The female of focus for July in my, "Women Of The Bible" series is the incredible lady called Ruth. Ruth has a whole book in the Old Testament so it proved to be a deep and fascinating study.
I pray the nuggets of gold that I sifted out can be a blessing to you. Love Lucy x
Women Of The Bible- Ruth
Ruth 1:1-5
“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. 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. Then Elimelech, Naomi’s husband, died; and she was left, and her two sons. 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. Then both Mahlon and Chilion also died; so the woman survived her two sons and her husband.”
Ruth 1:8-9
“And Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law, “Go, return each to her mother’s house. The Lord deal kindly with you, as you have dealt with the dead and with me. The Lord grant that you may find rest, each in the house of her husband.”
So she kissed them, and they lifted up their voices and wept.”
Ruth 1:14-17
“Then they lifted up their voices and wept again; and Orpah kissed her mother-in-law, but Ruth clung to her.
And she said, “Look, your sister-in-law has gone back to her people and to her gods; return after your sister-in-law.”
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.
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.””
Ruth 4:13-17
“So Boaz took Ruth and she became his wife; and when he went in to her, the Lord gave her conception, and she bore a son. Then the women said to Naomi,
“Blessed be the Lord, who has not left you this day without a close relative; and may his name be famous in Israel! And may he be to you a restorer of life and a nourisher of your old age; for your daughter-in-law, who loves you, who is better to you than seven sons, has borne him.”
Then Naomi took the child and laid him on her bosom, and became a nurse to him. Also the neighbour women gave him a name, saying, “There is a son born to Naomi.” And they called his name Obed. He is the father of Jesse, the father of David.”
Women of the Bible, some old and some with youth.I pray the nuggets of gold that I sifted out can be a blessing to you. Love Lucy x
Women Of The Bible- Ruth
Ruth 1:1-5
“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. 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. Then Elimelech, Naomi’s husband, died; and she was left, and her two sons. 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. Then both Mahlon and Chilion also died; so the woman survived her two sons and her husband.”
Ruth 1:8-9
“And Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law, “Go, return each to her mother’s house. The Lord deal kindly with you, as you have dealt with the dead and with me. The Lord grant that you may find rest, each in the house of her husband.”
So she kissed them, and they lifted up their voices and wept.”
Ruth 1:14-17
“Then they lifted up their voices and wept again; and Orpah kissed her mother-in-law, but Ruth clung to her.
And she said, “Look, your sister-in-law has gone back to her people and to her gods; return after your sister-in-law.”
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.
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.””
Ruth 4:13-17
“So Boaz took Ruth and she became his wife; and when he went in to her, the Lord gave her conception, and she bore a son. Then the women said to Naomi,
“Blessed be the Lord, who has not left you this day without a close relative; and may his name be famous in Israel! And may he be to you a restorer of life and a nourisher of your old age; for your daughter-in-law, who loves you, who is better to you than seven sons, has borne him.”
Then Naomi took the child and laid him on her bosom, and became a nurse to him. Also the neighbour women gave him a name, saying, “There is a son born to Naomi.” And they called his name Obed. He is the father of Jesse, the father of David.”
Let’s take a look at one young girl, a woman known as Ruth.
Her very name means “Friendship” and here we clearly see,
She lived up to her name indeed and showed integrity.
Daughter of the Moabites, we find her in her prime
And yet she faces heartache as she falls upon hard times.
Widowed at an early age, a sorrowful condition.
Left without security and in a tough position.
And yet these troubled waters only serve to show her worth.
With courage and great loyalty, she leaves her place of birth.
Choosing to be faithful in the role that she’s been given,
She sets off with Naomi and pursues an honest living.
This woman’s brave decision is what sets her far apart,
It shows her sense of honour and the love within her heart.
We see Ruth’s strength of character shine through her tribulation,
Strength that brought her name respect and earned her reputation.
Her conduct, unaffected by the trials and the strife,
Ruth’s story shows how faithfulness bore fruit within her life!
For God brought restoration and redemption to her soul,
Her journey shows that through it all, our God was in control!
This woman played a major role in bringing us our Saviour;
Christ’s lineage leads back to Ruth whose spirit didn’t waver!
May others find us steadfast and rooted in the Truth.
Let’s live lives of integrity, like dedicated Ruth!
Proverbs 11:25
“A generous person will prosper;
whoever refreshes others will be refreshed.”
Matthew 5:7-8
“Blessed are the merciful,
for they will be shown mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart,
for they will see God.”
Points For Reflection And Insight
Studying the life of Ruth was absolutely fascinating and brought me quite a few challenges as there are so many possible angles to focus on! Of course Ruth has an entire book in the Bible. Other women in this series have given me a few key verses or chapters to study but with Ruth, I had a whole book to pour over!
One of the incredible things about the book of Ruth is that it gives us a clear and prophetic picture of Jesus, our Redeemer. The Old Testament has often been described as a picture book that testifies of the coming Messiah and Jesus even mentions this in John 5:39. The verse reads,
“You study the Scriptures diligently because you think that in them you have eternal life. These are the very Scriptures that testify about me.”
There are some amazing studies on the prophetic pictures given to us in the book of Ruth and one study I can recommend in this area is by my father-in-law, Pastor Alwyn Wall. He takes the time that’s needed to go through this uplifting message and shows us how Naomi, Ruth’s Mother-In-Law is a picture of Israel. Ruth is a picture of the Church while Boaz, her Kinsman Redeemer is a picture of our Redeemer, Jesus Christ. This study is a wonderful message of revival, restoration and redemption and I’d love to encourage you to take some time to listen to these sermons.
The beautiful messages that God gives us through His Word continue to blow my mind, the more I delve into them. The study of Ruth is certainly one series that filled me with awe for the genius of God’s Word and so if you’d like to study this for yourself you can find the sermons on the Calvary London Website, or follow the link below.
https://soundcloud.com/calvary-london/sets/ruth?ref=clipboard&p=i&c=1&si=5FA8A4467B0F4600ADA5158B8E60359C&utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing
I decided for my study on Ruth, I would keep the focus on her character traits and the human element that we see in this moving story about love, honour and faithfulness.
One thing worth noting is that Ruth wasn’t loyal to her mother-in-law, Naomi because she thought it would benefit her in some way. It isn’t a self-serving act with a selfish motive that we read about here. Ruth was loyal through her love for her mother-in-law and had no way of knowing that not only would God return that blessing to her but also in greater measure.
This passage of Scripture really shows us how God loves to see godly attributes in our character and God-honouring choices being made in our lives. We cannot underestimate how much delight it brings the Lord when our behaviour reflects His character.
Ruth’s decision to be loyal and her sense of responsibility are what set her apart. It shows that despite her own personal sorrow and grief, she didn’t allow her behaviour to become dishonourable through bitterness, anger or disappointment. She shows real depth of character and a remarkable sense of integrity in this act of kindness towards Naomi.
Even though life hadn’t gone the way she would have hoped for or chosen, Ruth still conducted herself in a way that honoured God. This strength of character then went on to precede Ruth and her excellent reputation is what caught the attention of Boaz.
Boaz noticed this young woman’s honour, love and respect for his relative, Naomi and he also admired Ruth’s strong work ethic. It certainly highlights the fact that our actions in life can and will affect the kind of reputation we will develop over time.
We go on to read in this book that Ruth was gleaning in Boaz’s field. Gleaning was extremely hard work and was a system set up by Moses to help provide for the poor and encourage the rich to share their wealth with people less fortunate than them. Going through the fields, searching and picking up the produce left behind by the harvesters wasn’t a hand-out as it required a lot of labour, time and effort. It meant people still had to work very hard to survive and so the fact that Ruth was prepared to work in such a lowly position, yet again speaks volumes for her strength of character and humble heart.
I’ve often heard it said that there are no coincidences with the Lord and it certainly wasn’t a coincidence that Ruth ended up gleaning in Boaz’s field. God was working behind the scenes through it all and it serves as a wonderful reminder to us that there is purpose behind even the hardest trials in our lives. As Romans 8:28 tells us,
“And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.”
It’s not a platitude to just tell ourselves when times are hard and when we can’t see the point or purpose in our difficulties. It’s the promise of God’s Word and the truth of knowing that when we seek and follow Him, Jesus is always with us. He’s constantly looking after us, providing for us and doing things behind the scenes that we’re completely unaware of. It reminds me of the encouraging words we read about in Jeremiah 29:11 which reads,
“For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.”
God sees the bigger picture and knows exactly what He’s doing with each of our lives. All we have to do is make sure our hearts are surrendered to Him and trust in His promise of divine provision for our lives.
As the book of Ruth continues, we see a beautiful love-story unfold and witness how Ruth’s faithfulness is rewarded by God. The kind-hearted Boaz shows mercy towards this loyal young woman and their life together as a married couple goes on to be a fruitful one indeed. We see as the text goes on that Ruth and Boaz bore a son together whose name was Obed. Obed became the father of Jesse and Jesse became the father of none other than King David, making Ruth, David’s Great Grandmother.
Ruth’s faithfulness within her seemingly barren circumstances ended up leading her into a time of great fruitfulness and eventually part of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, Himself. What a testimony!
Ruth really gives a wonderful example of showing integrity and godly conduct, no matter how bleak the situation may seem. Her story also shows us that our actions don’t just have the ability to affect and impact our own lives but also the lives of generations yet to come.
What areas of your life do you feel you are being called to be loyal? Do you fear the risks or costs of loyalty to others? Do you trust God is working through all things in your life, even when the situation is difficult or not what you would choose?
Ruth’s story shows us that it’s not just about leaving a financial inheritance to those who come after us but also leaving the inheritance of a character that reflects Christ. Her journey also reveals how God used both the joys and the tragedies of Ruth’s life to fulfil His sovereign plan. A plan that was exceedingly and abundantly above all that she could have asked for or even imagined!
Ruth’s inspiring life highlights the truth that we can be widowed, barren, orphaned, broken and destitute but we too can choose to be faithful and honour God with our actions and behaviour. Even if we’re the recipient of unfortunate circumstances, we can respond with integrity and honour, knowing that as we stick close to our God and keep walking in His ways, He will bring about fruit in our lives for His glory.
Have you found yourself on the receiving end of less than desirable circumstances? Did you respond with honour and integrity or did you go back and turn away from God?
A few final thoughts on Ruth’s story that I’d love to share are that we can see the beautiful truth that God provides for those who have no one to provide for them. He sees the lowly person and doesn’t consider their status. He is no respecter of persons and looks after His children, whatever rung of society’s ladder they may be on.
We also see within Ruth, a marvellous example of how we can love and support the women in our own lives. Family, friends and precious connections are such a blessing from the Lord and if I were to ask you to think of a godly woman in your life who has blessed you, who would come to mind? Is there someone who has extended love, support and care towards you who you can give thanks to God for today? Have you told that person how grateful you are for them? Maybe today would be a great day to reach out and let them know how thankful you are for them! You never know how much they may need to hear those words and receive that encouragement.
I once read a humorous quote which I really liked and have tried to apply in my own life. The quote said,
“Be the woman who fixes another woman’s crown without telling the world that it was crooked.”
This sweet call to a humble, selfless attitude really made me smile and of course it doesn’t need to be gender specific to women! We can all seek to bless others and see them shine without bringing attention to ourselves, man or woman.
With that lovely thought in mind, may we aspire to be like Ruth, showing loyalty and selfless love in both good times and bad, dry seasons and seasons of plenty. God reigns through them all and to His name be the glory!
