Friends, Of the OT Books of the Bible, Ruth is quite unique. What lessons do we learn here? RUTH is the first book of the Bible to bear a woman’s name, and is the only one having the name of a Gentile. It is not known who was the writer of this book, or when it was written. The experiences recorded in it took place “in the days when the judges ruled” in Israel. (Ruth 1: 1.) The genealogy given in the fourth chapter goes no farther than David, which has led some to suppose that the book was written by Samuel the prophet. This interesting story of Ruth tells how this Moabite woman, a heathen woman-learned to know the true God through the faithfulness of her pious Hebrew mother-in-law. When her husband died, and she thus became free to return to her own people, Ruth cast her lot with the Lord’s people, refusing to return to her idolatrous kindred. Her choice, as expressed to Naomi, is recorded in these beautiful words: “Entreat me not to leave thee, or to return from following after thee: for whither thou goes, I will go. And where thou lodges, I will lodge: thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God: where thou dies, will I die, and there will 1 be buried: the Lord do so to me, and more also, if ought but death part thee and me.” Ruth 1: 16, 17. , Later she was married to Boaz, a wealthy landowner of Bethlehem, and became the mother of Obed, the grandfather of David. Thus she became one ofthe ancestors of Jesus, the Savior. The story of Ruth is one of simple faith, hope, and love. It shows how God cares for those who put their trust in Him, and proves that He loved the Gentiles and would have them obey and serve Him even as He did Israel. The closing verses of the last chapter contain a genealogical table showing the ancestry of King David. I want you to notice four things about Ruth:. (1) The first is that she chose to follow and serve the living and true God. She said, “Your people shall be my people, and your God my God.” She had heard about God from her husband, and from Naomi and she was determined not to worship the idols of the Moabites any more. And, the first step that we can take is to trust in the Lord Jesus as our Saviour . (2) Ruth showed her faith by leaving her own people and going with Naomi to Judah. We, too, set aside time and make the effort to be with the Lord’s people. In I John, chapter 2, John says that “We know that we love Christ, if we love those who love and follow Christ.” So if you have trusted Christ for forgiveness of your sins, you can be encouraged when you notice you care about others who know Christ, too. When Ruth and Naomi arrived in Bethlehem, which is the place where later the Lord Jesus would be born, there was great rejoicing among Naomi’s friends. However, her own heart was sad as she told of the death of her husband and her two sons. Do you think Ruth at first may have felt lonely? She was dressed differently and she was a Gentile (not a Jew.) (3) I want you to notice how loving and kind Ruth was to Naomi, which was another good proof that she was really following the true God. God puts His loving spirit within us when we come to faith in the Lord Jesus. And then we want to notice Ruth’s service. Ruth went out the next day to work in the field to make a living for herself and Naomi. She went out to the harvest field to glean. This means that she was allowed to pick up the stalks of grain that fell behind the reapers as they gathered the harvest. This was a provision that the Lord had made for he poor. After Ruth had worked a while, she went into the house to rest. The wealthy man who owned the field came to look over the harvest and noticed her. His name was Boaz. He was the son of Rahab. He was very kind to Ruth. Boaz had heard of Ruth’s kindness to Naomi, and he knew that she had come to put her trust in the living God rather than in the gods of Moab. When Ruth went home that evening, she had over a bushel of barley. When Naomi learned that it was Boaz who had been so kind to Ruth, she told her that Boaz was a kinsman, a relative of her husband, Elimelech. Naomi told Ruth to always glean in Boaz’ fields and not to go anywhere else. Ruth was obedient. She did what Naomi told her to do. Have you ever thought of the obedience of the Lord Jesus Christ in coming to earth when the Father sent Him? He was obedient even though it meant that he would have to die on the cross. His obedience purchased salvation for sinners. He died so that sinners like you and me would not have to die and bear the punishment for our sins. Ruth had no plans of our own; she did as Naomi told her. Oh, how wonderful it would be if each of us would be obedient to God’s Word like that! That’s the attitude we want. “Help me Lord to do what your Word says.” (3) Another thing we can notice is Ruth’s reward. Ruth continued to glean in Boaz’ fields. As they became better friends, before long he wanted to marry her. According to their laws, the man who was the nearest relative had the first right to buy the land that had belonged to Naomi’s husband and also to marry Ruth. Boaz wanted to do this, but there was another man who was a closer relative than he was. Boaz went to the relative who was nearest of kin and told him about the land and Ruth. This man was willing for Boaz to purchase the land, and so Boaz bought it immediately. It was the custom to give your shoe to show you give up your rights by an agreement. How happy Boaz must have been as he returned home, knowing that now he could marry Ruth. There is something here that is such a precious truth. The relative who purchased the land was called a “kinsman redeemer.” “Kinsman” means that he was a relative, and “redeemer” that he was buying the land. Only a relative could buy the land, and he had to be able to pay the price. The Lord Jesus is our “kinsman redeemer.” When we are born in sin, we are held captive as Satan’s prisoner. But the Lord Jesus came and died to redeem or purchase sinners like us with his own precious blood. In order to die for sinners, the Lord Jesus took on a human body. He became one of us but without sin. He was God and man. The Lord Jesus became like us. He purchased sinners with His own precious blood, and claimed them for His own. So when we receive Christ, we become part of God’s family. God gave Ruth joy because she chose His way. Joy is another word that means much the same as happiness, thought it is better than happiness. This is only given by God. Jesus understands us. He is able to help Christians day by day. Let us ask him to teach us how to put Him first in all that we do. You may have never thanked God the Father for sending Christ to die for sinners. You can thank Him today. May God give you the grace to do so. Prayer: Father, if there is someone reading this who has not yet received Christ as Saviour, enable them to do so today. Lord, please teach us how to put You first in all that we do. May we please you and bring honor to Your name by being kind and loving to others. Thank you for sending your Son to die for sinners. Amen. May God bless you!
Posted on: Sat, 10 Jan 2015 19:26:49 +0000
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