Ruth: Woman of Worth

Ruth: Woman of Worth

At CDC this Sunday, we were again most privileged to hear a sermon from sister Lydia on the topic: Ruth – Woman of Worth.

First of all, our attention was drawn to the era in which Ruth lived in. It was the time of the judges, a very dark period for Israel, where an endless cycle of moral decline seemed to perpetuate itself. Upon the great conquest led by Joshua upon the land of Canaan, one would naturally expect the Israelites to remain loyal to Yahweh for generations to come, but sadly, this was not the case. In only the next generation, the Israelites turned away from God and became steeped in idolatry and sin. Once trouble came as a result of their sin, they cried out to God, and He sent them a Judge, a Deliverer each time. However, they soon forgot God again and went back to wicked ways. Finally, each one did what was right in his own eyes and Israel remained in a state of chaos. In spite of that, a wonderful love story develops against this drawback, the story of a daughter-in-law, a mother-in-law, a kinsman redeemer and the love that bound them. It was upon these three characters that the sermon was mainly based upon.

Ruth

Born a Moabitess, she was married at a young age into Naomi’s family, but also shared the misfortune of becoming a widow and after only 10 years. Nevertheless, in her time with Naomi, she had come to accept the God of Israel as her own, and even swore by Him and not by any of the gods of Moab. She remained loyal in her steadfast love for the mother-in-law and refused to leave her but was determined to go with her and help her despite the hardship that faced them. These qualities of love, loyalty and compassion by Ruth certainly make her one of the most endearing heroines of the Bible. She was also obedient to Naomi, and trusted her mother-in-law to decide what was best for her. Boaz was an older man, but Ruth was also loyal to maintain the rights of her deceased husband in seeking a kinsman redeemer to carry on his name. The greatness of Ruth in her humility placed her worth of greater than seven sons.

Naomi

As terrible tragedy struck her family and left her destitute and without hope, Naomi still did not forsake the Lord her God, but asked that He bless her daughter-in-laws as she bade them to leave her. Naomi believed that God was helping Israel again and returned to the land despite her sadness that the Lord had afflicted her. In spite of her tragedy, Naomi remained selfless and thought about the welfare of her daughter-in-laws above her own needs. When she saw a ray of hope through a kinsman redeemer, she immediately gave the opportunity to Ruth. The goodness in her heart in spite of her bitterness is apparent throughout this whole book. In the end, she was given the tremendous privilege and joy of caring for her grandson Obed, grandfather of King David, and she was praised and blessed by the women of Israel.

Boaz

Boaz was the son of Rahab, the famous harlot who helped the spies of Israel before the fall of Jericho, thus gaining salvation for her whole family because of her faith in the power of the God of Israel. He was a righteous man, well respected by his workers who were obedient to him. He even called out a greeting to them first, and also honored the law of leaving some of the grains for the poor and the alien. Like Ruth, Boaz was also an honorable man and gave the right of acquisition firstly to the kinsman redeemer nearer than him. Unlike the other kinsman redeemer, he was not afraid of endangering his own property but gladly fulfilled his responsibility to his dead relative in the presence of many witnesses. In a short time, he was honored with a son, and unknowingly established his own name in the great genealogy of the Messiah. 

From this great story, may the Lord help us be inspired to uphold the wonderful principles of love, loyalty, righteousness, selflessness and respect for God always.

God bless,

Jason

Coming back to Bethlehem

So Naomi returned from Moab accompanied by Ruth the Moabitess, her daughter-in-law, arriving in Bethlehem as the barley harvest was beginning. Ruth 1:22

Recently, I had the privilege of reading an article by sister Goh Poh Gaik based on this verse from Ruth Chapter 1, which had some really good points.

The setting is the beginning of the story of Ruth, the daughter in law of an old Israelite lady called Naomi. In a time of famine, Naomi, her husband and two sons had left the promised land for Moab, a foreign place where they hoped to find food, security and success. However, in the distant land, they met only misfortune, for Naomi’s husband and two sons died, leaving only her behind, sad and sorrowful, with two widowed daughter-in-laws. One of them, Orpah, went back to her own family. But the other, Ruth, refused to leave her and returned home to Bethlehem with her, uttering those famous words “Your people will be my people. Your God will be my God.” From then on, most of us know how the story happily ended, with Ruth finding a wonderful and wealthy husband, and giving birth to a son who would be the grandfather of David, the future King of Israel.

However, coming back to the verse, we see the picture of Naomi leaving Moab, empty, and returning to Bethlehem, which means House of Bread, just at the start of a new year. Moab is representative of the world and its promises of security and success. Naomi’s emptiness is symbolic of the meaninglessness and sadness that we often find when we put our hope in the world. And Bethlehem, the House of Bread in the land of God, represents where our God is. For Jesus said, “I am the bread of life. No one who comes to me will never go hungry.” John 6:35

Henceforth, sister Poh Gaik’s three words of advice:-

(i)                 Leave the ways and desires of the world

(ii)               Acknowledge our emptiness

(iii)             Come back to Jesus

Some of us perhaps have drifted away, having for so long chased after the achievements and pleasures of the world. However, we now realize the emptiness and meaninglessness of it all, and how everything can so easily be taken away. Now is the time for us to come back to Jesus, the Bread of Life. May we find peace and rest and satisfaction in Him

God bless, Jason