Welcome to Grace en Motion (Gems)…

We are Kingdom minded, and leading the way in the building up of women…women who know who they are in Christ and are not afraid to step out and be all that they are called to be…well, sometimes we are afraid, but in those times…we step out and do it anyway; and we will do it all with grace!!

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Women's Weekly Devotional

(Posted 04-04-2010)

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Ruth

Please read the book of Ruth in the Old Testament

This week’s word: Ruth 1:16-17 Entreat me not to leave you, Or to turn back from following after you; For wherever you go, I will go; And wherever you lodge, I will lodge; Your people shall be my people, And your God my God. Where you die, I will die, And there I will be buried. The Lord do so to me, and more also, If anything but death parts you and me.

As I went about studying Ruth this week, I realized: I REALLY like her! Her story is a perfect love story; it is the picture of redemption with Ruth playing the lead role…portraying every sinner.

Ruth’s story begins around the end of the time of the Judges in the Old Testament…there was confusion, anarchy, and a severe famine in Israel at that time. In Ruth 1, we meet the family of Elimelech; they lived in Bethlehem. Elimelech’s wife was Naomi; he also had two sons Mahlon (Ruth was his wife), and Chilion (Orpah was his wife). Because of the severe famine, Elimelech’s family fled to the land of the Moabites. That is very strange, because the Moabites were descendents of Lot’s oldest daughter through the incestuous relationship that she had with her father. The Moabites and the Israelites despised one another. The Moabites also worshiped other gods. Elimelech’s very name means “My God is King.” So for him to take his family to a vile land such as Moab would have to mean times were desperate in the land of Israel.

Sometime after they arrived in Moab, tragedy struck. Elimelech died, and Naomi was now a widow with the responsibility of two sons. The two sons married Moabite women…forbidden, but Naomi seemed to accept her daughters-in-law graciously. However, tragedy struck again, and Naomi’s two sons also died…it is not known why, but it is suggested that, time-wise, their deaths were close together…perhaps an illness. Nevertheless, the three women were left alone…with nothing. The women had no resources…they were utterly destitute.

Word later reached Naomi that the famine was broken in Israel. She was now childless, widowed, impoverished, and aging. She had no land, and no relatives close enough to care for her. Still, she wanted to go home…back to Bethlehem. So, Naomi and her daughters-in-law set out to go back to Bethlehem; somewhere along the way, Naomi decided the journey might be too hard on Orpah and Ruth…it might not be good for them to be associated with her. Naomi felt that the Lord had dealt bitterly with her and even asked that her named be changed to mara (meaning bitter). Therefore, Naomi asked the two women to turn back. The ladies were grieved and cried together…but in the end, Orpah turned back and Ruth chose to stay with Naomi. This is where Ruth recites the beautiful poetry in the scripture above…and where her story really begins…Perhaps Naomi was testing the girls…would they want to go back to their gods, or worship YHWH…It is obvious that Ruth, no matter the personal cost, chose to leave the many gods and the sinful city behind; her devotion to Naomi, and most importantly, to the God of Israel was real! It is about choices in life isn’t it? Ruth chose the harder way…but we know that it turns out the wiser way.

By agreeing to return to Bethlehem with Naomi, Ruth was also agreeing to help support her. Ruth was young and strong, so she went to work in the fields gleaning what the harvesters left behind. It was the biblical custom in that day for even the most destitute to be able to earn a living this way. (See Leviticus 19:9-10; 23:22, and Deuteronomy 24: 19-21) What fell from the sheaves was deliberately left behind…the remains were free to anyone WILLING TO WORK. Could we learn something from this?

It seems by happenstance that Ruth came to glean in the fields of Boaz; Boaz was a wealthy relative of Naomi’s deceased husband…though it is not known how they were related. Boaz saw Ruth in the field, and inquired as to who she was. When he realized that she was related to him by marriage, he began to show her special favor. He encouraged her to stay close to his harvesters and to glean only from his fields. Ruth knew that this was unusual kindness, especially toward a woman from a foreign land. That is why Ruth replied, “Why have I found favor in your eyes, that you should take notice of me, since I am a foreigner?” Wow, this reminds me of the words of a song that we sing to our Lord …”Who am I that You are mindful of me, that You hear me when I call?” (from Psalm 8, Hebrews 2). Boaz explained to Ruth that he had heard of her faithfulness and of her great sacrifice in coming to a foreign land. At this point, he pronounced a special blessing on Ruth. I am especially fond of blessing others, so I am going to borrow this one. As you read it, see if you think it reminds you of a special blessing we can receive when we choose Jesus as our personal savior? Boaz said to Ruth, “The Lord repay your work, and a full reward be given you by the Lord God of Israel, under whose wings you have come for refuge.”

It seemed that Boaz was definitely smitten with Ruth. When Naomi realized who he was, she told Ruth that he was a close relative (goel). A goel was more than a kinsman, it was a relative who came to the rescue…one who delivers or redeems, and was usually a prominent male in the extended family. His duties were many, so I will be brief: avenge murder of a relative, buy back family lands that had been sold in hardship, buy back family members who were sold into slavery, if eligible to marry, he could revive the family lineage when someone died by marrying the widow and fathering offspring who would inherit the name and the property of the one who died. (Deuteronomy 25:5). The reason I took time to go into that is that we can clearly see every kinsman-redeemer carried the same position as Jesus does to us as His people. Jesus is our brother, buys us back from our bondage to evil, redeems our lives from death, and finally returns to us everything that we have lost because of sin.

Now Naomi, realizing Boaz’s affection for Ruth sets out to play a subtle role of matchmaking. She instructs Ruth on exactly what to do. Naomi’s plan was bold, but there was a lot at stake. She was asking Ruth to be forward with Boaz…though not immoral. Ruth was to dress her nicest, smell her best, wait until Boaz had finished eating and had lain down for the night, and then she was to go in and uncover his feet and lie down there. She was proposing marriage to Boaz!!! By the custom of that time, this would have indicated to Boaz her willingness to marry him. Wow, I never knew that…but don’t WE have to approach our Bridegroom? Notice too…that Boaz didn’t know that Ruth was there until midnight…hmmmm.

In short, Boaz agreed to be her goel and to marry her…but there was another relative involved, Naomi’s next of kin, which Boaz had to defer to…though it turns out that the other relative was not able to redeem Ruth. Boaz was able to redeem Naomi and Ruth and acquire the family land that Naomi’s husband had lost. So it was that Boaz and Ruth were married, and soon after, the Lord blessed them with a son. They called him Obed. Obed was the father of Jesse, the father of David.

Ruth, who was seemingly a nothing girl from a foreign land, a Moabite no less, came into a strange land and because of her faith and loyalty became a mother in the royal line that would eventually produce her best-known offspring, Abraham’s Seed and the deliverer that Eve had hoped for. She is a fitting symbol of every believer…redeemed, brought into favor with riches and privileges, exalted to the point that she is the redeemers own bride; she is loved by Him with the greatest of love. What a love story!!! Let’s all make it ours!!

Blessings,

Debbie