1 Thessalonians Day 1

Intro and 1:1-2

As I mentioned yesterday, I am hoping to brush up on my Greek during this study. When I went through the first verse, I felt somewhat confident and then the second verse had me questioning myself. Anyway, this is going to be fun!

Author: Paul

Date Written: around 50 AD

Audience: The church at Thessalonica

Setting: Paul had to leave Thessalonica after planting a church sooner than he would’ve liked due to persecution.

1: Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy, to the church of the Thessalonians in God the father and the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace to you and peace.

Excellent letter introduction. Paul gives his name as well as those who are with him, who he is writing to, and a greeting. Timothy was like an adopted son to Paul and Silvanus, better known as Silas, was on one of Pauls’ traveling companions on his missionary journeys.

2: We give thanks to God always for all of you, constantly mentioning you in our prayers

Although Paul had to leave early, he had heartily prayed for the Thessalonians. He lets them know that he thanks God for them and is praying for them.

Reading verse two always reminds me of how I should be praying for others and letting them know that I am praying for them. It is not to sound conceited, but so that they may be encouraged knowing that there are people praying for them. I know that I am always encouraged when someone tells me that they are praying for me. As a matter of fact, someone today told me that they had been praying for me during my pregnancy (this was the first time we had met, but he worked the same place as my husband) and was happy to see that I, and my daughter, are doing well. It was neat to know that someone I had never even met before had been praying for me.

God calls us to pray for those around us. We are to pray for family, friends, neighbors, strangers, and leaders. We are told to pray without ceasing. There are different kinds of prayer that range from prayers of thanksgiving to prayers of mourning. A study on different prayers would be fun to do in the future as well as quite edifying. I’m not sure about you, but I can always grow more in the area of prayer.

As for where we see Christ in this, His name is mentioned. (I try to see an application as well as point to where we see Christ, although it may be a little more difficult since I am working through two verses at a time.) The Thessalonians are in God the Father and Lord Jesus Christ meaning that they are saved by and have given their lives to Him.

{At the current rate of two verses a day, we can expect this study to last 44-45 days. I may add more verses here and there or shorten it to one if there is a lot to go over, but we will see. As mentioned yesterday, my schedule is getting busier so that is why the pace has slowed down. Thank you and God bless!}

New Study

I’ve decided to jump to a book of the Bible that I had been studying last year for my next study. The book is 1 Thessalonians. The pace will be a little slower because I will be busier these upcoming months. The plan is to go through at least two verses a day. I also hope to brush up on a little bit of my Greek during this study.

The book of 1 Thessalonians was written by Paul to the church at Thessalonica. It answers some questions regarding sanctification and the second coming of Jesus. I plan to start the study tomorrow and continue until we get through all of 1 Thessalonians. I look forward to studying with you!

Ruth Day 28: Chapter 4 Review

This is the last day of our study on Ruth. I’ve enjoyed going through it and I hope that you have as well! For our review questions, instead of focusing on what we’ve learned in chapter four, we’ll focus on what we’ve learned throughout the whole book.

  1. Give a summary of events in the book of Ruth.
  2. What did we learn about Naomi?
  3. What did we learn about Ruth?
  4. What did we learn about Boaz?
  5. What did we learn about God?
  6. How can we apply what we’ve learned?

A tidbit of information that I realized I never expanded upon was who the Moabite people were. Remember Abraham? He is the one who left his homeland because God promised to give him a land (which we find out to be Israel) There’s a whole lot about Abraham that we could talk about, but we’ll focus on the beginning of his journey. He took his nephew, Lot, along with him. We later find out that Lot had a wife and two daughters and they split from Abraham’s group due to lack of room for both groups (they both had large herds of animals and many servants and workers because God blessed them greatly). Lot and his family eventually moved to Sodom which was later destroyed by God for its evil and wicked ways. Lot and his family were saved by angels, but Lot’s wife looked back on the destruction of Sodom after they had been warned not to and was turned into the pillar of salt. Lot and his daughters ended up living in a cave and his daughters came up with a plan to have children to carry on their family line: they would get their father drunk and sleep with him. They both became pregnant and the older daughter bore a son named Moab who is the father of the Moabites. The younger daughter bore a son named Ben-Ammi who is the father of the Ammonites. That is where the Moabites originated. The story of Ruth occurs hundreds of years after this. The Bible does not condone the actions of the daughters, but gives an account for what has occurred.

Your answers don’t have to be the same, this is just a general list.

  1. Give a summary of events in Ruth.
    Naomi and her family leave Israel
    Naomi’s sons get married to Moabites
    Naomi’s husband and sons die
    Naomi travels back to Israel with Ruth
    Ruth works in Boaz’s field
    Naomi tells Ruth that Boaz is a redeemer
    Naomi tells Ruth what to do so that Boaz will redeem her
    Boaz accepts her request
    Boaz speaks with other redeemer who could redeem
    Other redeemer gives up his right to redeem
    Boaz redeems Ruth by marrying her
    Ruth bears a son named Obed
    The people praise God
    Obed is the grandfather of king David
  2. What did we learn about Naomi?
    Naomi was upset with God for taking away her sons and husband
    Naomi saw herself as bitter and though that God was against her
    Naomi saw a glimpse of hope when Ruth found Boaz’s field
    Naomi was a bit of a schemer
    Naomi learns that God had never truly left her and had another plan in mind
  3. What did we learn about Ruth?
    Ruth was willing to give up everything to follow Naomi
    Ruth was a foreigner
    Ruth worked hard to care for Naomi and herself
    Ruth was worthy
    Ruth was respectful
  4. What did we learn about Boaz?
    Boaz was worthy
    Boaz was a man of God
    Boaz was kind and generous
    Boaz was a kinsman redeemer
    Boaz often praised God
    Boaz didn’t let important things sit
  5. What did we learn about God?
    God is always working, even when we can’t see Him
    God never left Naomi or Ruth
    God provided a kinsman redeemer for Ruth
    God ultimately provides a kinsman redeemer for us (Jesus!)
  6. How can we apply what we’ve learned?
    Know that our salvation is only found in Jesus
    Seek to be known as worthy (by our words and actions that honor God)
    Be willing to work hard
    Be willing to leave everything behind (sometimes God may ask us to)
    Know that even when we can’t see Him, God is with us and working out His plan

Thank you all for taking this journey with me. I am currently working out what book to study through next and will have it figured out within the next few days. I had hoped to figure it out by now, but it has been a busy past few weeks. God bless!

Ruth Day 27: Ch 4:18-22

19: Now these are the generations of Perez: Perez fathered Hezron,

Perez is the oldest of the twin sons that Tamar bore to Judah.

Perez means “branch,” Hezron means “camping place,” Judah means “praise Yahweh,” and Tamar means “date palm.”

19: Hezron fathered Ram, Ram fathered Amminidab,

Ram means “high, exalted” and Amminidab means “my people give freely.”

20: Amminidab fathered Nashon, Nashon fathered Salmon,

Nashon (also spelled Nahshon) means “serpent” and Salmon means “coat.”

21: Salmon fathered Boaz, Boaz fathered Obed,

Boaz means “lively” and Obed means “serving.” It is interesting to note that Obed is not referred to as the son of Mahlon in this genealogy as would be the custom when redeeming a widow. Instead he is referred to as Boaz’s son.

22: Obed fathered Jesse, and Jesse fathered David.

Jesse means “man” or “manly” and David means “favorite” or “beloved.”

David becomes the king of Israel. He is a king whom God promised. The people revered him as a good king and God promised a king greater than David which we learn is Jesus. Anyone who knows the history of David knows that although he was a great king, he had his share of mistakes. Jesus is the perfect king who will reign forever. He lived a sinless life and gave us His righteousness for our unrighteousness which makes it possible for us to enter heaven!

Although the meanings of the names aren’t important, it is good to know that God uses everyday people to achieve His plans. We don’t know much about many of the people in David’s ancestry, but God used them. They surely taught their children the truth of God’s Word. David sang songs to God and his faith was great. He was known as “a man after God’s own heart.” Sometimes our greatest achievement in the kingdom of God will be to raise children who are after God’s own heart. I’m not sure about you, but that is pretty encouraging to me.

Ruth Day 26: Ch 4:13-17

13: So Boaz took Ruth, and she became his wife. And he went in to her, and the Lord gave her conception, and she bore a son.

They are married!! And as I mentioned last chapter, the Bible tells us when intimacy happens. This time it did. We are also reminded that the Lord gave her conception. We might also note that it was the Lord who kept her from conceiving in her previous marriage for His better purpose.

14: Then the women said to Naomi, “Blessed be the Lord, who has not left you this day without a redeemer, and may his name be renowned in Israel!”

When Naomi thought all was lost and changed her name to Mara, God was working and never left her. We are reminded of that in this verse.

15: “He shall be to you a restorer of life and a nourisher of your old age, for your daughter-in-law who loves you, who is more to you than seven sons, has given birth to him.”

It is interesting to note that this child is not related to Naomi by blood (or at least not closely related.) Boaz is a relative of Naomi’s husband, Elimelech, not Naomi herself. That doesn’t matter to Naomi or the townspeople because this child is seen as an heir for Naomi. Ruth is also praised as being better than seven sons. This is a great praise because sons are seen as better than daughters only because they are the ones who take care of the parents in their old age. Seven is often called the number of completion and is a common number throughout Scripture. Ruth is better than seven sons.

16: Then Naomi took the child and laid him on her lap and became his nurse.

Naomi cared for the child.

17: And the women of the neighborhood gave him a name, saying, “A son has been born to Naomi.” They named him Obed. He was the father of Jesse, the father of David.

Although Ruth gave birth to Obed, he is attributed as a son to Naomi. We are also told in this verse that he is the grandfather of king David. The name Obed means “serving.”

We learn in these verses that Ruth was better to Naomi than seven sons and that she bore a son. Naomi was greatly blessed. Something she never would have guessed, especially at the end of chapter one. We all will go through challenges. We are not guaranteed freedom from struggle, but we are guaranteed One who will be with us through those struggles. Even when we don’t see God, He is with us!

Ruth Day 25: Ch 4:9-12

9: Then Boaz said to the leaders and all the people, “You are witnesses this day that I have bought from the hand of Naomi all that belonged to Elimelech and all that belonged to Chilion and to Mahlon.

Being at the city gate, Boaz probably had plenty of witnesses besides the ones that he requested to sit with him.

10: Also Ruth the Moabite, the widow of Mahlon, I have bought to be my wife, to perpetuate the name of the dead in his inheritance, that the name of the dead may not be cut off from among his brothers and from the gate of his native place. You are witnesses this day.”

Boaz knew that the firstborn would not be seen as his child, but as Mahlon’s heir and he was okay with that. He explained the custom and reminded the people that they are witnesses.

11: Then all the people who were at the gate and the elders said, We are witnesses. May the Lord make the woman, who is coming into your house, like Rachel and Leah, who together built up the house of Israel. May you act worthily in Ephrathah and be renowned in Bethlehem”

In case you don’t know who Rachel and Leah were, they were the wives of Jacob, also known as Israel. Through him, the twelve tribes of Israel come about. You may also know that there were two other women involved in the bearing of sons for the tribes: the maids Bilhah and Zilpah. (Let me take a second to note that this action of Jacob to have two wives and concubines was not condoned, but it is a historical account of what actually happened.) Returning to the verse, the focus seems to be that the people wish for Ruth to build up a family for Boaz.

As mentioned way back in the first week, Ephrathah was a people group located in Bethlehem. The people are wishing that Boaz would be worthy in Ephrathah and renowned in Bethlehem. This is funny because when he is first mentioned in chapter two, he is noted to be a worthy man.

12: “and may your house be like the house of Perez, whom Tamar bore to Judah, because of the offspring that the Lord will give to you by this young woman.”

The story of Tamar and Judah is another interesting story. Again it is something that is not condoned, but is historically accurate. Tamar was the wife to one of Judah’s sons. The son was wicked in God’s eyes so he died. The second son was supposed to create an heir for the first, but refused and was struck down. Judah had one other son who was too young to marry so he asked Tamar to wait. When she saw that the boy was old enough for marriage, but Judah hadn’t brought them to marry, she hatched a plan. She pretended to be a prostitute and slept with Judah. She later became pregnant with twins. Judah repented of his actions and Tamar bore Perez and Zerah.

I’m not sure why these interesting characters were chosen, but we can definitely see God’s work through their shortcomings. Perez is the ancestor of Boaz.

This concludes our awkward dive into family history and reminds us that not everyone obeyed God perfectly. When you read their stories, you see how they failed, but how God was still able to use them. It is encouraging, especially when I look at my own shortcomings. It is also encouraging because those people aren’t really known for their shortcomings, but rather for their faith. God never quits His work in us. We are being refined until He calls us home. I’m thankful that He doesn’t give up on me!

Ruth Day 24: Ch 4:5-8

(I apologize for the tardiness of this post. I thought I had completed it already, but found out that I did not and didn’t have time to work on it until now.)

5: Then Boaz said, “The day you buy the field from the hand of Naomi, you also acquire Ruth the Moabite, the widow of the dead, in order to perpetuate the name of the dead in his inheritance.”

Since Mahlon had no heir when he died, a relative needed to marry Ruth in order to bear an heir. The land happened to play a part in this role since the land would go to the heir. It is two similar yet different customs that are combined in this situation.

6: Then the redeemer said, “I cannot redeem it for myself, lest I impair my own inheritance. Take the right of redemption yourself, for I cannot redeem it.”

We aren’t told why the other relative refused to redeem except for that redeeming the land would cause problems with his own inheritance. My guess is that he did not realize that marrying Ruth was required. Naomi was older and had already born sons, although they had died, so the law most likely did not go into effect where they would need to bring up an heir. He probably thought that all he had to do was care for Naomi and the family land would be his. The land was to remain with the family which is why only a family member could redeem it. When the relative realized that he would have to marry Ruth and have an heir for Mahlon, he refused. Again, this is just my speculation since we are not told in Scripture.

7: Now this was the custom in former times in Israel concerning redeeming and exchanging: to confirm a transaction, the one drew off his sandal and gave it to the other, and this was the manner of attesting in Israel.

The author of this book wrote much later than the events of the book. We can clearly see that in this particular verse as well as in the length of the genealogy at the end of the book. Some suggest that the prophet Samuel wrote the book, but we are not told.

8: So when the redeemer said to Boaz, “Buy it for yourself,” he drew off his sandal.

The author mentions the custom and then tells us that the other redeemer did so in order to give up his right to the land, and thus Ruth.

If you read this book for the first time, you may have been holding your breath for a few verses. It seems like that one “perfect” couple are headed towards marriage when a wrench is thrown into the mix. There’s a mix of anxiety and groaning as you wait for the problem to be solved and the happy ending to be achieved. Well, unlike many TV dramas, you didn’t have to wait for long. The other redeemer has forgone his right and now Boaz has the chance to redeem Ruth.

In a way, this also reminds me of the Gospel. Back in the garden of Eden, Adam and Eve were in charge of caring for the garden and there was no sin at that time. The only rule was to not eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. In return, they could enjoy fellowship with God forever. Like the other redeemer, they chose to forgo their inheritance. They ate of the forbidden tree and were kicked out of the garden. Sin entered into the world and we suffer because of it. Like Boaz who sought to redeem Ruth, Jesus sought to redeem us. He had planned it from the beginning and put His plan into action. At the right time, He bore our sins on the cross and paid our debt! Now we can enjoy eternity in fellowship with God! Jesus is our kinsman redeemer!

Ruth Day 23: Ch 4:1-4

1: Now Boaz had gone up to the gate and sat down there. And behold, the redeemer, of who Boaz had spoken, came by. So Boaz said, “Turn aside, friend; sit down here.” And he turned aside and sat down.

Boaz knew exactly where to find the other redeemer and the other redeemer obliged his request to sit down.

2: And he took ten men of the elders of the city and said, “Sit down here.” So they sat down.

Now there’s a party; just kidding! It seems that everyone respects Boaz enough to listen to his request and to wait for him to make his full request known.

3: Then he said to the redeemer, “Naomi, who has come back from the country ofMoab, is selling the parcel of land that belonged to our relative, Elimelech.”

The Israelites had a law that family land could not be sold to anyone other than another relatiave. Boaz begins his statement by pointing to the land.

4: “So I thought I would tell you of it and say, ‘Buy it in the presence of those sitting here and in the presence of the elders of my people.’ If you will redeem it, redeem it, and I come after you.” And he said, “I will redeem it.”

Uh oh. The other redeemer is interested in the land. Boaz has elders watching their interaction so that they would have witnesses.

And we’re going to stop here on this cliffhanger for today. This seems like a wrench in God’s plan, but when we see what happens next, we realize that it was only a little bump that had no effect whatsoever. Oops. I guess it’s not a cliffhanger anymore 🙂

Ruth Day 22: Chapter 4 Overview

Welcome to the last chapter of Ruth! Here we will see what Boaz does and what happens next. We’ll even dive into genealogies at the end of the chapter.

Here is the overview:

  • Boaz sets up a meeting (vs. 1-2)
  • Boaz speaks to the other possible redeemer (vs. 3-4)
  • Boaz mentions stipulation of marrying Ruth (vs. 5)
  • Other redeemer refuses (vs. 6)
  • Old custom (vs. 7-8)
  • Boaz redeems Ruth (vs. 9-10)
  • Witnesses praise Boaz (vs.11-12)
  • Ruth and Boaz have a son (vs. 13)
  • Praise the child redeemer (vs. 14-15)
  • As unto Naomi (vs. 16-17)
  • Genealogy of David (vs. 19-20)

As usual, think about what we learn about Ruth, Naomi, and Boaz through this chapter. Also notice how God’s plan for our redemption is shown. If you have any questions, feel free to email me at rerouted.blog@gmail.com

Ruth Day 21: Chapter 3 Review

A lot has happened for Ruth in one day. Her mother-in-law puts her up to a scheme to catch the man called Boaz and have him redeem her (through marriage). He accepts and sets the necessary steps in motion.

As usual, it is time for questions and answers!

  1. What happened during the chapter?
  2. What did we learn about Naomi?
  3. What did we learn about Ruth?
  4. What did we learn about Boaz?
  5. What did we learn about God?
  6. How can we apply what we’ve learned to our lives?

Tomorrow we’ll review chapter 4 and get an idea of what is to come regarding Boaz’s plans and the redemption of Ruth.

Answers! (They don’t have to be exactly the same)

  1. What happened during the chapter?
    Naomi tells Ruth of her plan
    Ruth agrees to obey
    Ruth obeys what Naomi said
    Boaz is surprised
    Boaz promises to put the plan of redemption in action
    Ruth returns with barley to Naomi
    Naomi tells Ruth that Boaz won’t rest until the matter is settled
  2. What did we learn about Naomi?
    Naomi is a bit of a schemer and match maker
    She understands the rules of a kinsman redeemer
    She is looking out for Ruth’s well-being
  3. What did we learn about Ruth?
    Ruth is obedient
    Ruth is worthy
  4. What did we learn about Boaz?
    Boaz is a man of God
    Boaz will seek to rectify the problem immediately
  5. What did we learn about God?
    God’s plan was in motion before anyone could see it
    Boaz implementing the steps to redeem Ruth can remind us of how God set up the steps for our own redemption
  6. How can we apply what we’ve learned to our lives? (Your answers may be different)
    We can thank God for putting His plan in motion to redeem us
    We can tell others of God’s redeeming love
    We can know that God is working in our lives, even when we can’t see it

Have a wonderful and blessed day!