Ruth The Risk Taker Series

Fort Lee, which is now Charleston, West Virginia was

under attack in 1791. Colonel George Clendenin assembled

his men to ask for a volunteer to ride to Lewisberg over 100

miles away to get powder. They were almost out, and their

survival depended upon a renewed supply. No one

volunteered, for it was a suicide mission. Then a high

pitched voice cried out, "I will go!" It was the voice of

Anne Bailey. She was no ordinary lady. The Indians called

her mad Anne because she took so many risks. She fought

the British and the Indians, and would roam the

countryside alone to learn the ways of the Indians. She got

so good at being a scout that she was often able to outwit the

Indians. This is she did it again. She got through and

brought back the powder, and Fort Lee was saved.

If you go to Charleston, you will find a museum and a

main thoroughfare named after this brave woman who took

risks that no man was willing to take. Women have been

risk takers all through history, and there are volumes filled

with their exploits. Quite often their risks are related to

their romance. Isabella of Castille defied her half brother

King Henry IV of Spain. He wanted to marry her off to an

old reprobate for his advantage. She threatened to kill

herself before she would do it. She was only 18, but she out

witted the king. She smuggled 17 year old Ferdinand into

Castille disguised as a mule driver. They were married Dec.

19, 1469. Henry did all he could to make them miserable.

He cut off all funds so they had to live in poverty. But their

romance so captured the minds of the people that when

Henry died the nobles united in declaring Isabella the

Queen. She went from poverty to riding a white steed to

receive her crown. The risk she took for romance changed

the course of history.

Pocahontas took the risk of being the first Indian to

marry a white man. Her husband John Rolfe took her back

to England. Their wedding brought peace to the settlers

and Indians in America, and she became the belle of

London, as people were fascinated with her uniqueness and

charm. She contracted pneumonia, and she died, but her

risk for romance gave her a place in history. Women have

been daring, brave, and courageous in all the battles and

conflicts of history. It was a woman by the name of Emily

Bronte who wrote the famous lines-

No coward soul is mine;

No trembler in the world's storm troubled sphere.

I see heaven's glories shine,

And faith shines equal, arming me from fear.

Females who have had an impact on history usually have

to take some sort of risk, and such is the case with Ruth.

She also took a risk for romance. If you look at the radical

differences between Ruth and Boaz, you will be better able

to see the risks involved.

1. Boaz is a Jew, and Ruth is a Gentile. This is a radical

form of intermarriage.

2. Boaz is an Israelite, and Ruth is a Moabitess. These two

nations were bitter enemies.

3. Boaz is middle aged, and Ruth is quite young.

4. Boaz is rich, and Ruth is poor.

5. Boaz has deep roots, and Ruth is a stranger and an

outsider.

The potential for problems is great. Any marriage

counselor today would look at these elements and rate this

relationship as high risk. What we need to see, however, is

that the encourager of this risky romance is a risk taker.

Naomi risked leaving Bethlehem to go to Moab with her

husband, and it was a costly gamble. She took the chance of

letting her two sons marry Moabite girls. That too was a

high risk, but it did pay off as Ruth became a committed

believer in the God of Israel. She took the risk of going

back to her hometown in emptiness and defeat. She faced

the risk of ridicule and rejection. Naomi is one of the most

courageous women of the Bible. Her courage and risk

taking is what motivated Ruth to be a risk taker. The lives

of these two women teach us some valuable truths about

risk. First let's look at-

I. THE REALITY OF RISK.

It is a part of every life, and there is no escape from risk.

If you think you can just do nothing, and, thereby, escape it,

that can be the greatest risk of all. This epitaph illustrates

the point-

Here lies the body of Lester Lee

Underground.

He couldn't decide which side of the tree

To ski around.

Any decision can be risky, but no decision can be the

highest risk of all.