I don’t know if any pact with the devil can be historically substantiated, but even if it is true, his timing wasn’t the greatest. What if you had a loved one lying under tons of Haitian rubble? I realize we live in an overly sensitive world, but some things are better left unsaid; the world, not just Haiti, needs to hear and see the love and grace of God flowing through our efforts to relieve pain and suffering as we look for opportunity to share the gospel of salvation to a lost and dying world. Even if such a pact was historically established, the timing is tantamount to the proverbial kicking them when they’re down.
Once again Christianity is the object of vitriolic condemnation. But it doesn’t take much for that to happen anyway. If you and I should go to the air waves and state that we believe the words of Jesus in John 14:6, I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me, these words would be considered inflammatory and insensitive to other religions or beliefs. We would be branded as spiritual elitists, narrow-minded Bible thumping bigots, fundamentalists, literalists, hypocrites, and other choice epithets even though we are quoting straight from Scriptures without pushing our belief on anyone, and God forbid that we should take those words literally! What does any of this have to do with the story of Ruth?
If like the secular mindset we quickly dismiss the spiritual dynamics behind the earthquake in Haiti, we would have to believe there was no spiritual activity behind the story of Ruth either. Whether tens of thousands die in Haiti or three die in Moab, spiritual warfare behind the scenes is taking place. Destructive outcomes result from sin and Satan, the destroyer (Rev 9:11) and constructive outcomes only result because God is sovereign.
Underlying the disaster in Haiti are the dynamics of sin and the spiritual principalities behind the scenes. This natural disaster, as with all natural disasters, has a spiritual underside but a natural manifestation. Unlike animism, Christianity views the dynamics of sin and spiritual principalities as involved in natural disasters or natural phenomenon but such things do not possess a spirit or soul as in animistic belief. Natural disasters serve only as a mechanism by which demonic forces (Loa, a pantheon of spirits, in the case of Haiti) in order to inflict pain and suffering on mankind, limited only by providential restraints (cf. Job 1:12; Lk 22:31-32; 1 Pet 5:8).
Therefore, the terrible devastation in Haiti was not the result of random chaos but a strategic attack against the people of Haiti by the forces of darkness with certain limitations imposed upon it by God. In the Scriptures we see God using Satan and his evil dominion, ungodly kingdoms, and natural phenomenon to bring judgment upon the ungodly as well as His own people for His purpose and glory. Judgment is a pivotal word in this context. Contrarily, Job’s situation had nothing to do with judgment. Actually Satan, the destroyer, could care less what the reason is as long as he can hurt people, his kind or particularly, God’s kind (1 Pet 5:8). Satan has no affinity with man, only disdain. He is going to drag as many into the lake of fire with him as possible. And those that worship him through other mediums, like voodoo, do so to their own peril.
Satan cannot circumvent the Romans 8:28 Divine MO. If we could conceive of an antithetical text for Romans 8:28 it might read something like this, All things work together for bad to those who serve the Satan; to those who are ensnared according to his purpose. Sin brings judgment; obedience brings blessing. Ironically, this is a spiritual concept believers struggle with and reveals just how deceitful sin can be. Disobedience to God simply does not pay dividends to anyone, and worshipping spirits only leads down the path of self-destruction.
Behind everything affecting the physical world in a negative way, whether animate and inanimate objects, are the dynamic and destructive nature of sin and the corrupting influence of the prince of darkness. Paul stated in Romans 8:22, For the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now. All of inanimate and animate nature is personified as waiting eagerly for when Christ returns for His own (Rom 8:19). Paul indicates in Rom 8:20 that creation was subjected to futility or vanity or purposelessness. It describes the change and decay that is evident in all created things (Rom 8:21).
God, through His own decrees (cf. Gen 3:14, 17-19), subjected all of creation (Rom 8:20) to the corrupting influence of sin and Satan. And you probably guessed the opposite, all things work together for good by whom, God (Rom 8:28); all good things come from God. The rain falls upon the just and the unjust. So who do you think is going to get blamed for this tragedy in Haiti, Satan or God? You already know the answer.
Voodoo became an officially recognized religion in Haiti on 4/5/2003 by executive decree of president Jean-Bertrand Aristide. Photographer, Lynne Warberg, who had documented Haitian voodoo for over a decade, had this to say about one of the common sayings in Haiti,
…Haitians are 70 percent Catholic, 30 percent Protestant, and 100 percent voodoo.(http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2004/07/0707_040707_tvtaboovoodoo.html)
The 2004 article goes on to say this concerning the religion of voodoo.
"It is a religion in the same way Judaism or Christianity is," said Bob Corbett, professor emeritus of philosophy at Webster University in St. Louis, Missouri. "Voodoo doesn't have a sacred text, a church, or a hierarchical structure of leaders, but it is very similar culturally." [Culturally similar as far as a way of life, but unlike Christianity, it has no standard or accountability; anything goes. Christianity, on the other hand, is based upon the standards of God’s holiness as revealed in the Bible. Voodoo is based upon the whims of demons, unholy and evil-based, added]
Ancient Traditions
Voodoo, meaning "spirit," may be one of the world's oldest ancestral, nature-honoring traditions according to Mamaissii Vivian Dansi Hounon, a member of OATH, the Organization of African Traditional Healers in Martinez, Georgia.
[Voodoo is animism which is basically the belief that the spirits inhabit in every animate and inanimate object in the natural world. Scriptural evidence indicates demons inhabit only people or animals, not plants or inanimate objects including natural phenomena, added]
Some anthropologists estimate that voodoo's roots in Benin—formerly Dahomey—West Africa may go back 6,000 years. Today an estimated 60 million people practice voodoo worldwide. At a voodoo ceremony, believers gather outdoors to make contact with the Loa, any of a pantheon of spirits who have various functions running the universe, much like Greek gods. There is also a responsibility to care for beloved and deified family spirits and to honor a chief god, Bondieu.
During the ceremony, the houngan or mambo—priest or priestess—sacrifices a sanctified chicken or other animal to the Loa. Participants then ask the spirits for advice or help with problems. More than half the requests are for health.
It is said that the Loa sometimes communicate prophecies, advice, or warnings while the believer is possessed. Other messages are sent through the priest or priestess, or sometimes come later in dreams.
These disembodied spirits are believed to become tired and worn down—and rely on humans to "feed" them in periodic rituals, including sacrifices. "It's not the killing of the animals that matters," Corbett said. "It's the transfer of life energy back to the Loa."
Each of the spirits has a distinct identity. Some are loving and good, while others are capricious or demanding. Haitians believe that the Loa most often express their displeasure by making people sick.
Black Magic?
In the West voodoo has been portrayed in zombie movies and popular books as dark and evil, a cult of devil worship dominated by black magic, human sacrifice, and pin-stuck voodoo dolls—none of which exist in the voodoo practices that originated in Benin. [note, that originated in Benin, West Africa, added]
In Haiti voodoo began as an underground activity. During the 1700s thousands of West African slaves were shipped to Haiti to work on French plantations.
The slaves were baptized as Roman Catholics upon their arrival in the West Indies. Their traditional African religious practices were viewed as a threat to the colonial system and were forbidden. Practitioners were imprisoned, whipped, or hung.
But the slaves continued to practice in secret while attending masses. What emerged was a religion that the colonialists thought was Catholicism—but they were outfoxed.
Hybrid Rituals
It was easy to meld the two faiths, because there are many similarities between Roman Catholicism and voodoo, Corbett said. Both venerate a supreme being and believe in the existence of invisible evil spirits or demons and in an afterlife.
Each religion also focuses its ceremonies around a center point—an altar in Catholicism, a pole or tree in voodoo. Their services include symbolic or actual rituals of sacrifice and consumption of flesh and blood, Corbett noted.
Many of the Loa resemble Christian saints, endowed with similar responsibilities or attributes. For example, Legba, an old man, is said to open the gates between Earth and the world of the Loa, much like St. Peter traditionally throws wide the gates to heaven. But there are differences. Westerners tend to believe in free will and personal choice. Not so in voodoo.
"The Haitian people have a view of the world that is unimaginably different from ours," Corbett said. The Loa are believed to determine our lives to an astonishing degree, he explains, and they are always present in great numbers: There might be two people in a room, but there are also 20 Loa.
"Our view is dominated by physical, touchable reality. In Haiti the spirits are as real as your wife or your dog," Corbett said.
Like any other religious practice, voodoo brings great benefits [The worship of demons takes a new age spin, added] explains Warberg, the photographer. "Participation in voodoo ritual reaffirms one's relationships with ancestors, personal history, community relationships—and the cosmos. Voodoo is a way of life," she said. (Ibid)
[I quoted from this source, not because I am in agreement with the views expressed, to offer some insight on the voodoo religion; voodoo is a scary and dangerous religion to be involved in; these spirits (Loa) are nothing more than fallen angels; these demonic forces gathering around the practice of voodoo are extremely dangerous for there are no harmless demons portrayed in Scripture. Demons only mission are to deceive and to destroy as the worshipper courts their favor; these evil spirits are of the army of Apollyon; their handiwork is evident in Port au Prince]
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We assume that because God didn’t prevent the quake from happening in Haiti that He is unloving. Sending His Son to the cross refutes any notion of God being unloving (Jn 3:16). Since God is unchangeable in His nature (Mal 3:6), God’s love is still the same yesterday,today, and forever. God knew the greatest tragedy a man or woman could ever experience is entering eternity without Christ. The consequences are so devastating and final which is why God in His love for man sent His only provision for sin, His Son. If we do not recognize the spiritual aspect behind all the catastrophes in the world, we will not see the fingerprints of Yahweh as Romans 8:28 plays out in the midst of our lives.
This detour was longer than expected so let’s get back on the main road to Ruth’s house.
| Verse | Comments |
| Ruth 4:13 | Ruth (a Moab immigrant, years of barrenness in Moab, only weeks in Bethlehem and fruitfulness abounding). What a difference the LORD makes in a life that is centered on Him. The LORD gave her conception (cf. Psa 127:3) |
| Ruth 4:14 | The LORD, who has not left you (contrast Ruth 1:19-21) Emptiness has been turned into fullness. When drowning in our circumstances we cannot see God at work in our lives. Close relative here refers to Ruth’s child, Obed, not Boaz (cf. Ruth 4:15, has borne him) The purpose of the child is revealed, to preserve the name of Elimelech’s family. Other godly and conservative scholars believe this kinsman refers to Boaz. |
| Ruth 4:15 | In Naomi’s graying years Obed will be there for her. Naturally, Boaz will take care of Naomi until Obed’s grown. Ruth 4:15 better fits the description of Obed. Boaz was all those things to Naomi as well: a restorer of life and a nourisher of your old age. But only Obed would take away the reproach of childlessness as a son of Ruth and also as a son of Naomi (Ruth 4:17) and comfort both in their old age. Better to you than seven sons 7 is the number of perfection, complete, a symbol of God’s blessings (cf. Job 1:2; 1 Sam 2:5). 6 is the number of man, one short of perfection, incomplete, lacking. Figuratively speaking, Ruth has done one better than 7 according to the women in Bethlehem! |
| Ruth 4:16 | Became a nurse to him (a nanny). Naomi’s motherhood was stripped in Moab. She has been restored and has a new purpose for living. Life can begin again from the ash heap. This is an affectionate picture of a grandmother’s love for her grandson. Naomi bottomed out in Moab but rose to sublime heights in Bethlehem, even at her age. If God is able to do that through Naomi, He is able to do the same for us. The golden years are to be lived in fruitful service to the Lord. How badly do we long for the bread of life (Jn 6:48)? Are we loafing around in Moab, or are we longing for God to bring us to a place of blessing and restoration? It all begins with seeing our need of Him and heading back to God as Naomi returned to the house of bread, Bethlehem. Why languish any longer in Moab? The bread of life is not there…. |
| Ruth 4:17 | A son born to Naomi All made possible through Ruth who vicariously restored the family name of Naomi’s deceased son (Ruth 1:5) and Ruth’s deceased husband, Mahlon (Ruth 4:10). Obed (servant, the serving one) This is the only instance in the OT where the parents did not give a name to the first born (see JMSB, p. 373).In the NT we see where Zacharias and Elizabeth did not name John the Baptist (Luk 1:13), and Joseph and Mary did not name Jesus (Luk 1:31). Ruth’s pregnancy was not miraculous like John and Jesus, but apparently the birth of her son created no small stir. The community of women got involved! They got so into this union that they decided to name the baby, Obed. I wonder if they named Ruth’s second son Bedlam for the next women's club stirring! Apparently, Boaz, Ruth, and Naomi had no objections. The father of Jesse, the father of David Boaz and Ruth were the great grandparents of David. |
| Ruth 4:18 | Often we glide over genealogy as unimportant or inconsequential. But did you know that the book of Ruth is the only book in the Bible that ends with a genealogy? We will see the importance of this shortly. Generations (descendants, not all intermediate links are specified, approximately 380 years between Salmon and David). Perez is mentioned to establish David’s connection with the line of Judah which Perez, the son of Judah, represents. David’s lineage extends all the way back beyond Perez to Abraham: Judah (Gen 49:10), Jacob (Gen 28:13-14), and Isaac (Gen 26:24), and Abraham (Gen 12:1-3). Hezron (cf. Gen 46:12) one of two sons (Hamul, the other one) |
| Ruth 4:19 | Ram (Not related to Dodge) Amminadab Father-in-law of Aaron (Ex 6:23). Cited in Mt 1:4 and Lu 3:33 but not in 1 Chr 2:10. |
| Ruth 4:20 | Nahshon The leader of Judah in the Exodus (Num 2:3; 10:14). Salmon We learn in Mt 1:5 that Salmon was married to Rahab (the harlot who hid the two spies in Jericho preceding an attack on the city of Jericho by Joshua’s army, Josh 2:1ff, ca. 1406 B.C. This list of names is intended to be a short but incomplete genealogy. Since Salmon lived during the conquest of the Promised Land and the genesis of the period of the Judges; and David was born almost 400 years later, the omissions were intentional. It was unnecessary to include every generation. The compression of the genealogical record in Ruth served to list notable ancestors in the Messianic line. Note in Mt 1:1, son could mean “descendant,” Jesus Christ, the [descendant] of David, the son [descendant] of Abraham. We are sons (descendants) of Adam. |
| Ruth 4:21 | Salmon begot Boaz In Mt 1:5 it states that Salmon begot Boaz by Rahab, in other words, Rahab, the Canaanite harlot, was Boaz’s mother. The difficulty is in this verse is that Rahab and Boaz were separated by two to three hundred years. More than likely Rahab is viewed as Boaz’s mother in an ancestral sense (cf. “our father Abraham, Rom 4:12, which means “our ancestor Abraham”). Obed, however, is the grandfather of David, no time jump here. |
| Ruth 4:22 | Jesse (Yahweh is firm) father of eight sons (1 Sam 17:12-14). Seven sons passed before Samuel (1 Sam 16:10-11). David was the seventh son of Jesse (1 Chr 2:13-15). There was a younger, an eighth son, who apparently died. Jesse had seven sons living, and one was dead. Jesse was of no rank; he was a shepherd who lived in Bethlehem. Isaiah prophesied that the Messiah would come from the stock of Jesse (Isa 11:1). David (beloved) David was the second king of Israel. Looking at Mt 1:1 you see the Messianic implications in the story of Ruth, The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the Son of David, the Son of Abraham. God will make a covenant with her great grandson David (2 Sam 7:12-16) to establish his house, his kingdom, and his throne forever. This Davidic covenant will be fulfilled in Jesus Christ (Gen 49:10; Psa 89:36-37; Isa 9:7; Dan 2:44; 7:14; Luk 1:32-33; Heb 1:8; Rev 11:15), the son of David (Mt. 1:1). The last word ending the story of Ruth is the name of David, preparing us for the monarchy to follow beginning with Saul. Remember the back drop of Ruth was during the period of the Judges which was a turbulent and tumultuous time in Israel’s history because God’s law was not consistently the rule of life (Jdg 21:25). Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD (Psa 33:12). Against this backdrop we see God fingerprints of providence all in the story line. The inclusion of this compact genealogy teaches us that history is not a series of haphazard events. History serves a purpose, God’s purpose (Rom 8:28). God is sovereign and rules in the affairs of men. As A.T. Pierson used to say, "History is His story." Even when the circumstances of life would argue that God has abandoned us, He has never left us and is always working in and through us for His glory and for our good (Rom 8:28). This passage in Ruth 4:18-22 is given in the genealogy of Christ in Matthew 1 (Mt 1:3-6). History points not only to David but ultimately to Christ who is our Kinsman Redeemer. What did you do with your shoe (see lucottos.blogspot.com on Ruth 4:1-12)? Ruth 4:21-22 and 1 Chr 2:12-15 are repeated in the genealogy of Christ in the NT (Mt 1:5-6 and Luk 3:31-32). The mention of the genealogy in Ruth and again in Christ’s genealogy in the NT reveal the Messianic overtones in the genealogy included in the book of Ruth. David’s name hints to the providential purpose behind the book. Obed was part of the Messianic line because his grandson turned out to be David, and Christ was the son or descendant of David (Mt 1:1). All of this was made possible by the sovereignty of God working through an amazing woman of faith who was an immigrant from Moab converted to Judaism. |
Postscript:
God is guilty of Romans 8:28 in the book of Ruth; He "carelessly" left His fingerprints everywhere! It doesn't take much of a spiritual sleuth to figure that out. Going up to Moab was a disaster; returning to Bethlehem was a blessing. In the midst of famine in Bethlehem, Moab’s grass may have appeared greener, but it turned out to be of no nutritional value, spiritually. There is no need for us to turn to the world; God will take care of us (cf. Psa 33:18-19).
You need to know this if you don’t know already, if you decide to leave God and enter Moab, Naomi can attest, you will be stripped of all that is precious and leave full of emptiness! Call it the joy of Moab. Naomi was in some sense a female Job though she didn’t suffer to the extent that Job did. She was stripped of everything, husband, sons, motherhood, and left with a bleak future. How barren her life became in the country of Moab. Unfortunately, she didn’t respond in the way Job did (Job 1:21-22; 13:15a), but she finally came full circle (an indication she truly belonged to God). Fortunately, her health was not failing, but those years in Moab took its toll on her physically (cf. Ruth 1:19). Bitter and barren and not better for wear, she headed for home and tagging along was a remarkable woman by the name of Ruth.
Ruth’s commitment to Naomi (Ruth 1:16-17) was as if God was saying to Naomi, “I will never leave your side, Naomi; for I am with you until it’s time to take you home.” The only thing the country of Moab ever produced that was of any historical importance was the lady Ruth. She learned through Naomi that Moab was a place you don't want to be at. You see, Moab is a type of the world. Orpah, Ruth’s sister-in-law, was worldly minded and turned back to Moab (cf. Lot’s wife, Gen 19:26), but Ruth was spiritually minded to go to a new country, God’s country, with Naomi to a place that meant the house of bread, Bethlehem.
Boaz is a type of Christ who redeems us from our predicament (the law’s condemnation) and gives us a glorious future by bringing us into the lineage of Christ.
Over the course of the last few weeks, I have often reflected on the life of these two godly women. I wished I could say I am a Ruth, but I think in actuality, I am more like Naomi. I made that decision to go into Moab, too, because my gut was telling me there was something better there than where I was.
For me it seemed like I was experiencing famine in the church (not FBC!). I had lost my confidence in the church leadership and was bone-tired of leadership leveraging legalistic ways. Legalism (keeping a bunch of rules in order to be considered spiritual and accepted among the herd, rather than living the life in and through the Word) will initiate a spiritual famine in your life; and left unchecked, you begin to spiritually drift across a virtual desert wasteland like the dunes.
I allowed legalism to affect my relationship with God. Heavy was I in the doing than being. I attended and participated in every church episode while my relationship with Christ went south. I was so fed up with churchianity that I left the church and left God (the two always seem to go together), blaming it all on legalism.
For years, unwilling to reengage into “serving the Lord” for fear of getting under another authoritarian pastor; I dabbled with attending various churches, but I had become an expert at sniffing out legalism a mile away; self-righteousness empowers the spiritual sniffer; you know. I supposed I was mad at God; I don’t know.
What I do know was that I was running full throttle on Judges 21:25 octane. This kind of fuel mixture is hard on the engine; let me tell you. Subjecting myself to a local church authority really wasn't the issue; it was my unwillingness to submit to God. I got away from Him in being busy "serving" and finally took off for Moab. By this I mean when serving God takes place of an intimate relationship with Him, it becomes a religious exercise and not a relational response. True worship, true service are born out of a proper relationship with Christ.
I learned the tough way that there was no food or growth to be found to sustain my soul in Moab. I was doing like most every other worldly believer, living by the rule of right in my own eyes (cf. Jdg 21:25); I was holding and treating the Bible as sacred, intellectually, but I was living by a secular standard, a worldly standard - by Moab's measurements. I was saved but drifting with the dunes in the barren wilderness, daring anyone to “judge” me as I journeyed through the desert of my own creation.
There are three things the story of Ruth teaches us.
First, Moab living is rough, folks, a tough way to live a life.
Second, the blessing is where God is; He isn’t in Moab. It was a move of personal choice on Naomi’s and Ruth’s part to head to where God was; it is also a choice on our part. Elimelech simply made a bad choice; Orpah made the wrong choice; I made a bad choice; and it just about killed Naomi. We can’t have it both ways; it’s the problem of trying to serve two masters kind of thing (Mt 6:24).
But let me mention a third thing before closing up shop, the grace of God. Ruth to me is a picture of the grace of God, sent like an angel to see me through to the blessing of spiritual restoration and fellowship with Him. Oh, the tenacity of God that rebellion could not shake free (cf. Ruth 1:16-17; Rom 8:35, 38-39). God used an angel like Ruth to accompany me back home.
Like Naomi, God wasn’t finished with me yet! He still had a purpose for me! From the wasteland of bitterness came forth a different person forged in the fiery furnace (a painful place to be). I was now a hybrid metal molded into something stronger, more agile, and resilient to do God’s will.
But for the grace of God (Rom 8:28), go I, Orpah (Ruth 1:15)….
I am Michael, son of David…. Are you a son of David?
What did you do with your shoe?
