"I made haste, and did not delay to keep Your commandments." - PSALM 119:60
Live for God!
"I made haste, and did not delay to keep Your commandments." - PSALM 119:60
Live for God!
Rth 1:16 But Ruth said: "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. 17 Where you die, I will die, And there will I be buried. The LORD do so to me, and more also, If anything but death parts you and me."
During the spiritually dark days of the Judges, God saw fit to reveal to us how He worked in the lives of those faithful to Him to keep His promise to bring Jesus into the world. This story begins during a time of drought – perhaps during or preceding the Mesopotamian oppression, Jud.3:7. God had said that drought would be an indication to Israel that they were failing to keep His commandments, Dt.11:13-17. The remedy was not to move to enemy territory, as Elimelech did, but to encourage fellow-Israelites to return to God. For some reason not given, perhaps for her role in the disastrous move to Moab, Naomi too seems to be burdened with guilt as well as with sorrow: “the Lord has testified against me.” Yet, despite Ruth’s own loss, and despite her mother-in-law’s negativity and encouragement to go back to her previous idolatrous culture, someone in Elimelech’s family has brought Ruth to a strong faith in the true God – a faith that she will cling to, no matter what – a faith that has brought forth in her heart the fruits of the Spirit: love, longsuffering, kindness, and faithfulness.
I pray today that each of us will never leave You, Lord, nor turn back from following after You; that we will go wherever You lead, and have a heart that is a fit place for You to lodge. May Your people always be my people, and may You always be my God. May our faith in You bring forth the same beautiful fruit as did Ruth’s faith, no matter what trials we face. And I thank You, Lord, that even death cannot part us.
Rth 2:12 The LORD repay your work, and a full reward be given you by the LORD God of Israel, under whose wings you have come for refuge."
Boaz is a grandson of Nahshon who was chosen by the Lord to be the leader of the house of Judah, Num.1:7, and the son of Rahab the harlot, Mt.1:5, which is why Bible scholars believe these events took place early in the time of the Judges. From the things Boaz says and does, it is evident that his family has instilled God’s laws and values in his heart: the respectful way he greets his workers, 2:4; the high moral standards he expects from those who work for him, 2:8; his kindness, 2:9; and his concern for the poor, 2:16. But to me, the most amazing thing about him is his sensitivity to the value of having a close relationship with God – the way he describes it as having a place of refuge beneath His wings. In the dark days of the Judges, here is a man who continues to be faithful to the Lord.
O loving Father, in these dark days of decreasing morality, we pray for the young men that we know: our brothers, children, grandchildren and young men in the church. Help them to develop and value their relationship with You so that they will remain faithful to You.
Rth 3:10 Then he said, "Blessed are you of the LORD, my daughter! For you have shown more kindness at the end than at the beginning, in that you did not go after young men, whether poor or rich.
What is one of the biggest destroyers of marital happiness? In my opinion it is selfishness. Even in her choice of husband, Ruth was willing to sacrifice her own possible desires, (eg. for a youthful husband), for the sake of what God wants her to do: marry a kinsman-redeemer to raise up a seed to her dead husband. Boaz as well, shows his selflessness by being willing to take on this responsibility – to spend a lot of money that will not be to his own benefit, since the property will remain in Elimelech’s name. I think there is a very high chance that two such selfless people found amazing marital joy together and passed on a legacy of big-heartedness that reached all the way down generations to David, a man after God’s own heart.
Today Lord I pray for all who are choosing whom they will marry. Help them not to choose according to physical attributes or personality, but according to spiritual qualities. I pray also for lovely, spiritual, servant-hearted young women who serve You faithfully. As You worked providentially in the life of Ruth to bring her a husband, please do the same for them. Help them to never compromise their faith in order to marry, but to be content with their singleness if that is Your will.
Rth 4:11 And all the people who were at the gate, and the elders, said, "We are witnesses. The LORD make the woman who is coming to your house like Rachel and Leah, the two who built the house of Israel; and may you prosper in Ephrathah and be famous in Bethlehem.
How amazed these witnesses would have been to know just how their wedding wishes were going to be fulfilled! The house that Boaz and Ruth built, was not only famous and prosperous in a physical sense, becoming the leading house of the nation, the house from which all the kings would descend; but they also, through Jesus Christ, would build a spiritual house of Israel, into which would be born all those who have faith in God from every nation for all time!
Today, I want to encourage you to pray for each family in your local congregation – that they may work hard and wisely to build up the house of spiritual Israel – in raising their children and in reaching out to the lost.