Greetje: New page: {{info}}"My daddy lets me watch three sheep
Beside the mill; and if I keep
Them safe, and make them fat, he said
That next year I'd get five instead.
‘If you can keep your th...

Greetje — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 15:08:47 GMT

New page: {{info}}"My daddy lets me watch three sheep Beside the mill; and if I keep Them safe, and make them fat, he said That next year I'd get five instead. ‘If you can keep your th...

New page

{{info}}"My daddy lets me watch three sheep Beside the mill; and if I keep Them safe, and make them fat, he said That next year I'd get five instead. ‘If you can keep your three in line, Then you can handle five at nine.' My daddy's always making rhymes. But they're not very good — sometimes." His grandpa laughed: "You're pretty sharp For being eight. And how's your harp These days? I'd like to hear you play Sometime. I heard your daddy say You've gotten really good. Let's go Sit down beside the sheep, and show Me what you've learned." So David took His grampa down beside the brook And mill, beneath the carrob tree, And cradled, like a lamb, the C- Shaped kinnor in his lap, and played A ballad Jews had sung and prayed For centuries. The old man laid His head back on the tree and swayed, As if the music made the tree A ship-mast on the rolling sea. Then David noticed Obed's eyes Were closed. "It better satisfies The ear to close the eye," he once Had heard his teacher say, "It blunts The beauty of a thing to feel A rival pleasure make appeal." But when he saw on Obed's face The tears, he stopped. "Grampa, in case You'd like to hear a happier tune I know one called ‘The Red Raccoon.' I'm sorry that you're sad. What's wrong?" "My mother used to play that song." "You mean great gramma Ruth, grampa?" "That's right. She was a great gramma In more ways than you know, young man." "Grampa, I'd love it, if you can, To have you tell me all about 

Great gramma Ruth. Can you stay out With me and tell me how she came To live in Bethlehem? Her name Still makes the people smile and sing Down by the barley fields. They ring A bell at harvest time, and all The grownups go down every fall To watch some actors do a play About great gramma Ruth. But they Won't let the kids go down. It's got Some parts that daddy says are not For kids. Grampa, I am a youth, But tell me 'bout great gramma Ruth."

"The story starts with God, as all True stories do. As I recall, Almost a hundred years ago, God stopped the rain and broke the flow Of blessing in the fruitful land Of Ephratha. By his command There was a famine from the shores Of Lebanon south to the doors Of Hebron and beyond. And none Could stay his hand, or make undone The deed of God. He had his aims And one of these was Ruth. God names Whom he will have, and moves the earth To bring them to himself. By birth She was a Moabite, outside The Law, and Israel, the bride Of God, cut off from sacrifice, And priest, and covenant. No price Paid to her gods of wood and stone Could ever cleanse her heart, atone For sin, or satisfy the just And holy claims of God. Sheer dust Upon the scales, all this, to weigh Against idolatry each day. And yet God had a plan to bring Her out of darkness, make her cling To him and give her royal seed."

"Grampa, what's royal seed?" "A breed Of children, David, who will be Like kings. I don't know how. But she Was sure of it and prophesied. We need It too. But let's go back. What deed Delivered her out of the hand Of Chemosh, brought her to the land Of Israel, and put her name In songs and give her godly fame? It was a famine, David, God Closed up the clouds and laid his rod Against the back of Israel."

"But, grampa, how did famine tell Great gramma Ruth to leave her land And come to Bethlehem?" "The hand Of God is very roundabout, And there is time and room to doubt At every turn, my son. A man, Of Bethlehem was in the plan. His name: Elimelech. He took His wife Naomi and forsook The land of God. It was an act Of unbelief. Naomi packed, But every movement was a grief. She knew that God would bring relief, If they would stay in Israel, If they would seek his face and dwell Among the righteous few who cleave To future grace. ‘But that's naive,' Elimelech replied, ‘there's grain In Kedemoth, but only pain In Bethlehem.' And so they went, Unknowingly, to judgment sent, But also on an errand of Amazing grace and sovereign love."

"You mean grampa, because they'd find Great gramma Ruth?" "That's right. But mind You, David, this was all of God. None saw the wielding of the rod To save the tail and strike the head. Within a year Elimelech was dead. And then the rebel sons, to break Naomi's heart, began to take In Moab girls." "What do you mean, Grampa?" "I mean, young man, that clean And upright boys will never sleep With girls until the day they keep One woman for a wife. Beware, Young man, no commoners should dare, Nor even kings, to break this law. Naomi trembled at the raw And lustful sins of Chilion. And Mahlon would carouse till dawn. ‘No more!' she cried. ‘I meant for you To have two virgin wives. And do You plan to put me in the grave Beneath this soil, or in a cave Cut for a Moabite?' And so To mock their mother's faith, as though To grant her wish, they sought Two virgin Moabites, and bought Them with the birthright of their dad."

"Wow, grampa, they were really bad." "But, David, do you know who those Wives were, whom these blind rebels chose? One's name was Orpah, here's the truth: The other was great gramma Ruth." "But, grampa, that sounds terrible." "O, no, my lad, incredible Is what it was. The rescue of The century: relentless love Is what it was. The broken saint Just took them in without complaint, And from her lips and from her way They met her God and learned to pray.

And then, one day, as quickly as Their dad, her sons were dead. It has The ring of judgment, David. Do You see? They drowned while swimming through The Arnon River just to spite The bragging of a Moabite. Naomi wept till she could weep No more, and then she said, ‘I sweep My place today, tomorrow I Will leave it clean, and by and by, God helping me, I'll put my feet In Bethlehem, and there complete My years with bitter memories. Go back and find your families. I have no sons to offer now, Nor any man to keep his vow. The Lord be with you in the house Where you grew up and may your spouse Be better than the last.' And so She kissed Orpah farewell, ‘Now go.'

But when she turned to Ruth, she saw A different face. As if the Law Of God, with every promised hope, And all of its eternal scope Were written on her very soul Unrolling like an endless scroll. And thus she spoke: ‘Entreat me not, Naomi, to return, or take my lot Again among the Moabites With wooden gods and pagan rites. Turn me not back to these, but let Me go with you. Whatever threat Or hope you have, I will embrace. I have no other dream or place To live. Where you stay, I will stay, The path you take will be my way.

And where you die, there I will die, And bury me beneath the sky Of Israel. There is a call Upon my life, Naomi, all That you've endured these ten long years Has been for me and you. And tears Cannot conceal that generations yet To come through us, will not forget To praise the bitter providence Of God that wrought for us immense And precious mercies in this place And lavished me with painful grace. A rod of famine was the price For me, that opened paradise. I am Moabite to you, But more than that: your daughter too. Come, let us leave this place, I cleave To you, Naomi. I believe, Beneath this sweet and bitter rod, That your great God will be my God."

"Grampa, how did you memorize All that?" "It came with lullabies And ballads that she sang to me, Just like the one you played. Could be, My good grandson, that you will sing Like that, and put the truth on wing With harp and psalm and song. She would Be pleased. Perhaps, then, if you should, Your son, when you are gone some day, Will sing it in a whole new way.

As we light candle one, I pray That bitter providence today Tomorrow will taste very sweet, And every famine that we meet And every broken staff of bread In death, will bring us life instead.

Ruth, Part 1 - Revision history

Greetje: New page: {{info}}"My daddy lets me watch three sheepBeside the mill; and if I keepThem safe, and make them fat, he saidThat next year I'd get five instead.‘If you can keep your th...

Greetje: New page: {{info}}"My daddy lets me watch three sheep
Beside the mill; and if I keep
Them safe, and make them fat, he said
That next year I'd get five instead.
‘If you can keep your th...