Greetings from sunny Florida (it actually rained all day yesterday, but compared to Philly weather I can’t complain). Once we settled in for a few weeks break, one of my first projects was to read Paul Miller’s latest book, A Loving Life-In a World of Broken Relationships. I confess I did this out of personal loyalty to Paul and appreciation for his ministry, but what I encountered was a powerful and penetrating study of love that affected me deeply. The love Paul writes about is what he calls hesed, which is a Hebrew word speaking of love that grows out of covenantal commitment and loyalty. Paul fills the book with practical and personal examples of the meaning of hesed in marriage situations and personal relationships, which would make the book valuable if that was as far as it went. But the prime example of a loving life is Ruth and her hesed love for her mother-in-law, Naomi, and it is the substantial Bible study of Ruth that lifts the book from excellent to exceptional.
Thoughts from “A Loving Life,” by author Paul Miller on vimeo, 1.6.14
Ruth abandoned all hope of a life for herself but “died” to self in order to care for her mother-in-law, even accompanying her back to a land where she would be an alien and perhaps in physical danger. That death led to a resurrection that neither Ruth nor Naomi could have anticipated. Paul masterfully weaves themes of faith and love, death and resurrection throughout his study and then relates it to what it means to die and wait for some sort of resurrection in our broken relationships. Ultimately Paul takes us to the cross and the greatest of all demonstrations of hesed, the cross of Jesus. And even though Boaz, who was in the line of David and therefore Christ, is often seen as the Christ-figure in Ruth, Paul argues that it is Ruth herself who points us to Jesus. I think he is right.
This is a wonderful book, and all the more special because Paul is very rooted in the history and heritage of our church. He was not only the son of our founder, Jack Miller, but served as a deacon and an elder in the early decades of New Life. It was also great to see our two Old Testament scholars, Libbie Groves and Doug Green quoted in the book. Later in the year we hope to have copies available, but for now you can order the book through Amazon.com or the Westminster Seminary Bookstore (www.wtsbooks.com). Here is one comment on the meaning of hesed:
We discover God through a steady obedience based on faith. Ruth’s obedience opened the door to grace. Obedience didn’t save her; it just put her on a grace-filled trajectory of sowing and reaping. …
Having begun with faith and constantly returning in faith to a foundation of God’s love for us, we must move out in love. Many Christians get stuck trying to grow their faith by growing their faith. They try to get closer to Jesus by getting closer to Jesus. Practically that means they combine spiritual disciplines (the Word and prayer) with reflection on the love of God for them. But that will only get you so far. In fact it often leads to spiritual moodiness where you are constantly taking your pulse wondering how much you know the love of God for you. Or you go on an endless idol hunt trying to uncover ever deeper layers of sin. Oddly enough, this can lead to a concentration on the self, as kind of spiritual narcissism.
Ruth discovers God and his blessing as she obeys, as she submits to the life circumstances that God has given her. So instead of running from the really hard thing in your life, embrace it as a gift from God to draw you into his life. (p. 136, 137)
