Ruth: 3:1-9; a study on chesed – the substance of all things, God’s glory.

Title: Ruth: 3:1-9; a study on chesed – the substance of all things, God’s glory.

We are looking at the third and last use of the word éleos (counterpart to the Hebrew word chesed) by our Lord.

Mat 23:23"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cummin, and have neglected the weightier provisions of the law: justice and mercy [eleos] and faithfulness; but these are the things you should have done without neglecting the others.

Mat 23:24 "You blind guides, who strain out a gnat and swallow a camel!

Repeating:

Sin is our own desires and selfish urges that propel us to act for our own benefit at the expense of others. Chesed or mercy is the exact opposite of this and this is why it can only be found in Jesus Christ.

Like the Pharisees, our own desires, our selfish urges, our actions aimed at our own benefit and not the benefit of others, blinds us to the reality of God’s glory which is all around us. We must be able to see and for this we must overcome sin.

I cannot see and be selfish, lustful, and proud. I must overcome. Christ was judged for my sins, and at faith in Him my flesh was crucified. As a regenerate person I now have all I need to see. I must frequent God’s word and apply it in my life. I must see the glory of mercy in Christ, as it has manifested itself in Him, and then put that into practice in my own life, and if I do I will see. If I see, I will see the glory of God in all things, and I will then inherit the earth.

Mercy, justice, and faithfulness are within, of the soul, heart, and spirit of a man. And while unseen, they are the substance of the law. Do not miss the substance in all that is around you.

God has blessed you with everything you can see, even that which brings heartache and tribulation. Our eye must be singular.

Mat 5:5 “Blessed are the gentle, for they shall inherit the earth.”

Gentle is the spirit in a person who sees all of God’s dealings with him as good. The greatest example of the use of this word is to describe Christ riding into Jerusalem on the back of a donkey. “Behold your King is coming to you, meek and sitting on a donkey.”

Jesus full accepted the Father’s will. To obey is better than sacrifice. Mercy and truth are better than sacrifice. Such ones inherit the earth and we will see why.

Mat 5:4 "Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.

The meek or gentle suffer with Christ and so they are fellow heirs with Christ according to Rom 8:17.

Yet our inheritance has to be eternal, therefore, it cannot be the material things or the people themselves.

1Pe 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,

1Pe 1:4 to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you,

1Pe 1:5 who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

1Pe 1:6 In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials,

1Pe 1:7 that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ;

Everything and every person has something of the substance of the glory of God in them, and this we can inherit, but we must see it. An inheritance is useless if it is not seen and enjoyed.

Having such vision will solve all kinds of problems that plague the human race. Think of one of everyone’s greatest problems, their own body. The body desires things that are contrary to the will of God. The flesh must be ruled by the spirit of man, filled with the Spirit of God. However, the body wants things, pleasure, instant gratification, chemical releases, approbation from others, power, and wealth. It does not want to be controlled.

Only my soul, spirit, and heart can rule my body, and that immaterial part of me must be powered, instructed, and guided by God.

Rom 6:12 Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body that you should obey its lusts,

Rom 6:13 and do not go on presenting the members of your body to sin as instruments of unrighteousness; but present yourselves to God as those alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God.

Rom 6:14 For sin shall not be master over you, for you are not under law, but under grace.

If I can see the glory of God in my body, then I have truly overcome it. God tells me that I can use the instruments of my body for righteousness.

Righteousness is an eternal and wonderful substance. The fact that my body could be used for its purpose is a miracle and an astounding revelation. Do I believe it? Can I see my body being used for the purpose of God’s righteousness?

If I can see that use of my body for God’s glory, then I will not desire the other things for my body that are nothing but unrighteousness. But I must see this.

Yet, we remember that we have not only inherited sin at the fall and so have a drive towards selfishness, but we have also inherited an astounding capacity for self-justification. We can honestly convince ourselves that we are just and good when operating in sin. The word sin means to miss and we can so easily convince ourselves that we have hit the bullseye.

Don’t be deceived. We have a great capacity to actually want sin when convincing ourselves that we want righteousness. You have to thirst for God’s righteousness.

Mat 5:5 “Blessed are the gentle, for they shall inherit the earth.

Mat 5:6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.”

This means that I can convince myself that I want to have the glory of God and that I even see the glory of God in my body through its own capacity for righteousness, when in fact I really see its capacity for sin, and that I secretly desire its sinful fulfillment most of all. Christ will say, that if your eye is not singular then your body will be full of darkness, and it will be a great darkness. This self-deception must be avoided at all costs. Do not be deceived, God is not mocked, whatever a man sows, this he will also reap. The reaping of the flesh is a dire result.

Rev 3:17 'Because you say, "I am rich, and have become wealthy, and have need of nothing," and you do not know that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked,

Rev 3:18 I advise you to buy from Me gold refined by fire, that you may become rich, and white garments, that you may clothe yourself, and that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed; and eye salve to anoint your eyes, that you may see.