[0:00] Let us now read from the Old Testament, from the Book of Judges, and the last chapter of the Book of Judges, chapter 21, and the last verse of that chapter.
[0:17] The Book of Judges, chapter 21, verse 25, and we're going to read the first few verses of the Book of Ruth.
[0:47] To Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, and then Ruth. Okay, Judges, chapter 21, verse 25. In those days there was no king in Israel.
[1:02] Every man did that which was right in his own eyes. And now we'll read into the Book of Ruth. Now it came to pass in the days when the Judges ruled that there was a famine in the land.
[1:17] And a certain man of Bethlehem, Judah, went to sojourn in the country of Moab, he and his wife and his two sons.
[1:28] And the name of the man was Elimelech, and the name of his wife Naomi. And the name of his two sons, Malon and Chilion, Ephrathites of Bethlehem, Judah.
[1:42] And they came into the country of Moab, and continued there. And Elimelech, Naomi's husband, died.
[1:53] And she was left under two sons. And they took them wives of the women of Moab. The name of the one was Orpah, and the name of the other Ruth.
[2:06] And they dwelt there about ten years. And Malon and Chilion died, also both of them. And the woman was left of her two sons and her husband.
[2:22] Amen. And may God bless to us that reading from his truth. Let us further sing from Psalm 119 and at verse 33.
[2:36] Psalm 119 and verse 33. Teach me, O Lord, the perfect way of thy precepts divine, and to observe it to the end I shall my heart incline.
[2:55] Give understanding unto me, so keep thy law shall I. Yea, even with my whole heart I shall observe it carefully, and thy law's path make me to go, for I delight therein.
[3:14] My heart unto thy testimonies, and not to greed incline. Let us sing these three verses, Psalm 119 and verse 33.
[3:26] Teach me, O Lord. Teach me, O Lord. Amen.
[3:37] For my heart I shalleleriandje, and I shall feito in prayer.
[4:05] If I'm standing unto me, so keep thy love shallow.
[4:22] Yet with my whole heart I shall observe it carefully.
[4:40] And thy love's cause yet made to go forth.
[4:54] Thy love's cause yet made to go forth.
[5:24] Turn again to the book of Ruth, chapter 1, and reading at verse 1. The book of Ruth, chapter 1, reading at verse 1.
[5:37] Now it came to pass in the days when the judges ruled that there was a famine in the land. And a certain man of Bethlehem, Judah, went to sojourn in the country of Moab, he and his wife.
[5:54] And his two sons. The book of Ruth is part of the biblical narrative of redemptive history.
[6:08] It focuses on part of the detailed preparation God made in order to fulfill his purpose in the redemptive story.
[6:24] It may be a small book, but it contains a huge story. You find it between the book of Judges and the book of 1 Samuel.
[6:38] And it is but one of two books that are named after women in the Bible. The other, of course, is the book of Esther.
[6:51] Esther. And there are many contrasts, if you wanted to make contrasts, between these two books. They sat before us two women.
[7:03] One, a queen. And the other, a woman of poverty. Esther belonged to the Jewish people and she married a Gentile king.
[7:16] Ruth, a Gentile woman who married a Jewish man. The book of Ruth begins with a famine. The book of Esther begins with a feast.
[7:30] And both books are concerned with the same theme, the preservation of God's people in a hostile world.
[7:43] The writer of this book is not mentioned. Suffice to say that behind the storyteller is the sovereign God, who is in overall control of the events that take place in this little but significant book.
[8:05] This book is not just about romance or about people who experience trials or sorrows, personal tragedies, their devotions or their joys.
[8:21] All of that is included within the story and more. But it is about God's covenant love. The love that is at the heart of the theme of the scriptures.
[8:36] The love that summarizes the gospel message. For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, to soever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life.
[8:54] The book ends with the genealogy of David. And then if you go to the New Testament, to Matthew's Gospel, the first chapter, you will find these words.
[9:26] Judah, the father of Peres. And Zerah by Tamar. And Peres, the father of Hezron. And Hezron the father of Ram.
[9:37] And Ram the father of Aminadab. And Aminadab the father of Nation. And Nation the father of Salmon. Salmon the father of Boaz by Rahab. Boaz the father of Obed by Ruth.
[9:49] And Obed the father of Jesse. And Jesse the father of David the king. And you may well ask, well, what does all that tell us? Well, does it not tell us this?
[10:02] It tells us about the genealogy of Jesus Christ as a true man. But much more than that.
[10:14] It tells us about the wide variety of people, both Jew and Gentile, who form the humanity of Christ. The very humanity that God prepared for the Son.
[10:29] Remember how the writer in the letter to the Hebrews speaks of it. Consequently, when Christ came into the world, He said, sacrifices and offerings you have not desired, but a body have you prepared for me.
[10:44] In other words, you have prepared true human nature for me. And that true human nature includes a lot of strands that go very wide.
[10:59] But you might ask, why is this little book in the Bible? You will not find any supernatural happenings, like, for example, miracles in this book.
[11:12] And perhaps on a first reading of the book, you might say that there is nothing, as it were, out of the ordinary about this little book.
[11:23] It is so mundane. Personally, I think that is part of the attraction of the book. That it is written in this book.
[11:35] You see, the promises of God are not just applicable to great unusual occurrences. But they are applicable to the everyday events of life.
[11:50] And the book teaches us, the readership, that much of the divine planning is hidden from those who are mentioned in the book, just as it is from ourselves.
[12:05] We have the benefit of reading it. But they weren't aware of how God was planning each step. Just as often, we are unaware of what God is doing in fulfilling his purpose in the world.
[12:24] And yet, we are invited to see the sovereign hand of God at work in his goodness and his grace as the story develops.
[12:36] Some of you, perhaps all of you, may be familiar with seeing a tweed in a loom. All the threads that are in a tweed.
[12:49] You might say, if you were not familiar with weaving, how on earth can a patterned cloth come out from all these threads?
[13:00] But as the weaver continues to ply his trade, you can see the pattern emerge. Well, this book is something like that.
[13:12] It has many threads and a pattern emerges from it, as you see the sovereign God at work behind all that takes place.
[13:26] So that even in times that seem dark and dismal, God is at work. Because believe me, these were dark and dismal times.
[13:39] They were the days when there was no king in Israel. When every man did what was right in his own eyes. Spiritually dark and dismal days.
[13:52] But he is at work, even in the worst of times. And I think that ought to be a source of encouragement to every believer who may feel despondent and may consider that our day is so dark and dismal and that God is not at work.
[14:13] God is at work. Even in the most dark and the most dismal of days. Well, three thoughts then from our text today.
[14:23] First of all, the dating. Three Ds. The dating of the story. The decision taken by one family. And thirdly, the disastrous outcome of that decision.
[14:40] The dating, the decision and the disastrous outcome. The dating of the story. The story we are told is set in the time of the judges.
[14:54] In the days when the judges ruled. And as I have already hinted, it wasn't the most prosperous spiritual period in the life of the people of Israel.
[15:11] In fact, it was a period marked by spiritual declension. You find a repeated cycle recorded in the book of Judges.
[15:24] A time of rebellion and sin on the part of Israel. Followed by judgment on the part of God. Frequently, because of the judgment exercised, the people suffered at the hands of other nations.
[15:41] And that was often followed by repentance and a crying to God for deliverance. But there comes a time in the book of Judges when even repentance is no more.
[15:57] A period, as we read today in the first verse of our Bible reading, the last verse of the book of Judges, in the days there was no king in Israel.
[16:09] Every man did what was right in his own eyes. And that is, I believe, an indication of the total confusion that prevailed and the utter disregard for the teaching of truth.
[16:25] That is the kind of background that lies behind this book, No King in Israel. And, you know, in some ways there could be a description of our own 21st century life.
[16:45] Where there is much disregard for the teachings of the Word of God. And where the greater part of our nation, sadly, do not give a place, not even lip service, to the Word of God.
[17:04] Did the people in those days not have means of guidance? Of course they did. But they were not interested in the writings of truth.
[17:18] They had the books of Moses, the first five books of the Bible. They had the Word of God. They were without excuse. What is our means of guidance and life?
[17:31] And many will tell you that it is their conscience. You will hear people say, My conscience would not permit me to do this or that. Really? Really?
[17:46] Let me put it bluntly. Your conscience will permit you whatever, whatever you tell it. No matter, no matter how it might seek to witness against you.
[18:04] The conscience can be suppressed. Even the educated, spiritual conscience can be suppressed. There is only one sure rule of guidance or direction.
[18:17] Remember how the Reformers put it in the Shorter Catechism? What rule has God given to direct us? How we may glorify and enjoy you. The Word of God is contained, which is contained in the Scriptures of the Old and the New Testament, is the only rule to direct us how we may glorify and enjoy God.
[18:38] The only rule. It's worth remembering that. The only rule. Not what your conscience tells you or doesn't tell you. Or what your friend tells you or doesn't tell you.
[18:50] The Word of God is the only rule. And it is evident that there were many times during the days of the Judges when God and His truth were ignored.
[19:03] A reading of the book of Judges will bear this out. However, they all have passed into the eternal realm and they have accounted for their days.
[19:17] The sad truth is, as I have said, that we by and large as a nation have also rejected the teachings of the Word of God.
[19:29] And that is, I believe, cause for deep sadness and cause for wrestling in prayer. For we too will have to account for how we have used and or refused the Word of God.
[19:49] Well, the dating of this book was in the days of the Judges. We have no precise detail as to the exact year, just as it was during that period.
[20:00] Although, commentators tend to place it in the earlier part of the period when the Judges ruled. Why do they do that?
[20:11] For the simple reason that Rahab, do you remember her? Rahab the prostitute, she is the mother of Boaz.
[20:22] The dating of the story, no precise date except that it was during the period of lawlessness and confusion and disregard for the Word of God.
[20:36] That brings me to my second point, the decision that was taken by one family. At the time about which the writer informs us, there was a famine in the land.
[20:53] Now, that phrase may appear insignificant, but it is highly significant. it sets the context for everything that happens, not just in this chapter, but in the whole book.
[21:15] Famine, it didn't just mean that they experienced austerity, to quote a current phrase. Famine meant financial hardship, but it would also cause social hardship and disruption.
[21:32] Remember, this was mainly an agrarian economy, so famine would affect the whole way of life. They were dependent on crops growing, on livestock having grazings.
[21:47] We're not told the cause of famine, whether there was drought or whether vegetation was destroyed in other ways, perhaps through war other ways.
[21:59] We may speculate, but we are not told what was the cause of the famine. However, we know from other parts of the Bible that the kind of picture that is portrayed of times of famine, where the fig tree should not blossom, nor fruit be on the vine, the produce of the olive fail, and the fields yield no food, the flock be cut off from the fold, and there be no herd in the stalls.
[22:26] That's the kind of imagery you would associate with famine, where there is total devastation of growth. But what I am not altogether sure about is what we are meant to understand by the term famine.
[22:44] Is it just the lack of vegetation and crop failure with the ensuing results, or whether this word famine should be interpreted more widely, and refer to the fact that there may be spiritual famine too.
[23:06] And personally, I rather incline to a two-way understanding of the term famine. And I say that because of what I read in the prophecy of Amos.
[23:18] Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord God, when I will send a famine on the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing of the words of the Lord.
[23:33] A failure to hear the words of the Lord. So, famine can be understood in a wider context than just dealing with lack of vegetation and so on.
[23:46] And disobedience was frequently the cause of famine. And given the waywardness of the people during the days of the judges, it seems to me perfectly logical to conclude that there was famine on two levels, the natural, physical level and the spiritual level.
[24:07] And through the use of famine, God is calling loudly in providence to the people of Israel to return to their God. If my memory serves me right, I think it was C.S. Lewis who used the term, the megaphone of God, that it was intended to rouse us to our need of God and calling us to return to God.
[24:37] And Lewis said something like this, God whispers to us in our pleasures. He speaks in our conscience, but he shouts in our pains.
[24:48] It is his megaphone to arouse a deaf world. And famine in the Bible is equated with the cursing of God.
[25:01] And you can read for yourselves in the book of Deuteronomy how the Lord instructs the people if they would not obey the voice of the Lord their God or be careful to do all his commandments and the statutes that he commands them.
[25:23] Then there is the threat that there shall be famine. Famine then creates huge problems, can lead to people making strange decisions.
[25:36] I suppose in some ways the decision that is taken here is like history repeating itself. Because you remember earlier in the scripture narrative, Abram, he hadn't been given the name Abraham then, it was just Abram, he went down to Egypt.
[25:58] Why did he go down to Egypt? There was famine in the land. So Abram went down to Egypt to sojourn there, for the famine was severe in the land.
[26:12] And the Bible doesn't praise Abram for the decision that he took. He failed to trust God. In going to Egypt, he pretended that Sarah was his sister which caused no end of problems for them as a family.
[26:30] And then you remember Isaac, his son. almost followed a similar route. There was a famine in the land and Isaac went to Gerar, to Abimelech, king of the Philistines.
[26:47] And only the intervention of God prevented Isaac from going to Egypt and repeating the error of his father. Do not tell us something about ourselves how difficult we are to be instructed.
[27:09] You know, we repeat the same errors. And that tells us a lot about ourselves. Famine, then, led to decisions and outcomes that were not fully anticipated.
[27:28] And that is what happened here. We are taught a lesson, I believe, from this section. And the lesson is this. The Christian's confidence is drawn from God's unchanging covenant promises.
[27:46] Not from our changing circumstances. That's not where we find our confidence. But from God's unchanging covenant promises. famine would appear to be the final straw for this family in turning their back on the promised land and setting out for Moab.
[28:08] A man of Bethlehem in Judah went to sojourn in the country of Moab. a man of Bethlehem in Judah went to sojourn in the country of Moab.
[28:31] Are we meant to understand that this was the only family that took this step or made this decision? Or were there others?
[28:42] You know, at other times in history there have been several taking the decision to move at times of hardship. You just have to go through the history of our own island and our own communities to see at times of hardship how some made the decision to go to the other side of the world in times of great hardship.
[29:08] Is that why it is written, a man? It's difficult to know for sure, but given the little knowledge that I possess of human nature and the pattern we see, even in our own day of economic migrants, prepared to make long arduous journeys, seeking to better themselves, it is not improbable that there were others.
[29:30] We're not told if it was a sudden decision, we don't know that, or whether they agonized over making the move. death. And note the information that is given by the narrator, a man of Bethlehem going to the country of Moab.
[29:50] Does that strike you as strange? Well, it should. Why? Well, if only for this reason, the name Bethlehem literally means the house of bread.
[30:07] This man belonged to the area that was the bread basket, if you like, of Judah. And that of itself tells you something of the effect of famine in the area.
[30:20] And yet about 50 miles across the Dead Sea, in the country of Moab, there was no famine. And you notice land and country are used interchangeably.
[30:43] But country is never used of Judah. It's the land of Judah. But it's the country of Moab. And that's significant too.
[30:55] Because land seems to suggest something that is limitless, without boundaries. Where country suggests limitations.
[31:10] And you see, we are meant to understand Judah was the land of promise, the land of blessing, the land that God had designed for his people.
[31:23] Whereas Moab was just a country with limitations and boundaries. A man of Bethlehem went to sojourn.
[31:35] And the word sojourn tells us a little, I believe, about the intentions of this man. It seems to suggest to us that he didn't intend to dig up permanent residence in Moab.
[31:51] He went to sojourn. In other words, it would only be for a temporary period. At least, that is what he thought. We'll go there until the worst is past.
[32:02] And you could argue, would not any devoted father make the same decision for the benefit of his wife and his family? How can this choice be so bad?
[32:13] Surely no one can find fault with his motives for going to the country a Moab. Well, maybe none of his fellow citizens did find fault with his motive for going.
[32:26] But it is not to his fellow man that he is accountable. He is accountable to God. We are all accountable to God for the choices we make in life.
[32:38] In all our lives, there are certain moments, critical moments, crossroads, in our lives. And we make decisions.
[32:52] Some of these we consciously choose. And others are thrust upon us. And perhaps these we would never willingly choose.
[33:03] For example, the death of a husband or a wife, a crippling accident, or a life threatening illness. These are things that are out without control. and all can be defining moments in our lives.
[33:22] Irrespective of the choices we make, or life makes for us, we are all on a journey towards a destination. My friend, have you thought where your journey might be leading?
[33:40] because it's worth reflecting on the point of destination. Have you thought of where your journey might be leading?
[33:57] You see, this man took his family, took his family from the very land that God had promised to them as a people, the land of promise, the land of plenty, and he took them to Moab, the country that worshipped idols, the country associated with pagan religion.
[34:20] Rather than turn to God, rather than seek the counsel of God, rather than cast his burden on the Lord, this man turns his back on the Lord and on the land of promise. Turning his back on the word of God and his summons to repentance what the famine really was.
[34:40] He is guided by his own wisdom rather than the wisdom that comes from above. Oh, no doubt, he comforted himself with the thought that he would soon return. It would just be a short period of time.
[34:53] You know, sin is so enticing, so alluring, so deceiving. Friend, is it true of you that you have turned your back on the promises of God?
[35:08] Are you tempted to stop hearing the proclamation of the gospel? You know, we can be faced with many temptations and perhaps saying to ourselves, my decision is only for a short time.
[35:22] I know it is wrong, but I will turn soon. When I have done this or that or the next thing, oh, how easy it is to make such promises to ourselves as we are sucked into strain from the path that God calls us to follow.
[35:41] We come blinded by the so-called pleasures of sin, by our own planning. Is that you today saying I will travel this road for the present because it is right, in your own eyes.
[36:00] I will wait until I am satisfied until I turn back. Don't you realize how dangerous it is to trifle with sin? It is much stronger than you or I.
[36:14] It will tie you up in knots from which you cannot break free. The psalmist on an occasion speaking of his own experience states my iniquities have overtaken me and I cannot see they are more than the hairs of my head my heart fails me.
[36:31] Do you remember what Paul says about the power of indwelling sin but I see another law in my I see another law in my members waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members wretched man that I am who can deliver me from this body of death.
[36:52] Well in the famine God was calling Elimelech and Israel back to himself and Elimelech recognized that had he looked at matters from a biblical point of view rather than depending on his own analysis.
[37:12] He considered he had found the answer to the difficulties thrown up by the famine. By moving from a famine situation he may have put bread on the table but he didn't deal with the spiritual problems and no doubt if Elimelech was present here today he would justify his moving from Bethlehem to Moab.
[37:35] It was a dire situation. We were looking at starvation. You know we are so good at justifying our actions and our decisions but he could not protect himself from the destructive power of sin.
[37:51] Now just another thought arising from the decision. The writer gives us the names of the members of this family. It's as if the writer wishes us to know without any doubt who were the members of this family.
[38:04] They were Hebrews, the legitimate offspring of Abraham as to the flesh, the people of privilege, but that of itself is not enough. We may have the privileges of hearing the gospel, but without acceptance of the message by faith and Christ alone, the privileges are never enough.
[38:26] Their names all have meanings. Naomi pleasant, male, unwell, pale and sickly, hilly and weak and frail.
[38:38] And you may well ask, what possessed the husband and father to move his family given the state of their health? Well, he might have responded, that's just the very reason why I moved, on account of their ill health.
[38:52] Maybe their health will improve. And the names of the family may also reveal how much of a struggle life was for this family.
[39:08] But there is another significant piece of information with regard to the decision. It is the name of this man from Bethlehem. The name Elimelech means my God is king. And you could say there's a certain irony here.
[39:21] given the times that are spoken of when there was no king in Israel. So here is a man named by his own parents with this very significant name meaning my God is king.
[39:36] Yet the story indicates that he did not live up to his name. God was no more king in his heart than in many of the hearts of his fellow countrymen.
[39:47] man and so he chose to do what was right in his own eyes. There is not the least indication that he supplicates the throne above or that he acknowledges the Lord has been on the throne of his life.
[40:02] You might say of this man what was said of the church of Sardis you have the reputation of being alive but you are dead. No there was nothing wrong with the name of itself but he appears not to live the meaning of the name.
[40:17] He is suppressing the voice of the king of kings in the decision that he takes. And you know we too can have the name of being born into a Christian family or community but not acknowledge the Lord to be our king by serving him in our lives.
[40:40] And we can be guilty of seeking to suppress the voice of the king of kings in our life. The decision taken by one family they turned their back on the land of promise and on the God of covenantal faithfulness.
[40:56] The dating of the story in the days of the judges finally the disastrous outcome of that decision. Actions have consequences for this man his brief sojourn ends in death in the country of Moab and he is buried there.
[41:16] His sons marry women from Moab. Roots are put down only for these roots to be abruptly uprooted.
[41:30] For within ten years not only does Elimelech die but also his two sons were not told what caused their deaths what age they were but the impression you get is that their deaths were directly as a result of the decision taken to settle in the country of Moab.
[41:56] So you see going to sojourn in the country of Moab had far greater consequence than they foresaw the day they left Bethlehem Judah.
[42:09] Both sons were still young men when they died because Ruth we know had a family later on. So going to sojourn in the country of Moab resulted in taking them into the far country like the prodigal son further and further away from God.
[42:31] Let me ask you are you today in your own life following a similar path? You know it was a sore providence for the sole survivor of the family that had left Bethlehem Judah with such great expectations.
[42:53] Your heart goes out in compassion to this woman Naomi. She is set before us as a lonely sad figure by the writer a stranger in another country.
[43:07] The woman was left without her two sons and her husband. She had stood at three graves. Her life totally devastated by her sole providence.
[43:23] She is bereft alienated and lonely. And if you could speak to her and say to her but God has a good purpose in all of this. You know I'm not sure at that moment that you would get much of a hearing.
[43:40] I don't think given what is stated further on in the chapter the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me that there was any level of acceptance and resignation on her part at that moment.
[43:54] So unlike Job who recognizes that what he lost was precious. but that it was in the first instance a gift the Lord gave and the Lord has taken away.
[44:10] Blessed be the name. Not everyone can cope with the pain and trial of bereavement like Job. hope. And you know I am sure we have all at one time or another stated in our ignorance trying to bring comfort and not seeking to exacerbate the pain of bereavement.
[44:32] Perhaps we've said something like perhaps others said to Naomi well you've got your daughters in law to assist you. Oh but they weren't her husband. They weren't her two sons.
[44:44] they weren't her flesh and blood. And you know at times of such deep pain and grievous desolation we too perhaps have said and we know that for those who love God all things work together for good for those who are the called according to his purpose.
[45:06] It's a very precious truth. But Naomi then could be forgiven for finding that difficult to believe just like some of ourselves in times of sore providence.
[45:23] Does God work all things together? All things? Disobedience, sin, the decision of Elimelech, the tragic death of this man and husband and his sons, the destitution of Naomi, Harper and Ruth?
[45:45] Does God work the darkest, sorest, ugliest, most shameful, most painful trials together for good? You may find it difficult to accept, but that is indeed the hard, hopeful message of Romans 8, 28 and of Ruth 1, 1 to 5.
[46:12] You know, it's not a greeting card, platitude. if I can put it this is a gritty declaration of fact, because the real world hurts.
[46:28] The real world hurts. Sink howsoever low into the shadow of loss, find your heart pierced through with sorrow and inexplicable suffering.
[46:39] Even this God works together for good in ways that are beyond our comprehension in the lives of those whom he loves, leading ultimately, maybe not immediately, to their eternal welfare.
[47:00] You know, the tragedy in Elimelech's home ensured that the Messiah would be born of the line of Ruth and that God himself would one day be submerged in the darkest pit of loss and sorrow and pain and cry out, my God, my God, why have you forsaken me in the person of the Lord Jesus Christ.
[47:33] You know, although sin often ensnares us by subtle steps, praise God that he often works by hard providences and the great proof and demonstration of that is the cross of his son, the hardest providence of them all by which salvation has been secured for unworthy and undisputed serving sinners like you and me.
[48:04] The dating of the story, a time of anarchy and lawlessness, the decision taken, they turned their back on the land of promise, the covenantal promises of God and on the God of covenant faithfulness, the disastrous outcome of that decision resulting in death for three members of the family and solitude and pain and grief in the life of the surviving member.
[48:41] No, we're not living in a time of famine at least in the physical sense. We have food on our table, but we are still living with the effects of the pandemic.
[48:54] There are people still falling victim to the COVID illness and yet as a nation are we pining to be freed from restriction just to live as if there were no God or are we looking to the living God placing our trust in him through Christ his son because that is the only place of safety under the shadow of the almighty.
[49:29] Let us pray. Almighty God we thank thee that although there may be many twists and turns in our road of life that thy servant of old could say the Lord knows the way that I take.
[49:55] It was of tremendous comfort to him as he contemplated the twists and turns in the unfolding providence of his own life and the life of his family and the devastation that he experienced and he was also sure of this.
[50:17] Not only was he in the hands of one who knew the road that he trod but when he came forth he would come forth like gold as one who was tried and tested and who was made perfect from whom all the dross had been removed out of his life.
[50:43] O Lord may we be found in the company of those and the glory shall be thine. In Jesus name we ask it. Amen. Let us conclude by singing to God's praise in Psalm 91 Psalm 91 He that doth in the secret place of the Most High reside under the shade of him that is the Almighty shall abide.
[51:19] I of the Lord my God will say he is my refuge still is my fortress and my God and in him trust I will.
[51:31] Assuredly he shall thee save give deliverance from subtle foul or snare from the noise and pestilence. These three verses Psalm 91 He that doth in the secret place of the Most High reside.
[51:46] oneân ofwort question forgiveness Scandinus Godにの 슈欲它的米 under And ever should of him Thou hast thee on high This shadow of art I hope the Lord my God will save He is my refuge still
[52:50] He is my fortress And my God And in trust I will Asher thee shall we say And give thee let her From subtle fall Asl and strong The night of heaven
[53:51] Now may the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ The love of God the Father Fellowship Communion of the Holy Spirit Rest on and abide with you all Now and forever Amen