Warren W. Wiersbe - Be Committed (Ruth & Esther): Doing Gods Will Whatever the Cost (The BE Series Commentary)

BE COMMITTED
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All rights reserved. Except for brief excerpts for review purposes,
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Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture quotations are taken from the New American Standard
Bible, Copyright 1960, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. Scripture
quotations marked KJV are taken from the King James Version of the Bible. (Public Domain);
NKJV are taken from the New King James Version. Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson,
Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved; NIV are taken from the Holy Bible, New
International Version. NIV. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 International Bible Society.
Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved; and TLB are taken from The Living
Bible, 1971, Tyndale House Publishers, Wheaton, IL 60189. Used by permission.

LCCN 2008924610
ISBN 978-1-4347-6848-3
eISBN 978-1-4347-6590-1

1993, 2005 Warren W. Wiersbe

First edition of Be Committed by Warren W. Wiersbe published by Victor Books
in 1993 SP Publications, ISBN 1-56476-067-7

The Team: Gudmund Lee, Amy Kiechlin, Jack Campbell, and Susan Vannaman
Cover Design: John Hamilton Design
Cover Photo: iStockPhoto

Second Edition 2008

Contents

: An Introduction to Be Committed by Ken Baugh

1. (Ruth 1)

2. (Ruth 2)

3. (Ruth 3)

4. (Ruth 4)

5. (Esther 1)

6. (Esther 2)

7. (Esther 3)

8. (Esther 4)

9. (Esther 5)

10. (Esther 6)

11. (Esther 7)

12. (Esther 8)

13. (Esther 910)

The Big Idea

An Introduction to Be Committed
by Ken Baugh

I once saw a bumper sticker that read Life is hard and then you die. At first glance I thought this was a fatalistic and depressing slogan, but the more I thought about it, the more it rang true: Life is both difficult and brief. Oh, its not that life is without its good times, but those good times dont seem to last very long. Much of the stuff of life revolves around navigating challenging decisions and enduring difficult seasons that seem to last forever. And one of the great temptations that we all face during these difficult situations is whether to take the path of least resistance or the path of faith.

I remember when I was a little boy, I had a battery-operated toy car that had a group of rotating wheels underneath the chassis, and every time the car would bump into a wall, the wheels would rotate away from the obstacle, and the car would continue in the opposite direction. Thats the great temptation of life. When we are faced with obstacles, we are tempted to take the easy way outthe path of least resistance. Sometimes that path involves throwing up our hands in despair. At other times, we may be tempted to respond in an unethical or immoral way, or to take matters into our own hands and try to manipulate the outcome to our liking. Whatever difficult situation you may be in right now, no doubt you have been tempted to take an easier way out instead of persevering. Such was the case with both Ruth and Esther, two women who not only experienced difficult situations, but also enjoyed the riches of Gods grace when they endured by faith.

We discover in the opening verses of the book of Ruth that her husband has died, leaving her destitute and alone. To fully grasp the depths of her despair, we must understand that in ancient Near Eastern culture, to be widowed meant that a woman would be without securityno one to provide for her food and shelter, and no one to protect her from physical harm. Ruth had an important decision before her: She could leave her mother-in-law, Naomi, and go back to her hometown to remarry and start all over again, or she could stay with her mother-in-law, remain alone, and most likely live out the rest of her life in poverty. Well never know exactly what went through her mind, but if she was tempted to take the easy way out, that temptation did not last long. Read what she said to Naomi:

Dont urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God. Where you die I will die, and there I will be buried. (Ruth 1:1617 NIV )

Wow! Thats what I call commitment. Ruth was not going to leave her mother-in-law alone and destitute; she was going to stay with her no matter what. Ruth trusted in Naomis Godthe true and living God of Israeland by faith resisted the temptation to take the easy way out. As you read the rest of her story, dont miss the fact that God honored Ruths faith in a big way: Not only did God give her a new husband by the name of Boaz, but He also positioned her to become the great-great-grandmother of King David and, in so doing, added her to the very lineage of Jesus Christ. (See Matt. 1:56.)

Esthers experience was much different. Esther was orphaned as a little girl and raised by her cousin Mordecai. Through an amazing course of events (youll have to read Esther to get all the details), she marries Xerxes, the king of Persiathe most powerful man in the civilized world. As the story unfolds, we discover that Xerxes lead advisor has devised a plot to massacre all the Jewish people throughout Persia. Mordecai uncovers this plot and appeals to Esther to ask the king for mercy. However, there is one problem: According to Persian law, no one, not even the queen herself, can appear before the king unsummoned. If anyone tried to approach the king without his invitation, he or she would be executed.

Like Ruth, Esther was faced with a difficult decision. She could take the path of least resistance by looking out for her own best interests, or she could put her life on the line for her people. Can you imagine how difficult this decision would have been for her? As the queen of Persia, Esther had the world at her disposal. She had everything. Yet after much prayer and fasting, she says to Mordecai,

I will go to the king, even though it is against the law. And if I perish, I perish. (Est. 4:16 NIV )

I love that! Esther had beauty and courage, but more important, she was willing to sacrifice her wealth, her power, and even her own life for Gods greater purpose. Thats what I call commitment!

Unfortunately, commitment is a rare virtue these days. When faced with a difficult decision or challenging season of life, it is so easy to take the easy path. And yet as followers of Christ, God wants us to become people who are committed to trusting in His character and promises, and that requires faith. Gods way is usually the harder way, for it is by this route that He shapes our character and strengthens our faith. But if you want to become a person who is sold out for God and totally committed to His will, you must be willing to submit to His refining process regardless of the personal cost. This is the lesson that we learn through the lives of both Ruth and Estherthey were willing to take the harder path regardless of the consequences because they were women of faith!

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Dr. Wiersbes commentaries have been a source of guidance and strength to me over the many years that I have been a pastor. His unique style is not overly academic, but theologically sound. He explains the deep truths of Scripture in a way that everyone can understand and apply. Whether youre a Bible scholar or a brand-new believer in Christ, you will benefit, as I have, from Warrens insights. With your Bible in one hand and Dr. Wiersbes commentary in the other, you will be able to accurately unpack the deep truths of Gods Word and learn how to apply them to your life.