Part 19

---The series on Ruth began in Part 10---
“I will give you treasures of darkness and hidden riches of the Secret Place, that you may know that I, the Lord, Who calls you by your name, am the God of Israel.”  Isaiah 45:3

“So Naomi returned from Moab accompanied by Ruth the Moabitess, her daughter-in-law, arriving in Bethlehem as the barley harvest was beginning.”  Ruth 1:22

Naomi and Ruth are home now, and they got there just as the harvest was beginning.  The Lord is about to bring them out of their captivity of sorrow and devastation.  In the Secret Place, the harvest begins.  “Blessed are those You choose and bring near to live in Your courts!  We are filled with the good things of Your house, of Your Holy Temple.  You call forth songs of joy!  You care for the land and water it; You enrich it abundantly.  The streams of God are filled with water to provide the people with grain, for so You have ordained it.  You drench its furrows and level its ridges; You soften it with showers and bless its crops.  You crown the year with Your bounty, and Your carts overflow with abundance.  The grasslands of the desert overflow; the hills are clothed with gladness.  The meadows are covered with flocks and the valleys are mantled with grain; they shout for joy and sing.” Psalm 65:4, 8b, 9-13

Grain: The small hard seed of any cereal plant; a tiny solid particle; a tiny bit; the smallest unit of weight; the markings or texture due to the arrangement of fibers, layers, etc. of wood, leather, etc. (Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary)

Harvest:  The season for gathering grain or fruit.  On the 16th day of Abib (April) a handful of ripe ears of corn was offered as first-fruit before the Lord, and immediately after this the harvest commenced.  It began with the Passover and ended with Pentecost, thus lasting for seven weeks (Exodus 23:16).  The harvest was a season of joy (Psalm 126; Isaiah 9:3).  (Parson’s Bible Dictionary)

“When the Lord brought back the captives to Zion we were like men who dreamed.  Our mouths were filled with laughter, our tongues with songs of joy.  Then it was said among the nations, ‘The Lord has done great things for them.’  The Lord has done great things for us, and we are filled with joy.  Restore our fortunes, O Lord, like streams in the Negev.  Those who sow in tears will reap with songs of joy.  He who goes out weeping, carrying seed to sow, will return with songs of joy, carrying sheaves with him.”  (Psalm 126)

Planting principle:  “Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”  Matthew 11:29-30  God told me recently as I was preparing for a potentially stressful day:  “Do not be unequally yoked with me.  When you worry, when you fret, you are not trusting Me to carry the load; therefore, we are unequally yoked.  Work with Me, yoke with Me, let Me do the work.  Try Me.”  Just as the oxen team works the fields, we must allow God to do the work as He breaks ground and sends forth the seed.

Watering principle: “(He) dug in the valley and discovered a well of fresh water there….’Now the Lord has given us room and we will flourish in the land.’”  Genesis 26:19, 22b  Water:  colorless liquid sustaining plant and animal life; symbolic of blessing (NIV)   Naomi and Ruth were definitely in a valley at this time of our story.  In life we find ourselves in deep valleys due to the circumstances and situations surrounding us; but the rivers flow in the valley!  If we will just lift our eyes up to the hills we will see where our help comes from – we will see the lush greenery that lives in the valley, and we will hear the river streams as they flow through.

Harvest principle:  “The least of you will become a thousand, the smallest a mighty nation.  I am the Lord; in its time I will do this swiftly.”  Isaiah 60:22  Before it is time to harvest, to reap the blessings, there must be a time to plant (the grain of seed, the smallest unit of weight) and a time to water (nurture).  Unless the seed falls into the ground it will remain just one seed, but once it is planted and nurtured, the chaff (outer shell) is broken.  In its time, the harvest, the secret wonder of nature, comes swiftly.  That one small hard seed that had to die and be removed from the outer shell that was hindering its growth is now covering fields and fields for the harvest.  And a season of joy begins.

 “I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed.  But if it dies, it produces many seeds (and brings forth much fruit).” John 12:24 

The harvest begins with Passover and ends with Pentecost…

“For to us a child is born, to us a Son is given, and the government will be on His shoulders.  And He will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”  Isaiah 9:6

“…and she wrapped Him in cloths and placed Him in a manger…”  Luke 2:6b

“…and she treasured up all these things and pondered them (to gather up all the treasures and keep looking at them) in her heart.”  Luke 2:19

“…and the child grew and became strong; He was filled with wisdom, and the grace of God was upon Him.”  Luke 2:40

“…and it was now about the sixth hour, and darkness came over the whole land until the ninth hour, for the sun stopped shining.  And the curtain of the temple was torn in two.”  Luke 23:44-45

“…and near the cross of Jesus stood His mother…”  John 19:25a

“…and he wrapped His body in linen cloth and placed Him in a tomb cut in the rock, one in which no one had yet been laid.  It was called Preparation Day, and the Sabbath was about to begin.”  Luke 23:53-54

“He is not here; He has risen!  Remember what He has told you!”  Luke 24:6a

I cannot even imagine how Mary felt as she delivered the Son of God into our world.  I cannot even imagine how she felt as she watched her baby boy die on that cruel cross.  And I cannot even imagine how she felt as she held Him in her arms again following His resurrection.  This young girl was a part of the greatest harvest this world has ever known:  a time of planting (the Seed of God), a time of watering (the Child of God), a time of reaping (our Savior and our King).

Naomi and Ruth were about to meet the Kinsman-Redeemer.  Come into the Secret Place and see for yourself…

Though the sorrow may last for the night, JOY COMES IN THE MORNING!
“We went through the fire and water, but You brought us to a place of abundance (a wealthy place).”  Psalm 66:12

His promises are sweet, His power is made perfect in weakness, and His mercies are new every morning-----
“If you follow My decrees and are careful to obey My commands, I will send you rain in its season, and the ground will yield its crops and the trees of the field their fruit.  Your threshing will continue until grape harvest and the grape harvest will continue until planting, and you will eat all the food you want and live in safety in your land.  I will grant peace in the land, and you will lie down and no one will make you afraid.  I will remove savage beasts from the land, and the sword will not pass through your country.  You will pursue your enemies, and they will fall by the sword before you.  Five of you will chase a hundred, and a hundred of you will chase ten thousand, and your enemies will fall by the sword before you.  I will look on you with favor and make you fruitful and increase your numbers, and I will keep My covenant with you.  You will still be eating last year’s harvest when you will have to move it out to make room for the new.  I will put My dwelling place among you, and I will not abhor you.  I will walk among you and be your God, and you will be My people.  I am the Lord your God who brought you out of (trouble, the valley, away from the enemy), so that you would no longer be slaves to (the enemy).  I broke the bars of your yoke and enabled you to walk with heads held high.”  Leviticus 26:3-13

Glory, Hallelujah, and Amen!