Psalm 100:1

“Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all ye lands.”

Have you ever gotten excited? You know, like when something unbelievably awesome happened. You were sitting on pins and needles next to the phone trying to wish it into ringing, or you were waiting to see the results on a test and you knew it would be good but your anticipation was about to make you pop! Then the ring! Or the test came back and you were floored by the results! Jitters and nerves had worked up in your system to the point that you could no longer contain the excitement, and you let out a “WOOOOOHOOOOO!!!!” or whatever your magic happiness word is: “EUREKA,” or “YEAH!,” or maybe you are a “WWHHHAAAAATTTTTT!?!!”-er. Whatever your magical happiness word (or even the silly little jig that you do), I know that you have had that moment of inexplicable, inarticulate excitement. It is human to have those moments of absolute excitement wound-up in high octane, shout-declaring jubilation.
This is because God designed us to be impressed. We were literally created with this built in desire to express our elation. We were meant to get excited, and we were designed with voices that could declare that joyousness. Hebrews 13:15 tells us that the object of our verbal euphoria should be the One that created us. It says that just like the Old Testament people brought sacrifices to God, we should bring a type of offering: “Let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually…[and] thanks to his name.” The wonder of His working in our lives should result in audible “WOW!!!” sacrifices.
The psalmist draws us into this idea into Psalm 100:1. The word translated as “a joyful noise” literally is speaking of the triumphant shouting that took place at the end of a victorious battle. We are on the winning side. The accomplishment of Jesus over death on the cross has brought us hope. He lived perfectly so that we could approach God in righteousness. He died so that we would not have to. He rose again to break the chains of death and the power of the grave. He left us here with His comforting Spirit to help us daily.
Let out a shout for Jesus today! Exalt His great name! Praise Him for what He has done for us and offers to us! Make a joyful noise!

Food For Thought: What is the psalmist talking about when he says “Make a joyful noise”? What are a couple of ways that you can do that today?

Ruth 4:13-22

There are so many lessons I believe God would have us to learn from the book of Ruth. Lessons like seeing ourselves as “Ruth’s” who undeservedly are welcomed into the family of God by grace through faith in the finished work of Jesus Christ. Or perhaps a lesson such as the providential hand of God is always working things behind the scenes for our best good. It may not seem like it is for our good at the time, but rest assured that God always knows what is best and that he is worthy of our trust. Just ask Naomi and Ruth. I imagine that there is even a lesson to be learned about sexual purity. After all, we see the moral purity and righteousness of both Ruth and Boaz throughout the book and we see it on display in HD in 3:1-18. And there is a great lesson to be learned about racial harmony. It is in this short story that we see a pagan gentile woman is welcomed into the family and redeemed by Boaz. This happens in order to prove that God is not a racist. Although he chose to work primarily through a certain group of people in the Old Testament, stories like Ruth’s reveal that God cares for all peoples of the world. Especially since it will be all peoples worshipping him at the end of time in Revelation 5:9.
There really are too many lessons to speak of in our short time together this week. But this is what I pray for you as we finish the book of Ruth together today. I pray that you might grasp that God is sovereign and that he is working even when you don’t see him doing so in your life. I pray that you will learn to trust him and obey him. And I pray that you might walk in the integrity of your heart as you do. There’s a lot to learn in this short book. It would do you well to read through it once a day for a month. I think you would be amazed at all you learn during that time. Go ahead, take the challenge, I dare you!

-Matthew Anders
senior pastor at www.libcky.com

Ruth 4:1-12

The road of the righteous is not the easiest road, but they eventually make it home. It’s not always the way they would choose for themselves but God is gracious to lead them the way He knows to be best. Boaz does what is right by asking the man who is a closer kin to Naomi if he will buy Naomi’s property so it stays in the family and the man says “yes”. Everything in us screams “no” at this moment! We all want Ruth and Boaz to get together and live happily ever after. If the man buys the land he must also take Ruth to be his wife. When the man finds out this piece of information he flatly refused to fulfill his call as a kinsman redeemer. But don’t lose sight that Boaz was more committed to right than what he wanted for himself. He was willing to walk away from Ruth though he wanted her badly as his wife. Is that type of righteousness and integrity characteristic of your life? Interestingly, all of the friends of Ruth and Boaz are very excited for them and pray for them as a newlywed couple. Their prayer that Ruth would be like Rachel and Leah was two fold. They were asking that she might take a prominent place in the history of the Israel and in the line of the Messiah like these women but also that she might be able to bear children. We know from 1:4 she appeared to be unable to have children but God graciously opened her womb and gave her a son (4:13). Do you know the lineage of Ruth’s son? If not, you might want to Google it—it’s pretty fascinating what God does with a used-to-be pagan woman from Moab.

-Matthew Anders
senior pastor at www.libcky.com

Ruth 3:1-18

The story of the book of Ruth began with sadness and difficulty, but now things are beginning to change for the better. Chapter three gives us hope and it is manifested in each of the three main characters of the book: Naomi, Ruth, and Boaz. Naomi begins to express her hope through the development of a plan for Ruth. Now, I must admit that the plan is pretty odd, ok very odd, but it is a plan. We don’t know the reason for Naomi’s odd plan because the Bible doesn’t tell us it, but we do know that Ruth trusted her mother in law and did as she commanded. Ruth took the risk and went to the threshingfloor that night. She laid down by Boaz and when he stirred she asked him to “spread his wings over her because he is her redeemer”. Ruth was NOT asking for anything impure or immoral, she was asking for Boaz to fulfill his obligation as the kinsman redeemer and look after her and take her to be his wife.
Boaz responds in a very powerful and unique way. it would have been easy for Boaz to take the words of this younger, beautiful woman as something much different than what they were — but Boaz doesn’t even assume this for a second because of the virtuous character of Ruth. What a godly testimony she had! Rather, he responds by saying that there is another man in front of him who has the first shot but he will seek to take her as his own. What integrity! He could have simply fulfilled her request, and he probably desired to, but his character was more important than anything and so was hers.
Praise the Lord for a picture in the Bible of integrity and purity when the world portrays such filth and immorality. God honored their self control and their purity and He will honor yours as well. Commit yourself to trusting that God’s way is the best in all situations, especially these types of matters.

-Matthew Anders
senior pastor at www.libcky.com

Ruth 2:8-22

Ladies, here’s where the good part of the story begins. Here comes the love story. But, it isn’t a love story like modern Hollywood often portrays love…this one is real. Boaz takes great care to make sure that Ruth and Naomi’s needs are met . He provides for them and even tells Ruth not to go anywhere else for food, he will continue to take care of her. This kind of undeserved favor, this clear display of mercy leaves Ruth in humble astonishment. She falls on her face (v.10) and thanks Boaz for his kindness. I wonder if we have the same sense of gratitude for God knowing that he has saved us from eternal damnation. We, like Ruth, were outcasts but God desires to receive us as His children (John 1:12). How humbling!
In verse fourteen, Boaz gives Ruth a feast to remember. An all you can eat buffet (better than Golden Corral, I can assure you of that!). Verse seventeen makes clear that Boaz has given Ruth enough barley to last her and Naomi for weeks. But what is most fascinating to me is that Naomi praises and blesses God as opposed to Boaz in verse twenty. This woman had been bitter, but now she is beginning to see the graciousness of God: He has stopped the famine, He has given her a daughter in law who loves and cares for her, He has preserved Boaz for Ruth, He has sovereignly directed Ruth to Boaz’s field, and He has given Boaz a special desire to favor Ruth.
There is no doubt that things have been difficult for Naomi, but even in the midst of the sorrow God has still shown himself faithful. He has taken care of her and Ruth’s hunger, he has begun to give them hope, and his goodness has begun to make them optimistic. I wonder, does God’s goodness to you make you feel more entitled or humbly overwhelmed?

-Matthew Anders
senior pastor at www.libcky.com

Ruth 2:1-7

There are no coincidences with God.
In the beginning of this chapter we are introduced to Boaz, Naomi’s kinsman redeemer. Boaz just sounds like a Disney prince doesn’t he? Well, he’s something much greater than that. He is a mighty man of wealth the Bible says. The fact that he was a mighty man means that he was a ‘worthy man’ or ‘a man of valor’. It’s nice to know at a time when men were doing what was right in their own eyes there was still at least one man with some integrity. Notice in verse four the way that Boaz greets his employees. Can you imagine if the manager of McDonald’s walked into work tomorrow morning and said “the Lord be with you”. You would choke on your Sweet Tea! But the way that Boaz greeted his employees revealed his heart of love and compassion. It revealed a genuine man of character who had influence over the lives of others. Don’t ever fall for the lie that loving God with all your heart will make you odd or unable to connect with people. Boaz’s employee’s respected his love for God because they discerned that it was genuine.
You know, it’s interesting that God’s name is not mentioned so far in the book of Ruth. In fact, His name won’t be mentioned at all. And yet you can clearly see that God is working behind the scenes. Remember that “a coincidence is simply when God chooses to remain anonymous”. God works through miracles and God works through providence. A miracle is when he stops the normal course of human events and radically alters something (like the parting of the Red Sea). But providence is when God orchestrates all the normal happenings of daily life to bring about His purposes.
God is providentially bringing Ruth and Boaz together. Notice that Ruth is a woman of compassion and initiative (v. 2) who goes out to help provide for Naomi and herself. And it “just so happens” that of all the fields she goes to, she begins to glean grain from Boaz’s. It is obvious that Ruth is humble and that she is hardworking (v.7), but it is also clear that God has a special plan for Ruth. While Ruth is gleaning Boaz arrives and gives her more than she could ask for- God is beginning to provide in ways that Naomi and Ruth could never have dreamed!

-Matthew Anders
senior pastor at www.libcky.com

Ruth 1:1-22

"God at Work"
The Book of Ruth opens by declaring that this was the period of the judges, the time when everyone did what was right in their own eyes. One of the proofs that men were doing what they wanted without seeking God’s will was that Elimelech left the land of Israel during a time of famine without consulting the Lord on the matter. To make things worse, he left Bethlehem and went to the land of Moab, a land associated with pagans. This was a place and a people that God had strictly forbidden them to intermingle with. Have you ever done something without consulting God on the matter?
Well, things got worse for Elimelech and his family. Soon, Elimelech and his two sons died leaving his wife, Naomi, by herself in the world. The only companions Naomi had were two daughters that would have been an embarrassment to her native people of Israel because they were from the land of Canaan.
But even in the midst of Naomi’s sorrow, verse six says that God “visited” Naomi. That word means ‘to remember and come to deliver’. How gracious is God even in the midst of our mistakes! But the story gets even better – Ruth, Naomi’s daughter-in-law, decided that she would not leave her mother-in-law’s side. Ruth made up her mind and the Bible says that she “clave” to Naomi. That word means "to be joined together". Ruth made a covenant to remain by Naomi’s side and to accept Naomi’s God as her own and to stay be her side until death. Wow, that’s powerful! I wonder how Naomi responded? Verse eighteen says that when Ruth made her declaration, Naomi just stopped talking to her for the rest of the trip…can you imagine that walk….AWKWARD!
The first chapter ends with Naomi coming back to Bethlehem as a bitter woman. A woman who understood that God exists, that God is sovereign, and who believes that God has done her wrong. Who do you most look like at the end of chapter one? Elimelech, who tries to handle difficulties on your own without trusting God? Naomi, who becomes bitter towards God when difficulties arise? Or Ruth, the one who has no promise of things ever getting better, but has permanently decided to serve God no matter what?

-Matthew Anders
senior pastor at www.libcky.com