Archives for 2015

Good morning,

Psalm 2 is a Messianic psalm. There are references to the Lord Jesus Christ. We will study the rebellion of the heathen, the response of the Lord God, the declaration of the Messiah, Jesus Christ, and the Psalmist counsel to the kings of the earth.  Today we will look at God’s response to men’s rebellion and the declaration of the Messiah, Jesus Christ.

The Lord God of Heaven speaks (v4-7) He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the Lord shall have them in derision. ⁵ Then shall he speak unto them in his wrath, and vex them in his sore displeasure. ⁶ Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion. ⁷ I will declare the decree: the Lord hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee.

• God’s laughter shows the folly of rebelling against Him. (v4) It shows us that mighty men rise up and proudly think that they’re so great and powerful. God laughs: “You’ve got to be kidding!” Who is puny man to try to stand against the Sovereign God? “He removes kings and establishes kings” (Dan. 2:21) according to His will.
• The Lord’s reply. (v5-6) He shall speak to them in His wrath. He will vex them in His sore displeasure. He will proclaim:  “Yet have I set My King upon my holy hill of  Zion”

3) The Messiah speaks (v7-9) I will declare the decree: the Lord hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee. ⁸ Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession. ⁹ Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel.

• The Lord God declares Jesus to be His Son. (v7)  Psalm 2:7 refers to the day of the eternal decree, when Christ was declared to be the Son of God and begotten (John Walvoord, Jesus Christ Our Lord [Moody Press], p. 41). Since the decree is eternal, Christ’s Sonship is eternal.
• The power of Messiah (v8-9): Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, will return bodily to this earth in power and glory to crush all opposition and to reign in righteousness from David’s throne. John describes his vision of the Lord Jesus in that great day in Revelation 19:15-16: “And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. ¹⁶ And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, King Of Kings, And Lord Of Lords.” At the end of Christ’s 1,000 year reign, Satan and all who followed him will be thrown into the lake of fire where they will be tormented forever and ever (Rev. 20:10-15).

Let’s recap what we find in today’s devotional.

• God laughs at the attempts of man to unseat Him
• God is sovereign
• God will speak to them in wrath
• God has set Jesus as King on His holy hill of Zion
• Jesus is the Son of God
• Jesus will crush all opposition
• Jesus will rule with a rod of iron
• Satan is cast into the lake of fire to burn forever and ever

Tom Stearns, WASI Chaplain, 907 715-4001

 

Good morning,

Psalm 2 is a Messianic psalm. There are references to the Lord Jesus Christ. We will study the rebellion of the heathen, the response of the Lord God, the declaration of the Messiah, Jesus Christ, and the Psalmist counsel to the kings of the earth.

Rebellion (v1-3)

Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing? ² The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the Lord, and against his anointed, saying, ³ Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us.

• Satan is the author of this rebellion (Isaiah 14:12-14)  How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! ¹³ For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: ¹⁴I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.
• All people have followed Satan in his rebellion against God. When Adam and Eve succumbed to Satan’s temptation and disobeyed God, the human race fell into sin and thus came under God’s judgment. This rebellion took on an organized form at the tower of Babel, when proud men came together and proposed to build a tower into heaven to make a name for themselves (Genesis 11:4).

History shows us that this problem of rebellion has not gotten better, but worse. Open your newspaper and you will find mention of wars, murders, and all sorts of atrocities. Power hungry men and women are trying to be like the most High God.

Tomorrow we will see how God views these people.

Till then, if you find yourself in this category, REPENT and ask for God’s forgiveness.

Tom Stearns, WASI Chaplain, 907 715-4001

 

Good morning,

This is a tremendously important message. I did not have a home such as this. My parents were not saved. They did not teach me Christian principles. They divorced when I was 11. So much agony and pain could be avoided if you apply today’s devotion.

The making of a beautiful and happy home!

(J.R. Miller)

A true home is one of the most sacred of places.
It is a sanctuary into which men flee from the world’s perils and alarms.
It is a resting-place to which, at close of day–the weary retire to gather new strength for the battle and toils of tomorrow.
It is the place . . .
where love learns its lessons,
where life is schooled into discipline and strength,
where character is molded.

Few things we can do in this world are so well worth doing–as the making of a beautiful and happy home! He who does this–builds a sanctuary for God, and opens a fountain of blessing for men.

Far more than we know–do the strength and beauty of our lives depend upon the home in which we dwell. He who goes forth in the morning from a happy, loving, prayerful home–into the world’s strife, temptation, struggle, and duty–is strongly inspired for noble and victorious living.

The children who are brought up in a true home–go out trained and equipped for life’s battles and tasks–carrying a secret of strength in their hearts, which will make them brave and loyal to God, and will keep them pure in the world’s severest temptations!

Please apply these principles.

Thank you.

Tom Stearns, WASI Chaplain, 907 715-4001

 

Good morning,

Please ponder this.

The base cares and the petty enjoyments of the present world

(John Angell James) (1785—1859)

“I write plain truths, in plain language, for plain people!”

Sin is raging all around us!

Satan is busy in the work of destruction!

Men are dying!

Souls are every moment departing into eternity!

Hell is enlarging her mouth, and multitudes are continually descending to torments which knows no mitigation and no end!

How astounding is it sometimes to ourselves, that, the base cares and the petty enjoyments of the present world should have so much power over us, as to retard us in our heavenward course, and make us negligent and indolent, heedless and forgetful.

Time is short!

Life is uncertain!

Death is at hand!

Immortality is about to swallow up our existence in eternal life–or eternal death!

Heaven expanding above us!

Hell is yawning beneath us!

Eternity is opening before us!

Once you are through pondering. Take the appropriate action and Paul’s counsel to the Colossians, “If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God.  Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.” (Colossians 3:1-2)

Tom Stearns, WASI Chaplain, 907 715-4001

Good morning,

Today we conclude our study of the book of Ruth.

We began by saying that the book of Ruth is a love story. There is the love that Ruth had for Naomi. There is the love that Boaz had for Ruth.  There is the love God has for His children. Only one of those loves is unconditional, redemptive, and eternal. It is God’s love. Ruth was a Moabite. Israel despised the Moabites. God chose Ruth to pour out His unconditional love. He redeemed her at the point when she chose to follow the God of Naomi, the one true God. Then He gave her an eternal legacy being in the ancestral line of Jesus. That is how our amazing God works.

The gentile woman Ruth, like Rahab the harlot, trusted in God and was taken into the ancestral line of Christ; Boaz was of the son of Salmon and Rahab. Obed, son of Boaz and Ruth, would become father to Jesse, who was the father of King David. Their home was Bethlehem where Micah prophesied Jesus would be born. (Micah 5:2)

Some things to ponder.

• God can use anyone for His purposes
• Believers need to be careful who we condemn
• God’s love should guide everything we do and say

“And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.” (Ephesians 4:32)

Tom Stearns, WASI Chaplain, 907 715-4001

 

Good morning,

Chapter 4 is the conclusion of this great book. Boaz becomes the kinsman redeemer, marries Ruth, and has a son named Obed.

Chapter 4 Ruth’s Reward v13

Verses 1-12 Boaz redeems the inheritance of Elimelech, Chilion, and Mahlon.

 And Boaz said unto the elders, and unto all the people, Ye are witnesses this day, that I have bought all that was Elimelech’s, and all that was Chilion’s and Mahlon’s, of the hand of Naomi. ¹⁰ Moreover Ruth the Moabitess, the wife of Mahlon, have I purchased to be my wife, to raise up the name of the dead upon his inheritance, that the name of the dead be not cut off from among his brethren, and from the gate of his place: ye are witnesses this day. (V9-10)

Verses 13-15 Boaz marries Ruth

So Boaz took Ruth, and she was his wife: and when he went in unto her, the Lord gave her conception, and she bare a son. (V13)

Verses 16-22 Ruth’s son Obed is David’s grandfather.

• Naomi nurses the child named Obed v17-18
• Genealogy of Pharez v19-22

And the women her neighbors gave it a name, saying, There is a son born to Naomi; and they called his name Obed: he is the father of Jesse, the father of David.¹⁸ Now these are the generations of Pharez: Pharez begat Hezron,¹⁹ And Hezron begat Ram, and Ram begat Amminadab,²⁰ And Amminadab begat Nahshon, and Nahshon begat Salmon,²¹ And Salmon begat Boaz, and Boaz begat Obed,²² And Obed begat Jesse, and Jesse begat David. (V17-22)

Ruth goes from being a hated Moabite to the ancestral line of Christ. God can save, redeem, and whoever He chooses. We should not be too quick to condemn others. They might be someone God is going to greatly use for His glory and honor.

Tomorrow, we will conclude our look at the book of Ruth.

Tom Stearns, WASI Chaplain, 907 715-4001

 

 

 

Good morning,

Chapter 3 of Ruth reveals the role of the kinsman redeemer, Boaz. Naomi gives Ruth detailed instructions on what she must do. Ruth claims Boaz as the kinsman redeemer. Read how the story turns out.

Please read Chapter 3 of Ruth.

Chapter 3 Ruth’s Rest v1 and 18

Verses 1-7 Naomi arranges Ruth’s wedding

• Then Naomi her mother in law said unto her, My daughter, shall I not seek rest for thee, that it may be well with thee? V1
• Naomi’s instructions to Ruth v2-7
• Ruth claims Boaz as Kinsman v8-15
• What Ruth did in going to Boaz was not immodest nor was it wicked. A kinsman was expected to marry the young widow and raise up children for the dead husbands line. (Deuteronomy 25:5-6) Ruth simply reminded Boaz of his duty and privilege as a kinsman.

The role of the Kinsman Redeemer

A major theme of the Book of Ruth is that of the kinsman-redeemer. Boaz, a relative of Naomi on her husband’s side, acted upon his duty as outlined in the Mosaic Law to redeem an impoverished relative from his or her circumstances (Lev. 25:47-49). This scenario is repeated by Christ, who redeems us, the spiritually impoverished, from the slavery of sin. Our heavenly Father sent His own Son to the cross so that we might become children of God and brothers and sisters of Christ. By being our Redeemer, He makes us His kinsmen.

Verses 16-18 Ruth sit still Boaz will not rest

Then said she, Sit still, my daughter, until thou know how the matter will fall: for the man will not be in rest, until he have finished the thing this day. V18

Now Ruth waits on her kinsman redeemer. Our kinsman redeemer is Jesus Christ. Have you placed your faith and trust in Him? He went to the cross for you, paid the penalty for your sin, and gives you new life. Accept Him today. Need more information, call or email me.

Tom Stearns, WASI Chaplain, 907 715-4001

 

Good morning,

Chapter 2 of the book of Ruth identifies Ruth as one who serves. She goes to the field to glean ears of corn for Naomi and herself. When she meets Boaz she shows a humble attitude. She is thankful to Boaz for the privilege to glean in his field. She is also obedient to the instructions of Boaz and Naomi.

Chapter 2 Ruth’s Service v2

Verses 1-3 Ruth gleans in the field of Boaz

And Naomi had a kinsman of her husband’s, a mighty man of wealth, of the family of Elimelech; and his name was Boaz. ² And Ruth the Moabitess said unto Naomi, Let me now go to the field, and glean ears of corn after him in whose sight I shall find grace. And she said unto her, Go, my daughter. ³ And she went, and came, and gleaned in the field after the reapers: and her hap was to light on a part of the field belonging unto Boaz, who was of the kindred of Elimelech.

Verses 4-23 Ruth meets Boaz

• Boaz inquires about Ruth v4-7
• Boaz encourages Ruth to abide in his field and glean v8-9
• Ruth’s humble response v10
• Ruth reward for faithfulness to Naomi v11-12
• Ruth’s humble response v13
• Boaz’s instructions to Ruth and to his young men v14-16
• Ruth gleans the field, goes home, and rehearses all that went on that day v17-23

When Ruth left Moab to be with Naomi, I doubt she ever considered how her kindness would be rewarded. Boaz understood the significance of what Ruth was doing. He asked God to bless her for being kind to Naomi.

Do we take the opportunities to be kind to one another? When people are hurting and need help, are we the ones who help? Ruth did.

Tom Stearns, WASI Chaplain, 907 715-4001

 

Good morning,

This week we will look at the book of Ruth. This is a love story. There is the love that Ruth had for Naomi. There is the love that Boaz had for Ruth.  Then there is the love God has for His children. Only one of those loves is unconditional, redemptive, and eternal.

Please read Chapter one.

Chapter one tells us of a:

Famine in Bethlehem        v1

Sojourn in Moab                v1

Family                                v2

Death                                 v3

Two marriages                v4

Two deaths                     v5

Grieving mother telling her daughters to go back to their family’s v6-14

One leaves                     v14

One does not                v15-17

Return to Bethlehem  v18-22

The key to chapter one is found in verses 16 and 17. “And Ruth said, Entreat me not to leave thee, or to return from following after thee: for whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge: thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God: 17 Where thou diest, will I die, and there will I be buried: the Lord do so to me, and more also, if ought but death part thee and me.”

Ruth made a decision to go with Naomi to Bethlehem. Her love for Naomi was stronger than her desire to return to her family. She had lived for ten years being influenced by Naomi and her Jewish roots. She made a choice to follow the God of the Bible, rather than to go back to Moabite paganism.

Who or what are you following today? Ruth gave up all she knew to follow Naomi and her God. Have you given up everything to follow the God of the Bible?

As we will see it was a very good decision for Ruth.

Tom Stearns, WASI Chaplain, 907 715-4001

 

 

 

Good morning,

This week we have studied the Sovereignty of God and His Omniscience. What have we learned?

1) God rules in the lives of men

2) God knows all things

3) Trust God in the crisis

4) God will work out all things for his honor and glory

5) He will take care of you

Remember:

“The Lord hath prepared his throne in the heavens; and his kingdom ruleth over all.” (Psalm 103:19)

^“13 The Lord looketh from heaven; he beholdeth all the sons of men. ¹⁴ From the place of his habitation he looketh upon all the inhabitants of the earth.¹⁵ He fashioneth their hearts alike; he considereth all their works.” (Psalm 33:13-15)

“Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised; and his greatness is unsearchable.” (Psalm 145:3)

Never forget the God you serve.

Tom Stearns, WASI Chaplain, 907 715-4001