E51 - Hope’s Harbor Gritty Bible Devotions - A Love Story - the book of Ruth - 1 of
Hope’s Harbor
Gritty Bible Devotions
Episode #51
Title: A love story – the Book of Ruth – Part 1
Date: April 25, 2022
Contact: info@hopesharbor.net
Key verse(s): Ruth 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.”’
Intro: There is much written about the book of Ruth, how it can be compared to the Gentile church and Christ. It contains information about the kinsman redeemer’s role. And as the introductory notes to this book in the Scofield Bible point out, the Christian experience is seen throughout the life of Ruth by her decision, serving, resting, and how she was rewarded.
I want to look at Ruth as a woman in dire circumstances who revealed by her actions a pure, loyal, and loving heart.
Devotion focus: No matter your circumstances, loyalty beckons us to courage.
Let’s revisit the key verse in addition to the verse following, vs 17:
Ruth 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.’
Ruth 1:17 – “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."’
To get a better understanding of the significance of Ruth’s words to Naomi allow me to give the background to this story.
The time of Ruth is believed by scholars to transpire during the time of the Judges. This was after Joshua, the man appointed to lead Israel after the death of Moses, died. The judges could be thought of as governors, overseeing the affairs of the nation of Israel.
The time of the judges was marked by the nation falling away from GOD. This is important to keep in mind when we look at a decision made by Naomi’s husband, Elimelech.
In Ruth 1:1 the Bible reads, ‘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.’
Now, Moab was a traditional enemy of Israel. So why would this Jewish man take to his heels and flee his native land to live among his enemies? What did this say about his faith in the GOD of Israel?
What was the consequence of Elimelech’s decision?
Ruth 1:3 – ‘Then Elimelech, Naomi's husband, died; and she was left, and her two sons.
Ruth 1:4 – ‘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.
Ruth 1:5 – ‘Then both Mahlon and Chilion also died; so the woman survived her two sons and her husband.’
So we see Elimelech’s decision ended with the loss of his life, and eventually, his 2 sons were also lost to death.
Also, his decision placed Naomi in dire circumstances. Do you think the people among who Naomi lived are going to help her? The only social net back in those days were family and her daughters-in-law are no longer so.
Meanwhile, back in Israel, her GOD had requirements in place concerning widows. Part of this requirement involved the duty of a kinsman-redeemer.
But there in Moab Naomi was in danger without a male guardian or provider.
Regardless, GOD hasn’t forgotten Naomi.
And it didn’t take long for Naomi to come to her senses - Ruth 1:6 – ‘Then she arose with her daughters-in-law that she might return from the country of Moab, for she had heard in the country of Moab that the LORD had visited His people by giving them bread.
Ruth 1:7 – ‘Therefore she went out from the place where she was, and her two daughters-in-law with her; and they went on the way to return to the land of Judah.
Ruth 1:8a – ‘And Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law, "Go, return each to her mother's house.”’
Naomi shows love and concern for her 2 former daughters-in-law when she tells them to return back to their families. I believe among other reasons, Naomi knew how dangerous the journey could be for them to travel unescorted from Moab to Bethlehem. If they did travel with a group, the Bible record is silent on the matter.
I checked online to find out the estimated distance Naomi would have to travel back to Bethlehem. Depending on what part of Moab she was the distance was somewhere between 30 – 60 miles. It would take several days to make the journey on foot.
Normally in those days, people traveled in caravans for safety and protection from raiding bands of murdering thieves. Listen to Jesus describing such men in Luke 10:30 – ‘Then Jesus answered and said: "A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, who stripped him of his clothing, wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead.”’
If you were told to stay home and not travel for days without protection all the while traveling to a place you’ve never been and have no way of knowing what awaits you if you do indeed survive the journey, what would you do?
Summary: Adverse circumstances may provide the opportunity to show your love for someone, to be loyal to the bonds of friendship or the ties of family, to be courageous in the face of danger by standing firm with the one in need.
Action to consider: Take a moment and think back on your interactions with someone who came to you for help. Would you do anything different today? Do you owe an apology or restitution?
If so, determine right now to make things right. I had to do this some years ago with one of my brothers even though he was in the wrong, my reaction did not honor GOD. It was humbling to confess my behavior was wrong, and the irksome thing is, he never admitted his guilt in the matter. So be it.
Next week’s devotion: Story of Ruth continued -