Date: August 26, 2024
Song: Jesus is More by the Committed Acappella Chorus
Time: 6:11 am
Hi Friends,
One of my favorite love stories in the Bible is Ruth and Boaz, which is told in the book of Ruth.
In this story, we see how God brings Ruth and Boaz together.
In the story's beginning, Ruth (a Moabite woman) marries Mahlon (an Israelite man). But when Mahlon dies, Ruth becomes a widow.
During this time, Ruth's father-in-law and brother-in-law also died, leaving Ruth's sister-in-law, Orpah, and her mother-in-law, Naomi, as widows. Since these women lost their men, they also lost their protectors, providers, and sources of income. During this time, most women were dependent on their husbands or male relatives to provide for them.
When Naomi loses her husband and sons, she decides to return to Jerusalem, and she encourages her daughters-in-law to return to their homes in Moab.
Orpah returns to her home, but Ruth decides to go to Jerusalem with Naomi. Ruth leaves her home with Naomi and begins to serve God like the Israelites.
When Ruth and Naomi move back to Jerusalem, Ruth starts working in Boaz's field to provide for herself and Naomi.
While Ruth is working in Boaz's field, he notices her and gives her his protection and permission to work only in his field. Boaz commands his male servants not to harm Ruth. He also tells his workers to leave plenty of food for Ruth to find.
When Ruth returns home from work, and Naomi sees all the food she has been given, she realizes that Ruth has found favor with Boaz and asks more about him.
When Ruth tells her, Naomi realizes that Boaz is a close relative of theirs. According to Jewish law, he can marry Ruth and redeem her since her first husband died.
As the story unfolds, we learn that Boaz is a godly, wealthy man with a great character.
One evening, Naomi encourages Ruth to dress nicely, put on some perfume, and go to Boaz to present herself to him as a potential wife.
When Ruth does this, Boaz is pleased and tells her he will redeem her if the other male relative before him in line to marry her doesn't want to.
The following day, Boaz goes to speak with the male relative, who decides not to marry Ruth, so Boaz makes a commitment before the town's elders to do so.
Once this commitment is made, Boaz marries Ruth, and they have a son named Obed. Obed goes on to become the father of Jesse. Jesse is the father of King David, and this is the lineage through which Jesus Christ comes.
What an incredible story!
I love how God worked behind the scenes to bring Ruth to Boaz's field!
Ruth showed exemplary character under difficult circumstances. When she lost her first husband, she was left destitute. She could have given up, but she didn't. Instead, she persevered through her difficult circumstances. Not only did Ruth look out for herself, but she also looked out for her mother-in-law. Ruth had a great reputation. She was a hard worker, humble, and a woman of noble character. She was loyal and faithful. God brought blessings into her life.
Boaz was a man of wealth and power. He was a man of faith who exhibited godly character to Ruth by providing for her and protecting her. Boaz helped Ruth and didn't ask for anything in return. He used his wealth and influence to help Ruth and bless her.
Boaz was attracted to Ruth because of her good heart and godly character. He saw how she worked hard to take care of herself and her mother-in-law and didn't run after other men. He saw Ruth as a blessing.
There was historical tension between Moab and Israel, as they often conflicted, but Boaz did not let that affect how he saw Ruth.
Boaz didn't judge Ruth or look down on her as a foreigner. He loved Ruth and was happy to marry her.
In our lives, we must trust God and remain faithful even in difficult circumstances. We must rely on His guidance because what could look like a setback to us could be a setup for something greater.
Doing the right thing, having good character, and looking out for others are very important in our lives. God blesses us when we do these things.
My friends, who we are and how we treat people matters. Our character matters. God wants us to be loyal, humble, hardworking, and caring people who look out for others. When we do these things, God will rain down blessings into our lives because he can trust us to do the right thing.
I hope this blessed your life!
XO,
Dr. Rich 💋
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