“Taken as a whole, the story of Ruth is one of those signs. It was written to give us encouragement and hope that all the perplexing turns in our lives are going somewhere good. They do not lead off a cliff. In all the setbacks of our lives as believers, God is plotting for our joy.”
-John Piper
Hey Friends! In this update we continue with the remarkable women of the Bible series. Today we look at Ruth, a woman given such recognition that 4 chapters of her own book in the Bible have been dedicated to her. She was a woman used by God to show his faithfulness to Israel. In a short summary we know, from the Bible, that Ruth was a Moabite from the country of Moab who married the son of Naomi and Elimelech. Naomi and her husband moved to Moab, due to famine in their homeland of Bethlehem-Juda, with their two sons, one of whom Ruth married. All three men died while they were in Moab. After her husband died, Ruth followed her mother-in-law to Israel and converted to Judaism. She then married Boaz, and they are the antecedents of King David.
It doesn’t sound like much but Ruth was more than a wife, daughter-in-law or as the book of Ruth went on the wife of Boaz who she got married to after losing her first husband. She showed such character that her story is one that persons, especially female Christians, can learn and grow from.
Naomi had lost her husband and two sons within a small period of time. Her grief was sure. She knew that both daughter-in-laws were still young and could move on with their lives. So she encouraged them to go back to their original home and people. One daughter did, but Ruth would not. This is what Ruth 1:15-18 KJV tells us “And she said, Behold, thy sister in law is gone back unto her people, and unto her gods: return thou after thy sister in law. And Ruth said, Intreat me not to leave thee, or to return from following after thee: for whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge: thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God: where thou diest, will I die, and there will I be buried: the LORD do so to me, and more also, if ought but death part thee and me. When she saw that she was steadfastly minded to go with her, then she left speaking unto her.”
Ruth would not leave her mother-in-law. She was not only understanding, compassionate and faithful to Naomi but most of all loyal. She was willing to give up a chance at going back to her people, her old way of Religion and follow Naomi wherever she went. This friends, was real love. How much of us in Ruth’s situation would really walk so blindly and boldly into the unknown? Naomi was old and would surely get older or even sick, and only Ruth would be the caregiver. In the time that all of this was happening there was economic hardship as there was a famine and we can just imagine that to find any work as a widow was hard. Even so, loyalty was shown. Loyalty, as claimed by the oxford languages, is said to be “a strong feeling of support or allegiance.” This was shown unwaveringly by Ruth. She was loyal despite the uncertainty, the nonexistent necessities. She was willing to go all the way into the unknown because of her love and loyalty for Naomi.
Naomi and Ruth faced agonizing hardship, but in God, hardship is not hopelessness. Although we encounter no obvious miraculous interventions in the Book of Ruth, the hand of God is by no means absent. On the contrary, God is at work at every moment, especially through the actions of faithful people in the book. Long ago God had promised Abraham, “I will make you exceedingly fruitful; and I will make nations of you, and kings shall come from you” (Genesis 17:6). The Lord made good His promise by restoring Israel’s agricultural productivity (Ruth 1:6), despite his people’s unfaithfulness. When Naomi heard of it, she was determined to return home to Bethlehem to try to find food. Ruth, true to her word, went with her, intending to find work to support both herself and Naomi. As the story unfolds, God’s blessings pour out on the two of them (Theology of work, 2022).
Life eventually got better and all the trauma of the past was laid to rest. Naomi became content with life after Ruth’s new marriage and Ruth was blessed with a new family ordained by God. The path they walked together was not easy but it was worth it because God’s blessings were eventually revealed.
Please read Ruth chapter 1-4 for a clearer outline of Ruth’s story.
Moral lessons from the story of Ruth the Moabite:
1.There is hope even in the most devastating times of our lives.
2.The past is not our final destination when we trust God.
3.Doing the right thing often takes great sacrifice.
4.We must be people of character even when we think no one is watching.
5. Last but not least, when you are faithful and loyal with genuine love the good you do will always come back to you.
Just like how Ruth was loyal to Naomi, God calls us to first be loyal to Him. When we are faithful to God and pledge our allegiance to His power there is no storm, fire or catastrophe that He cannot calm. He will always bring you through!
Be blessed, share the blessing and join us again next week for a new character!
ThreeSixteen Ministries 