At first, this short Book of Ruth seems to be just the sweet story of the struggles of an insignificant farmer\u2019s family in a tiny village, in a tiny country, after the deaths of the farmer and his two sons. No one in this book had any idea of the critical role they were playing in God’s plan to redeem the world by His Son. In hindsight it’s of course clear to us that this is the love story of the great-grandparents of Israel\u2019s greatest monarch, King David, from whom the Messiah would come.<\/p>\n
Like Naomi, Ruth, and Boaz, none of us can see exactly what God is doing in the world around us today. We don\u2019t know how an act of kindness, courage, or benevolence might affect the future. How a simple choice made for God this day might set in motion a whole chain of events that God uses to change the course of history. What might happen today if we choose to serve God and He takes that tiny offering and magnifies it a 1000 times, as only He can do?<\/p>\n
This story could have ended with Ruth, when all seemed lost, returning to her own people. But instead of giving in to the pain of losing her husband and the struggle of adapting to a new culture, she made a choice. Out of her discouragement and despair, she chose to continue serving God by serving her mother-in-law. What good could that possibly bring? When we follow her genealogy, we see that it was through her line that the Word became Flesh and dwelt among us. It is amazing that God created the cosmos with sensate beings with free will, but it is even more astounding that He cares about us in our daily struggles and condescends to use us. Can God be trusted with our lives and the future that only He can see? Absolutely.<\/p>\n
\u201cEven though we can\u2019t see everything ahead today, we trust You Lord to direct our path, in Jesus\u2019 name.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n =============================================================<\/p>\n\n\n\n Ruth 4 KJV<\/p>\n\n\n\n 1<\/sup>\u00a0Then went Boaz up to the gate, and sat him down there: and, behold, the kinsman of whom Boaz spake came by; unto whom he said, Ho, such a one! turn aside, sit down here. And he turned aside, and sat down.\u00a02<\/sup>\u00a0And he took ten men of the elders of the city, and said, Sit ye down here. And they sat down.\u00a03<\/sup>\u00a0And he said unto the kinsman, Naomi, that is come again out of the country of Moab, selleth a parcel of land, which\u00a0was\u00a0<\/em>our brother Elimelech\u2019s:\u00a04<\/sup>\u00a0And I thought to advertise thee, saying, Buy\u00a0it\u00a0<\/em>before the inhabitants, and before the elders of my people. If thou wilt redeem\u00a0it\u00a0<\/em>, redeem\u00a0it:\u00a0<\/em>but if thou wilt not redeem\u00a0it, then\u00a0<\/em>tell me, that I may know: for\u00a0there is\u00a0<\/em>none to redeem\u00a0it\u00a0<\/em>beside thee; and I\u00a0am\u00a0<\/em>after thee. And he said, I will redeem\u00a0it\u00a0<\/em>.\u00a0\u00a05<\/sup>\u00a0Then said Boaz, What day thou buyest the field of the hand of Naomi, thou must buy\u00a0it\u00a0<\/em>also of Ruth the Moabitess, the wife of the dead, to raise up the name of the dead upon his inheritance. 6<\/sup>\u00a0And the kinsman said, I cannot redeem\u00a0it\u00a0<\/em>for myself, lest I mar mine own inheritance: redeem thou my right to thyself; for I cannot redeem\u00a0it\u00a0<\/em>.\u00a07<\/sup>\u00a0Now this\u00a0was the manner\u00a0<\/em>in former time in Israel concerning redeeming and concerning changing, for to confirm all things; a man plucked off his shoe, and gave\u00a0it\u00a0<\/em>to his neighbour: and this\u00a0was\u00a0<\/em>a testimony in Israel.\u00a08<\/sup>Therefore the kinsman said unto Boaz, Buy\u00a0it\u00a0<\/em>for thee. So he drew off his shoe. 9<\/sup> And Boaz said unto the elders, and\u00a0unto\u00a0<\/em>all the people, Ye\u00a0are\u00a0<\/em>witnesses this day, that I have bought all that\u00a0was\u00a0<\/em>Elimelech\u2019s, and all that\u00a0was\u00a0<\/em>Chilion\u2019s and Mahlon\u2019s, of the hand of Naomi.\u00a010<\/sup>\u00a0Moreover Ruth the Moabitess, the wife of Mahlon, have I purchased to be my wife, to raise up the name of the dead upon his inheritance, that the name of the dead be not cut off from among his brethren, and from the gate of his place: ye\u00a0are\u00a0<\/em>witnesses this day.\u00a011<\/sup>\u00a0And all the people that\u00a0were\u00a0<\/em>in the gate, and the elders, said,\u00a0We are\u00a0<\/em>witnesses. The\u00a0LORD\u00a0make the woman that is come into thine house like Rachel and like Leah, which two did build the house of Israel: and do thou worthily in Ephratah, and be famous in Beth-lehem:\u00a012<\/sup>\u00a0And let thy house be like the house of Pharez, whom Tamar bare unto Judah, of the seed which the\u00a0LORDshall give thee of this young woman. 13<\/sup>\u00a0So Boaz took Ruth, and she was his wife: and when he went in unto her, the\u00a0LORD\u00a0gave her conception, and she bare a son.\u00a014<\/sup>\u00a0And the women said unto Naomi, Blessed\u00a0be\u00a0<\/em>the\u00a0LORD, which hath not left thee this day without a kinsman, that his name may be famous in Israel.\u00a0\u00a015<\/sup>\u00a0And he shall be unto thee a restorer of\u00a0thy\u00a0<\/em>life, and a nourisher of thine old age: for thy daughter in law, which loveth thee, which is better to thee than seven sons, hath born him.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a016<\/sup>\u00a0And Naomi took the child, and laid it in her bosom, and became nurse unto it.\u00a017<\/sup>And the women her neighbours gave it a name, saying, There is a son born to Naomi; and they called his name Obed: he\u00a0is\u00a0<\/em>the father of Jesse, the father of David. 18<\/sup>\u00a0Now these\u00a0are\u00a0<\/em>the generations of Pharez: Pharez begat Hezron,\u00a019<\/sup>\u00a0And Hezron begat Ram, and Ram begat Amminadab,\u00a020<\/sup>\u00a0And Amminadab begat Nahshon, and Nahshon begat Salmon,\u00a0\u00a021<\/sup>\u00a0And Salmon begat Boaz, and Boaz begat Obed,\u00a022<\/sup>\u00a0And Obed begat Jesse, and Jesse begat David.<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" At first, this short Book of Ruth seems to be just the sweet story of the struggles of an insignificant farmer\u2019s family in a tiny village, in a tiny country, after the deaths of the farmer and his two sons. 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