Comments on Carolyn's Reflections: Gift of the Ezers

PS
Thank you, Carolyn, for responding to my pos...

2008-02-20T03:28:00.000-05:00

PS
Thank you, Carolyn, for responding to my post. I appreciate that.

I may take a look at your book.

Thank you for your time, and for graciously allowing me to dialogue with you.

God bless, and please take care,
Donna L. Carlaw

Carolyn:
And yes, I did mean to compare the bir...

2008-02-17T15:28:00.000-05:00

Carolyn:
And yes, I did mean to compare the birth of Obed to Jesus. There are striking parallels between the two narratives which are interesting and remind us of the long history and great acts of faith that ultimately led to the birth of Jesus. >>>>

DL:
The differences are much, more striking, starting with "The Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world."

DL:
I responded to your comment to me at the CT blog.

God bless, and please take care,
Donna L. Carlaw

Donna,

Thank you for posting a comment on m...

2008-02-13T23:40:00.000-05:00

Donna,

Thank you for posting a comment on my blog. Your humility and honesty are refreshing. It means a lot to me that you desire to communicate with instead of about me regarding my work. I don’t expect everyone to agree with me and I value constructive interaction. So I’m glad you felt free to raise your questions and want you to know you are welcome here.

Regarding the miraculous nature of Obed’s birth, many birth narratives in the Bible (besides the birth of Jesus) are referred to as “miraculous births.” Some notable examples are the births of Isaac, Samuel, and John the Baptist. We don’t typically include Obed in this group, but after his mother endured ten long years of barrenness during her marriage to Mahlon, Ruth was certifiably barren. It took an extraordinary act of faith for her to volunteer to bear a son to rescue Elimelech’s family from extinction. Ask any woman who has suffered infertility. As you correctly pointed out, “the LORD enabled her to conceive, and she gave birth to a son” (Ruth 4:13, NIV). Actually, this is a double miracle—that Ruth conceived in the first place and second that the child she bore was a son.

And yes, I did mean to compare the birth of Obed to Jesus. There are striking parallels between the two narratives which are interesting and remind us of the long history and great acts of faith that ultimately led to the birth of Jesus.

God always works through people. And so it’s important also to point out how both Ruth and Mary lived out their faith in bold, sacrificial ways. These women did much more than give birth to important sons. They were courageous, sacrificial, and bent on living to please God no matter what it cost them. Faith produces these qualities in God’s children, and it’s important for us to see that and consider how we are living.

Donna, I think it would be helpful if you actually read my book. Right now, you are only responding to bits and pieces. I would ask you to let me present my full case before trying to determine whether or not my conclusions are biblical. Admittedly, my interpretation of the book of Ruth is not what we’ve always heard. It isn’t what I’ve always thought myself. But have we learned everything there is to know about the Bible or about God? Is there nothing more or new for us to discover? My work is built on the research of some of the best Old Testament scholars around today. Many of them have reviewed and endorsed my work.

Please read and see for yourself.

Blessings!

Carolyn, please forgive me, but I have been very c...

2008-02-11T19:13:00.000-05:00

Carolyn, please forgive me, but I have been very critical of your new perspectives on the book of Ruth. I want you to know that. I have said it elsewhere before saying it directly to you, and asking for clarification. I have not followed Matther 18 on that.

So, I will ask you this directly, and hope for a Biblically sound response. I did not know you had a blog where people could ask you for clarification.

In what way was the birth of Obed miraculous? The life of Ruth shows God's providential leading in Ruth's life, as well as His gracious election of her to salvation.

However, the birth of Obed, her son, followed the natural, normal way things are done. He had a human father as well as a human mother. They had normal, marital relations, Ruth got pregnant, and Obed was born.

Do you just mean that God enabled Ruth to have a son? In that way it is a miracle, because it is said that God intervened for Ruth?

Ruth 4:13
13 So Boaz took Ruth and she became his wife. Then he went to her, and the LORD enabled her to conceive, and she gave birth to a son.

Are you sure you want to compare his birth to that of Jesus, our Saviour, though?

If there were a special miracle involved with the birth of Obed, it certainly cannot be called the Holy Spirit overshadowing her, nor was Obed "God with us". Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit, and Obed by his father, Boaz. etc.

What makes Mary so special was the Son she bore. Yes, she was also submissive to the will of God, a woman of good character, a godly young lady. However, she is not the focus of the Christmas story. Her Son is.

Any response of yours will be greatly appreciated.

Donna L. Carlaw

Mary,

Thanks for your comment. I am encoura...

2008-01-08T11:22:00.000-05:00

Mary,

Thanks for your comment. I am encouraged to hear how others are learning, as I am, that God calls women to be strong and courageous. A woman's strength is not to be feared, but to be prized, when it results from her saying "yes" to Him.

Thank you for the uplifting reminder of where our ...

2008-01-08T10:17:00.000-05:00

Thank you for the uplifting reminder of where our focus should be at Christmas.
I've often been confused in the past about the warning to "not live in the flesh" or to beware of doing things "in my own strength". As I've pondered (something I've learned from another Mary)what these words mean, I've come to see things differently. The blessed Incarnation teaches me that Christ came to "live in the flesh". He came to show me and enable me to do this better. While I'm not to live "according" to the flesh, He came to live in me and show me what it truly means to live "in the flesh" ACCORDING to the Spirit.

Comments on Carolyn's Reflections: Gift of the Ezers

PSThank you, Carolyn, for responding to my pos...

Carolyn:And yes, I did mean to compare the bir...