David Bahn – Reflections

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These devotions are part of the Follow the Word Bible reading program at St. John Lutheran Church in Cypress, Texas. This year we are reading through the Scriptures together, listening for how God speaks through his Word day by day. I hope you will join me on this journey.

Today’s readings are Judges 21, Ruth 1-2, Psalm 104.

Ruth 4:13-17

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

1 Samuel 1:9-11

Now Eli the priest was sitting on the seat beside the doorpost of the temple of the Lord. ¹⁰ [Hannah] was deeply distressed and prayed to the Lord and wept bitterly. ¹¹ And she vowed a vow and said, “O Lord of hosts, if you will indeed look on the affliction of your servant and remember me and not forget your servant, but will give to your servant a son, then I will give him to the Lord all the days of his life, and no razor shall touch his head.”

These chapters have been, for me, a welcome relief from the sad and discouraging accounts of the judges in Israel. Those were dark days, marked by repeated cycles of murder, retribution, deceit, and violence. One thing is clear: God’s word does not soften the reality of human sin. We see it plainly – even when we might prefer a more muted telling.

Then we have this breath of fresh air – light in the darkness – in the persons of Ruth, Naomi, Boaz, and Hannah. Each bring a different facet of faithfulness, trust, grace, humility, and godliness into focus.

Naomi describes herself as bitter after the loss of her husband and her two sons. It is not necessarily the kind of sinful bitterness warned against in Hebrews 12:15, but rather an honest expression of deep sorrow. Yet her grief does not turn her inward. She still seeks the good of her daughters-in-law, urging them to return to their homeland and families. Orpah returns, but Ruth does not.

Ruth’s response is striking – marked by trust, humility, faithfulness, and initiative. She goes to glean in the fields, providing for Naomi. She listens to Naomi’s guidance about a kinsman-redeemer – a custom foreign to her as a Moabite – yet she follows it in faith. She goes to the threshing floor, lays at the feet of Boaz, and asks him to redeem Naomi and her.

Boaz provides for Ruth and Naomi by instructing the workers to allow her to draw water along with them, even allowing her to glean from the stacked stalks in the field, and protecting her from being taken advantage of. When it comes time to act as kinsman redeemer he makes certain that the closer relative was given the opportunity first before exercising his duty and privilege. The happy result is that a child is born – from whose lineage will come King David, and our Savior, Jesus Christ, Son of David, Son of God.

Hannah prays for a son, and the Lord gives her Samuel. He will serve in the house of the Lord and, in time, anoint David as king of Israel. The narrative is beginning to turn. We are moving toward some of the most familiar and beloved stories of the Old Testament. Yet as engaging and enduring as they are, we remember that all of this is prelude – pointing ahead to the once-for-all deliverance God will accomplish through his Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. So we watch for him, even now, as we see glimpses of his grace and truth reflected in these faithful lives – bright lights in the dark days of the Judges.

Click on the graphic below to watch the Bible Project video summary of the book of 1 Samuel.