Mountain Roads - Pt 1

So Boaz took Ruth, and she became his wife. And he went in to her, and the Lord gave her conception, and she bore a son. Then the women said to Naomi, “Blessed be the Lord, who has not left you this day without a redeemer, and may his name be renowned in Israel! He shall be to you a restorer of life and a nourisher of your old age, for your daughter-in-law who loves you, who is more to you than seven sons, has given birth to him.” Then Naomi took the child and laid him on her lap and became his nurse. And the women of the neighborhood gave him a name, saying, “A son has been born to Naomi.” They named him Obed. He was the father of Jesse, the father of David. (Ruth 4:13-17 ESV).

One of the wonders of the Smoky Mountains is the beautiful landscape along the roads. The picture I’ve chosen was taken on Highway 441 near the state line between North Carolina and Tennessee. It is near Newfound Gap for those who are familiar with the area. Coming from the east you rise in elevation about 6,000 feet in a very short distance, “as the crow flies.” The road is rarely more than two lanes and the shoulder is typically a steep fall off the side of the mountain. When we recently drove it, I was reminded of a very important lesson found in the Book of Ruth. The main lesson from this wonderful book can be states as: The life of the godly is not a straight line to glory, but they do get there. Simply put the life of the believer is not an Interstate through Nebraska, but a state road through the Smoky Mountains of Tennessee. There are rock slides and precipices and dark mists and bears and slippery curves and hairpin turns that make you go backwards in order to go forwards. But all along this hazardous, twisted road that doesn't let you see very far ahead there are frequent signs that say, "The best is yet to come." And at the bottom right corner written with an unmistakable hand are the words, "As I live, says the Lord!" The book of Ruth is one of those signs for you to read. It was written to give us some encouragement and hope that all the perplexing turns in your life are not dead-end streets. In all the setbacks of your life as a believer God is plotting for your joy. There is so much in the brief paragraph of our reading today. Goel (the Go'el HaDahm) is a Hebrew term which comes from the word lig'ol ("to redeem"), hence meaning "redeemer", which in the Hebrew Bible and the rabbinical tradition denotes a person who as the nearest relative of another is charged with the duty of restoring the rights of another and avenging his wrongs. This word is different than the Hebrew word translated “messiah.” The literal translation of the Hebrew word mashiach (messiah) is "anointed", which refers to a ritual of consecrating someone or something by putting holy oil upon it. Following the line in this reading we see reference to both. Naomi’s “redemption” came through the strange twist of events that led her to her home where Ruth, her daughter-in-law, meets Boaz and ultimately bears a son who is the grandfather of King David! This is the lineage of the Meshiach, who is Yeshua, Jesus! We’ll look more in the coming days… for now, hang on, the best is coming around the curve in the road!