Ruth 2:11
Now there was a wealthy and influential man in Bethlehem named Boaz, who was a relative of Naomi’s husband, Elimelech. 2 One day Ruth the Moabite said to Naomi, “Let me go out into the harvest fields to pick up the stalks of grain left behind by anyone who is kind enough to let me do it.”
Naomi replied, “All right, my daughter, go ahead.” 3 So Ruth went out to gather grain behind the harvesters. And as it happened, she found herself working in a field that belonged to Boaz, the relative of her father-in-law, Elimelech. 4 While she was there, Boaz arrived from Bethlehem and greeted the harvesters. “The Lord be with you!” he said.“The Lord bless you!” the harvesters replied.
5 Then Boaz asked his foreman, “Who is that young woman over there? Who does she belong to?”
6 And the foreman replied, “She is the young woman from Moab who came back with Naomi. 7 She asked me this morning if she could gather grain behind the harvesters. She has been hard at work ever since, except for a few minutes’ rest in the shelter.”
8 Boaz went over and said to Ruth, “Listen, my daughter. Stay right here with us when you gather grain; don’t go to any other fields. Stay right behind the young women working in my field. 9 See which part of the field they are harvesting, and then follow them. I have warned the young men not to treat you roughly. And when you are thirsty, help yourself to the water they have drawn from the well.”Then she fell on her face, bowing to the ground, and said to him,
“Why have I found favor in your eyes, that you should take notice of me, when I am a foreigner?” But Boaz answered her, “All that you have done for your mother-in-law since the death of your husband has been fully told me, and how you left your father and mother and your native land and came to a people that you did not know before. The Lord recompense you for what you have done, and a full reward be given you by the Lord, the God ofIsrael, under whose wings you have come to take refuge!
Have you ever been so hungry it hurt? Have you ever wondered where your next meal might come from? Have you ever had to depend on the kindness of a stranger for your very survival? Ruth knew what all of theses things felt like. Her husband, his brother and her Father-in-Law had died and Ruth needed someone to care for her. She could have returned to her father and probably have had everything she needed, but instead, Ruth saw that SHE was needed.
Ruth's Mother-in-Law, Naomi, had no one left to take care of her. She had no husband, no sons, and no father to return to. All that she knew to do was to go back to the land that her husband was from and keep her fingers crossed that some of his cousins would take care of her. She told her Daughter-in-Laws to return to their families, but Ruth would not hear of it. Rather than being cared for by her family, Ruth knew that God was calling her to care for Naomi, and that wasn’t an easy task. Naomi was a sad, bitter woman. She had lost her husband and sons and she was angry at the world. This was not how her life was supposed to turn out, and she was not shy about admitting her unhappiness. In fact, she changed her name to Mara, which means bitter.
So Ruth had to walk miles and miles back to Israel with Mrs. Bitter and you can be sure it wasn’t a happy road trip, but Ruth did it, not because she had to, but because even in her own grief, Ruth could see that Naomi needed her. Ruth loved Naomi, so there was no question in Ruth’s mind that she would take care of her.
It was probably one downer of a journey, but in this new land of Israel, Ruth would have to start over. She had no money, no home and no experience being on her own, but knowing that she was acting out of loyalty and love, God chose to bless Ruth.
God sent Ruth the food she needed and even provided her with a husband named Boaz. Because she cared more for others than herself, God would use Ruth to start the family tree of Jesse. Yes, Jesse was Ruth’s grandson, and from his family would come great kings like David but even greater than a king, Jesus the son of God would be born into Joseph’s family, and into he family line of Ruth and Jesse. Because she put herself last, Ruth would become one of the first and only women listed in the family tree of Jesus. Ruth’s kindness would never be forgotten by God or God’s people.
Discussion Questions:
1. What might God do for you if you don’t always think of yourself first and instead look around to see those in need around you? God has a blessing waiting for those who do good for no other reason than it’s the right thing to do.
2. Who is someone that you feel like God might be calling you to sacrifice your time to help?
Family Activity: Set a date this week to help someone like Ruth helped Naomi. Perhaps you could rake leaves, offer to bring them a meal that your family could make together, or even write them a note of encouragement. Sometimes the greatest help is being encouraged to continue serving God even when you think no one is looking.
Prayer for the World: Pray that the Holy Spirit would refute the arguments against Christ’s divinity that those of the majority faith believe and assert.
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