title devotion
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Dedication (Ruth 1:6-18) 09 noon
The challenge of two female climbers in Korea to climb the 8000m in the Himalayas became a big topic this year. The main characters are Oh Eun-sun and Ko Mi-young. It is a really great challenge to climb all 14 of the 8,000-meter-level mountains with a female body, which is difficult for even a man to do. But the great challenge of these two female climbers was not easily accepted. Mountaineer Mi-young Ko, who was competing in good faith with Eun-seon Oh, had an unfortunate accident in May this year, when she fell while descending from the summit of Nanga Parbat in the Himalayas and died.
The accident occurred after the 11th of the 14 8,000-meter-class ascents were successful.
Naturally, her challenge also stopped there. Another mountaineer, Eun-seon Oh, continues to take on the challenge, but he did the challenge recently, and eventually had to postpone it to the next due to climate issues.
It is precious not to settle for comfort like this and to take on a big and great goal. As we saw two weeks ago, Naomi decided to end her ten years in Moab and return to the land of Israel. Then he got up and set off for the land. That decision itself was precious. But today we have two people we should pay more attention to than Naomi. These are the two daughters-in-law of Moab. Verse 6 records that when Naomi left Moab and left for the land of Israel, the two daughters-in-law of Moab also set out together (6b).
As we have seen, it was not an easy decision for Naomi to return to Israel, but as we see today, the decision of the two Moabite daughters-in-law to follow Naomi to Israel was a much more difficult decision. For this reason. Because he had to give up his country and go to another country. It is by no means an easy decision for a person to leave their homeland and move to another country to live. The food is different, the language is not communicated, the culture is different, and it is great to think of it as a starting point for everything to go to an unfamiliar place. However, despite this noble decision, that decision itself did not guarantee their future. After such a difficult decision, there were obstacles that stood in the way.
1. There are obstacles to noble decisions.
Two Moabite daughters-in-law were on their way to the land of Israel with Naomi, and it wasn't long before an obstacle appeared in their way. What is that obstacle? It was the mother-in-law Naomi who was taking them.
For some reason, Naomi, who was traveling with her, suddenly starts to persuade her two daughters-in-law to return (8). In today's text, the word "return" appears many times (11, 12, 15). persuading them to go back. It was the words of my mother-in-law, who served me like the sky. And the content itself was enough to shake the hearts of daughter-in-law.
1) Appeal to human affection. Verse 8 tells us to go back to your mother's house. Where do married women think of most when they are having a hard time? It's my mother's house. Mother's house is the place where you seem to understand everything and welcome you warmly when you run to it. But to these daughters-in-law who have lost their husbands and are living alone, Naomi is admonishing them, “Do not follow me to a foreign land, but return to your own home.” will it shake? won't it vibrate? It must have been shaken. There is another word that shakes their hearts. What do you mean?
Verse 9, May each one find comfort in his husband's house.
<I lost my husband and went through a lot of hardship to take care of me, but now I think about your future, get married again, have a warm family, and live happily ever after.> they are still young no children You can make a fresh start. It is a hundred times better to start over than to go to an unfamiliar land with a single mother and suffer. So I can't help but shake But these daughters-in-law were wonderful. Even if he says that, he is not persuaded and says <We will serve Mother until the end> (10). But Naomi also persuades them.
2) persuaded with reasonable logic.
Look at 11-13, <What hope is there with me? So, go back> is very reasonable.
2. Orpah giving up
In the end, Orpah gives up following her mother-in-law. and goes back (14). He started with good intentions, but he could not overcome the obstacles and gave up on the way and went back. In this way, there are various obstacles in our lives that try to break our good will. In particular, there is such an obstacle in the life of faith. If you are trying to live a religious life, <Is there really any need to do that?> <Is there any difference in living a good life of faith?> <Stop it> <Don't believe it unusually, just believe it!> The voices telling you to go back and give up like this keep coming back it sounds like People close to me, especially Naomi, often act as such obstacles.
In the end, Orpah could not resist this pressure and temptation and gave up. It started well, but eventually gave up. Orpah is not alone. Many people have a good start like this, but give up without seeing the end.
3. Ruth Goes On
Besides Orpah, there was another Moabite daughter-in-law, Ruth, who was also pressured to return through her mother-in-law. But strangely, Ruth overcame the pressure and made it to the end. What difference was there between the two that allowed one to keep going while one could not resist the pressure and succumb? There is no external difference. Same Moabites, same daughter-in-law, same widow, same situation. But Orpah doesn't have it, Ruth has it. What? it's dedication
Ruth's confession <I will continue to follow my mother-in-law> despite all these admonitions, <Go back to your parents' house, get married and find your happiness> was the decision <I will dedicate my life for my mother-in-law>. Look at verse 15. Naomi continues to pressure Ruth to go back. Then Ruth replies (verses 16-17):
16, don't force me to go back. Where you go, I will go too, your people will be my people, and your God will be my God.
17, where my mother dies, I also die, and if I leave my mother other than death, I hope God will punish me. In a nutshell, these are the words <I will dedicate my life for Mother>.
Everyone, is there such a daughter-in-law in the world these days? It won't be easy. In a world where everyone is wondering how to find my life, my happiness, how could anyone who would devote themselves so thoroughly to others? But, like Ruth, when she decides to dedicate her life to someone else, she behaves differently. Because of his dedication, he persuades with human affection and does not budge even if he persuades with rational logic.
1) One principle can be stated here. The principle is “It becomes easier with dedication”. Everyone! Commitment may seem difficult, but in fact it is more difficult because you do not commit. Commitment itself is difficult, but once you commit, everything becomes easy from then on. But if you don't commit, everything feels hard until you commit.
Even when we do something, there is a limit to the justification that we have to do this. Even with a sense of responsibility, there are limits. <As a daughter-in-law, you should take care of your mother-in-law!> This is justifiable. is a sense of responsibility However, if you do something with justification and a sense of responsibility, every day is too hard mentally. Commitment is something that goes beyond justification and responsibility. You decide to give yourself.
2) Admiral Yi Sun-sin is said to have said, "Those who want to live die, those who want to die live" when fighting the Japanese with an absolutely unfavorable power during the Imjin War. It is said to be the same principle. The enemy is far superior to me in military power. It is almost impossible to win that war. But if you sacrifice yourself to avoid getting hurt in such a war, it's really hard to win. The person who looked at his body cannot survive even himself, but in the end, everyone dies. But I will not sacrifice myself and give my life for the sake of my country. In other words, the moment the soldiers make the decision to dedicate themselves, their morale rises, and when they fight to death like that, they can defeat many enemies.
3) Believing in Jesus is devotion.
Even if you believe in Jesus, if you try to believe without devoting yourself to it, your life of faith is very difficult. It's burdensome, and I keep counting. I keep looking for something like this. I think that's the harder thing to believe. But once I make up my mind to dedicate myself to the Lord, from then on it gets easier. Giving time and giving money for the Lord makes it easier and makes service enjoyable. Commitment makes everything different.
< Conclusion >
Let's compare the three people in today's text.
1) Naomi
This is a person who only thinks of himself. Think of everything as self-centered. I don't think well from other people's point of view. Because this person is a person with a lot of pain. That's why they don't have the heart to take care of others (*13b). Naomi's insistence on her daughters-in-laws to come back and not follow me seems to care for them on the one hand, but looking deeper, in fact, whenever she sees those daughters-in-laws, she is reminded of her painful past and wounds. So it's hard to see.
I want to go back to Israel and start all over again, but I think these Moab daughters-in-law will follow me there, so whenever I see them, I keep thinking of the pain and suffering in Moab. Another thing is that people in the land of Israel are uncomfortable. They hate it when people take their daughters-in-law with Moabite women they don't like. So it keeps telling me to go back.
The more wounded, the more self-centered life. Everything is calculated from your point of view. And sometimes it gets in the way of others. Because his heart is hard, he even hinders others from going on the right path. He interrupts them and persuades them to return by speaking from their point of view. So, in the end, it makes one person give up.
2) Orpah
He was also someone who only thought of himself. What was important to this person was his own happiness and his future. There was no heart to sacrifice sincere dedication.
3) Ruth
A characteristic of this man was dedication. He was completely altruistic and a servant. But let's see how precious that dedication is.
1) When he devoted his life, his life was not damaged, but rather blessed. When she comes to Israel with her mother-in-law, she meets a very nice man named Boaz. Boaz is, as far as I know, the most handsome of all men in the Bible. This man was so personable, kind, caring, and he was also very trustworthy, and he was a perfect man with a lot of financial power. But who owns this man? Ruth was a foreign woman and a widow. When Ruth came to Israel to dedicate herself to her mother-in-law, she met such a wonderful person and started a beautiful family.
2) He saved Naomi and her family.
Naomi, who is suffering from many pains and wounds, finds joy and hope in life because of Ruth. great happiness in old age. And the broken family is restored and the descendants continue. I took a good look at one daughter-in-law, and the fallen family stood up.
3) You have contributed to the kingdom of God.
Eventually, Ruth becomes David's great-grandmother. become the ancestors of the Messiah. David is born from the descendants of Ruth, and the history of the great kingdom of God is accomplished. It also contributes greatly to the kingdom of God. All of this is the power of dedication.
Everyone! The characteristic of the period of the judges in which Ruth lived was irresponsibility. In such a time, Ruth fulfilled her responsibilities. committed to That dedication has created a truly beautiful and precious history. Devotion is what we need the most in this day and age. In the place of devotion, beautiful works of faith take place.
In 2010, we hope that all of our members will have great revival works in the Church of God through great devotion to the Lord and the Church.
< Prayer >
1. Lord, make 2010 a year of devotion to you. Use me as someone who saves me, saves my family, and saves the church by devoting myself like Ruth.