Remembering the Big Picture

Scripture – Ruth 4:5-8: ⁵Then Boaz said, “On the day you buy the land from Naomi and from Ruth the Moabitess, you acquire the dead man’s widow, in order to maintain the name of the dead with his property.” ⁶At this, the kinsman-redeemer said, “Then I cannot redeem it because I might endanger my own estate. You redeem it yourself. I cannot do it.” ⁷(Now in earlier times in Israel, for the redemption and transfer of property to become final, one party took off his sandal and gave it to the other. This was the method of legalizing transactions in Israel.) ⁸So the kinsman-redeemer said to Boaz, “Buy it yourself.” And he removed his sandal.

Observation – (Write down what you see in the scripture.) The “kinsman-redeemer” in those days had the first right to acquire the property of a close relative when that relative died. He also had the responsibility of caring for the relative’s family. In this case, it would have meant taking Ruth as his wife and bearing children through her. This particular fellow decided that would complicate his life too much. So he passed the right on to Boaz. This, of course, was what Boaz wanted. And so, all the legal issues were settled. Boaz and Ruth were then free to move forward.

Application – (Write how you will be different today because of what you have just read.) A big point of this whole story is how God works out His plans. It’s easy to miss that in the midst of life. I will pay particular attention to that today. God is at work. And even when I can’t see the end result, I’ll trust I’m part of His plan right now.

Prayer – (Write out a brief prayer.) Lord, you are my purpose in life. You are the reason I live. Without you all would be pointless. Remind me of that as this day unfolds. Sometimes I let the details of life get in the way of the whole picture. Teach me to move in your will this day, carrying out whatever your plan is.

An Invitation – If you’re interested in a face to face discussion about what we’ve been discovering in the Mini-Journal, a small group will be meeting this Sunday morning, 9:45 – 10:30am, at the Southgate Fun and Fitness Center (on Northline near I-75). Look for them around one of the tables in the Café area.