Today is the day we set aside an entire twenty-four hour time period for the purposing of being thankful. While everyday should bring with it reasons for thankfulness, there is something altogether refreshing about the "intentional-ness" of Thanksgiving. But instead of giving a list of things I am thankful, I figured I would give a somewhat different list. I've been reading through the book of Ruth this week, and it is filled with reasons why God is deserving of our thanks. I will limit the reasons to twenty while offering a brief explanation for those which are a bit more subtle.
1. Faithful: she had heard...that the LORD had visited his people and given them food (1:6)
2. Kindness: May the Lord deal kindly with you (1:8) ~you wouldn't wish the Lord's kindness upon someone unless you know and have tasted it for yourself
3. Rest: The Lord grant that you may find rest (1:9) ~again you wouldn't wish the Lord's rest unless you were aware of its reality
4. Active in time of distress/anguish/suffering: the hand of the Lord has gone out against me (1:13) ~This doesn't seem worthy of thanks, but isn't far more comforting knowing God is at work during the bad times than simply the harsh realities of life?
5. Covenant: Your people shall be my people, and your God my God (1:16) ~Ruth uses covenant language God established with His people generations before at Mount Sinai.
6. Sovereign even over our sufferings: the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me (1:20)...the Lord has brought me back empty (1:21) ~God is not only active in our sufferings, but He is ruling over them for the purpose of His glory and our good (Romans 8:28; James 1)
7. Providence: ...and she happened to come to the part of the field belonging to Boaz (2:3) ~what humans may call coincidence God calls part of His plan.
8. Nearness: The Lord be with you...The Lord bless you (2:4)
9. Grace: Why have I found favor in your eyes...since I am a foreigner? (2:10) ~Ruth asks Boaz the same question every redeemed sinner asks of God each and every day.
10. Repays according to works: The Lord repay you for what you have done, and a full reward be given you by the Lord (2:12) ~This has a positive and negative side to it, but knowing God will reward His people in His kingdom is definitely worthy of thanks.
11. Shelter: ...the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge (2:12)
12. Provides for our needs: so she gleaned in the field until evening...it was about an ephah of barely (2:17)
13. Everlasting Kindness: May he be blessed by the Lord, whose kindness has not forsaken the living or the dead (2:20)
14. He is alive: as the Lord lives, I will redeem you (3:13) ~Boaz takes an oath by the Lord because He is the living God.
15. Redemption: I will redeem you (3:13)...who has not left you this day without a redeemer (4:14) ~The kinsman redeemer was just a foretaste of the great Redeemer coming to save God's people from sin.
16. Life-giving: May the Lord make the woman...like Rachel and Leah (4:11)...and the Lord gave her conception and she bore a son (4:13)
17. His renown: and may his name be renowned in Israel! (4:14)
18. Restores life: He shall be a restorer of life and a nourisher of your old age (4:15)
19. Faithful: They named him Obed. He was the Father of Jesse, the father of David (4:17)
20. King: Abraham was the father of Isaac...Jesse was the father of David the king...and Jacob the father of Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom Jesus was born, who is called Christ (Matthew 1:2,6,16) ~While this isn't directly from Ruth, it's impossible to read Ruth and not see a clear pointing to Christ with the inclusion of the line of David.
Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his steadfast love endures forever! ~Psalm 118:1
1. Faithful: she had heard...that the LORD had visited his people and given them food (1:6)
2. Kindness: May the Lord deal kindly with you (1:8) ~you wouldn't wish the Lord's kindness upon someone unless you know and have tasted it for yourself
3. Rest: The Lord grant that you may find rest (1:9) ~again you wouldn't wish the Lord's rest unless you were aware of its reality
4. Active in time of distress/anguish/suffering: the hand of the Lord has gone out against me (1:13) ~This doesn't seem worthy of thanks, but isn't far more comforting knowing God is at work during the bad times than simply the harsh realities of life?
5. Covenant: Your people shall be my people, and your God my God (1:16) ~Ruth uses covenant language God established with His people generations before at Mount Sinai.
6. Sovereign even over our sufferings: the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me (1:20)...the Lord has brought me back empty (1:21) ~God is not only active in our sufferings, but He is ruling over them for the purpose of His glory and our good (Romans 8:28; James 1)
7. Providence: ...and she happened to come to the part of the field belonging to Boaz (2:3) ~what humans may call coincidence God calls part of His plan.
8. Nearness: The Lord be with you...The Lord bless you (2:4)
9. Grace: Why have I found favor in your eyes...since I am a foreigner? (2:10) ~Ruth asks Boaz the same question every redeemed sinner asks of God each and every day.
10. Repays according to works: The Lord repay you for what you have done, and a full reward be given you by the Lord (2:12) ~This has a positive and negative side to it, but knowing God will reward His people in His kingdom is definitely worthy of thanks.
11. Shelter: ...the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge (2:12)
12. Provides for our needs: so she gleaned in the field until evening...it was about an ephah of barely (2:17)
13. Everlasting Kindness: May he be blessed by the Lord, whose kindness has not forsaken the living or the dead (2:20)
14. He is alive: as the Lord lives, I will redeem you (3:13) ~Boaz takes an oath by the Lord because He is the living God.
15. Redemption: I will redeem you (3:13)...who has not left you this day without a redeemer (4:14) ~The kinsman redeemer was just a foretaste of the great Redeemer coming to save God's people from sin.
16. Life-giving: May the Lord make the woman...like Rachel and Leah (4:11)...and the Lord gave her conception and she bore a son (4:13)
17. His renown: and may his name be renowned in Israel! (4:14)
18. Restores life: He shall be a restorer of life and a nourisher of your old age (4:15)
19. Faithful: They named him Obed. He was the Father of Jesse, the father of David (4:17)
20. King: Abraham was the father of Isaac...Jesse was the father of David the king...and Jacob the father of Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom Jesus was born, who is called Christ (Matthew 1:2,6,16) ~While this isn't directly from Ruth, it's impossible to read Ruth and not see a clear pointing to Christ with the inclusion of the line of David.
Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his steadfast love endures forever! ~Psalm 118:1
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