22nd Week Book of Ruth (Click here for Video Introduction)

 

Click on Title for Video Introduction

Monday, Introduction to Ruth

Ruth Intro

Matt Strayer

May 15, 2006

THOUGHT

The book of Ruth was written sometime after the period of the judges, during a dark time in Israel’s history when people lived to please themselves, not God. We are unsure of who wrote Ruth. Some think it was Samuel, but internal evidence suggests that it was written after Samuel’s death.

Ruth, Naomi, and Boaz are the main characters here that demonstrate the story of God’s grace in the midst of difficult circumstances. Even in times of crisis and deepest despair, there are those who follow God and through whom God works. No matter how discouraging the world may seem, there are always people who follow God. He will use anyone who is open to him to achieve his purposes.

I’m sure we will again learn plenty.

PRAYER

Lord, open our hearts and minds to learn more about this book.  We know the Word of the Lord is Your way to talk to us.  We wait with expectation.  AMEN

Tuesday, Ruth Chapter 1

Ruth 1

Verses 1:16b-18

Kristin Strayer

May 16. 2006

THOUGHT

In this first chapter of Ruth, Naomi’s husband and two sons die, and the only family she is left with are her two daughters-in-law, Orpah and Ruth.  Naomi urges her two daughters-in-law to return to their own families. Orpah does as Naomi suggests and returns to her own family, but Ruth chooses to stay with Naomi. She says, “Don’t urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God. Where you die I will die, and there I will be buried. May the Lord deal with me be it ever so severely, if anything but death separates you and me.” (Verses 16b-18) What a powerful statement!

I think one of the themes in this chapter is selfless love. Naomi displays selfless love to her daughter-in-laws by urging them to return to their own families. She was putting their needs and futures above her own. Ruth then displays selfless love by remaining loyal to Naomi and stating her commitment to Naomi. The choice Ruth made to go with Naomi to Bethlehem was probably a very difficult choice to make. She probably thought she was giving up the possibility of getting married again and having a family.  She was also choosing a life of poverty. Ruth chose the harder road at a critical moment in her own life. What an example these two women have set for us!

I know one of my greatest desires in life is to exhibit this same selfless love/loyalty in certain relationships in my life. First to God, then to my husband, and third to my family (yes, that includes all of you!). I think Matt and I will definitely learn more of the meaning of selfless love with the arrival of parenthood!

PRAYER

God, thank You so much for the example of selfless love and loyalty You have given us in Ruth.  I pray that You would help all of us to choose to exhibit this same selfless love in the little and big decisions in life. I know there are so many times each day each of us acts selfishly. Forgive us when we put ourselves before others. AMEN

Wednesday, Ruth Chapter 2

Ruth 2

Verses 19-20

Kristin Strayer

May 17. 2006

Verses 19-20:  Her mother-in-law asked her, “Where did you glean today? Where did you work? Blessed be the man who took notice of you!”  Then Ruth told her mother-in-law about the one at whose place she had been working. “The name of the man I worked with today is Boaz.” she said.  “The Lord bless him!” Naomi said to her daughter-in-law. “He has not stopped showing his kindness to the living and the dead.” She added, “That man is a close relative; he is one of our kinsman-redeemers.” 

THOUGHT

In this chapter Ruth goes to a field to pick up the leftover grain that fell to the ground during the harvest. She ends up in a field owned by Boaz, a relative of Naomi’s deceased husband. Boaz showed kindness to her by allowing her to work with his servant girls, providing a meal for her, and instructing the harvesters to leave extra behind for her to gather. God was watching out for Ruth.  She could have ended up in any field, but yet, she ended up in a field owned by Boaz.

This serves as a reminder that God will orchestrate the smallest details in order to place us in the situations He wants us to be in. This reminds me of how Matt and I met. If it wasn’t for God orchestrating the small details in both of our lives, Matt and I would have never met. You could say we are a modern day Ruth and Boaz!

These verses also speak of Boaz as Naomi’s and Ruth’s kinsman-redeemer. The foot note in my Bible defines a kinsman-redeemer as one responsible for protecting the interests of needy members of the extended family. It wasn’t an obligation one had to fulfill, but one could choose to be a kinsman-redeemer.

PRAYER

Lord, I am sure there are many times when You have worked out the details of each of our lives to place us in the exact place You desire for us. We may be aware of some of these moments, and there are probably many moments that have gone unnoticed. Despite this, we just want to give You praise for being all-knowing and all-powerful. You know what we need, when we need it, and the logistics to make it happen! Thank You, Lord! I pray You would give us the ability to clearly recognize Your hand at work in our lives. AMEN

Thursday, Ruth Chapter 3

Ruth 3

Verses 5-6

Kristin Strayer

May 20, 2006

Verses 5-6:  “I will do whatever you say,” Ruth answered. So she went down to the threshing floor and did everything her mother-in-law told her to do. 

THOUGHT

Chapter 3 begins with Naomi telling Ruth she should pursue Boaz and gives her a detailed game-plan of how she should do it. Ruth’s response is found in the verses listed above and Ruth follows her mother-in-law’s instructions precisely. I think this shows how humble Ruth was.

We live in a day and age where independence is highly valued. The less we rely on other people the stronger and more powerful we are thought to be. I think this is why it is so hard to completely rely on God sometimes. We are taught by our culture that we can accomplish anything if we just put our mind to it. The reality is that without God we can do nothing. I wish I always responded to God the way Ruth responded to Naomi.

PRAYER

God, we confess that we struggle with pride. We are like little children who constantly say, “I can do it myself.” Rid us of our pride and give us the ability to look to You for all of our strength and guidance. God, we thank You so much for how much You care about us. You are so trustworthy!  AMEN

Friday, Ruth Chapter 4

Ruth 4

Verse 14-15

Matt Strayer

May 5, 2006

Verses 14-15:  The women said to Naomi: “Praise be to the Lord, who this day has not left you without a kinsman-redeemer. May he become famous throughout Israel! He will renew your life and sustain you in your old age. For our daughter-in-law, who loves you and who is better to you than seven sons, has given him birth.”

THOUGHT

I loved the book of Ruth because in 4 short chapters we were able to see God’s mighty hand at work.  He has once again brought good out of a tragic situation.

In chapter 1 verse 20 and 21 Naomi is expressing her bitterness, anger and frustration with her current situation. She stated, “Don’t call me Naomi, call me Mara, because the Almighty has made my life very bitter. I went away full, but the Lord has brought me back empty.  The Lord has afflicted me....” 

All of us have been in these situations, and I’m sure have expressed our feelings to God. God wants our honest prayers in these situations, but we must remember not to turn our back on God. We must remember that He is our sustainer and redeemer. He may even put someone in our path to help us, as He put Ruth in Naomi’s life. There are a lot of Ruths in the Salt Shaker group.

It is awesome how in God’s time He leads Naomi to a situation that is expressed in Chapter 4.  “Praise the Lord, who this day has not left you without...” and “He will renew your life and sustain you...”  I think the lesson to be learned here is trusting God. We must trust as Naomi and Ruth did in this story. It is the essence of our faith. For if we believe in a sovereign God, then we must believe that He is in control at all times. 

This is an area where I struggle sometimes as we all do.  Let’s not forget the book of Ruth. What an example of a God that will sustain and an earthly sustainer in the kinsmen-redeemer that He provided.

PRAYER

Dear God, thank You so much for the insight You give to us with the stories in the Bible. Help us to call upon this story of Ruth and Naomi in the times ahead. Inspire us to be redeemers in our own ways in our own lives. Finally, allow us to trust You fully to be our redeemer. Thanks be to You, God.  AMEN