Ruth 4:1-22


The hand of God works in strange and amazing ways.  Naomi came back to Israel without hope and thought that her life was over.  God uses Ruth and her relationship to Boaz to give her great joy and purpose to where she is more greatly blessed than she was when she had her husband and sons.  Our lives may be marked by painful and confusing events that we cannot explain, but we must trust that God is in control and is at work to accomplish His will in and through our lives.  He does not call us to understand His ways; He calls us to trust His wisdom.

BOAZ BECOMES THE REDEEMER: Since Boaz was not the closest relative, he could not simply redeem Ruth until the one who was first in line gave up that right.  Boaz makes this offer clear in front of the key leaders of the community so there can be no doubt as to his honor and intentions.  It is very important to do things the right way.  God calls us to follow Him and obey His Word, this will require that we be honest and transparent and not try to just “make do” by sneaking around.  Marriage is a difficult relationship when everything is right, so we need to make every effort to do things the right way by having the blessing of parents and community in order to help the relationship be blessed and a blessing to others.

RUTH RECEIVES A SON: Ruth and Boaz are married and they soon have a son.  They name the son Obed who is the grandfather of David, the second king of Israel and the genealogy from which Christ, the true Redeemer, would come.  Ruth was a Moabite woman who did not even know God until her mother-in-law introduced her to the truth.  Ruth trusted God and was faithful to love and serve Naomi as an act of worship to the Lord and she was honored by that and chosen to be part of the line from which God would send the Messiah.  God is able to use people from very different walks of life to accomplish His will and desire in our lives.

NAOMI NURSES A GRANDSON: Naomi was at the brink of a break down at the beginning of this book from all of the pain and suffering she had to bear.  Her husband and sons had both died, but her son’s wife Ruth had been faithful to her and promised to stay with her and serve her as long as she lived.  God blessed Naomi through Ruth and she not only has the protection of her new son-in-law; but she had a grandson who can carry on the family name and whom God has chosen to use in a special way.  This little boy would be part of God’s plan to bring Christ to this earth and Naomi gets to be his nurse.  God truly can bring about joy from the pain of tragedy.  We must learn to trust Him through the difficult circumstances of our lives.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Isaiah 54:1-17

Hope is a wonderful blessing from God, without which we would be vulnerable to all kinds of destructive tendencies in our lives.  Today’s society is marked by depression, anger, fear, anxiety and self-righteousness, in large part, because of the sense of hopelessness that prevails in our culture.  Isaiah writes to a people who are about to be taken into captivity because of their sin.  God knows that they will feel rejected, threatened and hopeless so He reveals His future plans for the nation in order to give them hope in the midst of the coming trial.  Hope is the expectation of good based upon the promises of God.  Many times when our lives are marked by the sins mentioned above it is because we have forgotten or failed to focus upon the promises of God’s Word. THE PROMISE OF GOD: From the very first day that God revealed His plan for the nation of Israel, He promised numerous descendants.  God chose Abraham, not because he was more righteous than any of the other people of his
Read more

1 Timothy 2:11-15

Let a woman learn quietly   with all submissiveness.    I do not permit a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man; rather, she is to remain quiet.    For Adam was formed first,   then Eve;   and Adam was not deceived, but   the woman was deceived and became a transgressor.    Yet she will be saved through   childbearing—if they continue in   faith and love and holiness, with self-control. There is certainly controversy and confusion about this passage in many churches today.  The idea of a distinction between men and women and their roles in the family and church certainly goes against the flow of many cultures around the world.  Some would argue that the literal and plain teaching of this passage is no longer applicable to today’s culture.  However, it is always dangerous to discard biblical teaching or try to interpret Scripture based on the cultures in which we live.  Certainly, the Spirit who inspired this text was aware of the many changes that would occur in future cul
Read more

1 Timothy 1:1-2

Paul,   an apostle of Christ Jesus   by command of   God our Savior and of Christ Jesus   our hope, To Timothy,   my true child in the faith:   Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord. The true sign of maturity is multiplication.  Believers, churches, and ministries that do not reproduce are not demonstrating true maturity.  One of the key characteristics we can identify in Paul’s ministry is that he was constantly reproducing godly believers who were faithfully following the Lord.  Evangelism, discipleship, and leadership training are the hallmarks of mature ministers and ministries.   THE APOSTLE: Paul was called by God to be an Apostle.  Though Paul converted after the resurrection and assentation of Jesus, he met Jesus in the road to Damascus and was instructed by Jesus in the desert.  Paul considered himself to be the least of the Apostles because he persecuted the church and did not walk with Jesus on earth like the other Apostles.  However, God had
Read more