“Leaving God's Blessing's Behind”
The book of Ruth is a beautiful love story of a woman who left home and country to follow a woman she loved dearly. Ruth was a widow, who loved her mother-in-law so much she told her,
“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.
Ruth 1:16
It is only one of two books named after a woman, and the only one named after a Gentile. A Gentile who would become a Hebrew, and be placed in the genealogy of her greatest descendent, Jesus Christ. Ruth is true story that gives us a powerful lesson in redemption. A lesson that points to the love of GOD for HIS creation. A love so powerful that HE would give HIS only begotten SON so that we may all have everlasting life.
The story of Ruth is a love story that gives us a lesson on Redemption
It is still read in synagogues and at dinner tables by Jews around the world during Shavuot
Shavuot is the Feast of Weeks, or the Harvest Festival. A time when the Israelites give thanks to the Lord for the harvest.
Christians celebrate it as the Day of Pentecost, It was during this observance of this feast when the early Christians were gathered in Jerusalem that they experienced the outpouring of God's Holy Spirit in a miraculous way.
During the harvest is when most of this beautiful story takes place
It was during the time of Judges when this story takes place, probably just before Eli was High Priest
The time of Judges is best summed up by the last verse in the book of Judges 21:25
This verse is repeated four times in the book of judges
Though God was their King, every man acted as his own master, as if there was no king.
Thus the book is full of crimes against God and man, treachery, brutal war, & massacre
The Israelites would constantly turning away from God and then pleading for Him to rescue them
It's during these “DarkAges” of Israel's history,
A time we know as the time of Judges.
The story of Ruth sheds a ray of light, fidelity, social responsibility, and rural tranquility
It is approximately 100 years before the birth of King David around the year 1200 or 1185 BC
It has been said the Bible is the story of God's creation, you could say that this book is His Story
And His Story is more than a record of battles, dates and dynasties of kings.
And it is quite comforting to know that “The Judge of all the earth” has the power to direct the destiny of nations even though the kings of those nations set themselves against Him.
It is also comforting to be assured that "He who sits in the heavens" is not so occupied with running the universe, He is unable to be concerned with ordinary little people
Ask yourself a question,
Is God concerned about you and your life?
The answer you come to, should be a resounding Yes. Because God is the “Lover of your Soul”
And Bible is a compilation of 66 love letters from GOD to us
This love letter, the Book of Ruth, helps us understand how it is He will prove His love for us
After all, if an inconspicuous peasant like Ruth can find redemption, then anyone can
1:1 Now it came to pass, in the days when the judges ruled, that there was a famine in the land. And a certain man of Bethlehem, Judah, went to dwell in the country of Moab, he and his wife and his two sons
Before we meet Ruth, we read that while Israel was still ruled by Judges, a severe famine struck the land.
In this case, we will learn of circumstances that happened due to divine providence that would shape our heroine's destiny.
Quite often disasters become stepping stones for God to act on our behalf
In this case a drought that was so severe it caused a man to take his family to an ungodly land
Listen to what God told the Israelites about His blessings and curses considering the Promised land it comes from the book of Leviticus;
if you do not obey Me, then I will punish you seven times more for your sins. I will break the pride of your power; I will make your heavens like iron and your earth like bronze. And your strength shall be spent in vain; for your land shall not yield its produce, nor shall the trees of the land yield their fruit.
Leviticus 26:18-20
As a punishment to Israel for it's sins, GOD had Elijah call upon a severe drought that lasted 3 years,
And Elijah the Tishbite, of the inhabitants of Gilead, said to Ahab, “As the LORD God of Israel lives, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, except at my word.”
1 Kings 17:1
God sent a drought to the land of Cannaan so that Jacob would end up in Egypt where he ended up being reunited with his son Joseph,
When Jacob saw that there was grain in Egypt, Jacob said to his sons, “Why do you look at one another?” And he said, “Indeed I have heard that there is grain in Egypt; go down to that place and buy for us there, that we may live and not die.” So Joseph’s ten brothers went down to buy grain in Egypt.
Genesis 42:1-3
Whatever the cause was that made Elimelech decide to move, it was severe enough to make him move all the way from God’s protection in Bethlehem to Moab
Bethlehem means “The House of Bread”, but at this moment in time there was no bread in the breadbox
Before this town was called Bethlehem it was called Ephrathah thus all inhabitants could be referred to as Ephrathites
Moab is where the man takes his family in search of food
Moab is the land settled by the descendents of Lot
Lot escaped Sodom & Gomorrah and dwelled in the mountains
Lot's daughters got him drunk and slept with him on successive nights to preserve his lineage
Eldest had a son and named him Moab, father of the Moabites
Youngest had a son and named him Ben-Ammi, father of the Ammonites
Both nations were cursed by God and the Israelites were warned not marry any Moabites as Ruth was, nor any Ammonites.
1:2 The name of the man was Elimelech, the name of his wife was Naomi, and the names of his two sons were Mahlon and Chilion—Ephrathites of Bethlehem, Judah. And they went to the country of Moab and remained there.
Elimelech means “God is king”
Naomi means “Favor with God and man”
Mahlon means 'Unhealthy”
Chilion means 'Pinning”, withering or waisting away
1:3 Then Elimelech, Naomi's husband, died; and she was left, and her two sons.
Here we have a man who failed to trust the Lord and instead brought his family to Moab to find food
Instead, his family is left without his services and must make due in a foreign land
1:4 Now they took wives of the women of Moab: the name of the one was Orpah, and the name of the other Ruth. And they dwelt there about ten years
Orpah means “Stiffnecked” or “Stubborn”,
Ruth means “Beauty” and “Wonderful Personality” you could say she was beautiful woman with a good personality to boot
So we see that the young men married after their father had died
I find it interesting that it wasn't until after his death that the son's got married
a. Maybe while their father was alive he forbade his sons to marry any Moabites
b. Most likely a man who's name was“My God is King” would have stopped his sons
from marrying a Moabite because of what God told Moses in Deuteronomy 23:3-6
So the son's married women from Moab, refusing to honor God's command that they should not
1:5 Then both Mahlon and Chilion also died; so the woman survived her two sons and her husband.
There is an old saying “When it rains it pours”.
One could almost look at the decision by Naomi's late husband to move to Moab as nothing but trouble
Reminds you of the parable Jesus told about the prodigal
When we don't trust the Lord to provide for us we put our fate in our own hands and that's just foolish
Not trusting God to get them through the drought, they went to Moab and suffered greatly for it
Now there are three widows living in a land that is unkind to the widow
Who do you put your faith in when the chips are down, and you cannot bear to go on any longer?
That my dear Saints is when only God can help
I wrote a psalm a couple of years back, and I thought it would be appropriate for a time like this. A time when people fail and stumble as we all do at times, just like the characters in this story who failed to put all their trust in God to see them through tough times.
I call it;
”A Desire for the Lords Guidance”
My Father my Lord, show me the way to Your paradise, guide my steps so that I may not fall into the quagmire of sin. Show me my faults Lord, so that I may correct them and be restored into Your imperial court. Instruct me in the ways of Your will O' Lord, so that I may not be defiled or corrupted by my own selfishness.
When I walked in the dark I found myself lost in the alley of despair, not realizing that my way was one of ruin and constant failure. I now follow You, my Creator, my Savior, the Infinite One who breathes the life I inhale.
Lord, my soul continually craves for the manna from Your plantation of plenty, while my heart thirsts for the pure water from Your Rock of Salvation. I shall sit back in Your chariot of fire and accept Your tutelage while You chauffeur me on my way to paradise.
O'Lord, Your way is straight and the guidance You give me is exceedingly perfect. I shall praise Your name daily as I thank You for keeping me safe while you continually wash away the filth that I allowed myself to be corrupted with along the way. Amen
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