Evening capital. (Annapolis, Md.) 1884-1910, 1895-10-19


org Verses. IG. Is-Golden Text. Ruth 1.
1s-commcntary by the Rev. ID. N.
stearns.
IA And they lifted up their voice and
wopt again. and Orpah kissed her mother
in-law. but Ruth ciaye unto her. The
fact that the Holy spirit has mentioned
the name of Ruth in the opening verses Of
the New Testament (Math. i, 81 should
lead us to a prayerful study Of the book
and thoughtful consideration OF her, who,
though a gentle, Is honored with place
in the ancestry of Christ. The fight Of
Elimelech and his family TO Moab because
of the famine in Israel would seem from
Deut. xiii, 3, 70 have been a wrong move
on his part and lack Of faith ia God, but
yet oyerruled by Sod for the working out
of His purposes. AS we see Naomi return
ing without either husband or sons (yerEes
5, % after her ten years sojourn in Moab
1t looks still clearer that they did not we'll
to go 10 Moab 1t makes Us think of Abra-
ham going to Egypt because Of "A famine,
his trouble there and the absence OF an al
tar unto the Lord until he returned TO
Bethel (Gen. XII, 10, to xiii, Al.
is. And she said, Behold thy sister
in-law is gone back unto her people and
unto her gods. Return thou after thy sis
ter-in-law." Naomi knew Of the true and
living God, the God of Israel, while the
Moabites were idolaters and TO sec her
trying TO turn her daughters-in-law back
to their idols Is truly pitiful sight. The
same thing is seen today when Christians
enter into fellowship with the world either
for pleasure or profit, and thus virtually
urge the worlds people TO stay by their
idols because there is nothing satisfying
in the Lord Jesus Christ. What q Islander
upon the Lord and dishonor 10 His holy
namel See der. xxxiv, Is, 10, and Ezek.
xiii, 8, and let us aim to honor His wor-
thy dame (Jas. ii, q; l Pet. ii, o..
16 And Ruth said, Entreat me not to
leave thee or to return from following aft
er thee, for whittier thou goest l viii go,
and where thou lodgest | will lodge; thy
people shall be- my people, and thy God my
God" May we not hope that Naomi had
lived godly life even in Moab, and that
it was God in her who led Ruth 10 take
this noble stand? Then we could put this
construction upon her words TO Orpah and
Ruth, II am going back to Israel's land
and to Israel's God, but l have nothing TO
offer you except His promises, and il these
seem sufficient then you had better stay
with your friends aud their idols. +"
IL "Where thou diest will die, and
there will l be buried; the Lord do so TO
me and more also, if aught but death part
thee and me. Noble woman, by the
grace of God. Such clcaving TO the Lord
is sure to be rewarded. Compare the same
purpose of heart ia Ittai the Gittite as he
clave to David III Sam. XIV, 2l), with pur-
pose of heart let us cleaye unto the Lord
Acts XII, 23). For the eyes of the Lord run
to and fro throughout the whole earth to
shew Himself strong on behalf of those
whose hearts are perfect or whole toward
Him Oh Chron. xvi, -.
Is. when she saw that she was stead
lastly minded TO go with her, then she
left speaking unto her." The command
to us is to "Be steadfast, unmovable
The secret of being thus established is
found in III Chron. Xxx, 20. To look around
us will bring only dismay lisa. xii, 10, X.
VI, but to consider Him who endured
such contradiction of sinners against Him
self" will keep us from being weary or faint
in our minds Heb. xii, -. We think of Him
when the time was come that He should
be received up, how He steadfastly set His
face to go To Jerusalem duke TX, 5D;
also of Stephen, full Of the Holy Spirit, as
he looked up steadfastly unto heaven and
saw the glory of God and the Son of Man
standing on the right hand of God.
10. $50 they two went until they came
to Bethlehem" We may imagine that
they had much talk along the way con-
corning the God of Israel and His wonder
full dealings with the nation. They were
journeying To the house of bread and praise
(Bethlehem-Judah), and they might well
talk OF Him who alone is worthy to be
praised, and who had fed Israel with bread
from heaven for 40 long years in the wild
err ness. We think of the words concerning
Elijah and elisha ''They two went on,
s'They two stood, = "They two went over"
III Kings ii, 9, z, 81, and we remember the
Lord S oft repeated word, II am with you. "
so that we two, He and |, may daily go
ON together.
20. "And she said unto them, Call me
not Naomi, call me Mara She felt that
mara (bitter) expressed the Lords deal
ings with her better than Naomi (pleas-
anti, but she does not seem TO have con-
sidered that all the bitterness was proba-
bly, due to the wandering away from God
of herself and her husband We are apt to
think hardly of God when we ourselves
are the cause of the trouble. She uses the
name Almighty, not knowing perhaps
that the All Sufficient One was seeking
to lead her to know Him as such by His
dealings with her.
2i. Il went out full, and the Lord hath
brought me home again empty" The
name Almighty" is found more often in
the book of Job than in all the rest of the
Bible taken together, and it is there that
we see full man thoroughly emptied in
order that he may know the "All Suffi-
cient One the Almighty. Then we see
him filed as never before. Until we are
willing to be emptied of all that is of us
we cannot know the fullness of God. Christ
Jesus emptied Himself, taking the form
of a servant, wherefore God hath highly
exalted Him phil. ii, 7-9). Contrast Mao
mis- complaint with l sam. iii, Is, and
Job /, 81.
22. And they came to Bethlehem in the
beginning of barley harvest. Then fol-
lows the story of 1.-THE mighty man of
wealth, . the kinsman redeemed, in whose
fields Ruth went to CLEAN, and from whom
she received much kindness, who after
ward became her husband and tho father
of Obed, of whom came Jesse, the father
Of David (chapter IN, 2I, 22). Henry Moor
house. in lis book on Ruth, entities the
four chaptcrs-Rulhd deciding, Ruth CLEAN
ing, Ruth resting, ruth rewarded. Among
the refreshing tA4Ass of chapter ii notice
the greetings o. ISoaz and his reapers
(yerse -, the beautiful words of Boaz to
Ruth lyerseS II, l2), the handouts let fall
If nrr-1sase Verse rs and Naomi's greet