Minute Meditations: Genesis 18

Hebrews 13:2 reminds us, “Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by doing that some have entertained angels without knowing it.” This is exactly what happens to Abraham in Genesis 18. Abraham is sitting out the heat of the day in front of his tent when he sees three men nearby. He doesn't hesitate for a moment. He jumps up and invites them to wash their feet and rest while he prepares a meal.

Abraham has no idea who these three men really are. They could be saints or thieves, but he makes no judgment. Rather, he sees them as three tired travelers who need the rest and refreshment that he can provide, and he is quick to set himself at their service, no matter who they are.

Abraham moves quickly, telling Sarah to bake some cakes and ordering a servant to prepare a calf. When the meal is ready, he does not share it with them. Rather he assumes the role of a servant, standing near the men to make sure they have everything they need while they enjoy the food.

Are these three men angels? The three Persons of the Blessed Trinity? Angels representing the three Persons of the Blessed Trinity? We don't know, and neither does Abraham, but he provides the very best for then. In turn, they bring him the very best of news. By this time next year, God will have fulfilled His promise to Abraham. Abraham and Sarah will have a baby boy. Now there's a fine reward for a little bit of hospitality!

Minute Meditations: Ruth 1

Ruth was a Moabite woman. She was a descendent of Lot's son, Moab (Lot was the nephew of Abraham who got into some trouble in Sodom and Gomorrah), but Moab's descendents did not worship the God of Abraham. They were pagans who worshiped a god by the name of Chemosh (and probably other gods as well).

Ruth, however, married into an Israelite family when she took as her husband Mahlon, one of the sons of Elimelech and Naomi who had come to Moab to escape a famine. Many people would have considered Mahlon's marriage to Ruth to be unwise at best and perhaps even sinful. Israelites were often warned against marrying pagan women, for their wives could draw them away from the worship of the one true God and into pagan rites.

Ruth had not been married very long, though, when she became a widow. Mahlon's brother, Chilion, also died, leaving Orpah, another Moabite, as his widow. The brothers' father passed on as well. Naomi, Ruth, and Orpah were left on their own.

Naomi told her daughters-in-law to return to their people. She would not bind them to herself. They were young, and there was still a chance for them to marry again and have children. Orpah went, but Ruth would not. In the short time she had spent with her new family, Ruth had found love and truth. Ruth was already devoted to her mother-in-law, and she refused to leave Naomi to fend for herself. Instead, she would take the Israelites as her own people, and she would accept God as her own God.

The two women traveled back to Bethlehem, the family's home town, where although she didn't know it, Ruth was about to embark on a new adventure that would one day make her the direct ancestor of Jesus Christ, God Incarnate.

Minute Meditations: Micah 6

At the beginning of Micah 6, God is bringing a lawsuit against his people. He asks the mountains to hear His case as He contends with Israel. God asks His people, “What have I done to you?” God wants to know how He has ever wearied them. The answers here, of course, are that God has done everything good for His people. He has cared for them and nourished them in every way. He has never wearied them. Rather He has supported them. When they have become weary, it has been firmly their own fault because they have not obeyed God and followed His plan for their prosperity.

God then goes on to remind His people exactly what He has done for them. He brought them out of slavery in Egypt and settled them in their own land. He protected them the whole way. He let them see His “saving acts” so that they could know Him. Yet they have failed to know Him.

The prophet then places words in the mouths of the people of Israel as they wonder how they can please God. They ask if they should bring thousands of burnt offerings and tens of thousands of libations of oil. They wonder if they should even sacrifice their firstborn sons to try to atone for their sins. These ideas show how little the people know about God. They have become completely blind. God has told them so many times what He wants, yet they still say crazy things like this.

The prophet is quick to correct the people. He reminds them that God has indeed revealed what He wants. He wants them to do justice, to act rightly toward Him and toward each other according to His moral law. What's more, He wants them to love kindness. In other words, they are to go beyond strict justice and show mercy, just as God does. Finally, God wants them to walk humbly beside Him. He wants them to remain in His presence always and to make their lives a journey of intimate companionship with Him.

Minute Meditations: Amos 7

Amos never intended to be a prophet. In fact, it was probably the last thing he ever thought he would do. He was, after all, a shepherd and a dresser of sycamore trees in the southern kingdom of Judah. His life was simple and probably relatively peaceful. But then God called him.

And Amos responded with a “yes” to God’s call, as difficult as that probably was for him. He went to the northern kingdom of Israel to preach against the people’s sins and to warn them that if they continued to break their covenant with God, horrible things would happen to them.

Amos had no prophetic training, and he was not a member of the guild of prophets. What’s more, he delivered an unpopular message. The people didn’t want to hear about things like sins and covenant curses. They didn’t want Amos to interrupt their routines or poke their consciences. Through their priest Amaziah, therefore, they told Amos to go away.

But Amos doesn’t go away. He continued the mission that God had given him. He may not particularly have liked it. He probably often wished that he could go home to his sheep and his trees. But he found courage in God and in His will, and he kept right on speaking the truth even though people hated him for it.