Waiting

[forgiven]

Title: The Cost of Refusing to Wait

Genesis 29:16-28

Earlier, Jacob had not respected the rights of
the firstborn, for he had schemed to get the
birthright and the blessing away from Esau. Now,
because of Laban's deceit, Jacob had to submit to
the rights of the firstborn.

By being required to marry Leah, the firstborn,
before he could marry Rachel, Jacob learned his
lesson the hard way.

Jacob also learned the lesson about waiting on
God. He had refused to wait on God's fulfillment
of His promise that "the elder shall serve the
younger" (Gen. 25:23).

Because he refused to wait for God to fulfill
this promise in His own time, Jacob had to leave
home to save his life. Because Jacob had such
difficulty waiting on God, He taught him, through
the incident with Leah and Rachel, the importance
of waiting.

He had to wait seven years for Rachel, and this
in itself taught him many lessons in waiting.

Although he most likely married Rachel a week
after he married Leah, he still had to work
another seven years for Rachel before he could
receive any wages for himself--14 years of
waiting before he began to accumulate possessions
for himself.

God has ways of teaching people how to wait.

"They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their
strength; they shall mount up with wings as
eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and
they shall walk, and not faint" (Isa. 40:31).
_________________________________________
Author: Theodore Epp

[forgiven]

Title: Waiting on God

Tarry this night, and it shall be in the morning,
that if he will perform unto thee the part of a
kinsman, well; let him do the kinsman's part: but
if he will not do the part of a kinsman to thee,
then will I do the part of a kinsman to thee, as
the Lord liveth: lie down until the morning.

DURING OUR DARK MOMENTS frequently we become
impatient and ask God to speak to us immediately.
But sometimes God is silent, and we must be
silent as well. When the tears of frustration
stream down our cheeks, when defeat and despair
hang around us like a shroud, when we don't know
which way to turn, we must heed God's advice to
the psalmist, “Be still, and know that I am
God”(Psalm 46:10).

Perhaps this divine stillness in the midst of the
storm is best illustrated in the story of Ruth. A
severe famine in Palestine drove Elimelech and
Naomi, Ephrathites of Bethlehem, to Moab with
their two sons, Mahlon and Chilion. Here the sons
married Moabite girls named Ruth and Orpah. After
ten years the father and sons died leaving three
childless widows. Naomi decided to return to her
homeland. Realizing the lonely life ahead for her
daughters-in-law in a foreign country, she
entreated them to remain behind in Moab. After
some persuasion Orpah returned but Ruth
requested, “Intreat me not to leave thee, or to
return from following after thee: for whither
thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodges, I
will lodge: thy people shall be my people and thy
God my God”(Ruth 1:16). Hence, Ruth and Naomi
traveled on together.

It was springtime during the barley harvest when
Naomi and Ruth arrived in Bethlehem. Immediately
Ruth went to glean in the field of a wealthy
Ephrathite named Boaz, a relative of Elimelech,
her father-in-law. Boaz showed kindness to Ruth,
allowing her to eat with the Jews, contrary to
the Hebrew custom, and eventually came to love
her. Full of gratitude to God, Naomi instructed
Ruth to claim her rights under the levirate law
of marriage. This law, similar to those of the
Assyrians and the Hittites, permitted a childless
widow to marry her husband's brother or nearest
kinsman in order to perpetuate the dead husband's
name.

That night, when Boaz went to sleep, Ruth softly
came and laid at his feet. During the night Boaz
awoke and was startled to see Ruth. She
identified herself and asked him to perform the
duties of the near kinsman. Apparently Boaz's
interest in Ruth had blossomed. However, he knew
there was a kinsman nearer than he who must first
be given the opportunity to perform this custom.
Thus Boaz instructed Ruth, “Tarry this night, and
it shall be in the morning, that if he will
perform unto thee the part of the kinsman, well;
let him do the kinsman's part; but if he will not
do the part of the kinsman to thee, then will I
do the part of the kinsman to thee, as the LORD
liveth: lie down until the morning”(Ruth 3:13).

In the morning Ruth arose, was given six measures
of barley by Boaz, and returned to the house of
Naomi. Filled with anxiety over her future, Naomi
instructed Ruth in the lesson of quiet faith. She
said, “Sit still, my daughter, until thou know
how the matter will fall.” Boaz kept his word. He
called ten witnesses of the elders to take their
seats in the gate of the city to ratify his
negotiations with the nearest kinsman to Ruth.
When the kinsman refused to redeem his
possession, that transferred the right of
redemption legally to Boaz. Boaz and Ruth were
married; she bore a son named Obed, the father of
Jesse, the father of David. Good things happen to
us when we sit still and wait on God.

Like Ruth, we must learn that no one who trusts
God is ever forgotten by our Saviour. He is ever
praying for us (Hebrews 7:25). We may feel
forsaken and forlorn, but our High Priest is
always touched with the feeling of our
infirmities (Hebrews 4:15-16). He catches the
tears of our anxiety and anguish alike “in [His]
bottle”(Psalm 56:8). He is fully aware of our
situation. In the meantime, we must simply sit
still until we see how the matter will fall and
learn the glorious lesson that, “They that wait
upon the Lord shall renew their strength” (Isaiah
40:31).

MORNING HYMN
Be still, my soul: the Lord is on thy side;
Bear patiently the cross of grief or pain;
Leave to thy God to order and provide;
p In every change He faithful will remain.

Author: Woodrow Kroll