RUTH 3:8

Now it happened at midnight that the man was startled, and turned himself; and there, a woman was lying at his feet.

Most crimes take place in the dark. In the dark of the night a thief slips into a home to steal. In dimly lit parking garages assailants lurk about for their next victims. In the blackness of alleys gang members hatch their plans.

Depraved men love the darkness because it hides their wicked deeds (John 3:19). And here was a perfect opportunity-a man alone with a woman in the dark. No one would have noticed it was midnight and everyone was sound asleep.

Nor probably would they have cared, had they taken note. Ruth was a foreigner and, worse yet, a Moabitess. Since the days of Moses when Moabites refused to allow passage through their land and even hired Balaam to curse the Israelites, no love existed between these two nations.

Furthermore, Boaz was wealthy, and everyone knows that the rich take what they want. But Boaz was a man of honor and integrity-even in the dark.

God expects you and me to behave in the dark the same as we do in the light. It makes no difference if no one is watching. It doesn’t even matter that our misdeeds will never be discovered. There is still One who knows and cares.

The psalmist reminds us, “The darkness and the light are both alike to [God]” (Ps. 139:12).The darkness is not the time to take a chance; it’s the time to show your character.

Make sure God can trust you in the dark. Ask Him to give you the consistency of character that is unaffected by your circumstances. Be as faithful to the Lord when your actions are hidden as when they’re out in the open. Someday, you’ll be glad you did.

WHAT A PERSON IS IN THE DARK IS WHAT A PERSON TRULY IS.

WOODROW KROLL
www.backtothebible.in