No John, it was not ‘Elimelech elimelech elimelech Elimelech’ in ‘The Lion Sleeps Tonight.’ #midweekmeeting (Bible reading this week: Ruth 102)
“She would say to the women: “Do not call me Na·oʹmi. Call me Maʹra, for the Almighty has made life very bitter for me.” (Ruth 1:20)
I this how Nabal (the name MEANS senseless, stupid) got to be named Nabal? Names were gained by experiences or reputation.
I have commanded the young men not to touch you: 2:9
Do not mistreat her 2:15
It is better, my daughter, for you to go out with his young women than to be harassed in another field.” 2;22
Today’s harassment lawyers would have had a field day back then.
“But Ruth said: “Do not plead with me to abandon you, to turn back from accompanying you; for where you go I will go, and where you spend the night, I will spend the night. Your people will be my people, and your God my God. …1/2
Where you die I will die, and there I will be buried. May Jehovah do so to me and add to it if anything but death should separate me from you.” (Ruth 1:16-17) Favorite verses….2/2
“A heartwarming Bible reading tonight,” says the chairman.
To be fair, those final chapters of Judges have set the bar kinda low. No Sean, Ruth is not too mushy. Yes, Judges is more of a guy’s book—hits like a Marvel Avengers movie, but it’s time to move on.
Ps 63:3 “Because your loyal love is better than life.” The CO has illustrated this verse with a hypothetical from God. “I’ll let you into the new system, but I DON’T APPROVE of you!” and then he returns to, “your loyal love is better than life.”
“For the heart of this people has grown unreceptive…they have shut their eyes, so that they might never see with their eyes and hear with their ears and get the sense of it with their hearts and turn back and I heal them.” (Matt 13:15) Any future application of Jesus’ words?
Para 13, It would be tragic to remain unhealed, like so many in this sick world. (Matt. 13:15) Who can’t appreciate the image of a river lined with trees that have leaves for healing & where it empties, the destination is healed? Ezekiel 47
‘What you sow is what you will reap’ is the #publictalk title. All centered around Galatians 6:7.
“Do not be misled: God is not one to be mocked. For whatever a person is sowing, this he will also reap.” (1)
good background summary. Galatians freed from the Law wanted to go back to it, “choosing certain defeat” since no one could live up to a perfect law. Embrace those freedoms of the Christ, Paul encourages, but then a cautionary note that ‘you will reap what you sow,’ (2)
“because the one sowing with a view to his flesh [playing into our imperfection] will reap corruption from his flesh, but the one sowing with a view to the spirit [imposing reasonable self-discipline] will reap everlasting life from the spirit.” Gal 6:8 (3)
That Gal 6:8 verse empowers us, says the speaker. Plant a seed and you know what you will get. (4)
Use, don’t abuse those freedoms, speaker says, then illustrates how teen with a new license has greater freedom but also greater responsibility. Will balanced Christians all make the same choices? No, he says. Balance allows some room for movement. (5)
An illustration: Golden Gate Bridge—the road can swing 21 feet in either direction, 40 feet of flexibility, flexibility keeps it there. So the Scriptures are flexible to cover the times spans, cultures it must span. Flexibility of scripture keeps it alive and useful to us. (6)
Now a reference to ‘unified—not uniform’ as some balanced Christians will lean more conservative, some more relaxed. It’s okay, and will characterize even bodies of people—what a drudgery is everyone is the same. (7)
Alas, people are given to extremes. You ‘don’t want to be with someone who is always digging up the rules’ as though he thinks “Jehovah forgot something.” Such harping not only not necessary, but is harmful, the speaker says. (8)
Other extreme: persons too loose, and now speaker reads cautionary list of Gal 5:19: “Now the works of the flesh are plainly seen, and they are sexual immorality, uncleanness, brazen conduct, idolatry, spiritism, hostility, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, (9)
dissensions, divisions, sects, envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and things like these.”
“Would you say that much of what the world offers today fit into this list?” speaker asks. “Yeah” (10)
Heard people say, “until you can show me this scripture that says….I don’t see anything wrong with it?” It is going back to Galatians—people who want a bunch of rules. (11)
Principles are fundamental statements of truth. “Bad association spoil useful habits”—not a rule, it is a principle. (12)
vs 19… “and things like these”….is this list all inclusive? No. “God dignifies us that we can apply principles to these new developments [that crop up in the modern age of “TV, Hollywood, video games” etc. Re vs 22 (reads list)….. “against such things there is no law.” (13)
‘A lot of this is a matter between us and Jehovah, the elders are not going to come and police us,’ says the speaker, “but we will reap what we sow.” (14)
Adds: ‘Like children in schoolyard, we are free to pursue own interests on earth. But 1) all have to get along, 2) must stay within boundaries. Upon observing the preceding two points, “have a blast” is how the speaker puts it. (15)
Everlasting life or corruption of Galatians 6:8. We make that choice for everlasting life every single day through the other choices we make. (16)
#watchtowerstudy, ‘How Strong Will Your Faith Be?’ Theme scripture: “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Exercise faith.”—JOHN 14:1 Para 1: “Strong faith will help us to face the future with confidence.”
Para 4: “The father, Miguel, …begin[s] every day by asking Jehovah to provide what we need for that day.” I recall one bro in a developing land saying this verse (give us each day our dailyneeds) was easy for them to grasp but those in dev’d lands found it much more difficult.
Para 6: “Observe intently the birds of heaven; they do not sow seed or reap or gather into storehouses, yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth more than they are?” (Matthew 5:26)….1/2
I recall a speaker, himself thin, wiry and birdlike, saying of this verse that birds ARE busy, they are just not anxious. They are always pecking for seeds—and then made the point by rapid pecking at the speaker stand with his oversized nose…2/2 #favoritegesture
Para 8 “The test began in 2017 when Hurricane Maria destroyed Anel’s home [in Puerto Rico]. As a result…she lost her job. “During those difficult days, I felt anxious,” Will the bro who spent time volunteering on Puerto Rico relief & who speaks of it often comment here? You know he will….1/2
He didn’t! But only because he is away this week. 2/2
My wife’s Bible student is present at this Zoom meeting. She has balloons hanging from her ceiling. She just likes balloons.
Para 10: “I will remember the works of Jah; I will remember your marvelous deeds of long ago.And I will meditate on all your activity And ponder over your dealings.” Okay. So the point is, dwelling on this Ps 77:11-12 can aid us through many a scrape.
Para 11 The “direction that does not make sense to us” remark is given in the context of prior battle tactics that did not make sense—at shore of Red Sea & facing down the Ammonites & crew. (Ex. 14:1-4; 2 Chron. 20:17)
Ha! I temporarily alarmed my wife by saying “You’re not muted!!!” after a certain remark she made to me. She should not concern herself with what I may be full of. (What’s so terrible about baloney?)
Para 18-19 “Make the same request as did Jesus’ apostles, who said: “Give us more faith.” (Luke 17:5) …
“Now we are not the sort who shrink back to destruction, but the sort who have faith for the preserving of our lives.” (Hebrews 10:39)