THE PRICE OF RUBIES 5: RUTH

 

(Art: Ruth In the Field of Boaz by Alexandre Cabanel 1868)

This is a beautiful story of loyalty of one woman towards another and the godly path it created….. a story of another ruby above price.

Ruth's story begins in Moab, her home-land, where she married Mahlon, one of the sons of an Israelite couple called Elimelech and Naomi, who had fled from their hometown of Bethlehem because of famine and came to Moab, a gentile country east of the Dead Sea. Another Moabite woman by the name of Orpah married Chilon, the other son of that family. Neither of the women produced any children before the father and both sons died leaving three women destitute.

 

Ruth's story is a prime example of how you can go from nothing to everything if you live a life of loyalty and selflessness. When the famine abated, Naomi, the matriarch, decided to return to Bethlehem and entreated her daughters-in-law to remain in Moab and return to their families. Both of the women wept at the suggestion wanting to follow her but Orpah consented after further encouragement from Naomi while Ruth refused to abandon her aging mother-in-law who faced a life of uncertainty without offspring and opportunity (Ruth 1:15-17). And here begins a life of loyalty.

 

Ruth, a convert, accompanied her mother-in-law to Bethlehem and there gained a reputation of a virtuous woman in Israel. The entire city of Bethlehem knew how good she was and told Naomi that Ruth was better to her than seven sons (Ruth 3:11, 4:15).

 

As the poor in Israel were accustomed to do, Ruth offered to go gleaning the barley fields being harvested. Gleaning was in effect gathering any stalks of barley that fell from the harvesters' hands and that were left on the field for the poor to gather to save them from starvation. Being new in the area, Ruth, unbeknownst to her, chose a field that belonged to Boaz, a wealthy relative of Naomi's husband, but not just any relative. Naomi identified him as the 'next kinsmen’.

 

This is where Ruth’s sense of duty, loyalty and care comes into play. Ruth, a young woman did not seek a man closer to her own age and of her own liking to marry. She instead heeded the counsel of her mother-in-law and approached Boaz to lay claim to a 'levirate marriage'. As the 'next kinsmen' it would be his duty to marry the widowed Ruth and provide her with offspring. This duty would have fallen to her husband's brother had he remained alive.

 

What is even more interesting is that Naomi could have laid this claim herself but Naomi was too stricken in years to bear more children. If Ruth married and had a son, she would provide a way for both women to be cared for in their old age. Lucky for Ruth, Boaz was a good man and was impressed that she was following the Israelite family law in seeking a rightful husband rather than going after her own selfish desires. He regarded her proposal as 'a proof of feminine virtue and modesty by offering herself as a wife to an old man like him rather than going after young men’. (Ruth 3:10,11)

 

Ruth, a converted Gentile, came to Bethlehem empty but was filled in every way. She went from nothing to everything. By chance that she might have a son, she married an old man she didn’t know and they had a son, Obed who was the father of Jesse, who was the father of David, who was the progenitor of Mary, who was the mother of Christ (Ruth 4:17-22).

By giving birth to Obed, Ruth brought honour again to her mother-in-law who was left childless: "And Naomi took the child, and laid it in her bosom and became nurse unto it. And the women, her neighbours, gave it a name, saying, There is a son born to Naomi; and they called his name Obed...." (Ruth 4:16,17).

 

Thus by her life's choices Ruth became a symbol of selfless loyalty to be emulated by all the daughters of God……a loyalty that alleviated the suffering of another…..there is no greater.

 

 - CATHRYNE ALLEN 

A NOBLE LIFE

 

Some months ago I received an understanding that made sense of one part of my life. It was given to me to understand that opportunity of self-sacrifice was offered as a choice in pre-earth life to those who wanted to become like Christ. It meant that someone else’s life and well-being would matter more than one’s own. I could see that Celestial Kingdom will consist of people who care about others more than they care about themselves. That’s being Christ-like.

Yesterday, I made a connection to this principle at a deeper level. I had maintained for a while now that it is wrong for children of single mothers to feel responsible for their care in their old age. I maintained we are a burden around their necks that would prevent them from pursuing their own lives. I saw it as something unhealthy when in reality this is the view of the ‘me, myself and I’ world we live in today.

This is what opened my eyes. I was speaking to a close friend who is also a single mother. She was telling me of her daughter who was recently faced with a choice to create a new life for herself away from her. She chose to stay to care for her instead rather than pass her onto someone else’s care. This girl also intends to move to another state to care for her father in his old age if that ever becomes necessary. My friend said her daughter was “100% Ruth”. I saw how wrong I had been in my assumption of what is right in such a situation. It also opened my eyes to the wider view of the 5^th Commandment to ‘honour thy father and thy mother’.

I wrote about Ruth yesterday and how her choice to remain with her mother-in-law Naomi put her on the path to becoming a symbol of redemption in Israel through her levirate marriage to Boaz. What else I see now is her Christ-like self-sacrifice which rewarded her for her noble life.

Ruth's story begins in Moab, her home-land, where she married Mahlon, one of the sons of an Israelite couple called Elimelech and Naomi, who had fled from their hometown of Bethlehem because of famine and came to Moab, a gentile country east of the Dead Sea. Another Moabite woman by the name of Orpah married Chilon, the other son of that family. Neither of the women produced any children before the father and both sons died leaving the three women destitute.

 

Ruth's story is a prime example of how you can go from nothing to everything if you live a life of sacrifice and faithfulness. When the famine abated Naomi decided to return to Bethlehem and entreated her daughters-in-law to remain in Moab and return to their families. Both of the women wept at the suggestion wanting to follow her but Orpah consented after further encouragement from Naomi while Ruth refused to abandon her aging mother-in-law who faced a life of uncertainty without offspring and opportunity (Ruth 1:15-17). And here begins a life dedicated to caring.

 

Ruth accompanied her mother-in-law to Bethlehem and there gained a reputation of a virtuous woman in Israel. This is a true convert….The entire city of Bethlehem knew how good she was and told Naomi that Ruth was better to her than seven sons (Ruth 3:11, 4:15). I am a convert also so this touches me to the core….

 

As the poor in Israel were accustomed to do, Ruth offers to go gleaning the barley fields being harvested. Gleaning was in effect gathering any stalks of barley that fell from the harvesters' hands and that were left on the field for the poor to gather to save them from starvation. Being new in the area, Ruth, unbeknownst to her, chose a field that belonged to Boaz, a wealthy relative of Naomi's husband, but not just any relative. Naomi identifies him as the 'next kinsmen’.

 

This is where Ruth’s sense of duty and care comes into play. Ruth, a young woman does not seek a man closer to her own age and of her own liking to marry and get on with her life, as the women in our day would do, she instead heeds the counsel of her mother-in-law and approaches Boaz to lay claim to a 'levirate marriage'. As the 'next kinsmen' it would be his duty to marry the widowed Ruth and provide her with offspring. This duty would have fallen to her husband's brother had he remained alive.

 

What is even more interesting is that Naomi could have laid this claim herself but Naomi was too stricken in years to bear more children. By Ruth marrying and bearing a son, she provided a way for both women to be cared for in their old age. Lucky for Ruth, Boaz was a good man and was impressed that she was following the Israelite family law in seeking a rightful husband rather than going after her own selfish desires. He regarded her proposal as 'a proof of feminine virtue and modesty by offering herself as a wife to an old man like him rather than going after young men’. (Ruth 3:10,11)

 

Ruth, a converted Gentile, came to Bethlehem empty but was filled in every way. She went from nothing to everything. Boaz married Ruth and they had a son, Obed who was the father of Jesse, who was the father of David, who was a progenitor of Mary, who was the mother of Christ (Ruth 4:17-22). By giving birth to Obed, Ruth brought honour again to her mother-in-law who was left childless: "And Naomi took the child, and laid it in her bosom and became nurse unto it. And the women, her neighbours, gave it a name, saying, There is a son born to Naomi; and they called his name Obed...." (Ruth 4:16,17). Thus by her life's choices Ruth became a symbol of selfless love to be emulated by all the daughters of God.

 

I take my hat off to people who care for their aged parents in our day.

 

I personally know one modern-day Ruth. Her name is Kimberly. 

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: Ruth by Sue Killingsworth)

A SYMBOL OF REDEMPTION

 

This is a story of a convert who became a symbol of redemption in Israel. This convert was a woman and her name was Ruth.

It is said by oral tradition that women in ancient Israel lived with a hope that the Messiah would come through their line (Clarke, Bible Commentary, 2:207). This is the privilege that was given to Ruth from Moab even though she had no blood of Israel running through her veins.  She was a convert to the Lord, God of Israel ‘under whose wings she had come to trust’ (Ruth 2:12).

When her Israelite husband died and left her with no children, Ruth became one of the lowliest of the earth, devoid of security and livelihood. Ruth’s mother-in-law Naomi also became destitute losing her husband and both of her sons. When Naomi encouraged her daughters-in-law to return to their kin and their ‘gods’, they wept. Orpah left, but Ruth remained, with these words on her tongue: “….whither thou goest, I will go; and whither thou lodgest, I will lodge; thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God.” (Ruth 1:16).

Right from the start, Ruth showed characteristics of a true Israelite by covenant (Romans 9:4; Galatians 3:29) and she chose to remain so. She returned to Judea with Naomi, to Bethlehem no less (Ruth 1:19), and she consented to a ‘levirate’ marriage with Naomi’s next of kin, as was the custom in Israel. Through a levirate marriage, the woman was provided with children and restored to security and society. Here is where things become interesting. The Hebrew word for a man who would step up to this responsibility was GO’EL. The King James Version of the Bible translates it as simply ‘kinsman’ but the proper and literal meaning of GO’EL is ‘redeemer’ (Rasmussen, “Introduction to the Old Testament”, 1:157; see also Old Testament Student Manual Genesis – Samuel 2, p 263)

This is how Ruth, a lowly woman of Moab became the symbol of Christ’s redemption: Her GO’EL was Boaz, an Israelite kinsman of Naomi. Boaz became Ruth’s redeemer and restorer of all she had lost. Boaz and Ruth had a son whose name was Obed, who became the father of Jesse, who was the father of King David, who was a progenitor of Mary, who was the mother of Christ……

Consider for a moment how Christ redeems us from our fallen state and restores us to the presence of the Father, and grants us eternal posterity through His power of exaltation. The Saviour affirms His role as the GO’EL when He refers to himself as the bridegroom and us, Israel, as the bride (Matthew 25:1-13; D&C 33:17; 65:3; 88:92; 133:10). He is the greatest GO’EL of all….. the Redeemer, the Restorer, the Hope of Israel, the Rock of our Salvation.

The winds of tribulation 

Like feathers lift to the sky.

They find You there

ever waiting to answer our pleas;

To restore that which is lost,

To renew that which is broken,

I stand amazed at Your love, 

Your care:

Your everlasting token.

 

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: Ruth In the Field of Boaz by Alexandre Cabanel 1868)

 

 

A UNION OF POWER

 

I’ve written quite a bit about idolatry this year but felt this was worth mentioning. Judges Chapter 3 gives us a clear answer as to why ancient Israel fell into serving other gods once they moved into the promised land:

“And the children of Israel dwelt among the Canaanites, Hittites, and Amorites, and Perizzites and Hivites, and Jebusites….And they took their daughters to be their wives and gave their daughters to their sons, and served their gods…..And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord, and forgat the Lord their God, and served Baalim and the groves.”  (Judges 3:5-7)

Both Moses and Joshua warned the Israelites against inter-marriage with the heathen nations (Deut 7:3-4; Joshua 23:12-13). Moses accentuated the influence of women in a marriage in his warning and Joshua warned that inter-marriages would become “snares and traps” and lead to spiritual and national downfall.

Despite the warnings, the children of Israel did this very thing which led them to break their covenant with Jehovah. And this is why…..marriage is a powerful union and the stronger influence of the one puts both parties on the same path.

There are some strong examples of this in the scriptures. Solomon married outside the covenant, and “his wives turned away his heart after other gods” (1 Kings 11:1-4). Solomon married seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines….did he really stand a chance????

Another notable example is King Ahab who married the infamous and evil Jezebel from the land of Phoenicia. This marriage caused the downfall of the northern kingdom of Israel. Jezebel introduced into Israel the worst forms of idol worship from her land in place of the worship of Jehovah (1 Kings 18:13,19). Not only did Jezebel influence Ahab to worship Baal but to kill many of God’s prophets (v 4). Her nemesis? Elijah. One of my most favourite stories in the Old Testament…..

These examples show the downfall of a whole nation and of generations to come. We can also see in the scriptures this power of marital union when used for good.

One of the most positive examples would have to be Ruth, who converted to the God of Israel when she married Naomi’s son. Her conversion and union with this Israelite produced such covenant loyalty that Ruth entered into a levirate marriage upon his death. Ruth married the next of kin according to Israel’s law whose name was Boaz. Ruth and Boaz had a son called Obed who became part of the Lord’s covenant line. Obed was the father of Jesse who was the father of King David (see Ruth 1 and Ruth 4). That’s a ‘marriage influence’ story in the best possible way. This woman is one of my favourite Old Testament figures.

The power of marriage never ends with just two people. It is passed on to the children and the generations to come. This can be seen in the Book of Mormon with the ‘stripling warriors’. I doubt very much that those boys could have been taught to believe and not doubt God’s power if their mothers did not follow and worship the God of Israel (Alma 56:47-48). I am convinced that the fathers were there in that influence too but somehow I think this is the reason why Moses accentuated the influence of women within the marital union and the home. Women bear and rear children and their influence with them is perhaps the strongest.

Who you marry would have to be the most important choice in anyone’s life because through this union you create the future. From two people united comes a family, comes a community, comes a country, comes a nation, comes the future that extends into eternity. Think of Abraham and Sarah......there is no greater example.

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: Abraham and Sarah by AI)

- 

RUTH, A SYMBOL OF REDEMPTION

 

This is a story of the beautiful life of a simple woman from Moab called Ruth.

 

It is said by oral tradition that women in ancient Israel lived with a hope that the Messiah would come through their line. Ruth from Moab had no blood of Israel running through her veins.  She was a convert to the Lord, God of Israel ‘under whose wings she had come to trust’ (Ruth 2:12). When her Israelite husband died and left her with no children, Ruth became one of the lowliest of the earth, devoid of security or livelihood. When she returned to Bethlehem with her mother Naomi, she consented to a ‘levirate’  marriage with Naomi’s next of kin, as was the custom in Israel. Through a levirate marriage, the woman was provided with children and restored to security and society. Here is where things become interesting. The Hebrew word for a man who would step up to this responsibility was GO’EL. The King James Version of the Bible translates it as simply ‘kinsman’ but the proper and literal meaning of GO’EL is ‘redeemer’ (Rasmussen, “Introduction to the Old Testament”, 1:157)

 

This is how Ruth, a lowly woman of Moab became the symbol of Christ’s redemption: Her GO’EL was Boaz, an Israelite kinsman of Naomi. Boaz became Ruth’s redeemer and restorer of all she had lost. Boaz and Ruth had a son whose name was Obed, who became the father of Jesse, who was the father of King David, who was a progenitor of Mary, who was the mother of Christ…… Consider for a moment how Christ redeems us from our fallen state and restores us to the presence of the Father, AND grants us eternal posterity through His power of exaltation. The Saviour himself affirms His role as the GO’EL when He refers to himself as the bridegroom and us, Israel, as the bride (Matthew 25:1-13; D&C 33:17; 65:3; 88:92; 133:10). He is the greatest GO’EL of all….. the Redeemer, the Restorer, the Hope of Israel, the Rock of our Salvation. 

 

I will follow Thee my God and My All

When I can see no more;

I will trust in Thee

When all hope flees;

I will praise Thy name

When I am left without ease.

I will nurture the seeds of my faith

With tears of my affliction,

Yet will I look up to heaven

And believe in Thy throne;

I will trust in the strength of Thine arms

To lift me and carry me home.

 

 

 - CATHRYNE ALLEN

(Artist Unknown)

WOMEN OF VALOUR

"About fifty years ago, Mr. F.M. Bareham wrote the following:

'A century ago men were following with bated breath the march of Napoleon and waiting with feverish impatience for news of the wars. And all the while in their homes babies were being born. But who could think about babies? Everybody was thinking about battles.
In one year between Trafalgar and Waterloo there stole into the world a host of heroes: Gladstone was born in Liverpool; Tennyson at the Somersby Rectory; and Oliver Wendell Holmes in Massachusetts. Abraham Lincoln was born in Kentucky, and music was enriched by the advent of Felix Mendelssohn in Hamburg.
But nobody thought of babies, everybody was thinking of battles. Yet which of the battles of 1809 mattered more than the babies of 1809? We fancy God can manage His world only with great battalions, when all the time he is doing it with beautiful babies.
When a wrong wants righting, or a truth wants preaching, or a continent wants discovering, God sends a baby into the world to do it'. (Spencer W. Kimball, Faith Precedes the Miracle: pp 84, 85)"

God prepares great mothers for great children. One such woman was one of the greatest examples of virtuous womanhood in the Old Testament. Her name was Ruth. Born of a heathen nation, Ruth made a life changing choice when a young woman. She married an Israelite.  By virtue of that marriage she got converted to the God of Israel and gained a mother-in-law who she loved and respected so much that she regarded her welfare above her own. Because of her selflessness this convert who accepted the truth was blessed to become a progenitor of Christ.

Ruth's story begins in Moab, her home land, where she married Mahlon, one of the sons of an Israelite couple called Elimelech and Naomi, who had fled from their hometown of Bethlehem because of famine and came to Moab, a gentile country east of the Dead Sea. Another Moabite woman by the name of Orpah married Chilon, the other son of that family. Neither of the women produced any children before the father and both sons died leaving the three women destitute. Ruth's story is a prime example of how you can go from nothing to everything if you are faithful. When the famine abated Naomi decided to return to Bethlehem and entreated her daughters-in-law to remain in Moab and return to their families. Both of the women wept at the suggestion wanting to follow her but Orpah consented after further encouragement from Naomi while Ruth refused to abandon her aging mother-in-law who faced a life of uncertainty without offspring and opportunity (Ruth 1:15-17). And here begins a life dedicated to caring. Ruth accompanies her mother-in-law to Bethlehem and there gains a reputation of a virtuous woman in Israel. The entire city of Bethlehem knew how good she was and told Naomi that Ruth was better to her than seven sons (Ruth 3:11, 4:15).

 
As the poor in Israel were accustomed to do, Ruth offers to go gleaning the barley fields being harvested. Gleaning was in effect gathering any stalks of barley that fell from the harvesters' hands and that were left on the field for the poor to gather to save them from starvation. Being new in the area, Ruth, unbeknown to her, chose a field that belonged to Boaz, a wealthy relative of Naomi's husband, but not just any relative. Naomi identifies him as the 'next kinsmen', the proper Hebrew name being "go'el", being a term from the realm of Israelite family law. It describes the near relatives to whom both law and custom gave certain duties towards the clan, one of them making it 'possible for a widow who had lost home and property to return to her former status and security and to have seed to perpetuate her family' (Old Testament Student Manual, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, p. 263). This is where it becomes really interesting. Naomi, a young woman does not seek a man closer to her own age and of her own liking to marry and get on with her life, she instead heeds the counsel of her mother-in-law and approaches Boaz to lay claim to a 'levirate marriage'. As the 'next kinsmen' it would be his duty to marry the widowed Ruth and provide her with offspring. This duty would have fallen to her husband's brother had he remained alive. What is even more interesting is that Naomi could have laid this claim herself but Naomi was too stricken in years to bear more children. By Ruth marrying and bearing a son, she provided a way for both women to be cared for in their old age. Lucky for Ruth, Boaz was a good man and was impressed that she was following the Israelite family law in seeking a rightful husband rather than going after her own selfish desires. He regarded her proposal as 'a proof of feminine virtue and modesty, that she had not gone after young men, but offered herself as a wife to an old man like him' (Old Testament Student Manual).  In his immortalized words:

"And he said, Blessed be thou of the Lord, my daughter: for thou hast shewed more kindness in the latter end that at the beginning, inasmuch as thou followedst not young men, whether poor or rich.
"And now, my daughter, fear not; I will do to thee all that thou requirest: for all the city of my people doth know that thou art a virtuous woman". (Ruth 3:10,11)

Imagine if Ruth's reputation had been any less than what it was. Would she have been able to save herself and Naomi from destitution? Would Boaz want to marry her? But Ruth was a virtuous woman, committed to the God of Israel and because of her commitment she came to Bethlehem empty but was filled in every way. She went from nothing to everything. Boaz married Ruth and they had a son, Obed who was the father of Jesse, who was the father of David who was a progenitor of Mary who was the mother of Christ (Ruth 4:17-22). By giving birth to Obed, Ruth brought honour again to her mother-in-law who was left childless: "And Naomi took the child, and laid it in her bosom and became nurse unto it. And the women her neighbours gave it a name, saying, There is a son born to Naomi; and they called his name Obed...." (Ruth 4:16,17). Thus by her life's choices Ruth became a symbol of selfless love to be emulated by all daughters of God.

Another remarkable woman of great spirit from the Old Testament is Hannah, mother of Samuel. Here is another lady who like Ruth could have believed that the Lord left her empty but who through her actions and faith, like Ruth,  received of His abundance. So many women who bore significant sons in early history were barren. It would seem that we learn greatest lessons from their experience. Not being able to bear children is a difficult cross to bear for any woman in any age but it was especially so for Hannah. She was barren in a time when 'it was a great reproach to a woman among the Jews to be barren; because, say some, every one hoped that the Messiah should spring from her line" (Clarke, Bible Commentary, 2:207, Old Testament Student Manual, p 267). Besides this hope, a woman brought great honour to her husband by giving him children, especially sons. At an age when women had little else to distinguish themselves by, child bearing was of utmost importance. Hannah's suffering from her condition was made even more difficult by the second wife of her husband, Peninnah, who tormented her and made her miserable by 'ostentatious exhibition of her children' (Old Testament Manual p 267). Hannah was greatly loved by her husband who favoured her which might explain Peninnah's merciless action.

As the family went up to Shiloh to the annual festivals to offer sacrifices at the tabernacle that was located there after the tribes settled in Canaan, Hannah took matters into her own hands. She knew there was only one place to go and only one god who could possibly know the state of her heart and who could alleviate her suffering. In her unwavering faith she made a covenant with the Lord that if He would give her a son she would bring him up as a Nazarite (1 Sam 1:11), dedicated to God all the days of his life through the Nazarite vow (Numbers 6). By this Hannah clearly showed that she was not interested in just fulfilling her heart's desire but that she wished to honour God as well so she made a deal that would not only benefit her but God too. This is an amazing act of selflessness. How many of us ask God constantly for what we want not giving any thought to what we can give in return? How many of us promise God in our prayers that we will do something for HIM? Usually we just keep asking and asking for more.

Hannah was a noble woman of the covenant, one who not only wanted to serve God but who wanted to secure real happiness for her son, the only true happiness that comes from knowing and serving God. When she explained to priest Eli the nature of her petition to God and Eli discharged her from the tabernacle saying 'Go in peace: and the God of Israel grant thee thy petition that thou hast asked of him' (1 Sam 1:17), Hannah believed for 'her countenance was no more sad' (1 Sam 1:18). And herein lies another lesson, when you petition the Lord, walk away believing. Hannah did bear a son and she called his name Samuel, meaning in Hebrew 'heard of God' (Keil and Delitzch, Commentary, 2:2:25). This name served as a reminder to both Hannah and Samuel of the special circumstances and commitments relating to his birth (Old Testament Student Manual, p. 268).

When Samuel was weaned, Hannah honoured her promise to God and brought him to priest Eli to live and serve in the sanctuary for the remainder of his life. According to the custom of the day, Samuel was not weaned until he was three years old (Old Testament Student Manual, p 268). I have a three year old granddaughter, Addy. I cannot imagine how I would feel if she was suddenly no longer around. I know her mother would feel like her heart was ripped out of her chest. One cannot imagine how Hannah, who longed for a child, had the fortitude to hand him over to live with an old man and replace the carefree days of his childhood with service in the tabernacle, seeing him only once a year (1 Sam 2:20). But the God of Israel knew how Hannah would feel and He did not leave her heart empty. He filled it to the brim and rewarded her for keeping her word. Hannah went on to bear three more sons and two daughters.

".....and prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing that there shall not be room enough to receive it (Malachi 3:10)

If you have been left empty, you must believe, for the story is not over yet. The God of Israel desires to give you all that He has and to make of you all that He is. He has the power to restore what the locust have eaten (Joel 2:25). He has the power to make of you a fruitful field and to grant you eternal life. He is the bread of life and the living water. He is the God of Israel, the God of our fathers, the God of us all. He is the light, the truth and the way.

"For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters: and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes".  (Rev 7:17)