My brother, Bishop
Edwin C. Bass, is the Chief Operating Officer of the Church of God in Christ.
He is also an anointed preacher. I love his theological treatment of the
sacrament of marriage, particularly as it relates to those mission-critical
destiny decisions that are made by women regarding their future spouses.
My brother’s
sermonic exegesis contains a brilliant analogy that goes something like this:
In the field of mathematics, we classify integers such as 1, 2, and 3 as WHOLE
NUMBERS. Invariably, whenever a WHOLE NUMBER is multiplied by a FRACTION,
the PRODUCT is something substantially LESS. For example, if you multiply
the whole number “10” by the fraction “1/2” – the answer [the product] is “5” –
which means that the whole number “10” has been greatly reduced by its interaction
with the fraction, one-half.
The spiritual
application is simple, yet quite profound. Instead of seeking and
submitting to the WISE COUNSEL OF GOD,
many women (who start out in life as WHOLE NUMBERS), choose to join in marital
covenant with a FRACTION (a broken, immature, undisciplined and ungodly man)
and thus their PRODUCT (the results that are produced) are significantly less
than what they started out with and what GOD ultimately intends for their
lives. WOW!
It reminds me of
the biblical story of a young woman by the name of Ruth who had the courage to
abandon her cultural roots in order to align herself with a righteous woman by
the name of Naomi. Originally, Naomi’s family members were citizens of
Bethlehem of Judah. Yet they spent a decade in the nation of Moab due to
a severe famine in Israel. In the intervening years, her husband
died. And, after marrying two Moabite women, her two sons also died.
Ultimately, Naomi
decided to return to Bethlehem, although she was now impoverished and penniless. Ruth loved Naomi and sought to do all she
could to comfort and sustain her mother-in-law in her old age. Ruth’s story
is both fascinating and providential. One of the directives God had given
Moses to observe was that harvesters would leave a portion of their fields
unharvested so that the poor would be able to glean the remnants and have food.
(Leviticus 19:9-10) While Ruth was gleaning for grain, a wealthy landowner by
the name of Boaz noticed her.
What initially
caught the attention of Boaz was not Ruth’s appearance, but her dedication,
focus and industry. Boaz directed his harvesters to deliberately drop
ample amounts of grain in Ruth’s vicinity so she could gather them without
undue labor or embarrassment. Boaz was a type of Christ. As a
family relative of Naomi, he was a kinsman. As a gracious benefactor, he
was a redeemer. Therefore, Boaz is a KINSMAN-REDEEMER, a foreshadowing of the coming Messiah who,
as our ELDER BROTHER, i.e.
“the firstborn among many brethren,” REDEEMED us
from the power, practice and penalty of sin. (Romans 8:29)
Because of Ruth’s
HEARTFELT DEDICATION to living the right way, she was positioned and empowered
for a covenant connection with BOAZ and with GOD. To wit, both Boaz and
Ruth’s names are included in the family genealogy of Jesus Christ: “Salmon
begot Boaz by Rahab, BOAZ begot
Obed by RUTH, Obed
begot Jesse, and Jesse begot David the king.” (Matthew 1:5) Indeed,
they were the great-grandparents of King David, who is a direct ancestor of
JESUS CHRIST!
One final thought…
RAHAB, the mother
of Boaz was a PROSTITUTE who did not allow her past to get in the way of
choosing the right side, GOD’S SIDE. (Joshua 2:1-21) Despite
Rabab’s past, she is afforded a very honorable mention among those whom GOD
designates as HEROES OF THE FAITH.
(Hebrews 11:31) You see, it’s not what you are going THROUGH that counts so
much. It’s what you are going TO that really matters to God!
My sisters, regardless
of your past choices, conduct, or character, you are now living in a DESTINY
MOMENT. As such, you have the gracious option to make wise and Godly
decisions from this point forward. Boaz adds substantially to your life-situation. Predictably, Bozo merely distracts and subtracts. So ladies, who will it
be? Boaz or Bozo?
Sisters and
brothers, be continually blessed, and please (above all else) MAKE SURE YOU ARE
READY TO MEET OUR SOON COMING KING. Maranatha!
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