Reformed Doctrine Daily Devotions

Today’s devotion comes from Ruth 2:1-13.

“Now Naomi had a kinsman of her husband, a man of great wealth, of the family of Elimelech, whose name was Boaz.  And Ruth the Moabitess said to Naomi, “Please let me go to the field and glean among the ears of grain after one in whose sight I may find favor.”  And she said to her, “Go, my daughter.”  So she departed and went and gleaned in the field after the reapers;  and she happened to come to the portion of the field belonging to Boaz, who was of the family of Elimelech.  Now behold, Boaz came from Bethlehem and said to the reapers, “May the LORD be with you.” And they said to him, “May the LORD bless you.”  Then Boaz said to his servant who was in charge of the reapers, “Whose young woman is this?”  The servant in charge of the reapers replied, “She is the young Moabite woman who returned with Naomi from the land of Moab.  And she said, ‘Please let me glean and gather after the reapers among the sheaves.’  Thus she came and has remained from the morning until now;  she has been sitting in the house for a little while.”

Then Boaz said to Ruth, “Listen carefully, my daughter.  Do not go to glean in another field;  furthermore, do not go on from this one, but stay here with my maids.  Let your eyes be on the field which they reap, and go after them.  Indeed, I have commanded the servants not to touch you.  When you are thirsty, go to the water jars and drink from what the servants draw.”  Then she fell on her face, bowing to the ground and said to him, “Why have I found favor in your sight that you should take notice of me, since I am a foreigner?”  Boaz replied to her, “All that you have done for your mother-in-law after the death of your husband has been fully reported to me, and how you left your father and your mother and the land of your birth, and came to a people that you did not previously know.  May the LORD reward your work, and your wages be full from the LORD, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to seek refuge.”  Then she said, “I have found favor in your sight, my lord, for you have comforted me and indeed have spoken kindly to your maidservant, though I am not like one of your maidservants.”  Ruth 2:1-13.

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“May the LORD reward your work, and your wages be full from the LORD, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to seek refuge.”  Verse 12. 

We should do our best in our work.  But, let us not get caught up in pride, focusing on what we deserve.  Rather, let us be humble and focus on the LORD and hope for His favor.  

“For I am the least of the apostles, and not fit to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me did not prove vain;  but I labored even more than all of them, yet not I, but the grace of God with me.”  1 Corinthians 15:9-10.

What we deserve is death.  But, what we get is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

“But now having been freed from sin and enslaved to God, you derive your benefit, resulting in sanctification, and the outcome, eternal life.  For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”  Romans 6:22-23.

Today’s devotion comes from Judges chapter 18.  Here is a link to this Scripture – Judges 18 NASB1995 – – Bible Gateway

I quote only the following verses.

“In those days there was no king of Israel;  and in those days the tribe of the Danites was seeking an inheritance for themselves to live in, for until that day an inheritance had not been allotted to them as a possession among the tribes of Israel.  So the sons of Dan sent from their family five men out of their whole number, valiant men from Zorah and Eshtaol, to spy out the land and to search it;  and they said to them, “Go, search the land.”  And they came to the hill country of Ephraim, to the house of Micah, and lodged there.  When they were near the house of Micah, they recognized the voice of the young man, the Levite;  and they turned aside there and said to him, “Who brought you here?  And what are you doing in this place?  And what do you have here?”  He said to them, “Thus and so has Micah done to me, and he has hired me and I have become his priest.”  They said to him, “Inquire of God, please, that we may know whether our way on which we are going will be prosperous.”  The priest said to them, “Go in peace;  your way in which you are going has the LORD’S approval.”

Then the five men departed and came to Laish and saw the people who were in it living in security, after the manner of the Sidonians, quiet and secure;  for there was no ruler humiliating them for anything in the land, and they were far from the Sidonians and had no dealings with anyone.  When they came back to their brothers at Zorah and Eshtaol, their brothers said to them, “What do you report?”  They said, “Arise, and let us go up against them;  for we have seen the land, and behold, it is very good.  And will you sit still?  Do not delay to go, to enter, to possess the land.   When you enter, you will come to a secure people with a spacious land;  for God has given it into your hand, a place where there is no lack of anything that is on the earth.”

Then from the family of the Danites, from Zorah and from Eshtaol, six hundred men armed with weapons of war set out.  They went up and camped at Kiriath-jearim in Judah.  Therefore they called that place Mahaneh-dan to this day;  behold, it is west of Kiriath-jearim.  They passed from there to the hill country of Ephraim and came to the house of Micah.

…

Then they took what Micah had made and the priest who had belonged to him, and came to Laish, to a people quiet and secure, and struck them with the edge of the sword;  and they burned the city with fire.  And there was no one to deliver them, because it was far from Sidon and they had no dealings with anyone, and it was in the valley which is near Beth-rehob.  And they rebuilt the city and lived in it.  They called the name of the city Dan, after the name of Dan their father who was born in Israel;  however, the name of the city formerly was Laish.  The sons of Dan set up for themselves the graven image; and Jonathan, the son of Gershom, the son of Manasseh, he and his sons were priests to the tribe of the Danites until the day of the captivity of the land.  So they set up for themselves Micah’s graven image which he had made, all the time that the house of God was at Shiloh.”  Judges 18:1-13 and 27-31.

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We remember the lesson of yesterday’s devotion covering the prior chapter:  “Beware of the false prophets”.

In today’s Scripture, we see that the Danites listened to the voice of the Levite in the house of Micah and set up for themselves Micah’s graven image.

There is a warning for the Danites and for us today.

“So watch yourselves, that you do not forget the covenant of the LORD your God which He made with you, and make for yourselves a graven image in the form of anything against which the LORD your God has commanded you.  For the LORD your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God.

“When you become the father of children and children’s children and have remained long in the land, and act corruptly, and make an idol in the form of anything, and do that which is evil in the sight of the LORD your God so as to provoke Him to anger, I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that you will surely perish quickly from the land where you are going over the Jordan to possess it.  You shall not live long on it, but will be utterly destroyed.  The LORD will scatter you among the peoples, and you will be left few in number among the nations where the LORD drives you.  There you will serve gods, the work of man’s hands, wood and stone, which neither see nor hear nor eat nor smell.”  Deuteronomy 4:23-28.

But, there is hope!

“But from there you will seek the LORD your God, and you will find Him if you search for Him with all your heart and all your soul.  When you are in distress and all these things have come upon you, in the latter days you will return to the LORD your God and listen to His voice.  For the LORD your God is a compassionate God;  He will not fail you nor destroy you nor forget the covenant with your fathers which He swore to them.”  Deuteronomy 4:29-31.

As the following Scriptures state, God “grants” repentance as His gift to His elect.

Other doctrine clings to their own wisdom and their own will.

But, Reformed Doctrine clings to God’s covenant of salvation as best summarized in the Canons of Dordt.

“He is the one whom God exalted to His right hand as a Prince and a Savior, to grant repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins.”  Acts 5:31.

Consider the following from the Canons of Dordt in the section titled FIFTH HEAD OF DOCTRINE Of the Perseverance of the Saints in which it is stated:  “by his Word and Spirit, certainly and effectually renews them to repentance”.

Article 6.  But God, who is rich in mercy, according to his unchangeable purpose of election, does not wholly withdraw the Holy Spirit from his own people, even in their melancholy falls;  nor suffers them to proceed so far as to lose the grace of adoption, and forfeit the state of justification, or to commit sins unto death;  nor does he permit them to be totally deserted, and to plunge themselves into everlasting destruction.

Article 7.  For in the first place, in these falls he preserves them in the incorruptible seed of regeneration from perishing, or being totally lost;  and again, by his Word and Spirit, certainly and effectually renews them to repentance, to a sincere and godly sorrow for their sins, that they may seek and obtain remission in the blood of the Mediator, may again experience the favor of a reconciled God, through faith adore his mercies, and henceforward more diligently work out their own salvation with fear and trembling.

“When they heard this, they quieted down and glorified God, saying, “Well then, God has granted to the Gentiles also the repentance that leads to life.”  Acts 11:18.

Today’s devotion comes from Judges 16:4-14.

“After this it came about that he loved a woman in the valley of Sorek, whose name was Delilah.  The lords of the Philistines came up to her and said to her, “Entice him, and see where his great strength lies and how we may overpower him that we may bind him to afflict him.  Then we will each give you eleven hundred pieces of silver.”  So Delilah said to Samson, “Please tell me where your great strength is and how you may be bound to afflict you.”  Samson said to her, “If they bind me with seven fresh cords that have not been dried, then I will become weak and be like any other man.”  Then the lords of the Philistines brought up to her seven fresh cords that had not been dried, and she bound him with them.  Now she had men lying in wait in an inner room.  And she said to him, “The Philistines are upon you, Samson!”  But he snapped the cords as a string of tow snaps when it touches fire.  So his strength was not discovered.

Then Delilah said to Samson, “Behold, you have deceived me and told me lies;  now please tell me how you may be bound.”  He said to her, “If they bind me tightly with new ropes which have not been used, then I will become weak and be like any other man.”  So Delilah took new ropes and bound him with them and said to him, “The Philistines are upon you, Samson!”  For the men were lying in wait in the inner room.  But he snapped the ropes from his arms like a thread.

Then Delilah said to Samson, “Up to now you have deceived me and told me lies;  tell me how you may be bound.”  And he said to her, “If you weave the seven locks of my hair with the web [and fasten it with a pin, then I will become weak and be like any other man.”  So while he slept, Delilah took the seven locks of his hair and wove them into the web].  And she fastened it with the pin and said to him, “The Philistines are upon you, Samson!”  But he awoke from his sleep and pulled out the pin of the loom and the web.”  Judges 16:4-14.

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We are all familiar with this story of Delilah and Samson.  But, even as we read it again, we want to warn Samson:  “Don’t tell Delilah the secret of your strength!  She even is warning you of the purpose, “how you may be bound to afflict you.”

Look!  See how she used what you told her the first and second time to try to hurt you!!”

But, consider how often we do things to ourselves that results in us receiving affliction.  We even may receive more afflictions on what we do to ourselves than what others do to us.  We over-eat.  We over-drink.  We say and do things that we should not say and should not do (that result in us being afflicted).  We do not do things that we should do (that result in us being afflicted). 

We tend to think of God’s all sufficient grace as only helping us deal with unexpected afflictions that others cause us.  

But, as we read the concluding Scriptures, let us realize that God’s all sufficient grace also covers afflictions that we cause (or that at least we contribute) to ourselves as well as afflictions that others solely cause us.

In summary, God’s all sufficient grace covers our weaknesses as well as persecutions by others.

“Because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, for this reason, to keep me from exalting myself, there was given me a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to torment me—to keep me from exalting myself!  Concerning this I implored the Lord three times that it might leave me.  And He has said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.”  Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me.  Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ’s sake;  for when I am weak, then I am strong.”  2 Corinthians 12:7-10.

“11 For as high as the heavens are above the earth,
So great is His lovingkindness toward those who fear Him.
12 As far as the east is from the west,
So far has He removed our transgressions from us.
13 Just as a father has compassion on his children,
So the LORD has compassion on those who fear Him.
14 For He Himself knows our frame;
He is mindful that we are but dust.” Psalm 103:11-14.

“The Law came in so that the transgression would increase; but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more, so that, as sin reigned in death, even so grace would reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Romans 5:20-22.

“And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.”  Romans 8:28.

“But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved),”  Ephesians 2:4-5.