Did you know?
Years ago the church I attended made a plea for nursery workers. The church was growing not only in new attendees but those attendees were having babies, lots of babies. My first thought was no way, I work with kids all week. The next week there was another announcement, and then another. I knew I was supposed to volunteer. God kept nudging me and I finally I volunteered. That decision started me on a path that lead to years of volunteering in children’s ministries in my local church and eventually on a district level. It lead me to find my passion – telling the next generation.
While reading in my Bible, I came across something I had never put together until today. I was reading Matthew 1 knowing full well that five women are named – Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, Uriah’s wife and Mary. I read “Salmon the father of Boaz, whose mother was Rahab, Boaz the father of Obed, whose mother was Ruth.” Wait, Rahab is Ruth’s new mother-in-law. I know the story of Rahab (Joshua 2 & 6). I also know the story of Ruth but I never connected them. Duh.
This is speculation on my part but stick with me for a moment. Rahab must have told Boaz “the praiseworthy deeds of the Lord, his powers and wonders he has done.” Boaz saw something in Ruth that others didn’t. He would become her kinsman redeemer.
“Boaz replied, “I’ve been told all about what you have done for your mother-in-law since the death of your husband—how you left your father and mother and your homeland and came to live with a people you did not know before. 12 May the Lord repay you for what you have done. May you be richly rewarded by the Lord, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge.” Ruth 2: 8-9 NIV
He extended to Ruth what had been extended to his mother – a place of safety, a way of redemption. And then years later those two women are in the family tree of the Messiah.
“The son of a prostitute whom God had redeemed got to extend that same redemption to another person. And through that same blood-line God brought about the Redeemer of everyone.” Rahab and Boaz: A Prostitute and a Redeemer – Save the Storks 10/3/2013
As the children in our live’s head back to school, let’s not forget to continue to tell them not only the stories of the great things our Lord and Savior has done for the people of the Bible but also in our own lives.
“We will not hide them from their descendants;
we will tell the next generation
the praiseworthy deeds of the Lord,
his power, and the wonders he has done.
He decreed statutes for Jacob
and established the law in Israel,
which he commanded our ancestors
to teach their children,
so the next generation would know them,
even the children yet to be born,
and they in turn would tell their children.
Then they would put their trust in God
and would not forget his deeds
but would keep his commands.
They would not be like their ancestors—
a stubborn and rebellious generation,
whose hearts were not loyal to God,
whose spirits were not faithful to him.” Psalm 78:4-8 NIV
Thank you for the reminder! God bless you on your day’s journey.
You are right; we need to tell and raise the next generation about the redeeming love of our God.
What a Wonderful ministry and so needed, teaching our children about the Lord. May we all take some time to connect the dots, as you did.