July 29 - HEROES: Samuel

Samuel was the last of the judges and the first of the prophets. Remember - a prophet is not a mere "predictor of the future," but one who is anointed and Spirit-empowered to bring forward God's message for a people and a time. He served during a difficult time, as described in the last verse of the book of Judges:

JUDGES 21:25. In those days Israel had no king, so the people did whatever seemed right in their own eyes.


The character of Hannah is interesting. She was downcast as she had not been able to conceive. Read her story in the first part of the book First Samuel.

She devoted her son Samuel to the Lord, and in chapter two we find her song of praise to the Lord - "My heart rejoices in the Lord."


We also learn about Eli - though he served God in the shrine, his sons were wicked and corrupt. Eli oversaw the life and work of young Samuel. He, in contrast to Eli's sons, was exemplary:

1 SAMUEL 2:18. Samuel, though only a boy, was the Lord's helper.

1 SAMUEL 2:21. He grew up in the presence of the Lord.


Thinking back on 2:21 above, what would it mean for a child in 2007 to "grow up in the presence of the Lord." What would we have to do differently as parents to make that happen? What would we have to do differently as mentors (like Eli)? What would we have to do differently as the church?


Read the amazing story of God's call of Samuel in chapter 3.

Samuel was ultimately called to bring bad news to Eli.

The Bible tells us that Samuel continued to grow in godliness:

1 SAMUEL 3:19. Everything Samuel said was wise and helpful.

1 SAMUEL 3:20. All the people of Israel from one end of the land to the other knew that Samuel was confirmed as a prophet of the Lord.


But both Samuel and Eli faced disappointments. Neither was able to adequately prepare their sons to carry on what they had begun.

Even if you have discovered your calling, are you passing it along to someone else?


Eli helped Samuel to recognize the voice of God. Is there someone who helped you understand what God was saying to you? Is there someone for whom you have been (or could be) an Eli?



Another Methodist pastor, Dr. James L. Mayfield, focused on the character of Eli in this sermon, "Lessons From Eli About Disappointment."


Read this reflection on the experience of Hannah by William A. Dyrness - "Waiting In Hope."

July 22 - HEROES: Ruth

The story of Ruth is a little different from those of the judges we have been looking at, but the book falls where it does in the Old Testament because it takes place during the time of the judges.

Ruth is exemplary because she is fiercely loyal to her mother-in-law, Naomi. Naomi has lost her husband, and both of her sons, and is left only with two daughters-in-law, Orpah and Ruth. Naomi is an outsider (as her family had moved to Moab because of a famine back in Bethlehem). When the famine has ended, she determines to move back to her homeland and end out her days. But Ruth refuses to allow her to go home alone:

RUTH 1:16-17. Don't ask me to leave you and turn back. Wherever you go, I will go; wherever you live, I will live. Your people will be my people and your God will be my God. Wherever you die, I will die, and there I will be buried.


In the sermon we looked at how when Naomi returned home, she was greeted by the townspeople, but she responded in her sadness:

RUTH 1:20. Don't call me Naomi. Instead call me Mara, for the Almighty has made life very bitter for me.

(The word "Mara" means "bitter," and the name "Naomi" means "pleasant.")


Do you know people who claim the name "bitter" in the midst of tough circumstances? Have you ever named yourself "bitter"?


We also read about Ruth being a gleaner - one who gathered the leftover grain during harvest time. Gleaning also becomes a metaphor for finding hope in the midst of an otherwise barren situation.

Eventually Ruth is wed to Boaz (the owner of the field in which she gleans) and the birth of a son winds up putting an end to Naomi's bitterness, as this child is nursed by Naomi herself.

The amazing punchline to the Book of Ruth is that this child - Obed - winds up being the grandfather of King David. That means that Ruth - a foreign woman - is part of the royal line of David.

To top that, Matthew 1:5 reminds us that Ruth and Obed were part of the genealogical line of Jesus himself.

God certainly works in mysterious ways!


In reading the story of Ruth, we can't help but think about the experiences of immigrants today. Naomi was an immigrant - living in the land of Moab. And then the tables were turned, as Ruth, the native of Moab, became an immigrant living in Israel.

Here are some resources that help connect the dots between the experiences in Ruth and conditions today.


The great theologians of the early church saw Ruth as a metaphor for the eventual expansion of the gospel to all nations. The law of Moses prohibited marriage to a Moabite, so it would seem that the genealogy of David - and of Jesus - was defective. The 4th century bishop Ambrose wrote concerning this seeming dilemma:

Ruth deserves to be counted among the honored figures in the Lord's genealogy. She was chosen for kinship of mind, not of body. She is a great example for all of us who were gathered from the nations for the purpose of joining the church of the Lord. We should emulate her.

Monk Isidore of Seville (born ~ 560 AD) notes:

Ruth is a "type" of the church, as she is a stranger from the Gentile people who renounced her native land and all things belonging to it. The church was called to God from the Gentiles in just this way - leaving her native land (which is idolatry).

Theophylact, a bishop of the 11th century, writes:

Ruth was a foreigner, but nevertheless she was married to Boaz. So, too, the church is from among the Gentiles. As Ruth was wed to Boaz of the seed of Abraham, so too was the church taken as bride by the Son of God.