Ruth 4:13-17, Renewed Life
“The Lord is good and his love endures forever”
Illustration:
“An elderly lady entered into a catholic shrine and touched all statutes of saints and kissed. Finally she touched Satan under the feet of Jesus and kissed him. The Father asked, why my dear daughter you worshipped all including Satan. She replied who knows if I am not granted heaven, I have to spend my eternity with this fellow.”
Book of Ruth:
It is an Old Testament book belonging to the third section of the biblical canon, known as the Ketuvim, or Writings. According to the Talmud (Jewish tradition), the prophet Samuel wrote the book of Ruth.
The book of Ruth stands with the Song of Solomon, Lamentations, Ecclesiastes, and Esther are five scrolls (Megillot), read at prescribed times on Jewish religious festivals.
Ruth is the festal scroll for Shavuot, the Feast of Weeks, 50 days after Passover. It was originally an agricultural festival, marking the beginning of the wheat harvest. (Encyclopaedia of Britannica).
Ruth is known as "It is a tale of charm and delight.", "The loveliest complete work on a small scale handed down to us as an ethical treatise and idyll." and "no poet in the world has written a more beautiful short story," like the book of Ruth.
Observe the Text: Ruth lost her life; she moves without her husband but trusted her mother-in-law and in the Lord of her mother-in-law. Boaz, a devoted god-fearing Jew had compassion on her. The Lord blessed the family union of Ruth and Boaz. God approved the deeds of Naomi and Ruth. The neighbors, relatives, and friends appreciated this blessed couple. Obed became the restorer of life. Naomi nursed Obed. He became the father of Jesse, the father of David.
Today, let me share with you from this passage Ruth 4:13-17, three lessons: Ruth lost her life; Ruth received her new life; Ruth enjoyed the goodwill of her neighbours.
1. RUTH LOST HER LIFE:
Ruth means "companion" or "friend." Ruth was a Moabite immigrant to Judea. Ruth was related to Israel through Lot, the nephew of Abraham (Ruth 1:4; Genesis 11:31). Her struggles of her first and second marriages are recorded in this book. Ruth married a Judean immigrant named Mahlon (Ruth 1:1–4; 4:10).
Ruth, a Moabite Girl lost her life at a very young age. She was serving the Moabite goddess but found the God of the Jews as a her true God. However, she was suspected, suppressed, and rejected by the worshiper of Yahweh, relatives of Naomi.
Ruth was known for her LOYALTY from day one, loyalty to follow Yahweh. She told her mother in law, “Whither thou goest, I will go, your God is my God." (Ruth 1:16-17). Boaz appreciated her faith in Yahweh. He praised God saying, “The LORD repay you for what you have done, and a full reward is given you by the LORD, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge!"(Ruth 2:12).
Boaz further vouched the loyalty of Ruth, saying, “for all my people in the city know that you are a woman of excellence.” (Ruth 3:11). (Free Bible Study Lessons).
Ruth was known for her OBEDIENCE to Naomi was commendable (Ruth 3:1-5). Ruth followed her mother-in-law’s advice down to the letter. She didn’t trust herself, her own opinion, or her feelings, but followed the older and wiser Naomi.
Some modern Feminist theologians see her in two aspects: one is as being compliant, self-effacing, and a mere pawn of Naom; but at the same, a few women theologians saw Ruth as faithful, made radical moves, and risked dangerous acts. (Jewish Women Archives).
Ruth was running a life of poverty, uncertainty, and hopeless eternity. But God had greater preparation, plan, and purpose for her life.
Yes, as Job said in his life, we say boldly “I know that you can do all things, and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted.” (Job 42:2). God is able to make you whatever and whoever you need to be, become best of yourself.
2. RUTH RECEIVED HER NEW LIFE:
We know, life has this funny way of holding us back with its baggage. We all have our share of experiences, both good and bad, that shape who we are. But sometimes, these stories become heavy anchors that prevent us from sailing towards new horizons. They keep us stuck in a loop, constantly replaying events that no longer serve us.
We carry a resume, a resume of our past potential, the things of good, bad, and ugly turns in our lives. But God would change the resume of the future as the ever best of us. God takes delight in the most unlikely person and does a huge miracle. God would use our talents, and abilities to advance the kingdom of God, as he used the Paul of the Tarsus.
God prepares us, positions us, and enables us to do what we can do most effectively for his kingdom. He never would like to use us less effectively. We may desire less effective and non-effective. But God prepares, positions, and enables great things which we can’t even imagine.
We go through good times, bad times and ugly situations. In God’s economy, all is redeemed and nothing is lost. He takes the good things which we cherish, he keeps in account the bad things that we would like to forget and the ugly things to shape us better.
God turns our mistakes into miracles. But Romans 6:1 says that we don’t have a license to sin just because God is gracious. We can’t take God for a ride and manipulate his goodness. Let God use our mistakes to improve us rather than letting the devil use them to destroy our future. (Tony Evans, God is up to something great; turning your yesterdays into better tomorrows, 2012). God is bigger than our human failures. Hand over your mess to God, he will mend it and use it for his glory. Best example in the Bible is Joseph, son of Jacob.
Joseph of Genesis had several ugly circumstances one can ever think of, the worst stippling rivalry, the worst mistress behavior and lies of coworkers, ultimately imprisoned for his goodness.
His Goodness and sainthood were punished. It’s a bad situation, “It’s unfair”- how many times have we been going through this? Sometimes in the short run, doing right things, following right ways can cost us a lot, cost of time, more Anxieties, nasty talks by all, and feel miserable. Yet, in all this ugliness, the Lord was with Joseph, is it not true that he is with all of us.
The honesty, stewardship, and faithfulness of Joseph gave him the second position among the criminals, but God was with him so he was exalted to the second position in all of Egypt. God created you for a purpose. It comes on time. It’s never too late for God.
The past is not your final destination when you trust God. Doing the right thing often takes great sacrifice. We must be people of character even when we think no one is watching. God uses unlikely people for his purpose (Joy Burgess).
God has created you, customise you for his purpose. No matter how many, good, bad, or ugly things happen in your life. God can redirect your life to reflect his glory. Though many items it’s foggy, not clear where we are heading. But he takes us exactly where we need to be when we commit to him.
3. RUTH REJOICED WITH HER NEIGHBOURS:
The world is not kind to weaker section, weak people, orphans, and widows. It shows it’s hardest hand and cruelty to them. Ruth, being a widow was not an exception, she face even more difficult situations. Ruth doesn’t come from a famous family. She doesn’t have great riches or a great possession or position to boast of. Ruth is just a widow – that too from an enemy nation. Nothing was going in her favor.
But by the grace of God, she found favour from her mother in law, favour from Boaz and now from her neighbors. They accepted her and approved the blessings of RUTH.
The neighbors gave her greater strength and energy to move on with joy and happiness. Neither Ruth nor Boaz nor Naomi named their son but the neighbours called him Obed. Obed means “servant.” The neighbors once were hostile, and ridiculed but now became friendly, appreciative, and embraced the family as part of their clan. God changes the times and seasons and hearts of the people.
Naomi had lost her two sons at the beginning of this book Ruth, and the women are now making a profound statement: that pain was not the final word in Naomi’s story. Her bitterness, her loss, and her unfortunate circumstances are turned into great joy. God was at work in ways that Naomi never could have imagined in order to provide for her in ways she would never dreamt of. Naomi at one point thought her life was over, and now these women declare that pain was not the final word in Naomi’s story. (Brian Burns).
In the midst of our deepest, darkest sorrow, God is at work in ways that you cannot presently imagine to bring about good for us that we cannot possibly dream of. There are places our story is going that we could never come up with on our own and that we would never arrive at had we not gone through what we are right now going through. (Brian Burns).
Conclusion:
Ruth illustrates a theme of redemption, a word that occurs 23 times in the book of Ruth. Boaz acts as a "kinsman-redeemer" and is symbolic of the mediating work of Christ. (Bible Study Tools). Obedience in everyday life pleases God. When we reflect His character through our interactions with others, we bring glory to Him. (Rev. Chuck Swindoll).
The book of Ruth tells the extraordinary faithfulness of God to three ordinary people, Naomi, Ruth, and Boaz, and vice versa. As they work through both economic hardship and prosperity, we see the hand of God at work most clearly in their productive agricultural labor, generous management of resources for the good of all, respectful treatment of co-workers, ingenuity in the face of necessity, and the conception and raising of children. The characters in the book work diligently, justly, generously, and ingeniously, in accordance with God’s law and inspiration.
(Theology of Work). Ruth reminds us that no matter what lies in our past, and no matter how difficult our circumstances may be, a little bit of faith makes a huge difference. And even in our obscurity, and in the mess of what may be our lives, God finds a way to use the most unlikely people in ways that we could never imagine (Joy Burgess).
