Good Morning:
How someone greets you can tell you a lot about them. The “howdy ya’ll” lets you know the person is from cowboy country. The triple “Hi, hellow, how are ya?” indicates that the person is from the Midwest. Along with where a person is from, their greeting can tell you if they’re pleased to see you, in hurry,and a host of other details about themselves or their day. In Ruth 2:4 we’re given a picture of what Boaz was like simply from how he greeted his employees, “Now behold, Boaz came from Bethlehem, and said to the reapers, ‘The LORD be with you!’ And they answered him, ‘The LORD bless you!'”
By all accounts, Boaz was a man who feared the Lord and was held in high regard by his fellows. From this one account of his greeting his employees though, we see that he was also a man who wore his faith on his sleeve so to speak. Boaz was a walking talking emissary of His LORD. You too, are the LORD God Almighty’s walking talking emissary today. So do your greetings, conversations, and goodbyes reflect this? In Christ they can.
Christ greeted mankind with humbleness, taking on human flesh. Christ greeted children with open arms looking to bless them. Christ greeted those who doubted His teachings with authority so that they would hear the truth of God’s word. Christ greeted impenitent sinners with sternness so that their comfortable hearts would be shaken into penitence. Christ greeted penitent sinners with forgiveness to calm their troubled hearts. Christ greets you too. He found you through His word and greets you every time you hear Him and pray to Him.
In Christ, Pastor Naumann
