and the lyrics read in part: 

You may be rich or poor, you may be blind or lame

You may be living in another country under another name

But you’re gonna have to serve somebody, yes indeed

You’re gonna have to serve somebody

Well, it may be the devil or it may be the Lord

But you’re gonna have to serve somebody

Maybe you’re on the fence about following Jesus. Or maybe you consider yourself a Christian, but you’re just not all-in. Joshua’s words and Dylan’s song both remind us that we are tempted to divide our allegiance. As Christians, we are supposed to put our citizenship in the Kingdom of God before everything. We are children of The Spirit first-and-foremost. We are servants of Christ above all things. But, there are so many things that try to make a claim on our loyalty, and these are not all bad things. Nevertheless, nationality, ethnicity, political affiliation, gender, sports team, popularity group, occupation, hobbies, even friends and family must all fall in line behind our devotion to God. Let’s face it, most of us struggle to serve God with an undivided heart. We want to serve God, but we fall short. Only Jesus served God perfectly, and we need the power of the Holy Spirit to overcome our divided allegiance. Invite the Holy Spirit into your heart to make you a better servant of Christ and shore-up your loyalty to the Kingdom of God.

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But to Serve

When I consider the term poverty in spirit I am reminded of my Grandmother.
My grandmother was the picture of humility. Always, meek and eager to help. She led a simple life of devotion in the isolation of a ranch in West Texas. She attended a church of less than twenty-five people situated between two massive properties. She was the only member of the tiny church who was not related to one of the two families which owned the sounding property. This was where her funeral was held.

I remember the moment when I realized she was going to die. She had been battling cancer for some time, and for a while things were looking good. It was Christmas Day and we had just finished a late dinner. We had opened presents with all the extended family, and the combination of shredded wrapping paper and dirty dishes created an environment that testified to the excitement of the day. I absentmindedly began to clean up along with my aunts, and I realized my grandmother was resting on the couch. She wasn’t helping us clean. For a moment I was confused. She was always the first to serve and looked for anyway to help even when she was tired. I remember her washing dishes, changing dipper, watching children cleaning floors all without ever being asked. Why wasn’t she helping us now? Then I realized she was too sick to help. She could no longer serve the ones she loved. Although we eagerly longed to serve her especially in her hour of greatest need, that is not what she lived for. She lived to not to be served but to serve, and her health had robed that from her. A few months later she died surrounded by her daughters. It was a tender, bitter-sweet moment when she left us to be with Jesus. She had no more work here with us, but I know she is serving her master in heaven.