Sheltered by His Wings

 

Then Boaz said to Ruth, “Now, listen, my daughter, do not go to glean in another field or leave this one, but keep close to my young women. Let your eyes be on the field that they are reaping, and go after them. Have I not charged the young men not to touch you? And when you are thirsty, go to the vessels and drink what the young men have drawn.” Then she fell on her face, bowing to the ground, and said to him, “Why have I found favor in your eyes, that you should take notice of me, since I am a foreigner?” But Boaz answered her, “All that you have done for your mother-in-law since the death of your husband has been fully told to me, and how you left your father and mother and your native land and came to a people that you did not know before. The LORD repay you for what you have done, and a full reward be given you by the LORD, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge!” Then she said, “I have found favor in your eyes, my lord, for you have comforted me and spoken kindly to your servant, though I am not one of your servants.” (Ruth 2:8-13 ESV).

 

Our reading today gives us a wonderful image of how God’s care for us is so complete. Often, we see God going out of his way to care for us, and sometimes we see our need to go out of our way to be cared for. It’s not always easy to ask for what we need, especially when others might have reasons to be cautious about helping us. But Ruth is a bold person. She knows what she and her mother-in-law need, and she asks for permission to glean barley in a field that belongs to Boaz, a landowner from Bethlehem.

 

Now, Boaz is a relative of Ruth’s mother-in-law Naomi, and he has heard about Ruth but hasn’t met her before. And rather than being dismissive or indifferent, Boaz welcomes Ruth and invites her to keep following along after the harvesters. What’s more, he blesses her for supporting her mother-in-law and indicates that Ruth is an honorable woman. “May you be richly rewarded by the Lord,” he says, “. . . under whose wings you have come to take refuge.” This statement reflects the caring, providing nature of God’s character, and it helps us to understand God’s love for us.

 

God faithfully cares for and provides for us, and often he does this through the kindness and generosity of others. And whether we need help or are able to help someone else, we can be assured that God empowers and celebrates both the one who asks and the one who gives.

 

A Ground Nest

 

[The Lord said] “If you come across a bird’s nest in any tree or on the ground, with young ones or eggs and the mother sitting on the young or on the eggs, you shall not take the mother with the young. You shall let the mother go, but the young you may take for yourself, that it may go well with you, and that you may live long.” (Deuteronomy 22:6-7 ESV).

 

As I have mentioned before, we live more in the country than the city. I also feed the wild birds. I also have several nesting boxes that I have built and set up for various kinds of birds. I have two boxes designed for Eastern Bluebirds. It is always a pleasure to watch them as they return each year to lay the eggs and raise their clutch. Some of the other nests I have found belong to the many doves that frequent our home; swallows that love the “bird hotel” I’ve erected about twenty feet in the air which is their preference; and, of course, we have nests in other places from the ever-present English Sparrows. Last year, as I was mowing, I found a ground nest that was well camouflaged in the grass and leaves. I had seen this before and began to look around for the Killdeer that had laid them. She wasn’t far, doing her best to lure me away from her clutch. I was sure to take a wide path around the nest and watched over the next few weeks as they hatched. It was an incredible reminder that God’s creation is constantly changing and being infused with life.

 

Our reading today is among the many Old Testament guidelines for holy living. These give God’s instruction in what they should do if they found such a nest. At that time, it was considered okay to take the eggs or the young hatchlings, but it was not acceptable to harm the bird that laid them. That was a simple principle of conservation: if the eggs are taken, the bird can lay more eggs, but if the mother bird is taken or destroyed, she can’t produce any more. In times of hunger, it might have been tempting to take both the bird and the eggs, but the prevailing wisdom cautioned people to use restraint, even if they were desperate.

 

These instructions aren’t only about conservation, though. We can trust that if God cares for birds, he cares far more about us, whom he made in his image. Jesus made this clear when he said to his followers, “Don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows” (Matthew 10:31). He was explaining God’s care for them when they were threatened by enemies. Similarly, God cares for us!

The Dove of Peace

At the end of forty days Noah opened the window of the ark that he had made and sent forth a raven. It went to and fro until the waters were dried up from the earth. Then he sent forth a dove from him, to see if the waters had subsided from the face of the ground. But the dove found no place to set her foot, and she returned to him to the ark, for the waters were still on the face of the whole earth. So he put out his hand and took her and brought her into the ark with him. He waited another seven days, and again he sent forth the dove out of the ark. And the dove came back to him in the evening, and behold, in her mouth was a freshly plucked olive leaf. So Noah knew that the waters had subsided from the earth. (Genesis 8:6-11 ESV).

 

Maybe you have seen a picture or a logo showing a dove with an olive branch in its beak. That image is drawn from our reading for today. Over time, the image of a dove bringing a part of an olive tree has become a symbol for peace. When we look a little closer at today’s passage, it becomes clear that Noah wasn’t just passively waiting for good, peaceful news. He first sent out a raven, a robust bird that flew “back and forth” but apparently did not come back into the ark—probably because it found plenty of carrion to eat. Noah then sent out a gentle dove—a more vulnerable bird—to go looking for signs of new growth. And then he waited attentively.

 

The dove soon returned because it “could find nowhere to perch.” So, Noah brought it back into the ark for seven days. Then, when he sent the dove out again, it returned in the evening with an olive leaf. This meant the flood waters had receded to a safe level where the people and animals could flourish and thrive again, enjoying shalom (peace) in God’s world.

 

When I see the doves that frequent my yard, I always pause to reflect on this. It also causes me to consider ways in which I might be a part of bringing peace to others. There are as many ways to do this as there are people in the world. Sometimes it is as simple as  a kind word spoken unexpectedly to a stranger. Commit yourself to being someone who brings peace to another person today.

  

The Gulls of Galveston

 

In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. (Genesis 1:1-2 ESV).

 

While reading the first chapter of Genesis I was taken back to my childhood when I often found myself roaming the beaches of Galveston. I must confess that these times were not sanctioned by my parents, but living a mere ten blocks from the beach was too much of a temptation not to hop on my bicycle and roam the sands. There were times when I actually had a plan, though most of the time I simply enjoyed watching the waves roll in and the ever-present gulls float through the air looking for something to eat. Sometimes I would sneak away with some bread or crackers to lure them in closer by tossing crumbs in the air just to watch them drop from the air to swoop in and capture the morsels before they hit the ground.  

 

Perhaps you have done something similar. They seem to just hang in the air over the waves, even with the wind blustering and the waters roaring.  They still soar calmly over the rough ocean. Perhaps it is a result of their constantly flying in that environment, or their strength and skill. Either way, it is amazing to see their control. They just hover in the air watching and waiting.

 

That image of hovering over turbulent waters is how the Bible first describes the Spirit of God. The word for “hovering” indicates a high degree of care, even concern, in its action, and it is unmistakably linked to the behavior of protective birds that brood over their nests, guarding and keeping their clutch warm and safe as it develops. The Holy Spirit, in his protective love, hovers over the surface of the unformed deep.

 

The story of creation in Genesis was given to God’s people at a time when other stories about the beginning of the world were filled with themes of violence and chaos. Into that unsettled situation, the Genesis story came as a gift that revealed God’s purposeful, loving intention to make all things good and beautiful. At the time, it would have sounded far different from the other creation stories. And because love and goodness are at the center of this story, it continues to invite people to know God as the loving, protective Creator that he is. As we’ll see in the next few days, many other passages in the Bible also teach us something about God through the imagery of birds. I hope you will be encouraged with this approach each day. He does indeed “hover” over us!

 

Spring Rains

 

Ask rain from the LORD in the season of the spring rain, from the LORD who makes the storm clouds, and he will give them showers of rain, to everyone the vegetation in the field. For the household gods gutter nonsense, and the diviners see lies; they tell false dreams and give empty consolation. Therefore the people wander like sheep; they are afflicted for lack of a shepherd. “My anger is hot against the shepherds, and I will punish the leaders; for the LORD of hosts cares for his flock, the house of Judah, and will make them like his majestic steed in battle. From him shall come the cornerstone, from him the tent peg, from him the battle bow, from him every ruler—all of them together. They shall be like mighty men in battle, trampling the foe in the mud of the streets; they shall fight because the LORD is with them, and they shall put to shame the riders on horses. (Zechariah 10:1-5 ESV).

 

It has been quite a week of weather. We typically watch a news channel each day for the forecast and one of their catchphrases when extreme weather is a part of the forecast is “weather aware.” Mary and I are amused with one of the meteorologists who seems to get especially animated with each of these potential storms. Personally, I am never excited about thunderstorms, hail, or tornados. There are many references in the Scripture to the destructive power of storms and how sometimes God uses storms to bring judgment. But many other texts describe storms as bringing blessings, especially in the rains that water the land.

 

Just as today, regular rainfall was essential for ancient cultures with limited irrigation systems. When Jacob sent his sons from Canaan to buy food in Egypt (cf. Genesis 42), it was impossible to grow food where they were. They needed rain for their crops, but instead they had a massive famine. It is difficult to imagine that kind of need, however that was the norm of that time and place. Even today we see in some parts of the world where access to clean water is essential for survival.

 

Zechariah reminded God’s people that the Lord is the source of rain. Zechariah’s prophecies were pastoral, emphasizing that God is at work in nature and is the source of the people’s power. We all need to ask God for his blessing and to live lives that reflect the source of that blessing. At that time, the people were rebuilding the temple of God in Jerusalem, so Zechariah reminded them that God calls everyone to turn away from sin and to serve him in faith. The closing chapters of Zechariah begin pointing to the coming Messiah (Jesus Christ), the Savior. Not only does the Lord provide rain for everyone, but in the coming kingdom God will provide all that everyone will need. It is an encouraging reminder in our troubles today.

 

The Life Everlasting

 

Since we have the same spirit of faith according to what has been written, “I believed, and so I spoke,” we also believe, and so we also speak, knowing that he who raised the Lord Jesus will raise us also with Jesus and bring us with you into his presence. For it is all for your sake, so that as grace extends to more and more people it may increase thanksgiving, to the glory of God. So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self his being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal. (2 Corinthians 4:13-18 ESV).

 

Maybe you have had some great times with family and friends, with delicious food to enjoy, and perhaps even a sunny, blue sky overhead, a soft breeze blowing, and the world radiating God’s glory in creation. Times like that can give us a peek at what we mean when we say, with the Apostles’ Creed, “I believe in … the life everlasting.” Even so, our fleeting moments of joy in this life pale in comparison to the eternal joy we can look forward to in Christ.

 

Yet this we know with certainty: one day, we will stand before God’s throne with Jesus, surrounded by countless others in our community of faith from around the world, completely freed from all fears, and filled with perfect peace and joy (cf. Revelation 7). There we will be fully doing what we were created for: “to glorify God and enjoy him forever” (Westminster Catechism).

 

Until that time, we may have only fleeting glimpses of our ultimate destiny—and those moments may come during struggles, challenges, and sometimes even utter defeat. But we are encouraged not to despair during hard times but to wait with hope for the day when Jesus will be all and all, when his kingdom will come in power and glory. This is our declaration of faith!

 

The Resurrection of the Body

 

Behold! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed. For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality. When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written: “Death is swallowed up in victory.” O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. (1 Corinthians 15:51-56 ESV).

 

While we are alive, our spirits are united with our bodies. When we die, our spirits depart, and our lifeless bodies return to the earth. Is that the final destiny for our bodies? Some religions welcome death as a release from the “prison” of the body. But, according to the Bible, God made us to have both souls and bodies; moreover, he made our bodies good (cf. Psalm 139:14). So, when the two are separated by death, we cease to be as God made us. For that reason, we say, with the Apostles’ Creed, “I believe in the resurrection of the body.”

 

With the accumulation of years we all come to intimately understand that our bodies are vulnerable and frail. They break down and eventually just give out. Yet our bodies remain integral to who we are as God has made us. Without our bodies, we are no longer fully ourselves.

 

For all of us who believe in Christ, we can take great comfort that when we die, our souls will immediately be with Jesus. And when Jesus returns, our bodies and souls will be reunited. Then we will again be fully ourselves.

 

On that day, though, our bodies will no longer be frail and mortal. Death will be conquered, and we will have “…glorified” bodies, just like Jesus’ body at his resurrection. What a day that will be!