There are many great women in the Bible. Their lives, though separated by time and place, all have a common thread: their love for God. Mary, Sarah, Hannah, Rachel, and others speak to us across the ages. The lessons we can learn from them are as fresh as if they happened last weekend.
I'd like to place the focus of my message on one of these special women, Ruth, and what her life of devotion imparts to us today. Interestingly, the book of Ruth stands out among the other inspired books in that one cannot find a single instance of cruelty or sinfulness there.
You'll also not find one victim of vengeance and violence. Which you have to admit is unusual. Instead, the book contains examples of virtue, courage, faith, dedication, love, sorrow, and loyalty. Maybe that's why I love reading about her so much. She accomplished a great deal while avoiding the pitfalls that were the undoing of so many others in the Bible.
If you have never read the book of Ruth, and even if you have, here's a few highlights of her story. The book of Ruth is the story of two widows. It speaks about famine, prosperity, and separation in the unfamiliar land of Moab. Additionally, it tells about homesickness and Naomi's (her mother-in-law) decision to return to her native land of Israel.
I feel that many people have a special affinity for this book because it documents the most beautiful confession of human love in all literature. And it recounts a beautiful commitment to God by a pagan woman. As an added bonus, it has a happy ending as Ruth is welcomed into the heritage of Israel and the genealogy of Jesus!
Without a doubt, the book of Ruth is full of good counsel for us all. One could literally spend a lifetime harvesting all of the wonderful material it contains. However, I'd like to select just a couple of the key topics and share them with you today.
First, one of the biggest things that we can take away from reading about Ruth is that God has a plan for each of us. On every page of her book there is evidence of the providence, or the foreseeing care and guidance of God.
Her life could very easily had taken a totally different course, if, for example: her in-laws Elimelech and Naomi had not gone to Moab; her father-in-law and his sons had not died; Naomi had not returned to Bethlehem; Ruth had not gleaned in the field of Boaz, to mention a few.
God's hand is involved in every life-changing event of Ruth's life. If she had not submitted to God, she probably would have lived and died in a land where people did not serve Jehovah. What we can extract from Ruth's experience is that when we place ourselves in God's hands, he will bring his plan to fruition in our lives.
Secondly, in Ruth we observe the power of human choice. Naturally, there are many factors that come into play when confronted with a life-changing decision, such as one's background, education, culture, experience, and so on. Ruth, who was a pagan, had to make such a decision upon the deaths of her husband, brother-in-law, and father-in-law.
Naomi had decided to go back home, as there was nothing to keep her in Moab now that her husband and sons were dead. She graciously told her daughters-in-law, Ruth and Orpah, that they were no longer obligated to her, and should seek new husbands and lives for themselves.
Orpah, not wanting to leave her pagan homeland and all that she knew, decided to part ways with Naomi and remain in Moab. Ruth decided to stay with Naomi and commit herself to Naomi's God. She never regretted it or looked back. Her decision was final and irreversible.
What a tribute Ruth's decision was to Naomi. It had been her life and love for God that had endorsed God to Ruth. As in Ruth's life, we all confront difficult decisions at one time or another. And, making the right choice is not easy. For some, it's easier to simply stay put than stressing out over it.
It can definitely be hard to let go of the familiar world we know. But what we can learn from Ruth's life is that if we commit ourselves to the Lord, with conviction and devotion, happy endings can take place in our lives, as well.
Scripture: Psalm 27:14; Galatians 6:9; Ecclesiastes 3:1; Lamentations 3:25-26; Isaiah 55:8-9
Prayer: Dear Jesus, no matter what decisions I am confronted with today, I will seek Your guidance and advice first. You always know what is best for me, and I find comfort and security in Your words. Amen
May the Lord bless you always,
Katherine
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