Dr. Lawrence Butler, The Bridge Church, Pembroke
There is yet another crucial principle found in the Book of Ruth for us to discuss in today’s lesson. Previously we have discovered that God’s grace and salvation is for men and women of every group found upon Earth.
Let us today consider God’s care for people in difficult situations and how He not only delivers them, but makes it a part of His sovereign, Divine will.
Naomi, widow of Elimelech and mother of two deceased sons, finds herself in a foreign land with two Moabite women, widows of her sons. Naomi’s situation is somewhat desperate and there seems to be little or no help for her. She thus determines to return home to Bethlehem.
Oftentimes the way out is to return to the place you left. It was there that God sent His promises to take care of His people, and it was there that she needed to be, near the little family and few friends she had left. It is here, at this point in her life, that the Lord assists her in making a good decision. It was this choice that ultimately brought her to a place of special blessing she could never have foreseen.
Naomi’s daughter-in-law who returned to Bethlehem with her, Ruth, for whom this book is named, worked in the fields as the poor were allowed to do.
Look what happened! “And she went, and came, and gleaned in the field after the reapers: and her hap was to light on a part of the field belonging unto Boaz, who was of the kindred of Elimelech” (Ruth 2:3). Boaz was a wealthy kinsman. Do you think this was an accident? No, my friend, this was Divine providential care. Why does God care about unimportant people? Why does He care about the troubled, the down-and-out, the failures, the addicts, the homeless? Let me tell you why! You see, we were all downtrodden with sin and its effects. But there is hope.
There is a verse in the Bible that answers the question of, “Why?”
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16). The Book of Ruth shows that God cares, even for those who know nothing about Him and He has a place for them in His plan. Ruth married Boaz and became the grandmother of King David and thus a part of the lineage of Jesus Christ. God has a plan for you, please get busy and surrender your life to him. Love will make a way for you.
Dr. Lawrence Butler The Bridge Church, Pembroke There are several points of interest upon which we shall look over the next few weeks. It is my intention to point out two of those acts of mercy and grace in this lesson today. May the Holy Spirit quicken the Word of God to our hearts, granting understanding of His mysterious wonders to deliver man from sin.
The first is that God’s plan of salvation is intended to reach all humans, not just special groups of limited numbers. In other words, the blood of Jesus Christ was shed for all people, regardless of race or ethnic groups.
Ruth the Moabitess illustrates to us that salvation’s plan was not extended for Jews (Israelites) alone, but for the Gentiles as well. This was not revealed as clearly in the Old Testament as in the New Testament, but it is there nonetheless as we see in this short Book of Ruth.
The reward for Ruth’s faith and obedience not only to her mother-in-law but to the Lord Himself was going to bring the same blessing the Jews received.
“The LORD recompense thy work, and a full reward be given thee of the LORD God of Israel, under whose wings thou art come to trust” (Ruth 2:12). She loved and respected Naomi, but she served and trusted the Lord. Thus, she would receive the same reward as all the children of God.
The second point is somewhat similar in that Ruth’s blessing demonstrates that in God’s eyes women are co-equal with men. They are considered joint heirs with men in salvation’s plan of grace. We realize that in most societies since the world began women have been relegated to positions of second class citizenship, sometimes in near bondage situations, but this has never been God’s viewpoint. This has existed because of man’s sinful confusion of God’s will.
Listen to the Apostle Paul’s position on the subject of equality. “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus” ( Galatians 3:28).
Our ethnicity, our color nor our gender has any bearing on God’s love us. “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16). All of us are loved and desired by our Father.