Fri.’s Devo - 5-5-17 - Looking for a Bride

Read: Judges 21:1-Ruth 1:22; John 4:4-42; Psalm 105:1-15; Proverbs 14:25
Today we have three stories of brides. The first one tells the story of the brides of Benjamin. The tribe of Benjamin was under the hand of judgment by the other tribes because of how they had rebelled. Since all the tribes had vowed not to let their women marry Benjamites they had a problem. There were 600 who needed brides to keep the tribe alive. They came up with some creative ways to find them brides. They did it their way.
The next story was of Ruth. Ruth was a Moabite who only knew of God and his ways through Naomi, her mother-in-law. Ruth’s husband died in Ruth’s land and Naomi found out the famine was over in Israel and wanted to go home. Ruth was determined to go with her and live with her people and worship the god Naomi worshipped. Little did Ruth know, God had a husband waiting for her.
The last story was the woman at the well. She had had 7 husbands and the man she was living with wasn’t her husband. The true husband, Jesus, sat with her and spoke of living water. She asked him about the Messiah and Jesus told her that he was it. She was one of the only people Jesus spoke his true identity to. She immediately went and found others to come meet Jesus.
The first story was about the Israelites who had the truth yet they kept rejecting it for their own ideas. The second story was about a Moabite who saw truth and wanted more. The third story was about a Samaritan woman who was also thirsty for truth. Jesus then told his disciples that the harvest was ripe. Sometimes the field looks different from what you would want or assume.
Lord, open our eyes to the harvest around us and help us not to judge who you choose to save. Jesus is looking for a bride that is looking for him.