"...and Boaz the father of Obed by Ruth..."
Matthew 1: 5b
If I could pick any woman in the Bible to imitate, I would pick Ruth. Her remarkable story is recorded in the book that is dedicated to her: Ruth. Ruth is tucked away in the middle of the Old Testament and within its four chapters exists an example that every woman should be encouraged and challenged by. If you do nothing else today, please take the time to spend in God's Word for yourself. Reading things in addition to, such as this blog, is great (and I really appreciate it) but nothing replaces the power and the truth of the Word of God in your life. The book of Ruth can be read in 20 minutes if needed. Let the Words refresh, encourage and challenge your soul. For now, I will paraphrase:
Ruth was a Moabite woman. She married one of the two sons of Elimilech. Her mother-in-law was Naomi. Elimilech and his two sons died, leaving three widows: Orpah, Ruth and Naomi. Evaluating their impoverished and unfortunate situation, Naomi releases the young women from their covenant to her family and grants permission for them to go and remarry into a different family and a more fortunate future. Both women decline. She becomes adamant and her distress is evident. After much persuasion, Orpah agrees and tearfully says goodbye to Naomi and Ruth. Ruth however, is steadfast (my husband says she was stubborn while winking at me, but I prefer steadfast :) and refuses to leave. She has made a covenant to not only her husband, but her husband's family and she has no desire to forsake that, no matter how unfortunate her situation.
Naomi and Ruth return to Bethlehem just in time for barley harvest. Ruth plans to go and glean in one of the fields so as to provide food for her mother and self. While gleaning the owner of the field, a man by the name of Boaz, sees her and asks one of his field hands who she is. His response is noteworthy:
"She is the young Moabite woman who came back with Naomi from the country of Moab.
She said, 'please let me glean and gather among the sheaves
after the reapers.' So she came, and she has continued
from morning until now, except for a short rest."
Ruth 2: 6,7
Boaz then treated her as a daughter and instructed his field hands to leave plenty behind for her, watch for her and do not touch her. Ruth brought her harvest as well as some leftovers from lunch back to her mother. Naomi creates a plan for Ruth to go down to the threshing floor and when Boaz has completed his work and lays down for the night, she is to go lay at his feet. Ruth does not argue or question, and she prepares herself to do so. When Boaz discovers her and is made aware of who she is, he responds favorably. The ending, as you can imagine, is in Ruth's favor. Not only is she able to marry, but she marry's into the line that will become that of Jesus Christ, the line of Abraham, Isaac, David and Joseph. She marries into a heritage that she could never have imagined.
While reading this story to my husband, he stopped me with a great question, "if God is so particular about his chosen people, then why are all these 'foreigners' allowed to be in His lineage?" Hmm. Something I had never thought about before. I think that by inviting women like Rahab the prostitute and Ruth the Moabite, God is speaking loudly of His kindness and favor toward all those that would regard Him, His people, and His statutes (2 Cor. 6:2). God is protective of His chosen people for the reason of protection. He has called us to be set apart, to be in the world and not of the world. When we intermarry, not culturally but spiritually, we put the holy heritage that God has for us at risk by making it vulnerable to pagan beliefs. It is not about where a person is from physically because we are all created in the image of God, but it is about where the heart is in response to God and His Gospel. Ruth and Rahab were responsive to the Holy Law of God and therefore they were welcomed in.
There are a great many things we can and need to learn from Ruth's story and example. I could go on for days, and many people have, in regards to her example of faith, obedience and hard work, but for sake of time I will do my best to summarize.
1.) Ruth was a woman of commitment (1:8). Ruth was released legally from her commitment, but her happiness and personal fulfillment was secondary to the promise she had made before men and God. I think this speaks loudly to the culture of today. Today, our happiness is first and foremost. We hear things like, 'follow your heart' and 'dare to do what makes you happy', and we think they are noble and good. What we need to recognize however, is that our heart is not trustworthy and our happiness is ever changing when it is dependent on worldly fulfillment. Happiness is like an insatiable beast, an all consuming fire. The things of this world are temporal, failing and insufficient. It is no wonder people spend their lives swapping spouses, jobs and material things in the endless pursuit of 'happiness'. Our hearts must be anchored in a God that never changes and the guidelines that He has set for us. When we seek to pattern our lives after that, He will be faithful to do greater than we could ever think or imagine.
2.) Ruth was a woman of timeliness and calculation (1:22). She and Naomi arrived in Bethlehem at the beginning of harvest. This took planning as there was travel involved. They had to think ahead and be organized in such a way that they would arrive not at the end of or even in the middle of harvest, but rather at the beginning, to ensure the greatest probability of provision.
3.) She was a woman with a plan (2:2). Ruth devised a plan to go and glean in a specific place and presented it to Naomi. I struggle with women that walk blindly through life in 'submission' to their husbands with no voice or opinion. They feel as though this is how God has called women to be. I strongly disagree. Women are to be submissive, not robotic. There is a difference and we see it beautifully here through Ruth. She set about to evaluate her situation, the possibilities around her and created a plan based on her discoveries. We see her submission in her presentation of her plan to Naomi, but we see her taking initiative and planning her course of action. There is a beautiful balance here. As a wife, I share the responsibilities of bills, purchases and future planning with my husband. We are partners. I honor his authority in our home as the final decision is ultimately his and he appreciates my partnership and input; it is a lovely design.
4.) Ruth was a woman of diligence and hard work (2:7, 2:17). Ruth did not pity herself or nurture a sense of entitlement as many are in the habit of doing. Her situation, by many an opinion, would definitely warrant it, but pity and entitlement are counterproductive and something tells me that Ruth knew that. We wonder why poverty is overtaking America? We have this idea that we deserve something. That we have a 'right' to happiness and shouldn't have to earn it or work for it. It is a real tragedy. Ruth wasn't dealt a fair hand by any means. Her husband died. She had no children. There were no brothers to marry. Culture prohibited her from everything but prostitution. She had no future according to world's standards. This did not deter Ruth. She was a fighter and would not take something for nothing or sell herself for the sake of happiness. She had made a commitment to Naomi and trusted that through hard work and diligent effort, God would not only provide but protect and give her hope. God honored her determination.
5.) Ruth was a woman of faithfulness (2:11,12). Ruth remained faithful to Naomi and this created a reputation for her that brought great benefit. Boaz did not know her personally, but had heard of her faithfulness to Naomi and glorified God as a result. Oh that that would be true of us!
6.) Ruth was a woman of instruction and obedience (2:22,23; 3:1-5). While Ruth was a woman of determination, she was also a woman of obedience. She followed the instructions given her and God blessed her as a result.
These are only a few of the many gems that await you through the story of Ruth. Boaz is referred to as Ruth's 'redeemer' simply because he was in the lineage that she married into and was eligible to marry and redeem her from a life of poverty that was inevitable for a woman in her situation. Are you praying for a redeemer? Are you waiting for someone to protect you, provide for you and cherish you? I don't know your story or the pain that accompanies it, but I do know that God is faithful and has redeemed you (Isaiah 43: 1-3). Ruth held on to this faithfulness and walked in a manner worthy of example. She remained steadfast in the midst of grief, cultural stigma and intense need. She set about her work as a woman with resolve and trusted that as she sought to obey, plan and provide for her mother-in-law, that God would care for her. Indeed He did. He not only cared for her, but He gave her dignity, a heritage and a story that has been and will be told for generations to come.
As you set your face to follow God's leading on your life, I pray that you would be diligent, faithful, steadfast and honorable in all you do. I pray that God would restore you and revive you. I pray that your happiness would be secondary to holiness. May mercy and favor follow you as you seek to faithfully follow Him.
<><tce
No comments:
Post a Comment