church of Christ at 26th and Connecticut
Joplin, Missouri

Phone
417-781-2326

1819 E 26th
Jopin, MO  64804

   Worship Schedule

Sunday
    Bible Class              9 am
    Morning Worship    10 am
    Evening Worship      6 pm

Wednesday
     Devotional & Class   7 pm

Upcoming Activities

Richard’s Remarks – God’s Providential Care

     The sermon last Sunday evening focused on the life of Joseph – a life from which we can learn many valuable lessons on a variety of topics.  One such topic that is clearly evident is…the providence of God  (God’s non-miraculous working in the lives of His people).  Joseph, while speaking to his brothers, summarized it this way:  “As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today" (Gen. 50:20).  The providence of God is indeed a marvelous and intriguing subject.  Let’s briefly consider a couple of scriptural examples in which it can be found and then give consideration to our own lives.

    First of all, let’s consider Ruth.  “In the days when the judges ruled there was a famine in the land, and a man of Bethlehem in Judah went to sojourn in the country of Moab, he and his wife and his two sons” (Ruth 1:1).  The man was Elimelech; his wife was Naomi; the sons were Mahlon and Chilion.  Both sons married women of Moab - one married Orpah and the other married Ruth.  Over time, Elimelech, Mahlon and Chilion died leaving only Naomi and her two daughters-in-law.  Naomi decided to return to her homeland but urged her daughters-in-law to return to their own families.  Eventually, Orpah followed the advice of Naomi and departed.  However, Ruth refused and spoke those famous words, “Do not urge me to leave you or to return from following you.  For where you go I will go, and where you lodge I will lodge.  Your people shall be my people, and your God my God” (Ruth 1:16).  Ruth returned to Bethlehem with Naomi and lovingly cared for her mother-in-law and in so doing came into contact with one of Naomi’s kinsmen - “So she set out and went and gleaned in the field after the reapers, and she happened to come to the part of the field belonging to Boaz…” (Ruth 2:3).  The word translated “happened” is defined in Strong’s Concordance as “something met with, i.e. an accident or fortune.”  When considering this whole account, it certainly doesn’t seem like an accident.  Instead, it seems that the providential hand of God was at work.  For, Ruth married Boaz and bore a son named Obed.  “Obed fathered Jesse, and Jesse fathered David” (Ruth 4:22) - that’s right, King David.  Now notice Matthew 1:1 – “The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham” (emp. ad.).  Then, in the list of names which lead to Jesus, one will find the name, Ruth (Matt. 1:5).  Through His providential care, God was continuing and preserving the lineage that led to our Savior.

     Secondly, let’s consider Esther.  Because of the sinfulness of the people in Judah, God allowed them to be overthrown by the Babylonians and carried away into a 70-year-long captivity.  At the end of the 70 years, they were given the opportunity to return to their homeland.  However, some of them chose to remain in the region of Babylon.  Among them were Esther and Mordecai.  Through a sequence of events described in Esther chapters 1 and 2, Esther became queen.  While she was queen, Haman, one of the king’s high-ranking officials, formulated a plot for the annihilation of the Jews.  However, Mordecai learned of Haman’s plans, informed Esther and pleaded with her to speak to the king so that the evil plot would be stopped.  Notice Mordecai’s message to Esther, “…And who knows whether you have not come to the kingdom for such a time as this?” (Esther 4:14).  Mordecai recognized the possibility that God’s providential care was unfolding before his eyes.  Esther bravely spoke to the king and the annihilation of the Jews was prevented.  Once again, God’s providential hand was at work and the lineage leading to Jesus was preserved.