What I Learned From Ruth

I took the last few nights to open my bible up to the Old Testament, (a place I rarely visit) in hopes of hearing God's voice in a way I have never heard. Being a woman, I decided to find out a bit more about the women of the bible, starting with Ruth. When I began to read her story, I literally felt as though I was just reading a story. I was not getting much out of the words on the paper and I had a difficult time relating to any of it. That is one of the reasons I never open to the Old Testament much; however knowing the bible is truth and absolute truth, I gave Ruth another chance. I prayed over Ruth's story and asked God to connect me in some way to this woman. I needed an attachment or else I would never learn anything from her. I started Ruth's story from the beginning again.

1 In the days when the judges ruled,[a] there was a famine in the land. So a man from Bethlehem in Judah, together with his wife and two sons, went to live for a while in the country of Moab. 2 The man’s name was Elimelek, his wife’s name was Naomi, and the names of his two sons were Mahlon and Kilion. They were Ephrathites from Bethlehem, Judah. And they went to Moab and lived there.
 3 Now Elimelek, Naomi’s husband, died, and she was left with her two sons. 4 They married Moabite women, one named Orpah and the other Ruth. After they had lived there about ten years, 5 both Mahlon and Kilion also died, and Naomi was left without her two sons and her husband.

Mahlon and Kilion died ten years later, leaving Naomi, Orpah, and Ruth alone. I immediately felt heartache for those women. I know for sure if I was left alone like that I would feel lost for quite some time, perhaps that is why Ruth did what she did.

Naomi had heard that back in Judah, the Lord had blessed his people again by giving them good crops, so the three women prepared to head back to Naomi's homeland.

8 Then Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law, “Go back, each of you, to your mother’s home. May the LORD show you kindness, as you have shown kindness to your dead husbands and to me. 9 May the LORD grant that each of you will find rest in the home of another husband.” Then she kissed them goodbye and they wept aloud 10 and said to her, “We will go back with you to your people.” 11 But Naomi said, “Return home, my daughters. Why would you come with me? Am I going to have any more sons, who could become your husbands? 12 Return home, my daughters; I am too old to have another husband. Even if I thought there was still hope for me—even if I had a husband tonight and then gave birth to sons— 13 would you wait until they grew up? Would you remain unmarried for them? No, my daughters. It is more bitter for me than for you, because the LORD’s hand has turned against me!”

Orpah said goodbye to Naomi and went on her way. Ruth on the other hand refused to leave Naomi.

 16 But Ruth replied, “Don’t urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God. 17 Where you die I will die, and there I will be buried. May the LORD deal with me, be it ever so severely, if even death separates you and me.” 

When Naomi saw how determined Ruth was to stay, she could say no more.

And that is how Ruth's story begins.

1 Now Naomi had a relative on her husband’s side, a man of standing from the clan of Elimelek, whose name was Boaz. 2 And Ruth the Moabite said to Naomi, “Let me go to the fields and pick up the leftover grain behind anyone in whose eyes I find favor.”
5 Boaz asked the overseer of his harvesters, “Who does that young woman belong to?” 6 The overseer replied, “She is the Moabite who came back from Moab with Naomi."

And Ruth found favor in his eyes.

8 So Boaz said to Ruth, “My daughter, listen to me. Don’t go and glean in another field and don’t go away from here. Stay here with the women who work for me. 9 Watch the field where the men are harvesting, and follow along after the women. I have told the men not to lay a hand on you. And whenever you are thirsty, go and get a drink from the water jars the men have filled.” 10 At this, she bowed down with her face to the ground. She asked him, “Why have I found such favor in your eyes that you notice me?"

What I love about Ruth is that she is discovering and obeying God (and not her own original god, might I add), all because she is obeying godly people who worship the one and true God. In chapter 1 she remained faithful to Naomi (a godly woman) and came to Bethlehem where she met Boaz (a godly man) who took care of her and fed her and gave her water to drink and a field to reap a harvest in. She later goes on to marry Boaz and therefore, marrying into Christ's gene pool. I find this so interesting. A woman who knew not much of God, but was a servant at heart, grew to know God and be blessed by him by honoring and obeying the instructions of the God's people.

I can relate to Ruth because I feel a special connection to God when I obey and listen to instruction and guidance from other godly people. Like Ruth, I come to know God more and more each time I serve or spend time with His people.

And that just goes to show how important our roles as believers are. Someone like Ruth, with the heart of a servant or the attribute of a good listener, may come into my path one day and I can only pray that I have the strength and direction from God to guide them onto the path to discover Christ.

"If they obey and serve Him, they shall spend their days in prosperity and their years in pleasantness and joy."

Job 36:11

Practice What You Preach

It's so easy to say that you're a Christian. It's simple to accept Christ into your life in return for a home in heaven when your time on Earth is over. But being a Christian and actually living life as a Christian are two completely different things. 

Case One: A teenage boy is invited to attend a church service. He knows God and feels Gods presence in his life. But after the church service is over, he goes back to his life. Listening to music with negative meanings and lyrics in them. He dresses in inappropriate clothing and wears shirts with racial comments on them, or advertises alcohol or drugs. He and his friends make fun of other students and laugh at people who have disabilities. He says he reads his bible, but knows that it has sat on his desk for months without being opened. He wonders why he can't feel God outside of church and wonders why his life gets harder and harder and seems like there is no way out of his problems.


Case Two: A teenage boy is invited to attend a church service. He knows God and feels Gods presence in his life. But after the church service is over, he goes back to his life. He takes time to pray, and decides right then to make a change in his life. He begins listening to Christian music and positive music, music that lifts him up and makes him feel happy. He dresses in modest clothing that make him look mature. He talks about his faith and about his love for Jesus with his friends and invites them to his youth group. He reads his bible every night before bed and prays and reflects on his day. He feels God no matter where he is, and he's quick to ask God for help with his problems. 


These are two very realistic scenarios. You say one thing, and you practice another thing. You live two different lives. James 1:22-25 says, "Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it—not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it—they will be blessed in what they do." 


Learn to practice what you preach. God honors those who honor him and his holy name. Matthew 10:32 tells us, "Deny me before men and I will deny you before my father in heaven." Don't subject yourself to that...


God Bless,
Carlie