2 Kings

God used the prophet Elisha to heal a Gentile, a non-Jew.

Now Naaman, captain of the army of the king of Aram, was a great man with his master, and highly respected, because by him the LORD had given victory to Aram. The man was also a valiant warrior, but he was a leper. Now the Arameans had gone out in bands and had taken captive a little girl from the land of Israel; and she waited on Naaman’s wife. She said to her mistress, “I wish that my master were with the prophet who is in Samaria! Then he would cure him of his leprosy.” Naaman went in and told his master, saying, “Thus and thus spoke the girl who is from the land of Israel.” Then the king of Aram said, “Go now, and I will send a letter to the king of Israel.” He departed and took with him ten talents of silver and six thousand shekels of gold and ten changes of clothes. He brought the letter to the king of Israel, saying, “And now as this letter comes to you, behold, I have sent Naaman my servant to you, that you may cure him of his leprosy.” When the king of Israel read the letter, he tore his clothes and said, “Am I God, to kill and to make alive, that this man is sending word to me to cure a man of his leprosy? But consider now, and see how he is seeking a quarrel against me.” It happened when Elisha the man of God heard that the king of Israel had torn his clothes, that he sent word to the king, saying, “Why have you torn your clothes? Now let him come to me, and he shall know that there is a prophet in Israel.” So Naaman came with his horses and his chariots and stood at the doorway of the house of Elisha. Elisha sent a messenger to him, saying, “Go and was in the Jordan seven times, and your flesh will be restored to you and you will be clean.” But Naaman was furious and went away and said, “Behold, I thought, ‘He will surely come out to me and stand and call on the name of the LORD his God, and wave his hand over the place and cure the leper.’ Are not Abanah and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? Could I not wash in them and be clean?” So he turned and went away in a rage. Then his servants came near and spoke to him and said, “My father, had the prophet told you to do some great thing, would you not have done it? How much more then, when he says to you, ‘Wash, and be clean?’” So he went down and dipped himself seven times in the Jordan, according to the word of the man of God; and his flesh was restored like the flesh of a little child and he was clean. When he returned to the man of God with all his company, and came and stood before him, he said, “Behold now, I know that there is no God in all the earth, but in Israel; so please take a present from your servant now.” But he said, “As the LORD lives, before whom I stand, I will take nothing.” And he urged him to take it, but he refused. Naaman said, “If not, please let your servant at least be given two mules’ load of earth; for your servant will no longer offer burnt offering nor will he sacrifice to other gods, but to the LORD. In this matter may the LORD pardon your servant: when my master goes into the house of Rimmon to worship there, and he leans on my hand and I bow myself in the house of Rimmon, when I bow myself in the house of Rimmon, the LORD pardon your servant in this matter.” 2 Kings 5: 1 – 18

So even though Israel was God’s chosen nation during the days of the Old Testament, the Lord did show kindness and mercy to the Gentiles. Yet over the years the Jews lost sight of God’s mercy for all people, and this false belief influenced their thoughts on who the Messiah would be. They expected a military or political leader, who would free the nation of Israel from their oppressors.

Yet Jesus the Messiah did not come to free the nation of Israel from its Roman occupiers, but He came to free all people from their sins and save them from the wrath of God. This is one of the great facets of the gospel – that God’s good news was intended for the Gentiles and not only the Jews.

Jesus used the account of the healing of Naaman the Aramean to foreshadow the fact that His gospel would be given to the Gentiles. He referenced the account after standing up in a synagogue and reading Scripture.

And He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up; and as was His custom, He entered the synagogue on the Sabbath, and stood up to read. And the book of the prophet Isaiah was handed to Him. And He opened the book and found the place where it was written, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor, He has sent Me to proclaim release to the captives, and recovery of sight to the blind, to set free those who are oppressed, to proclaim the favorable year of the LORD.” And He closed the book, gave it back to the attendant and sat down; and the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on Him. And He began to say to them, “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.” And all were speaking well of Him, and wondering at the gracious words which were falling from His lips; and they were saying, “Is this not Joseph’s son?” And He said to them, “No doubt you will quote this proverb to Me, ‘Physician, heal yourself! Whatever we heard was done at Capernaum, do here in your hometown as well.’” And He said, “Truly I say to you, no prophet is welcome in his hometown. But I say to you in truth, there were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the sky was shut up for three years and six months, when a great famine came over all the land; and yet Elijah was sent to none of them, but only to Zarephath, in the land of Sidon, to a woman who was a widow. And there were many lepers in Israel in the time of Elisha the prophet; and none of them was cleansed, but only Naaman the Syrian.” And all the people in the synagogue were filled with rage as they heard these things; and they got up and drove Him out of the city, and led Him to the brow of the hill on which their city had been built, in order to throw Him down the cliff. But passing through their midst, He went His way. Luke 4: 16 – 30

Why did the people rage? Because Jesus pointed back to Scripture and demonstrated a time in which God healed a Gentile leper and did not heal Jewish lepers. They raged because they did not believe in God’s love for all people, and they had made false assumptions about why God had chosen them as a distinct nation. They didn’t want to think that God’s love could so abundantly be given to Gentiles and they misunderstood the ministry of the Messiah.

Yet this is the teaching of the New Testament, that the gospel has no boundaries. No one is beyond its reach. God will never say “that type of people should not have the gospel preached to them”. God will never exclude someone because of their race.

Perhaps talking about the gospel not being racist seems elementary. But I can assure you there is racism in the church today, operating at different levels.

Just from my own personal experience, I have witnessed such things. When I joined the Christian dating service where I met my wife, one of the questions asked was “Would you date someone of another race?” I was surprised a Christian service would ask that question, and I was even more surprised how many of the women answered “No”. Surely this is the sign of someone with a gospel that needs maturing. And even within the last few years, I had a former pastor who was Korean and who was discriminated against by certain congregants due to his race.

So the rage of the Jews against Jesus for pointing out God’s healing of Naaman was not an isolated historical incident. Racism and people’s shallow view of God’s grace is an on-going problem and will always need to be addressed in each generation. Only the gospel can truly address racism, for only when understanding that God Himself died for the sins of all people, can one begin to see how God gives righteousness independent of tribe or nation or tongue.

But now you also, put them all aside: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and abusive speech from your mouth. Do not lie to one another, since you laid aside the old self with its evil practices, and have put on the new self who is being renewed to a true knowledge according to the image of the One who created him – a renewal in which there is no distinction between Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave and freeman, but Christ is all, and in all. Colossian 3: 8 – 11

Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit… Matthew 28: 19

…and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth. Acts 1: 8

1 Kings

Solomon, son of David, was chosen by David to succeed him as king. Solomon became king and was blessed greatly by the Lord.

Now God gave Solomon wisdom and very great discernment and breadth of mind, like the sand that is on the seashore. Solomon’s wisdom surpassed the wisdom of all the sons of the east and all the wisdom of Egypt. For he was wiser than all men, than Ethan the Ezrahite, Heman, Calcol and Darda, the sons of Mahol; and his fame was known in all the surrounding nations. 1 Kings 4: 29 – 31

So the fame of Solomon extended beyond the borders of Israel, resulting one day in a visit by a dignitary from a foreign land.

Now when the queen of Sheba heard about the fame of Solomon concerning the name of the LORD, she came to test him with difficult questions. So she came to Jerusalem with a very large retinue, with camels carrying spices and very much gold and precious stones. When she came to Solomon, she spoke with him about all that was in her heart. Solomon answered all her questions; nothing was hidden from the king which he did not explain to her. When the queen of Sheba perceived all the wisdom of Solomon, the house that he had built, the food of his table, the seating of his servants, the attendance of his waiters and their attire, his cupbearers, and his stairway by which he went up to the house of the LORD, there was no more spirit in her. Then she said to the king, “It was a true report which I heard in my own land about your words and your wisdom. Nevertheless I did not believe the reports, until I came and my eyes had seen it. And behold, the half was not told me. You exceed in wisdom and prosperity the report which I heard. How blessed are your men, how blessed are these your servants who stand before you continually and hear your wisdom. Blessed be the LORD your God who delighted in you to set you on the throne of Israel; because the LORD loved Israel forever, therefore He made you king, to do justice and righteousness. 1 Kings 10: 1 – 9

The wisdom of Solomon and his prosperity impressed the queen, and she attributed such things to the blessings of God. This account of Solomon and the queen of Sheba is the context for a rebuke that Jesus gave to the scribes and Pharisees.

Then some of the scribes and Pharisees said to Him, “Teacher, we want to see a sign from You.” But He answered and said to them… “The Queen of the South will rise up with this generation at the judgment and will condemn it, because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and behold, something greater than Solomon is here.” Matthew 12: 38 – 39, 42

It was quite the claim for Jesus to call Himself greater than Solomon, at that particular time to that particular audience. The Pharisees thought Jesus was a false prophet and a blasphemer, not a king and not the Son of David. But Jesus performed great miracles and demonstrated tremendous wisdom; for like Solomon, Jesus was able to respond to any question or argument brought His way.

So in wisdom and wonders, Jesus should have been considered equal to Solomon, if not greater, by the scribes and Pharisees. But their hearts were hardened and they could not see.

To us now, with the Scriptures and the benefit of hindsight, we should be able to clearly see how Christ exceeds Solomon’s glory. But, there is one aspect to focus on, more than Christ’s wisdom and more than Christ’s wonders. When comparing the humanity of Jesus to the humanity of Solomon, the thing that truly makes Him greater is His fidelity to the God of Israel. Solomon became corrupt; his wisdom and power led to hubris which led to him turning from God and turning to false gods and foreign women. But we cannot say such things about Jesus. All the miracles, all the wisdom, all the power, and He remained undefiled. He never sinned, He never denied God, He never bowed to Satan. He did not do as Solomon did, and therefore He was, and is, greater.

The sinless Christ is a very important doctrine. For when Jesus was put to death by the Jews for the sin of blasphemy, He was vindicated by God in that He was raised from the dead. For if the wages of sin is death, how could He remain dead who never sinned? And if He truly blasphemed the Holy One of Israel, then how could God let Jesus be resurrected? And if Jesus had sinned, like Solomon sinned, what good is it to say His righteousness is imparted to us?

But He who never sinned and raised Himself from the dead declares that He is greater than Solomon. Who could possibly argue with His logic?

Creational Monotheism = Polytheism = Henotheism

John Mark Comer, of Solid Rock church in Portland (some 7,000 attendees), is teaching a doctrine that he has labeled “creational monotheism”. This doctrine declares that there is only one “creator God”, but that there are many gods. He claims this is the teaching of Scripture. He claims that there is a distinct class of created beings called “gods”, but that they all derive from the creative power of the creator God. These gods are distinct from demons, for he made a point in one of his sermons to teach that the demons serve “the gods”.

If you take the words monotheism and polytheism by their plain meaning, as provided by dictionary.com:

Monotheism = the doctrine or belief that there is only one God

Polytheism = the doctrine or belief in more than one god or in many gods

then you should quickly realize that the pastor’s attempt to call his doctrine monotheistic is greatly lacking in logic. For if you teach there is more than one god, you are by definition polytheistic. It does not matter whether you teach that only one of the gods, out of the many, is worthy of worship. The recipient of worship has nothing to do with the definition of monotheism or polytheism.

So, in summary, there is a church which, if you were to peruse their website, seems to fall within the class of an evangelical church with social justice leanings. But they are teaching polytheism.

Yet, because he is teaching that we ought to worship Yahweh above other gods, his brand of polytheism can be more precisely labeled. He is a henotheist. The dictionary tells us that henotheism is

“The worship of a particular god, as by a family or tribe, without disbelieving in the existence of others.”

Henotheism is neither considered apostolic doctrine nor the teaching of Scripture. The Scripture refers to false gods and idols, but we are never to take such things literally, as if there are actually a distinct class of beings known as “gods”. The false gods of Scripture are always demonic or derived from the art and thought of man. Henotheism is not a viable doctrine in orthodox Christianity. The Scriptures teach monotheism.

To teach that Yahweh rules over the council of gods is to teach something very similar to Greek mythology, where Zeus was the “Father of Gods and men” and ruled the council of the Olympians. It is a horrible leap in logic to think that if you teach only one god should be worshipped, that you are monotheistic.

The prophet Isaiah gives us words from the Lord, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and the only true God.

“You are My witnesses,” declares the LORD, “and My servant whom I have chosen, so that you may know and believe Me and understand that I am He. Before Me there was no God was formed, and there will be none after Me. I, even I, am the LORD, and there is no savior besides Me.” Isaiah 43: 10 – 11

If this pastor can’t understand the simple definitions of monotheism and polytheism, should we even entertain the idea he understands the Scriptures accurately regarding “the gods”?

2 Samuel

There is a subtle prophecy regarding God’s provision, uttered by Abraham and confirmed by Moses, which really begins to take shape in the last chapter of 2 Samuel. Moses writes that Abraham, after almost killing his own son Isaac, received a ram in his place as an offering.

Then Abraham raised his eyes and looked, and behold, behind him a ram caught in the thicket by his horns; and Abraham went and took the ram and offered him up for a burnt offering in the place of his son. Abraham called the name of that place The LORD Will Provide, as it is said to this day, “In the mount of the LORD it will be provided.” Genesis 22: 13 – 14

God’s provision being prophesied would occur on the “mount of the LORD”; this mount became a Jewish idiom for the temple, as the temple was built on Mount Moriah. And how did the temple come to be built on Mount Moriah? By the purchase of land detailed in the last chapter of 2 Samuel.

So Gad came to David that day and said to him, “Go up, erect an altar to the LORD on the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.” David went up according to the word of Gad, just as the LORD had commanded. Araunah looked down and saw the king and his servants crossing over toward him; and Araunah went out and bowed his face to the ground before the king. Then Araunah said, “Why has my lord the king come to his servant?” And David said, “To buy the threshing floor from you in order to build an altar to the LORD, that the plague may be held back from the people.” 2 Samuel 24: 18 – 21

We know that this threshing floor was the temple location based on 2 Chronicles 3:1:

Then Solomon began to build the house of the LORD in Jerusalem on Mount Moriah, where the LORD had appeared to his father David, at the place that David had prepared on the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite.

The temple played a significant role in the Old Covenant, but the building of the temple was not the ultimate fulfillment of Abraham’s prophecy. The temple was not God’s ultimate provision for His people.

Jesus Christ, God’s only Son, is the ultimate provision for God’s people. On the day when Jesus died, the Scripture records an earthquake and another wonder:

And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice, and yielded up His spirit. And behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and the earth shook and the rocks were split. Matthew 27: 50 – 51

This temple veil was the veil separating the Holy Place from the Most Holy Place, which could only be entered once a year (Day of Atonement) by the High Priest following a strict procedure. Yet the New Covenant of Christ, established by His blood, atoned for sin perfectly and forever, made the temple obsolete, and truly fulfilled the prophecy of Abraham. For on the mount of the LORD, on the day Jesus died for our sins, reconciliation with God was provided, and the temple veil on that mount was torn in two.

Now even the first covenant had regulations of divine worship and the earthly sanctuary. For there was a tabernacle prepared, the outer one, in which were the lampstand and the table and the sacred bread; this is called the holy place. Behind the second veil there was a tabernacle which is called the Holy of Holies, having a golden altar of incense and the ark of the covenant covered on all sides with gold, in which was a golden jar holding the manna, and Aaron’s rod which budded, and the tables of the covenant; and above it were the cherubim of glory overshadowing the mercy seat; but of these things we cannot now speak in detail. Now when these things have been so prepared, the priests are continually entering the outer tabernacle performing the divine worship, but into the second, only the high priest enters once a year, not without taking blood, which he offers for himself and for the sins of the people committed in ignorance. The Holy Spirit is signifying this, that the way into the holy place has not yet been disclosed while the outer tabernacle is still standing, which is a symbol for the present time. Accordingly both gifts and sacrifices are offered which cannot make the worshiper perfect in conscience, since they relate only to food and drink and various washings, regulations for the body imposed until a time of reformation. But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things to come, He entered through the greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this creation; and not through the blood of goats and calves, but through His own blood, He entered the holy place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption. For if the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkling those who have been defiled for the cleansing of the flesh, how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?…For Christ did not enter a holy place made with hands, a mere copy of the true one, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us. Hebrews 9: 1 – 14, 24

The False Gospel of Ray Lewis

Did you watch the Ray Lewis interview that was aired prior to the Super Bowl? Ray, never one to hesitate speaking about a “god” somewhat related to the Bible, demonstrated his fundamental lack of knowledge about the Biblical gospel. When asked about his role in a double murder over ten years ago he offered this quote:

“If you really knew how God works, he don’t use people who commit anything like that for his glory.”

Has Ray Lewis never read about the Apostle Paul, and how he once persecuted Christians until being redeemed by Christ? Ray laid all his cards on the table with that quote. He has no conception of the Biblical gospel of Jesus Christ dying for sinners, including murderers, but instead is caught up in some false religious form of American Christianity which contains dangerous strands of moralism and a prosperity heresy.

His lack of understanding was further demonstrated during the post-game celebration, where he said something to the effect of “If God is for you, who can be against you,” as if he had firsthand knowledge that it was God Himself who had planned and purposed for the Ravens to win the Super Bowl during Ray Lewis’ last season.

For those who may be inclined to think God was with the Ravens because of the religion of Ray Lewis, I offer the following warning from Moses, for it surely seems applicable to someone who has done great and amazing things on the football field, but who is praising a god that, every time I have heard that god spoken about, has no direct connection to Jesus Christ and His gospel, but only a loose affiliation with hand-picked Bible verses.

If a prophet or a dreamer of dreams arises among you and gives you a sign or a wonder, and the sign or the wonder comes true, concerning which he spoke to you, saying, ‘Let us go after other gods (whom you have not known) and let us serve them,’ you shall not listen to the words of that prophet or that dreamer of dreams; for the LORD your God is testing you to find out if you love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul. Deuteronomy 13: 1 – 3

1 Samuel

The LORD gave Israel the law through Moses; He gave them prophets who spoke His word; He gave them judges to deliver them; but He did not give them a king.

It was God’s desire that Israel would look to Him rather than a man, as ruler and king. But the hearts of the people were wicked, and their desire to have a man rule them was prophesied by Moses even before the people ever officially asked for a king.

When you enter the land which the LORD your God gives you, and you possess it and live in it, and you say, ‘I will set a king over me like all the nations who are around me,’ you shall surely set a king over you whom the LORD your God chooses, one from among your countrymen you shall set as king over yourselves; you may not put a foreigner over yourselves who is not your countryman. Deuteronomy 17: 14 – 15

These are condemning words from Moses, for it was not a good thing that Israel desired to be like “all the nations…” rather than be like God’s chosen nation. This prophecy of Moses was fulfilled a few hundred years later, in the days of Samuel.

And it came about when Samuel was old that he appointed his sons judges over Israel. Now the name of his firstborn was Joel, and the name of his second, Abijah; they were judging in Beersheba. His sons, however, did not walk in his ways, but turned aside after dishonest gain and took bribes and perverted justice. Then all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah; and they said to him, “Behold, you have grown old, and your sons do not walk in your ways. Now appoint a king for us to judge us like all the nations.” But the thing was displeasing in the sight of Samuel when they said, “Give us a king to judge us.” And Samuel prayed to the LORD. The LORD said to Samuel, “Listen to the voice of the people in regard to all that they say to you, for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected Me from being king over them. Like all the deeds they have done since the day that I brought them up from Egypt even to this day – in that they have forsaken Me and served other gods – so they are doing to you also.” 1 Samuel 8: 1 – 8

Perhaps understanding Israel’s wicked desire for a king in the days of Samuel makes the incarnation of King Jesus that much more profound. For by the Son taking on human flesh, God fulfills both His desire to be thought of as king by His people and the desire of His people to be ruled by a man. For Jesus Christ will reign over His kingdom forever and He will do so in human flesh.

Paul preached a message once relating the days of Samuel and the appointing of kings to the eventual coming of Christ.

Now Paul and his companions put out to sea from Paphos and came to Perga in Pamphylia; but John left them and returned to Jerusalem. But going on from Perga, they arrived at Pisidian Antioch, and on the Sabbath day they went into the synagogue and sat down. After the reading of the Law and the Prophets the synagogue officials sent to them, saying, “Brethren, if you have any word of exhortation for the people, say it.” Paul stood up, and motioning with his hand said, “Men of Israel, and you who fear God, listen: The God of this people Israel chose our fathers and made the people great during their stay in the land of Egypt, and with an uplifted arm He led them out from it. For a period of about forty years He put up with them in the wilderness. When He had destroyed seven nations in the land of Canaan, He distributed their land as an inheritance – all of which took about four hundred and fifty years. After these things He gave them judges until Samuel the prophet. Then they asked for a king, and God gave them Saul the son of Kish, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, for forty years. After He had removed him, He raised up David to be their king, concerning whom He also testified and said, ‘I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after My heart, who will do all My will.’ From the descendants of this man, according to promise, God has brought to Israel a Savior, Jesus, after John had proclaimed before His coming a baptism of repentance to all the people of Israel…And we preach to you the good news of the promise made to the fathers, that God has fulfilled this promise to our children in that He raised up Jesus, as it is also written in the second Psalm, ‘You are My Son; today I have begotten You.’ As for the fact that He raised Him up from the dead, no longer to return to decay, He has spoken in this way: ‘I will give You the holy and sure blessings of David.’ Therefore He also says in another Psalm, ‘You will not allow Your Holy One to undergo decay.’ For David, after he had served the purpose of God in his own generation, fell asleep, and was laid among his fathers and underwent decay; but He whom God raised did not undergo decay. Therefore let it be known to you, brethren, that through Him forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you, and through Him everyone who believes is freed from all things, from which you could not be freed through the Law of Moses. Therefore take heed, so that the thing spoken of in the Prophets may not come upon you: ‘Behold, you scoffers, and marvel, and perish; for I am accomplishing a work in your days, a work which you will never believe, though someone should describe it to you.’ Acts 13: 13 – 24, 32 – 40

And what is this work of King Jesus that the scoffers scoff at? God in human flesh. Crucifixion, death, burial, resurrection. Forgiveness of sin, not by works, but by believing in the King.

Ruth

Jesus the Messiah, the Son of David, was born in Bethlehem.

…Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king…Matthew 2: 1

The Messiah was foretold to be born in Bethlehem, by the prophet Micah.

When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. Gathering together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born. They said to him, “In Bethlehem of Judea; for this is what has been written by the prophet…” Matthew 2: 3 – 5

In order for Jesus to be born in Bethlehem, his parents needed to travel from their residence in Nazareth to Bethlehem. But why would they travel while pregnant? To partake in the census decreed by Caesar Augustus.

Now in those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus, that a census be taken of all the inhabited earth. Luke 2: 1

The reason Joseph and Mary had to go to Bethlehem to partake in the census was because they were descendants of David, and Bethlehem was the city of David.

And everyone was on his way to register for the census, each to his own city. Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the city of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and family of David, in order to register along with Mary, who was engaged to him, and was with child. While they were there, the days were completed for her to give birth. Luke 2: 3 – 6

The reason Bethlehem was known as David’s city was because he was born there and because of his role in the history of Israel, as king and as ancestor of the Messiah to come. The events leading up to how David came to be born in Bethlehem are detailed in the book of Ruth.

So Naomi returned, and with her Ruth the Moabitess, her daughter-in-law, who returned from the land of Moab. And they came to Bethlehem at the beginning of barley harvest. Now Naomi had a kinsman of her husband, a man of great wealth, of the family of Elimelech, whose name was Boaz. Ruth 1: 22 – 2: 1

So Boaz took Ruth, and she became his wife, and he went in to her. And the LORD enabled her to conceive, and she gave birth to a son. Ruth 4: 13

Then Naomi took the child and laid him in her lap, and became his nurse. The neighbor women gave him a name, saying, “A son has been born to Naomi!” So they named him Obed. He is the father of Jesse, the father of David. Now these are the generations of Perez: to Perez was born Hezron, and to Hezron was born Ram, and to Ram, Amminadab, and to Amminadab was born Nahshon, and to Nahshon, Salmon, and to Salmon was born Boaz, and to Boaz, Obed, and to Obed was born Jesse, and to Jesse, David. Ruth 4: 16 – 21

Many may be inclined to read the book of Ruth and marvel at the morality of Ruth and of Boaz or at the beauty of their love story. But the story behind the story – the greater story – is how the events detailed in Ruth prepared the way for the birth of the Messiah in Bethlehem, a birth and a birthplace that fulfilled prophecy.

Judges

There are those who think that if there was an increase in signs and wonders performed by the church for the general population, that many unbelievers’ hearts would change and they would believe in God and be endeared to Him. The simple church focused on preaching the gospel and making disciples of the nations by teaching the full counsel of God, and focused on performing what could be called ordinary good deeds, is not enough to convert the lost soul. More is needed from the church to impress contemporary pagans and idolaters. The church must do audacious things like give sight to the blind and prosperity to the poor and health to the sick and purpose to the confused and dreams to the despondent. Through these things the godless believes in Christ and becomes godly.

This type of ecclesiological speculation ignores the naturally sinful hearts of men and gives man undue credit to ultimately make the correct choice when presented with unbelievable things like signs or wonders. The Scriptures paint a different picture of the hearts of men. If signs and wonders were enough to endear men’s hearts to the only living God, how are the Israelites from the days of Moses to the era of the judges to be explained?

Who was it that asked for the molten calf idol to be made? The Israelites who saw the signs and wonders of God via the plagues on Egypt and the plundering during Passover and the parting of the Red Sea and the pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night.

Who was it that grumbled for better food while in the wilderness? The Israelites who were given manna by God and who drank water that miraculously flowed from a rock.

It was those same people whom Moses spoke to when he said:

For I know your rebellion and your stubbornness; behold, while I am still alive with you today, you have been rebellious against the LORD; how much more, then, after my death? Assemble to me all the elders of your tribes and your officers, that I may speak these words in their hearing and call the heavens and the earth to witness against them. For I know that after my death you will act corruptly and turn from the way which I have commanded you; and evil will befall you in the latter days, for you will do that which is evil in the sight of the LORD, provoking Him to anger with the work of your hands. Deuteronomy 31: 27 – 29

The Scriptures that record the days of Israel in the wilderness do not seem to teach that if people are given a grand display of God’s power that they will choose Him over false gods and sin. Not only did those who directly walked in the wilderness disbelieve, but the generations of the judges disbelieved; those people did not have the benefit of witnessing the same signs and wonders as their fathers in the wilderness but they were undoubtedly told of what God did for their fathers.

…there arose another generation after them who did not know the LORD, nor yet the work which He had done for Israel. Then the sons of Israel did evil in the sight of the LORD and served the Baals, and they forsook the LORD, the God of their fathers, who had brought them out of the land of Egypt, and followed other gods from among the gods of the peoples who were around them, and bowed themselves down to them; thus they provoked the LORD to anger. Judges 2: 10 – 12

Then the LORD raised up judges who delivered them from the hands of those who plundered them. Yet they did not listen to their judges, for they played the harlot after other gods and bowed themselves down to them. Judges 2: 16 – 17

In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes. Judges 21: 25

So the point is this – despite the Old Covenant God made with Israel, it was not enough to induce men to change their hearts. By contemplating the pervasive wickedness of men and Israel’s consistent inability to abide by the Old Covenant of God, we as Gentiles should be even more grateful for the New Covenant of God which comes through Christ.

But now He (Jesus) has obtained a more excellent ministry, by as much as He is also the mediator of a better covenant, which has been enacted on better promises. For if that first covenant had been faultless, there would have been no occasion sought for a second. For finding fault with them, He says, “Behold, days are coming, says the Lord, when I will effect a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah; not like the covenant which I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt; for they did not continue in My covenant, and I did not care for them, says the Lord. For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put My laws into their minds, and I will write them on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be My people. And they shall not teach everyone his fellow citizen, and everyone his brother, saying, ‘know the Lord’, for all will know Me, from the least to the greatest of them. For I will be merciful to their iniquities, and I will remember their sins no more.” When He said, “A new covenant”, He has made the first obsolete. But whatever is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to disappear. Hebrews 8: 6 – 13

The beauty of the New Covenant is that God Himself changes the hearts of those He chooses to save; they are no longer required to fulfill the covenant by their own power, but rather God has done it all, in the giving of His Son on the cross to propitiate the Father’s wrath, and in the giving of His Spirit to all believers to help them and cleanse them daily.

Are the promises of the New Covenant and the knowledge of Christ enough for you, or do you need signs and wonders from God to feel His love and power? The Pharisees in the days of Christ wanted more proof as to His divine claims. The miracles He was performing were not enough for them. Jesus said:

An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign; and a sign will not be given it, except the sign of Jonah. Matthew 16: 4

What possible sign or wonder is there that can be performed by the church that exceeds the glory of the resurrection of Jesus Christ?

And what greater power could be displayed by the church that exceeds Jesus being raised from the dead on the third day, in accordance with the Scriptures?

Joshua

There is a literal scarlet thread in the book of Joshua which ties into the theme of the Scarlet Thread. As the Israelites were preparing to take Jericho by force, they sent spies into town. The spies stayed hidden in the house of a harlot named Rahab. At the end of the spies’ stay with Rahab, an extraordinary interaction occurred.

“I know that the LORD has given you the land, and that the terror of you has fallen on us, and that all the inhabitants of the land have melted away before you. For we have heard how the LORD dried up the water of the Red Sea before you when you came out of Egypt, and what you did to the two kings of the Amorites who were beyond the Jordan, to Sihon and Og, whom you utterly destroyed. When we heard it, our hearts melted and no courage remained in any man any longer because of you; for the LORD your God, He is God in heaven above and on earth beneath. Now therefore, please swear to me by the LORD, since I have dealt kindly with you, that you also will deal kindly with my father’s household, and give me a pledge of truth, and spare my father and my mother and my brothers and my sisters, with all who belong to them, and deliver our lives from death.” So the men said to her, “Our life for yours if you do not tell this business of ours; and it shall come about when the LORD gives us the land that we will deal kindly and faithfully with you.” Then she let them down by a rope through the window, for her house was on the city wall, so that she was living on the wall. She said to them, “Go to the hill country, so that the pursuers will not happen upon you, and hide yourselves there for three days until the pursuers return. Then afterward you may go on your way.” The men said to her, “We shall be free from this oath to you which you have made us swear, unless, when we come into the land, you tie this cord of scarlet thread in the window through which you let us down, and gather to yourself into the house your father and your mother and your brothers and all your father’s household. It shall come about that anyone who goes out of the doors of your house into the street, his blood shall be on his own head, and we shall be free; but anyone who is with you in the house, his blood shall be on our head if a hand is laid on him. But if you tell this business of ours, then we shall be free from the oath which you have made us swear.” She said, “According to your words, so be it.” So she sent them away, and they departed; and she tied the scarlet cord in the window. Joshua 2: 9 – 21

Just like the Passover, just like Moses and the serpent in the wilderness, this account of Rahab the harlot foreshadows elements of the gospel; salvation from the coming wrath was achieved through faith.

By faith Rahab the harlot did not perish along with those who were disobedient, after she had welcomed the spies in peace. Hebrews 11: 31

Yet Rahab did more than serve as a participant in the prophetic foreshadow of the gospel. She literally participated in the extension of the line of Judah, and paved the way for the line of David, for she was the mother of Boaz, who was an ancestor of King David.

Salmon was the father of Boaz by Rahab, Boaz was the father of Obed by Ruth, and Obed the father of Jesse. Jesse was the father of David the king. Matthew 1: 5 – 6

Rahab’s participation in extending the line of Judah and establishing the line of David is significant because the Old Testament Scriptures teach that the Messiah would be from the line of David.

For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; and the government will rest on His shoulders; and His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace. There will be no end to the increase of His government or of peace, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness from then on and forevermore. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will accomplish this. Isaiah 9: 6 – 7

And the New Testament teaches that Jesus of Nazareth, the Messiah, is a Son of David.

Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: when His mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child by the Holy Spirit. And Joseph her husband, being a righteous man and not wanting to disgrace her, planned to send her away secretly. But when he had considered this, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife; for the Child who has been conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. She will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.” Now all this took place to fulfill what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet: “Behold, the virgin shall be with child and shall bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which translated means, “God with us.” And Joseph awoke from his sleep and did as the angel of the Lord commanded him, and took Mary as his wife, but kept her a virgin until she gave birth to a Son; and he called His name Jesus. Matthew 1: 18 – 25

Deuteronomy

In the days of Moses, the LORD promised the people a prophet, an Israelite. The people were admonished to listen to the prophet God sent. Moses wrote:

The LORD your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your countrymen, you shall listen to him. This is according to all that you asked of the LORD your God in Horeb on the day of the assembly, saying, ‘Let me not hear again the voice of the LORD my God, let me not see this great fire anymore, or I will die.’ The LORD said to me, ‘They have spoken well. I will raise up a prophet from among their countrymen like you, and I will put My words in his mouth, and he shall speak to them all that I command him. It shall come about that whoever will not listen to My words which he shall speak in My name, I Myself will require it of him. But the prophet who speaks a word presumptuously in My name which I have not commanded him to speak, or which he speaks in the name of other gods, that prophet shall die.’” Deuteronomy 18: 15 – 20

The remainder of the Old Testament Scriptures bear witness to God’s general fulfillment of the promise to send a prophet. Just consider the prophets who have a book of the Bible named after them: Samuel, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel, Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi. And then there are Elijah and Elisha, and many other prophets, who were sent but did not write a book that made it into the Bible.

The prophecy from Moses, however, has a more specific fulfillment in the Messiah. In addition to all the prophets in the Old Testament, who in general fulfill God’s promise to speak through men, the Messiah is the ultimate fulfillment of God’s oath to raise up an Israelite in the manner of Moses.

Since the New Testament teaches that Jesus of Nazareth is the Messiah, we can also say that the New Testament teaches that Jesus is the fulfillment of Deuteronomy 18:15. Peter referenced the Deuteronomy prophecy in a message he preached to his countrymen after he had healed a lame beggar in the name of Christ:

And now, brethren, I know that you acted in ignorance, just as your rulers did also. But the things which God announced beforehand by the mouth of all the prophets, that His Christ would suffer, He has thus fulfilled. Therefore repent and return, so that your sins may be wiped away, in order that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord; and that He may send Jesus, the Christ appointed for you, whom heaven must receive until the period of restoration of all things about which God spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets from ancient time. Moses said, ‘The LORD God will raise up for you a prophet like me from your brethren; to Him you shall give heed to everything He says to you. And it will be that every soul that does not need that prophet shall be utterly destroyed from among the people.’ And likewise, all the prophets who have spoken, from Samuel and his successors onward, also announced these days. It is you who are the sons of the prophets and of the covenant which God made with your fathers, saying to Abraham, ‘And in your seed all the families of the earth shall be blessed.’ For you first, God raised up His Servant and sent Him to bless you by turning every one of you from your wicked ways. Acts 3: 17 – 26

And Stephen, right before his execution for preaching Jesus, told the people of God’s promise to Moses to raise up a prophet, as he recounted the history of Israel for the people and tried to show how Jesus was part of it.

This is the Moses who said to the sons of Israel, ‘God will raise up for you a prophet like me from your brethren.’ Acts 7: 37

So the New Testament teaches that Jesus is the promised prophet; the one that God told the Israelites to listen to. At the transfiguration of Christ, when Jesus was standing with the two great prophets of God, Moses and Elijah, the Father said this about the Son:

“This is My beloved Son, listen to Him!” Mark 9: 7

And the Scripture says that after the voice spoke, Moses and Elijah were gone.

All at once they looked around and saw no one with them anymore, except Jesus alone. Mark 9: 8

Jesus is greater than Moses and Elijah; He stands alone. He is the beloved Son and the promised prophet of God.