There is Love Love! Such a simple word yet so full of meaning. I have said before and will continue to say my personal belief is the central theme of the Bible is love. Each day I read more and more of the Bible. I dig deeper and study for more insight. I review the root words in their original language only to see love is still there revealed in those ancient text. Jesus often mentioned love. In Mark s gospel, we find an answer to a question in which Jesus mentions love. This exchange occurred most likely on Tuesday following Palm Sunday. The days are ticking off before His crucifixion and we see once more that Jesus is not teaching anything new only pointing to the foundation of all of God s laws and commandments. We will look in Mark the 12 th chapter and begin with the 28 th verse. One of the scribes came and heard them arguing, and recognizing that He had answered them well, asked Him, What commandment is the foremost of all (or first)? Jesus answered, The foremost is, HEAR, O ISRAEL! THE LORD OUR GOD IS ONE LORD; AND YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND, AND WITH ALL YOUR STRENGTH. The second is this, YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF. There is no other commandment greater than these. The scribe said to Him, Right, Teacher; You have truly stated that HE IS ONE, AND THERE IS NO ONE ELSE BESIDES HIM; AND TO LOVE HIM WITH ALL THE HEART AND WITH ALL THE UNDERSTANDING AND WITH ALL THE STRENGTH, AND TO LOVE ONE S NEIGHBOR AS HIMSELF, is much more than all burnt offerings and sacrifices. When Jesus saw that he had answered intelligently, He said to 1
him, You are not far from the kingdom of God. After that, no one would venture to ask Him any more questions. (Mark 12:28-34 NASB) The love for God and the love for our neighbors is paramount. All other commandments are built on love. This concept has been stated more than once and will continue to pop up as we explore the Bible to learn more about God and His son, Jesus. In the lectionary reading for today s lesson, I find more scriptures that speak of love. One of those scriptures is often read during wedding ceremonies. I then began to reflect on a song that also makes its way into wedding ceremonies. My musical taste is somewhat eclectic. I have shared in the past that I like the music from the 60 s. From this, people may assume that I like the Beatles. Well, yes, I do like some of the Beatle s music but my favorite genre of music is Folk Rock. Think about Peter, Paul, and Mary as well as many others. From this bit of an introduction, you may be ahead of me in naming the song: Wedding Song (There is Love) I learned from an article published in Guidepost Magazine in 1993, that Paul Stookey credits God with the lyrics of this song which he wrote for the wedding of fellow band member Peter Yarrow to Marybeth McCarthy in 1971. In fact, all of the royalties from this song go to support charities and not into his bank account. In this song, Peter presents the picture of God s presence when he opens the song with this line: He is now to be among you at the calling of your hearts; and goes on to describe marriage in Biblical terms: writes: Well a man shall leave his 2
mother and a woman leave her home; They shall travel on to where the two shall be as one. The theme of marriage and love is often found in the next scripture we will read. However, it does not really tie into the wedding scene. It speaks of a love that a young woman has for God and her mother-in-law. Let s read from the first chapter of the book of Ruth. If you need help finding Ruth, it comes after the book of Judges and before 1 Samuel. Now it came about in the days when the judges governed, that there was a famine in the land. And a certain man of Bethlehem in Judah went to sojourn in the land of Moab with his wife and his two sons. The name of the man was Elimelech, and the name of his wife, Naomi; and the names of his two sons were Mahlon and Chilion, Ephrathites of Bethlehem in Judah. Now they entered the land of Moab and remained there. Then Elimelech, Naomi s husband, died; and she was left with her two sons. They took for themselves Moabite women as wives; the name of the one was Orpah and the name of the other Ruth. And they lived there about ten years. Then both Mahlon and Chilion also died, and the woman was bereft of her two children and her husband. (Ruth 1:1-5 NASB) So far, this does not sound like a romantic story. There was a famine and a man loads up his wife and two sons to go to a foreign land. While he is there, he dies and leaves a widow and two sons. The sons take local women to be their wives. Then, the sons die. Again, we are not seeing a romantic tale. What happens next sets the stage for romance and a love story. 3
Then she arose with her daughters-in-law that she might return from the land of Moab, for she had heard in the land of Moab that the LORD had visited His people in giving them food. So, she departed from the place where she was, and her two daughters-in-law with her; and they went on the way to return to the land of Judah. And Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law, Go, return each of you to her mother s house. May the LORD deal kindly with you as you have dealt with the dead and with me. May the LORD grant that you may find rest, each in the house of her husband. Then she kissed them, and they lifted up their voices and wept. (Ruth 1:6-10 NASB) Naomi is ready to return to her ancestral home. The famine is over and she longs to be with familiar people and surroundings. She blesses her daughters-in law and send them away to their homes. We note that they are young enough to remarry and start their families. They protest and she tells them that she is not able to produce more sons for them to marry. She tells them that they have been kind to her sons and she is appreciative. There is certainly nothing here to support the idea that mothers-in-law are evil of hateful people. Finally, Orpah leaves Naomi to return to her home. We continue reading at verse 14. And they lifted up their voices and wept again; and Orpah kissed her motherin-law, but Ruth clung to her. Then she said, Behold, your sister-in-law has gone back to her people and her gods; return after your sister-in-law. But Ruth said, Do not urge me to leave you or turn back from following you; for where you go, I will go, and where you lodge, I will lodge. Your people shall be my people, and your God, my God. Where you die, I will die, and there I will be buried. Thus, 4
may the LORD do to me, and worse, if anything but death parts you and me. When she saw that she was determined to go with her, she said no more to her. (Ruth 1:14-18 NASB) For where you go, I will go, and where you lodge, I will lodge. Your people shall be my people, and your God, my God. Who knows how many wives have used these words in their vows? Husbands and wives are to be together sharing the same families, customs, and God. Yet, Ruth said these words to her mother-in-law. Technically, there is no bond between them since Ruth s husband was dead. Yet, Ruth saw something that she wanted. Naomi had something that Ruth desired. Naomi had a god that was the essence of love and protection. Ruth saw the hand of God in His care for Naomi and she wanted to have that God. We know the rest of the story. She marries a man that was a relative of her husband. She is one of two foreign women whose name may be found in the lineage of Jesus. What makes Ruth so special? The other foreign woman that is mentioned in that lineage is Rahab. She is described as a harlot. She helped the spies escape and asked only for the safety of her family. So why is Ruth special? What is there about her story that we need to see and learn? In my personal Bible, counting the various maps and helps, there are 1143 pages. On the surface that may appear to be a lot of pages. However, it covers a span of thousands of years and addresses civilizations from the early days of nomadic tribes until organized urban areas. To be included in this book, there must be something worthwhile. Insignificant details have no place in a book that covers such a large span and addresses matters that concern God and salvation. So, why Ruth? 5
One thing we notice is the words that Ruth uttered to Naomi: Your people shall be my people, and your God, my God. Shows Ruth as accepting God (Jehovah) as her God. She is now a convert to Judaism. Her conversion clearly points out the God has always looked at personal acceptance and not ancestry when including people in His fold. Her conversion allows the lineage from Abraham to Jesus to continue. She and Boaz had a son named Obed. Obed had a son named Jesse and Jesse s youngest son was David. Ruth is highly regarded in Jewish history as well as Christian history. The story of Ruth is a beautiful story. However, we started off speaking of love. Yes, there is an element of love contained in the story but how does this tie back to our opening scripture where Jesus speaks of loving God and loving our neighbor? Elimelech, Naomi, Mahlon, and Chilion must have lived in such a way that Ruth saw a loving and living god. This god whom this family served was not like the gods of the Moabites. Ruth loved this god and made a choice to accept Jehovah God over the gods of her country. Her love and acceptance of Jehovah God was so strong that she left everything that was familiar to her and journey to the land where others served God. She went to the land that God had given to the Jewish people. Ruth left her family and friends to go to a foreign land and learn new customs. She made this choice because she loved and accepted God (your God shall be my God.) The depth of her love for God is demonstrated by her actions after she said the words. We all understand that words often are easier than the follow through. Ruth also demonstrated her love for Naomi. Naomi was her mother-in-law. A mother-in-law based on a marriage to a now deceased husband. How much did Ruth owe Naomi? Our story shows that both young women loved Naomi. Initially, 6
both women were planning to return with Naomi to Bethlehem. Naomi told them to return to their homes and remarry. Both women cried but Ruth remained with Naomi. Ruth loved Naomi and began to provide for her. She was caring for a widow who no longer had sons to provide. Ruth was living the compassion and love for others that God expects for His children. Ruth was jobless and without any wealth. She was forced to glean in the fields. Gleaning was contained in the laws given to Moses as found in Leviticus 23:22. When you reap the harvest of your land, moreover, you shall not reap to the very corners of your field nor gather the gleaning of your harvest; you are to leave them for the needy and the alien. I am the LORD your God. (Leviticus 23:22 NASB) Yes, Ruth is an example of love. Her love for God and her love for a widow in need are examples for us. This is the love that Jesus demonstrated and taught. Is this the love that we have? Far too often, we won t leave our comfortable recliners to even go to church. When it comes to loving our neighbors, we may not be able to take a second (or third) vacation if we help a needy person. We may prefer to donate to the church or other charity than to be personally involved in helping the needy. If we truly want to live the love we find in the Bible, we can and should learn from Ruth. 7