person responsible for the title
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Ruth 4:1-12 One who bears responsibility
There are some important things that women look for when choosing a marriage mate. It's about whether that person is strong or weak in responsibility. And when hiring employees at work, we hire people with strong sense of responsibility. But taking responsibility for something is not easy. Taking responsibility means giving yourself to the task, because often you don't know what the outcome will be. Taking responsibility is always risky, because you never know whether you will succeed or fail, or whether you will succeed or not. So people try to avoid responsibility. Some even shift the responsibility to others. Because he doesn't want his life to be heavy.
Many people have a very negative view of responsibility. I think that taking responsibility is a bondage of our freedom, so we try to live a life free from responsibility as much as possible, and I think that life is a happy life. But God made us from the beginning to be responsible. He told Adam to take charge of the Garden of Eden. Eve was given the responsibility to help Adam. Adam and Eve were created to be prosperous, full, and responsible to rule.
Humans have been chosen as responsible persons from the time of creation, and rewards are given when they perform their assigned responsibilities well, and when they do not, they are given reproach. In other words, the freedom God has given us is the freedom that comes with responsibility. When we do our duty well, that freedom makes us happier. On the other hand, when we do not properly carry out our entrusted responsibilities, we lose even the Garden of Eden.
In Ruth 3:13, Boaz says to Ruth: “Stay here tonight. In the morning it is good if he fulfills the responsibility of the one who will take the inheritance on you, and he will carry the responsibility of the one who will take the business. if
If he refuses to fulfill the responsibility of the one who will take it upon you, as the Lord lives, I will carry on you the responsibility of the one who will take the estate.”
The Israelites at that time had three responsibilities as relatives. First, if a relative is unfairly killed, it is to retaliate for that death. Second, if any of the relatives die without a son and their descendants are likely to be cut off, a close relative, for example, an older brother or younger brother, shall lie down with a sister-in-law or a sister-in-law to carry on the descendants. land), close relatives will find the business.
The woman named Naomi in the text sold all her inheritance when there was a famine in the land of Israel and emigrated to a country called Moab with her husband and two sons. But in Moab, her husband fell ill and died, and her two sons also fell ill and died. So she returned to Israel with her daughter-in-law, Ruth. However, when they emigrated to Moab, they sold all their businesses, so they had no choice but to lead a poor life. Moreover, her husband and two sons died, leaving no descendants, so the genealogy was in danger of being cut off.
What they desperately need most for Naomi and Ruth is that they hope that one of their relatives will find their lost inheritance (land). But for a relative to find the business and return it to Naomi, it would cost him a lot. Of course, that is the responsibility and duty given to relatives, but it is not easy to assume that responsibility.
The man named Boaz in the text is a relative of Naomi's dead husband. That is, the person responsible for finding Naomi's lost business. And if you look at the text, there is another person other than a man named Boaz. This man is more closely related to Naomi's deceased husband than Boaz. In other words, he is the one who should take responsibility for his relatives before Boaz.
Boaz speaks to a relative closer than himself. “Sir, Elimelech, Naomi's husband, lost his property when he emigrated to Moab. Will you find it? If you don't take that responsibility, then I'm the only relative who can take on the responsibility." Then the man thought that Naomi had no husband, no sons, and no grandchildren, so she thought that if she found the inheritance, it would be hers. “Okay, I do.”
Then Boaz said to someone. “Someone, in order to find an inheritance, you must first marry a woman named Ruth, who has a mother-in-law, and feed them. We have to pass on the business to our son.”
Hearing this, the sorceress realizes that it will cause considerable damage to him and immediately evades his responsibility. This is verse 6 of the text. “The one who took over the inheritance said, “I will not be able to spare for myself, lest there be any loss to my inheritance. Take the right to mine. I will not be able to soften.”
Then Boaz takes responsibility. It's obviously going to cost you, but it's bearable. According to Jewish tradition, when Ruth and Naomi returned from Moab to Bethlehem, Israel, their mother died. It is said that Boaz died immediately after marrying Ruth. In other words, Boaz had little to do with his marriage to Ruth. But he chose to lead a responsible life. So he could become the ancestor of Jesus, the genealogy of those in charge.
Everyone, I want to ask you. Are you a responsible Christian? Or are you someone who doesn't want to take responsibility? Why is the person who shirks responsibility in today's text avoiding responsibility? Because it relied on none other than human calculations. If Ruth gives birth to a son, I am at a loss. I paid money to get the land, but when Ruth's children take the land, I'm only losing money, so he doesn't think about taking on Ruth anymore. It's up to you to decide whether you're responsible or not.
Of course, that's not to say that counting is bad. God has given humans reason to calculate. But after doing the calculations, do not act based on calculations, but act based on beliefs. Sacrifice, love, and service, if calculated rationally, are certainly laborious. Material is lost and time is lost. Moreover, taking responsibility for it can be a significant burden. However, at this time, I am not saying that I can't do it based on calculations, but that I should be a Christian who can take on difficult tasks based on faith and take responsibility for it.
It was the time when Jesus performed the miracle of five bottles of fish, which had 12 fish and 12 loaves left after feeding 5,000 people with two fish and five barley loaves. It is already late and everyone who attended Jesus' meeting is hungry. At this time, the disciples asked to send this large crowd back. Let's each figure it out on our own. The disciples did not feel any responsibility to feed that many people. But Jesus is different. You feel a strong sense of responsibility for them. They thought it would be difficult because they were too hungry to go to the neighborhood, so the responsibility to feed them was intense. Because of this intense responsibility, Jesus fed them.
Gentlemen, Jesus is the one who takes responsibility for his people. Just as a shepherd takes responsibility and takes care of the sheep, Jesus is the one who takes care of us and takes care of us. And Jesus is teaching us about responsibility too. The most famous of these is the parable of the good Samaritan. He told them to live like the good Samaritan, who put the man who was killed by a robber and fell on the side of the road on his donkey, took him to an inn, treated him with care, and even took responsibility for the cost.
God takes responsibility for those who take this responsibility, and
He is the one who blesses people. When Boaz says he will take care of Ruth, all the people and elders at the gate say: “We are witnesses, and may the Lord make women entering your house like Rachel and Leah, who built the house of Israel, and make you powerful in Ephrath and famous in Bethlehem. May the LORD give you this boy and woman heir, so that your house may be like the house of Perez, whom Tamar bore to Judah” (Ruth 4:11-12).
As you know, a woman named Ruth is a Moabite woman from the Gentiles despised by the Israelites. However, she immigrated to Israel to take care of her mother-in-law, and does the lowly job of gleaning to feed her elderly mother-in-law. God promises to make this woman named Ruth enjoy the same glory as Rachel and Leah who built the house of Israel. As Ruth takes care of her mother-in-law, we see that God is taking care of her. It is also said that Boaz, who takes responsibility, also becomes famous. Boaz was originally an influential person in Bethlehem. But taking responsibility makes you more famous. As the ancestor of Jesus, his name appeared even in the Bible, and Boaz became a really famous person.
However, the name of the person who evaded responsibility in the text does not appear in the Bible. It is only expressed as ‘anyone’. In other words, those who shirk responsibility miss opportunities. The opportunity to receive blessings, the opportunity to share the blessings, and the opportunity to pass on the blessings to the descendants will be missed. God blesses those who take responsibility, praises those who take responsibility, and takes responsibility for those who take responsibility.
However, I am not a good husband, a husband who only enjoys freedom without taking responsibility. A wife who wants to enjoy freedom without taking responsibility, an affair wife. A child who claims freedom without taking responsibility, a child of debauchery. He is nothing but a tyrant, a ruler who wields power without taking responsibility. A leader who seeks only rights without taking responsibility, a wolf of greed. They are just saints and ups and downs who do not take responsibility and seek only freedom and blessings.
The development of mankind is achieved through those who sincerely take responsibility, while the destruction of mankind is achieved through those who avoid responsibility. It happened in a rural area called Wales, England. One night, a widow living there said that her baby was in critical condition and walked 10 kilometers to ask the doctor for a visit. The doctor was hesitant at first because he thought it would be a problem to get a reward from a poor widow, and if he didn't, the baby might die.
However, I soon changed my mind and decided that I had to fulfill my responsibilities as a doctor rather than trying to understand myself, so I hurriedly prepared and walked down the country road to the house. So, with the help of the doctor, the baby survived death and saved his life. That baby was Lloyd George, who had grown up and became Prime Minister of England. A doctor's responsibility saved the British Prime Minister.
Conversely, it is a disaster caused by irresponsibility. In 1923 in England, the Titanic was a super-luxurious cruise ship that crossed the Atlantic Ocean. When the Titanic hit the iceberg and began to sink, the California was sailing just 50 kilometers from there. It was a short distance from the accident site, less than an hour. As the ship began to tilt, the Titanic's radio operators desperately sent a rescue call.
However, there was a radio operator on board the California, but he fell asleep with the radio turned off. The California ship moved along the route, completely unaware of the catastrophe. If the radio company had turned on the radio, the disaster on the Titanic would not have existed. One radio operator's irresponsibility resulted in great sacrifice.
Guys, keep that in mind. When one of you evades responsibility, disaster strikes at home, society, country, and church. Bad things happen when you don't keep your responsibilities properly. But when each one of you takes responsibility, our homes, societies, countries, and churches become beautiful. Guys, what kind of person do you want to be? In the name of the Lord, I pray that you will be able to stand in a position where you will receive God's blessings, like Boas and Ruth, by taking on the responsibilities the Lord has given you. Amen!