Read Our Daily Bread 4 November 2022 Friday ODB Devotional Message Today Message . Our Daily Bread Ministries (ODB) is a Christian organization founded by Dr. Martin De Haan in 1938. It is based in Grand Rapids, Michigan, with over 600 employees. Our Daily Bread Topic for 4th November 2022 is God Redeems Our Pain
SCRIPTURE: Ruth 2:20–22; 4:13–17
KEY VERSE: “The Lord bless him!” Naomi said to her daughter-in-law. “He has not stopped showing his kindness to the living and the dead.” She added, “That man is our close relative; he is one of our guardian-redeemers. ” Ruth 2:20
BIBLE IN A YEAR: Jeremiah 32–33; Hebrews 1
Read ODB Devotional Insight: Naomi described Boaz as a “close relative; . . . one of our guardian-redeemers” (Ruth 2:20). The newborn son of Ruth and Boaz is also referred to as a “guardian-redeemer” (4:14). The “guardian-redeemer” is the central focus of the book of Ruth (see also 3:9, 12; 4:1, 3, 6, 8). The Hebrew word go’el can also be translated “family redeemer,” “kinsman-redeemer,” or “family protector” and refers to the nearest relative with the responsibility of rescuing the family in trouble (see Leviticus 25:23–55; Deuteronomy 25:5–10). Boaz, though not the nearest relative (Ruth 4:2–4), willingly assumed guardian-redeemer obligations; he bought back Elimelek’s land (vv. 3–4) and married the childless widow (Ruth) of a deceased relative (Mahlon) to carry on his family line (v. 5).
Our Daily Bread 4 November 2022 Friday MESSAGE
Olive watched her friend loading her dental equipment into his car. A fellow dentist, he’d bought the brand-new supplies from her. Having her own practice had been Olive’s dream for years, but when her son Kyle was born with cerebral palsy, she realized she had to stop working to care for him.
“If I had a million lifetimes, I’d make the same choice,” my friend told me. “But giving up dentistry was difficult. It was the death of a dream.”
We often go through difficulties we can’t understand. For Olive, it was the heartache of her child’s unexpected medical condition and relinquishing her own ambitions. For Naomi, it was the heartache of losing her entire family. In Ruth 1:21 she lamented, “The Almighty has brought misfortune upon me.”
But there was more to Naomi’s story than what she could see. God didn’t abandon her; He brought restoration by providing her with a grandson, Obed (Ruth 4:17). Obed would not only carry on the name of Naomi’s husband and son, but through him, she would be a relative of an ancestor (Boaz) of Jesus Himself (Matthew 1:5, 16).
God redeemed Naomi’s pain. He also redeemed Olive’s pain by helping her begin a ministry for children with neurological conditions. We may experience seasons of heartache, but we can trust that as we obey and follow God, He can redeem our pain. In His love and wisdom, He can make good come out of it.
- Reflect: How has God redeemed your trials in the past? How is He encouraging you in your present difficulties?
- Pray: Dear God, thank You that You’re redeeming the painful stories of my life.
Thank you for reading Our Daily Bread Devotional for Today 4th November 2022, written by Karen Huang