Andrew J. Miller
Whereas so much that passes for sermon application today is simply moral exhortations detached from deep moorings in the being of God, the person and work of Christ, or the course of redemptive history, Webster’s vision is refreshing.
Holy God, We confess our sinfulness today. We have been double-minded, and we plead now, “we believe, overcome our unbelief.” Enable us to love your law and hope in your word. Thank you that you are our true hiding place and shield, delivering us from the evil of the world, the flesh, and the devil. We confess that we have kept harmful company, whether with other persons, or virtual influences like social media, television, and the like, which only distracted us from seeking you. We pray that you would give us companions who love you and encourage us to do the same. Forgive us through the blood and righteousness of Christ, without whom we would tremble in fearful expectation of your righteous judgment. Amen. (Based on Psalm 119:113-120)
You are light, God, and there is no darkness in you whatsoever. Sadly, we confess that the same cannot be said of us. We have walked in the darkness, sinning against you in word, thought, and deed. Your word is a lamp to our feet and a light to our path, but we have stumbled about because we loved our own paths. We have refused instruction—though you show us how to live in your Word and encouraged us to follow it through the godly people around us. Forgive us, and make us utterly committed to you. Give us perseverance in serving you. Enable each of us to pray, “Your testimonies are my heritage forever, for they are the joy of my heart. I incline my heart to perform your statutes forever, to the end.” We pray this through the Savior in whom we have an eternal inheritance that will never perish, spoil, or fade, amen. (Based on Psalm 119:105-112 and 1 John 1 and 1 Peter 1)
Holy, Holy, Holy, God, we confess that, as Jesus charged, we have loved darkness rather than light. We are still tempted to love the wrong things, and the result is sin. Our adoration of lesser things means we have given little thought to you and to your Word. Change our affections so that we love you and your law. Give us faith that seeks greater understanding. Root out the pride of our hearts that says we do not need you. Where we find sin sweet, make it bitter to us. Send your Spirit to enable us to truly echo the Psalm in saying, “How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth! Through your precepts I get understanding; therefore I hate every false way.” We ask for forgiveness and transformation through the blood and righteousness of Jesus Christ, amen. (Based on Psalm 119:97-104 and John 3)
See my review of the new “The Old Testament Use of the Old Testament: A Review Article,” in Ordained Servant, March 2022.
Eternal God, we ask that you would fix our hearts on eternal life with you, not our light momentary afflictions. The ups and downs of life in this world and its many changes confuse us, but you remain the same. Your Word endures forever and helps in every time. Forgive us for thinking that you have changed when our circumstances change. Forgive us for doubting that all things are your servants, even our afflictions. Make your law our delight. Enable us to stand firm upon the Rock of Ages, even in an upside-down world. Be the anchor of our souls, that others might see our confidence in you and give you praise. With the Psalmist, we pray, “I am yours; save me,” for Jesus’ sake, amen. (Based on Psalm 119:89-96)
Mighty God, we confess this day our many sins. In our hardships, we have not turned to you but to our own understanding. We have looked elsewhere for help and comfort and come up empty. Turn our eyes upon Jesus. Cement in our souls the true comfort that comes in Him. We cry out for help in a world of confusion and oppression. Help us. Give us confidence that your Word is sure, and that you will do what you have promised. We echo the Psalmist: “In your steadfast love give me life, that I may keep the testimonies of your mouth.” We ask in Jesus’ name, amen. (Based on Psalm 119:81-88)
Brief Review of Daniel I. Block, Ruth, Zondervan Exegetical Commentary on the Old Testament (ZECOT), 2015.
Some commentaries leave readers starving. Full of information but most of it distant from the practical needs of readers and preachers, they can be like a fruit with a hard shell that you can’t crack open. Not so with Block’s newer commentary on Ruth (he has another Ruth commentary in a different series).
Block has clearly employed rigorous exegesis and research, but writes in a very accessible manner. I appreciated Block’s interest in biblical theological themes and intertextuality, evidenced for example on page 227 when he explains how and why the Book of Ruth harkens back to Genesis 38, and even Genesis 3:15. These are the kinds of commentaries that are so helpful to preachers, for they provide hints, but only hints, at how the text points to Christ and provides application to new covenant believers. He also does give clear applications, such as, “From within the context of our own angry and litigious world, Ruth testifies gloriously to the power of blessing” (244). He adds that blessings “seem to flow so freely from people’s lips” in the story, and “herein we may find the seeds of the NT treating of blessing as an extension of the call for love,” even blessing those who curse (244). “Inasmuch as a blessing is a form of prayer, Ruth testifies to the power of prayer…” (245)
Block seems to have a wealth of knowledge from his years of Old Testament study and brings it to bear on the text of Ruth. At times he challenges traditional interpretations in interesting ways. As someone still new to discourse analysis, I didn’t utilize the sentence diagramming so much in my work, but the purpose is to help readers understand the flow of the biblical text, to help identity the main point of a pericope. I hope to come back to this book again sometime, for there is much biblical theological gold to mine—on page 247, for example, Block notes that Ruth and Rahab being in the genealogy of Jesus means he has “gentile blood coursing through his veins,” and we can tie this to the Abrahamic promise—the nations will be blessed through him. Block points us to how this also ties to the Davidic covenant – 2 Sam. 7:19, “This is the Torah of humanity!” This is picked up in Micah 5, which speaks of bearing a son in Bethlehem, a shepherd-king (248).
Block does offer some cautions that I’ll have to consider, such as the risk of illegitimate totality transfer. He writes, “To be sure Jesus redeems, he restores life, and he sustains us in our old age, but it is too much to say that the Bethlehemite womens’ blessing of Naomi anticipated, let alone foreshadowed any of this” (249).
This should be your go-to resource on the book of Ruth, and if preaching, I would also recommend Iain M. Duguid, Esther and Ruth in the Reformed Expository Commentary series.
Creator, we know that your hands formed and fashioned us. Yet we know sinful human beings rebel against our Maker. We at times reject your designs. We have not feared you, but thought of you as “safe” and as unimportant. We thought we knew better, and therefore sinned. Because of our sins, we have given others little reason to rejoice in you. So we pray, “Let your steadfast love comfort me according to your promise to your servant. Let your mercy come to me, that I may live…” We deserve to be put to shame, yet you give us life. You have made us hope in your word, and hope does not disappoint us—we will never be put to shame! We praise you, our Creator and our Redeemer. We ask for forgiveness and life through Jesus, our great High Priest, amen. (Based on Psalm 119:73-80 and Romans 5)