The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-02-05


 Land of Promise.
 Two Beautiful Characters
 Naomi must have been beautiful character. This is evidenced by the deep affection manifested toward her by her daughters-in-law. They both preferred to join her and to go to her home land. and started with her But as she reflected that they would be strangers in a strange land and would pine for home even she was pining now, she tenderly urged them to go back 10 their kindred and to re- marry.
 One of them so concluded and kissed her good-by; but the other, Ruth. broke forth in such eloquent terms that her words have become permanently identi- fled with classic literature:
 "Entreat me not to leave thee and to
 return from following after thee For whither thou goest, l will go and
 where thou lodgest I will lodge; Thy people shall be my people, and thy
 God my God
 Where thou diest, I will die, and there
 will be buried.
 The Lord do so to me- and more also, if
 aught but death part thee and me-
 When we say that Ruth was con verted. we of course do not mean that she became a Christian or an heir of Christian promises. for there were none such until after Jesus. by His death. opened up the new and living way" She was converted to Judaism. and this is a fresh testimony to Naomis faithful liv- ing.
 The positiveness with which Ruth made her decision is worthy of note. It was a decision unto death. In this all true con versions are alike. The Christian, for in stance. did not really become a Christian until he had made just such a definite. positive conservation of himself to leave the world and to spend and be spent even unto death in the service of the Lord. Thousands of lives are blighted because of lack of decision. Positiveness for God to make our calling and election sure.' True to Gods promises to the Jewish , people, Naomi and Ruth were blessed in | their return to the Iord--to His Land of | Covenant. We are to remember that all | the promises to fieshy Israel were earthly. while all the promises to spiritual Israel are heavenly.
 Both the nobility and the wisdom Of s Naomi's character are manifest in the course which she pursued on arriving in 1 Bethlehem practically pennless, and un- i able to retrieve the interest of her hus- l band and her sons in their share of the | land. There was no false modesty. Ruth l went out, like other poor women, to glean | handfuls of grain after the req pers. Un- der the law it part of Gods provi- sion that no one should reap the corners | of his field, but should leave those for the poor. Naomi counseled Ruth to gean in | the fields of one of her wealthy relatives. named Boaz.
 David's Great Grandmother l As Naomi had surmised, Boaz took note ! of the modest young woman who Alaily gleaned in his fields. and subsequently, he 1 learned that she was a relative through | marriage. He pursued the course of the Jewish law, Iand Ruth became his wife l Obed was their son, Jesse was his son. and David the youngest of Jesses sons. Thus Ruth, the Gentle. became identified | with the royal family as an ancestor and | thus with King Davids greatest Son and | Lord-Jesus.
 l The Bible is a very honest book. It l does not disguise the fact that Rahab, l the harlot of Jericho, was received into the Jewish nation by marriage and be- came an ancester of King David, Solo, ! mon and Jesus It does not disguise the fact that Ruth was by nature a Gentle, and at one time an idolatress. The New l Testament. with wonderful candor tells !, how one of His own disciples betrayed the Master how all forsook Him and fed 1 how the subsequently, noble St. Peter de- l nied his Master with curses, how St. Peter and St. John, when preaching in the Tenn 1 pie. were perceived by the people to be l ignorant and unlearned.
 Similarly the weaknesses and sins of | King David and others of the royal fam l fly are laid bare and reproved, their pun I ishments stated, and the repentance of 1 the culprits noted. We dare trust such | honest writers, even as in the history of | today we would be willing to trust such | writers. Indeed, we do not know of any history today that woud compare l with the Bible history in candor. | In these studies make no impas- 1 stoned appeal, but suggest in the words l of our Lord that each one quietly count l the cost of being a disciple of Jesus, 1 then make his decision