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Jeremiah 11:16-17

A few of my children have given me the name “Crazy plant lady.” Owning several lemon trees, fig trees, an orange, and even a banana tree, but my most prized plant would be my olive tree. I love that tree dearly, mainly because my husband and I agreed that if I could keep a lemon tree alive for one year, I could endeavor onto my dream tree.

Of course, you can only imagine my heart-wrenching decision to cut the tree down to a stump when we made our 5 hours move to a new state. We were not sure what would happen when I cut the tree whether it would live or die.

One thing I didn’t know about the Olive Tree, was how resilient it was. When cut down the olive tree would bear new shoots and branches growing once again. (The perfect tree for those of us born without a green thumb)

The Bible uses the Olive tree in many illustrations, specifically when speaking of God’s people the nation of Israel. In Jeremiah 11:16a “The Lord called thy name, A green olive tree, fair, and of goodly fruit:” Yet, the tree would be consumed by fire later in verse 16, “with the noise of a great tumult he hath kindled fire upon it, and the branches of it are broken.” There was sin in the nation of Israel and the House of Judah for their worship the Baal, (vs. 17)

No one enjoys the view of wildfires taking away many beautiful old tree’s, yet this is the image that is given to us in verse 17. A beautiful Olive Tree has been burned with fire and it’s branches removed. Yet, God does not leave the nation without hope. Jeremiah 33:14-16 the hope is given that from the stump a righteous branch will come “Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will perform that good thing which I have promised unto the house of Israel and to the house of Judah. In those days, and at that time, will I cause the Branch of righteousness to grow up unto David; and he shall execute judgment and righteousness in the land. In those days shall Judah be saved, and Jerusalem shall dwell safely: and this is the name wherewith she shall be called, The Lord our righteousness.” God sent His son to fulfill the promise made to His loved people.

In Romans 11:17 Paul uses the olive tree once again, to show the mercy of God in grafting the Gentiles into this beautiful tree, so that not only the nation of Israel could enjoy such salvation, but the gift was also given to the Gentiles.

As I wrote this today, I looked out onto my deck the sun was shining on the beautiful leaves of my growing olive tree. I am reminded of God’s unending provision and grace shown to His people, and rest in the knowledge that God is a God of promises kept and fulfilled.

Ruth 2:1  

Mother's Day is here, and for many, it will be a relaxing day filled with joyous memories of your children or the memories of your mother. Nevertheless, for others, it may be a day filled with thoughts of failures, looking back on your life with shame.

Let us read Ruth 2:1 together, "And Naomi had a kinsman of her husband's, a mighty man of wealth, of the family of Elimelech; and his name was Boaz.

This seems to be an odd verse for Mother's Day, doesn't it? The book of Ruth is filled with several other verses that we could have chosen from, but I want to take a moment to reflect on what we see in Boaz. In Ruth 4:21, we note that Salmon begat or was the father of Boaz, but who was the mother of Boaz? In Matthew 1:5, the bible says, "And Salmon begat Booz of Rachab, and Booz begat Obed of Ruth, and Obed begat Jesse;" Rachab is also spelled Rahab and Booz is also spelled, Boaz. 

Rahab, you mean Rahab, the harlot? We are not 100% sure if, indeed, the Rahab spoken of in Matthew 1:5 is the same woman in Joshua 2:1. However, there is a lot of evidence that would suggest that she is the same woman.

The question we should start with is, how did her past life affect the way she raised her children? Was she too ashamed to tell her little ones what her past life looked like? Or, would she willingly tell them of God's redeeming grace on her and her family's life?

Looking at her son Boaz, I would like to think that she openly showed her children the amazing redeeming forgiveness that God bestowed on her. We can see throughout the short book of Ruth that Boaz was kind and welcoming to his workers and the gleaners. In Ruth 2:4, it notes that Boaz came from Bethlehem and greeted the gleaners, "The Lord be with you" and blessed them, saying, "The Lord bless thee."

Boaz protected Ruth from the aggressive males that were also working the fields she was gleaning from (Ruth 2:9), and he noticed the excellent qualities that Ruth possessed (2:11 and 12). Boaz not only protected her from harm's way, but he also made it possible for her to eat with his workers as well as glean extra food for Naomi (2:14-19). Boaz was noted for his kindness by Naomi in verse 20.

He cared about her character by not allowing others to see her lying at his feet so as to mar her reputation (3:10-11 and 13-14). He was an honest man, knowing that there was another kinsman redeemer before he could take Ruth as his wife (3:12). He went before the other kinsman to allow him to take Ruth (4:3-6) as his wife. The kinsman declined the opportunity because his own inheritance would be marred, and he did not want to lose his own inheritance to Ruth and her future child.

So, as we have read through an amazing account of a godly man, we are drawn back to Boaz and his mother, We read in Proverbs 6:20 "My son, keep thy father's commandment, and forsake not the law of thy mother:" The mother carried an important role during the Old Testament of caring, tending to, and raising her children in the Lord. If Rahab had allowed her former life to destroy her future, would her son have turned out the way he did?

Today as you examine your past, as a believer, it is through God's redeeming grace that you have been forgiven (1 John 1:9). Because of Jesus' death on the cross, the sins of a believer has been removed from the presence of God. Hebrews 8:12 says, "For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more."

Do not let your past faults ruin your future opportunity; instead, let it be a way to show God's work in your life. 

Happy Mother's Day!