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Bible Study

Ruth: Proverbs 31 Woman

As a teenager, I was required to memorize Proverbs 31. I remember thinking, “That is so hard. Who could do that?” Ruth is a great example of a Proverbs 31 woman. To be honest, this part of the Book of Ruth has always made me a bit nervous. Am I the only one who cringes at the thought of Ruth going to the threshing floor that night and following Naomi’s orders? Ahhh, talk about awkward! My heart begins to beat faster, and I get anxious just thinking about how nervous Ruth must have been!

Ruth 3:11-18 New International Version (NIV)

11 And now, my daughter, don’t be afraid. I will do for you all you ask. All the people of my town know that you are a woman of noble character. 12 Although it is true that I am a guardian-redeemer of our family, there is another who is more closely related than I. 13 Stay here for the night, and in the morning if he wants to do his duty as your guardian-redeemer, good; let him redeem you. But if he is not willing, as surely as the Lord lives I will do it. Lie here until morning.”

14 So she lay at his feet until morning, but got up before anyone could be recognized; and he said, “No one must know that a woman came to the threshing floor.”

15 He also said, “Bring me the shawl you are wearing and hold it out.” When she did so, he poured into it six measures of barley and placed the bundle on her. Then he went back to town.

16 When Ruth came to her mother-in-law, Naomi asked, “How did it go, my daughter?”

Then she told her everything Boaz had done for her 17 and added, “He gave me these six measures of barley, saying, ‘Don’t go back to your mother-in-law empty-handed.’”

18 Then Naomi said, “Wait, my daughter, until you find out what happens. For the man will not rest until the matter is settled today.”

It wasn’t until I began to study and read more of the background behind Naomi’s instructions to Ruth that I began to understand the parallel to Christ’s redemption of our lives.

Look at Naomi’s advice to Ruth instructing her to change from her clothes of mourning and widowhood to new, clean and fresh clothes signifying that her time of mourning her husband’s death is over and she should move on with her life. How beautiful that Naomi would be the one to suggest this to Ruth and lovingly give her the freedom and blessing to move on! Much like Ruth, I feel I may have needed a “Naomi” in my life to give me permission to exchange my clothes of mourning and get on with my new life in God. Removing the garments of shame, anger, unforgiveness, betrayal, bitterness and pain and putting on new garments of hope, redemption, and love.

In the Hebrew Bible, Proverbs comes just before the book of Ruth. With Proverbs 31 being the last chapter, You would Read of the virtuous woman and start reading book of Ruth. Proverbs provides the description and Ruth, the example.

What we see in Ruth 3:11 is the same description we see of the “Proverbs 31 Woman” in verse 31:31. Just like the “Proverbs 31 Woman”, Ruth was also praised at the city gates…a woman mind you who was born in an enemy country, who was an alien in the country she was living in…this broken, widowed woman was actually a Proverbs 31 woman!.

Give her the reward she has earned, and let her works bring her praise at the city gate.- Proverbs 31:31

Ruth is praised at the city gates because of how she has loved Naomi, worked hard to provide food for her mother-n-law and sought to honor her. A woman who could have turned away and started a new life in her homeland chose to leave all that she knew and walk forward in faith, not knowing what the road to Bethlehem would hold for her.

I am learning so many lessons to apply to my life as I’m inspired by Ruth’s story. We can never dismiss the power of a life lived out in love for God and others. We see this in Ruth’s life, as we see it in the life of the “Proverbs 31 Woman”, too. Both women lived with their focus on God and serving those around them. Both women lived for more than themselves and because of that, both women’s every day, step-by-step obedience is still encouraging generations of women thousands of years later!

As I’ve been reading through Ruth, I’ve been challenged through this powerful book to live more boldly for Christ. To walk my life out in greater faith and greater obedience…even if I’m not sure what is waiting for me in my “Bethlehem.” It’s not easy to humble ourselves and lay our lives down at the feet of our Redeemer. But just like Boaz, Jesus doesn’t reject us. He sees us and loves us.

What about Ruth’s life encourages you so far in our study? Is there something new that you’ve learned?

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Bible Study

Ruth: Love and Faith

We begin this week in chapter 3 and many scholars guessed that a couple of weeks have gone by between the end of chapter 2 and the beginning of chapter 3. It is harvest time in Bethlehem and Naomi decides to set Ruth up with one of the landowners named Boaz.

Naomi has always referred to Ruth as a daughter and has always showed her great love. The simple fact that Naomi addressed Ruth as “my daughter” meant that she really cared for Ruth and that she had taken it on herself to secure a good future for Ruth.

Ruth 3:1-10 New International Version (NIV)

3 One day Ruth’s mother-in-law Naomi said to her, “My daughter, I must find a home[a for you, where you will be well provided for. Now Boaz, with whose women you have worked, is a relative of ours. Tonight he will be winnowing barley on the threshing floor. Wash, put on perfume, and get dressed in your best clothes. Then go down to the threshing floor, but don’t let him know you are there until he has finished eating and drinking. When he lies down, note the place where he is lying. Then go and uncover his feet and lie down. He will tell you what to do.”

“I will do whatever you say,” Ruth answered. So she went down to the threshing floor and did everything her mother-in-law told her to do.

When Boaz had finished eating and drinking and was in good spirits, he went over to lie down at the far end of the grain pile. Ruth approached quietly, uncovered his feet and lay down. In the middle of the night something startled the man; he turned—and there was a woman lying at his feet!

“Who are you?” he asked.

“I am your servant Ruth,” she said. “Spread the corner of your garment over me, since you are a guardian-redeemer of our family.”

10 “The Lord bless you, my daughter,” he replied. “This kindness is greater than that which you showed earlier: You have not run after the younger men, whether rich or poor.

Things get a little weird hear. Noami is really specific in how she is supposed to act with Boaz. First Ruth is to take a bath, put on some perfume and some fresh clothes. This seems normal. Then she is to go to his field and wait (without him knowing that she is there) for Boaz to finish eating and drinking, and then to lay down for the night. This seems a bit stalkery.   

Lastly, Ruth is to uncover his feet and lay down with him. This seems strange and somewhat inappropriate. Some believe that Naomi’s suggestion is sexual since it is believed that prostitutes would act in this way.  But this interpretation goes against what we know of both Naomi and Ruth’s character and the praise that Boaz gives Ruth for her actions later in verse 10. Instead, Ruth’s actions express a desire for protection, and the idea of marriage would have been the obvious way of receiving this protection.

Naomi’s idea certainly is a bit delicate and could result in Boaz misinterpreting what Ruth was doing. But Naomi seems very confident in the situation and in Boaz’s integrity. She believes that he will do what is right when he wakes up and finds Ruth lying at his feet.

But what can we take away from this part of the story? We have to be careful that when we are reading historical narratives, that we don’t try and force an application for every part of the story. Instead, we need to look for the themes that are found throughout the whole book.

Two of the themes we see is love and faith. Naomi’s faith in God seems to have gotten stronger since the story began, and she seems very confident in her plan for Ruth. The faith Naomi and Ruth have in the one true God has created a strong bond of love between the two of them. Naomi really wants to see Ruth taken care of and is willing to do all she can to help.

These two ladies can be great examples to us in godliness and faith. We need to do all we can to grow in our faith and in love for others who have this same faith.

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Bible Study

Ruth: Luck has Nothing to Do With It.

I used to say, “If I had no bad luck, I’d have no luck at all.” I would compare my life to others and just think that I was plagued to be unlucky. Then after years trying to run from what God wanted from me, I finally realized. There is no such thing as luck. There is God, His love, and blessings.

It wasn’t luck that brought Ruth to Boaz’s field. It wasn’t luck that he just happened to arrive back to his field from Bethlehem at the same time Ruth was there. And is sure wasn’t luck that Boaz was from the clan of Elimelek and therefore a close relative to Naomi.

It wasn’t luck. It was God.

Ruth 2:20-23 New International Version (NIV)

20 “The Lord bless him!” Naomi said to her daughter-in-law. “He has not stopped showing his kindness to the living and the dead.” She added, “That man is our close relative; he is one of our guardian-redeemers.[a]

21 Then Ruth the Moabite said, “He even said to me, ‘Stay with my workers until they finish harvesting all my grain.’”

22 Naomi said to Ruth her daughter-in-law, “It will be good for you, my daughter, to go with the women who work for him, because in someone else’s field you might be harmed.”

23 So Ruth stayed close to the women of Boaz to glean until the barley and wheat harvests were finished. And she lived with her mother-in-law

I was grown with a son before I learned about God’s providence. How He goes before us to orchestrate events in our lives. He sets up things that many times we don’t even understand until years later.

Throughout the book of Ruth, we see God’s loving hand through all the details, events, and opportunities in spite of disobedience, mistakes, and sin. What I love about the book of Ruth is how God, through His amazing love, went before Ruth, Naomi, and Boaz. He wrote a beautiful story of redemption which mirrors His heart for all His children; children who at one time were like Ruth, people in need of a redeemer.

Though Elimelek and Naomi shouldn’t have moved to Moab, God in His mercy gave Naomi her daughter-in-law, Ruth. Through Naomi, Ruth turns from her past, her gods, her culture, and clings to Naomi and Naomi’s God. When Naomi and Ruth need food to survive back in Bethlehem, God provides a Redeemer in Boaz. At every turn and every crisis, we witness God’s providence, not luck, providing, tending to, and caring for Naomi and Ruth.

What God did for Ruth and Naomi, He does for us too.

You may be looking at your life right now and wondering what in the world God is up to. Or you may be crying out to God, begging Him to redeem your mistakes, your journeys to foreign lands, and missed opportunities. If so, know that you are not alone. Like a prodigal son, turn back to God. When you do, you’ll see that He is running after you with open arms.

When we look at Ruth’s life and how God worked. God is at work in your life just like He was in Ruth’s. God is up to more than what meets the eye. There are no chance meetings, no lucky opportunities. It is God, your kinsman redeemer, who is at work in your life. That doesn’t mean that the road ahead will be easy. It doesn’t mean that there won’t be construction involved, delays, or possibly detours. What it does mean is that God is orchestrating your life for a bigger purpose.

Looking back over your life, how has God been orchestrating it for a greater good?

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Bible Study

Ruth: Hard Work Under Sheltered Wings

At this point in the Book of Ruth, we have witnessed the hesed of God and Ruth, seen tragedy, and seen Boaz showing Ruth kindness. Today we are going to see more of the characters of both Ruth and Boaz. As you read the scripture look closely at nature of these people and look for the hand of God.

Ruth 2:10-19 New International Version (NIV)

10 At this, she bowed down with her face to the ground. She asked him, “Why have I found such favor in your eyes that you notice me—a foreigner?”

11 Boaz replied, “I’ve been told all about what you have done for your mother-in-law since the death of your husband—how you left your father and mother and your homeland and came to live with a people you did not know before. 12 May the Lord repay you for what you have done. May you be richly rewarded by the Lord, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge.”

13 “May I continue to find favor in your eyes, my lord,” she said. “You have put me at ease by speaking kindly to your servant—though I do not have the standing of one of your servants.”

14 At mealtime Boaz said to her, “Come over here. Have some bread and dip it in the wine vinegar.”

When she sat down with the harvesters, he offered her some roasted grain. She ate all she wanted and had some left over. 15 As she got up to glean, Boaz gave orders to his men, “Let her gather among the sheaves and don’t reprimand her. 16 Even pull out some stalks for her from the bundles and leave them for her to pick up, and don’t rebuke her.”

17 So Ruth gleaned in the field until evening. Then she threshed the barley she had gathered, and it amounted to about an ephah.18 She carried it back to town, and her mother-in-law saw how much she had gathered. Ruth also brought out and gave her what she had left over after she had eaten enough.

19 Her mother-in-law asked her, “Where did you glean today? Where did you work? Blessed be the man who took notice of you!”

Then Ruth told her mother-in-law about the one at whose place she had been working. “The name of the man I worked with today is Boaz,” she said.

Did you see it. Ruth was loyal, hardworking, humble and grateful. Boaz was gracious, kind, generous and giving praise to God. He pointed out to her that God was giving her refuge. We know from before that Ruth had already renounced her moabite ways and swore to Naomi that Naomi’s God was her God. She was now looked to Jehovah God for her sustenance. Her resilient faith did not sway as she worked in the hot sun while every person in town watched her sweating out her new-found faith.

Because of her hard work, faith and loyalty, Boaz noticed her and she found favor in the eyes of the wealthy landowner. Can that be said for you? Are you noticed for hard work, faith and loyalty? I hope I am, but I am afraid I have failed. I will always have this as my goal.

Are you in a place were you feel like your drowning in your circumstances. Take a moment and take refuge in the Lord. Allow him to work in your life. You might be surprised to find out he is already working. Remember sometimes it is not the circumstances that need to change, sometimes it is the people in the circumstances that need to change. Be willing to let God change you if that’s what needs to happen.

You are never alone and unprotected, . Like David in the Psalms, we can cry out to God: Psalm 57:1 “Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me, for in You my soul takes refuge; in the shadow of Your wings I will take refuge, till the storms of destruction pass by” 

During desperate times, we must remember that we have a Hesed God.

Plug into His power through prayer and Bible study.

Trust in His timing, rather than try to take control.

Resolve to stay close by His side and not stray.

Rest in hope because He is faithful and true.

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Bible Study

Ruth: God’s Hand in Our Lives

The book of Ruth is often seen as a love story. And Yes, it is that. But, it goes so much deeper that just the story of a man and a woman. As we begin chapter two, Ruth and Naomi have moved to Bethlehem and are looking for ways that they can get food.

Ruth 2:1-9 New International Version (NIV)

Now Naomi had a relative on her husband’s side, a man of standing from the clan of Elimelek, whose name was Boaz.

And Ruth the Moabite said to Naomi, “Let me go to the fields and pick up the leftover grain behind anyone in whose eyes I find favor.”

Naomi said to her, “Go ahead, my daughter.” So she went out, entered a field and began to glean behind the harvesters. As it turned out, she was working in a field belonging to Boaz, who was from the clan of Elimelek.

Just then Boaz arrived from Bethlehem and greeted the harvesters, “The Lord be with you!”

“The Lord bless you!” they answered.

Boaz asked the overseer of his harvesters, “Who does that young woman belong to?”

The overseer replied, “She is the Moabite who came back from Moab with Naomi. She said, ‘Please let me glean and gather among the sheaves behind the harvesters.’ She came into the field and has remained here from morning till now, except for a short rest in the shelter.”

So Boaz said to Ruth, “My daughter, listen to me. Don’t go and glean in another field and don’t go away from here. Stay here with the women who work for me. Watch the field where the men are harvesting, and follow along after the women. I have told the men not to lay a hand on you. And whenever you are thirsty, go and get a drink from the water jars the men have filled.”

I hope that reading the book of Ruth will touch your hearts and make you fall in love with the beautiful, provisional exchange between Ruth and the beyond merciful man of God named Boaz. I have always prayed that God would help me raise Jackson to become a man like Boaz. I was blessed and given my own Boaz, in my husband Daniel. The way this wealthy man treats his workers and then Ruth demonstrates a genuine life lived for God and others. Boaz is the God initiated positive shift in this story that born out of the deepest suffering.

As I was blessed with a Boaz and desire my son to be like him. I also aspire to have the character of Ruth. She is a model of grace, humility, tremendous work ethic, resourcefulness, and selflessness. I am motivated by her strength and inspired by her undaunted attitude. She Reminds me of the woman described in Proverbs 31. You might even want to put your hands to work for God with renewed commitment and fervor after reflecting on her life.

Or God might be telling you, you have been more of a Naomi. Who ended chapter 1 in hopeless and bitterness, but who now is beginning to see the mercy of God break through in her life after a long period of darkness. Her return to Bethlehem not only signified a return to her people, but also a return to her God. If you’ve been in a season of darkness that has left you far from God, I pray that your heart will be softened as you watch Naomi’s transformation this week.

But oh, more than anything, please don’t miss our great God in the details.

It’s not a coincidence that Naomi returned Bethlehem.

It’s God that lead them there.

It’s not a coincidence that Ruth “happened to come”to a certain field.

It’s God who placed Ruth in Boaz’s field

It’s not a coincidence that Boaz had leftover harvest to glean in his fields.

It’s God who has a heart for the poor and the widow – Leviticus 19:9-10; James 1:27

God’s intention isn’t for us to simply focus on the love story of Ruth and Boaz, or admirable human strength, resilience, or effort. Throughout Scripture, God longs for us to see Him as the loving God whose hands direct our lives.

Now it’s your turn. Where have you seen God go before YOU?

Seek Him in your suffering, don’t miss His whisperings in the waiting, and look for His provision as you unpack His faithfulness in each new day.

And then don’t forget to speak of His glory and goodness to those He has put in your path! .

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Ruth: Get Bitter or Get Better

Many people find it almost impossible to have hope when you are filled with pain and loss. Naomi has lost her husband and both her sons and her dreams of having a large family had been shattered. In most of our lives we have felt pain and loss. It may not be on Naomi’s scale, but the struggle is still real for us. At one point in my life I was bitter and angry at how I thought God was treating. It turns out i was bringing this destruction on myself, but I was young and naive and very selfish. During this time, I spoke with a very god- centered preacher, Bobby Tucker. He said to me, “Missy, You have one choice. You can be bitter or get better.” Those words have often come back at me many times since that conversation. Although it is difficult to believe that God is near, His sovereignty never sleeps. When our pain is the deepest and our doubt the greatest, God remains with us.

Ruth 1:19-22 New International Version (NIV)

19 So the two women went on until they came to Bethlehem. When they arrived in Bethlehem, the whole town was stirred because of them, and the women exclaimed, “Can this be Naomi?”20 “Don’t call me Naomi,[a]” she told them. “Call me Mara,[ because the Almighty has made my life very bitter. 21 I went away full, but the Lord has brought me back empty. Why call me Naomi? The Lord has afflicted me; the Almighty has brought misfortune upon me.

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

In this passage, Naomi is facing a crisis of faith. Returning to her homeland, Bethlehem, the home of her God, her faith, and her people should bring feelings of hope. However, Naomi is left empty and in despair. Naomi, in Hebrew means pleasant. After all that has happened, now wishes to be called Mara, which means Bitter

Naomi believes that God is punishing her. When everything seems to be tossed upside, do you get like Naomi or do you choose to cry out to God and get better. My Mother and father -in- law have have a rough 5 years. My father- in-law has battled prostate and bone cancer. My mother-in-law has battled stomach, uterine and brain cancer. Yet, they refuse to be bitter. Going into her brain surgery my mother-in-law looked at me and said, “It’s okay. Either way I win. I beat this and get to spend more time here with you or I don’t and I get to spend eternity with Jesus. Either way I win.”

God does not just extend the fullness of His grace and overflowing love during the good times in our lives. That Grace and Love are present in the bad as well, you just have to stop wallowing in you grief long enough to see God. We get so focused on me, me, me that we forget this story your starring in is all about God. God will use our doubts, our fears, and our pain for His glory. Nothing is wasted or without purpose. We can be assured that all of our struggles and our pain are in the loving hands of a loving Father.

Naomi, in her pain, called herself Mara, because she failed to recognize God’s grace. However, God, in His grace, blessed Naomi with a loving husband for many years. In His grace, Naomi and her husband birthed two strong sons who were then able to support and care for her after her husband’s death. In His grace, her sons were married, her daughters-in-law, who honored and respected her despite their Moabite upbringing. In His grace, Naomi was able to return to her home and her faith, in Bethlehem, after God had delivered the land from a severe famine.

In God’s grace, Naomi was never alone. She possessed the love and devotion of her daughter-in-law Ruth who shared her same struggles with pain and loss. In His grace, Naomi would become grandmother to Ruth’s first-born, Obed, and share in the majestic ancestry of the lineage of her Messiah, Jesus Christ. God’s grace is exceedingly more abundant than our circumstances, our past, or our pain.

God’s grace pours out love, kindness, favor, and forgiveness all over the place, to those who trust in Him. His grace changes everything. Our plan for our life is often drastically different from God’s purpose for our life. The challenge for believers is to filter our every experience through the love of Jesus Christ and trust His perspective, not our own. Grounding our lives in God’s promises in His Word gives us the confidence to trust His will and His plan for our lives.

But I trust in Your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in Your salvation. I will sing the Lord’s praise, for He has been good to me. – Psalm 13:5-6 

Naomi thought she had lost everything. She thought God had afflicted her. Naomi was wrong. Everything she believed had been lost and perished was restored as a part of God’s plan because of His great love. There are no insignificant people or circumstances in God’s story. Even when we doubt it, God’s love for His people is eternally perfect, unconditional, and inexhaustible until the end of ends.

Have your circumstances derailed your faith in God? How might your emotions be limiting your ability to recognize God’s grace in your life? How might God be using your trials to strengthen your faith and reveal His glory?  How can we pray for you as you seek out God’s grace in your life?

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Bible Study

Ruth: Loyalty in Relationships

Having spent many years working with teenagers, I been evolved in some lively conversations. We have talked about Everything from games and memes, I have no idea about, to food, to shoes, but when you hang in there long enough, the topic of relationships almost always rises. One thing I have noticed through the years is that the kids bring up the seeming lack of loyalty in relationships around them. It’s no secret that changes throughout the teenage years can often result in self-focus, fickle feelings, shifts in friendship groups, and short-lived romantic interests. Unfortunately, the absence of loyalty isn’t just exclusive to the teenage years.

The world we live in has distorted views on loyalty. The more and more people I talk to the more convinced I am that most peoples loyalty lies in their own needs not the others in the relationship. I am not only speaking of marriage, but also friendships, jobs, churches and ministries. With staggering divorce rates, decreasing job longevity, and even a trending lack of commitment to the local church, the priority the world places on personal convenience and fulfillment the evidence of out lack of loyalty is staggering. Ruth chose to be loyal to a mother- in -law and shows us how we can put others needs above our own desires.

Ruth 1:8-18 New International Version (NIV)

Then Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law, “Go back, each of you, to your mother’s home. May the Lord show you kindness, as you have shown kindness to your dead husbands and to me. May the Lord grant that each of you will find rest in the home of another husband.”

Then she kissed them goodbye and they wept aloud 10 and said to her, “We will go back with you to your people.”

11 But Naomi said, “Return home, my daughters. Why would you come with me? Am I going to have any more sons, who could become your husbands? 12 Return home, my daughters; I am too old to have another husband. Even if I thought there was still hope for me—even if I had a husband tonight and then gave birth to sons— 13 would you wait until they grew up? Would you remain unmarried for them? No, my daughters. It is more bitter for me than for you, because the Lord’s hand has turned against me!”

14 At this they wept aloud again. Then Orpah kissed her mother-in-law goodbye, but Ruth clung to her.

15 “Look,” said Naomi, “your sister-in-law is going back to her people and her gods. Go back with her.”

16 But Ruth replied, “Don’t urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God. 17 Where you die I will die, and there I will be buried. May the Lord deal with me, be it ever so severely, if even death separates you and me.” 18 When Naomi realized that Ruth was determined to go with her, she stopped urging her.

That’s why the story of Ruth is so captivating.

In the first chapter, right smack dab in the middle of personal tragedy, Ruth introduces us to a kind of loyal love that can be a rare find in human relationships. The Hebrew word for Ruth here is hesed, and it’s become one of my most precious words in the Bible. Hesed is difficult to translate to English because there is no single word in English that encapsulates all its meanings. to define hesed we us words such “kindness,” “loving-kindness,” “mercy,” “sacrificial love”, “loyalty,” and “steadfast.” Hesed is one of the richest, most powerful words in the Old Testament. It reflects the loyal love that people committed to the God of the Bible should have for one another. It is not a “mood.”Hesed is not something people “feel.”  It is something people DO for other people. The word hesed is displayed throughout the story of Ruth where it is usually translated “kindness.”  Love is something we do, not primarily something we feel.

On the way, when Naomi was returning to her homeland, her daughters-in-law must make the difficult decision to stay or to go with the old woman they have grown to love deeply. It would make more sense for Ruth and Orpah to stay in Moab – their family ties were in the place they had called home their entire lives, and their chances for remarriage were greater there. In Israel it was doubtful that the young widows would find husbands, and to be a childless widow during this time was considered to be among the lowest of social classes.

Orpah ultimately makes the heart-wrenching decision to stay in Moab, but Ruth clung to Naomi as she promised that Naomi’s people would be her people and Naomi’s God would be her God. From the world’s perspective, Ruth had nothing to gain and everything to lose, but bold faith and loyal love often require a walk down a unfamiliar road.

As we study the book of Ruth together, be on the constant lookout for the depth of God’s loyal love as He orchestrates events and details in lives as only He can. Chapter by chapter look for His overwhelming, grace-filled, consistent, fully-redeeming, unconditional love to those who had initially strayed from Him.

My prayer is that we would be open to let God’s hesed toward us change us from within, like Ruth, and cause us to pass onto others what our loving Father has given to us.

Strive everyday to be loyal and more hesed to those that God has given us the pleasure to be involved in their lives.

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Bible Study

Ruth: Wanting God’s blessings, but not His Discipline

Welcome to the first day of our Ruth Bible study! We’ve all been there wanting God’s blessings but not His discipline. When life gets hard and things don’t seem to get better, we tend to look around. Is the “grass greener” over there? Foreign lands and new opportunities tempt us when we are looking to escape the “famine” in our lives. Naomi and Elimelek waiting on God’s blessing in a famine was much better than living in a bountiful land of unbelievers.

Ruth 1:4

1 In the days when the judges ruled, there was a famine in the land. So a man from Bethlehem in Judah, together with his wife and two sons, went to live for a while in the country of Moab. The man’s name was Elimelek, his wife’s name was Naomi, and the names of his two sons were Mahlon and Kilion. They were Ephrathites from Bethlehem, Judah. And they went to Moab and lived there.

Now Elimelek, Naomi’s husband, died, and she was left with her two sons. They married Moabite women, one named Orpah and the other Ruth.

The book of Ruth takes place during the time of the Judges, a time when Israel had no king and everyone did what was right in his or her own eyes (Judges 21:25).

As the book of Ruth begins, the Israelites were living in unbelief, disobedience, and simply for themselves. Because of their choices, they were not enjoying the benefits of God’s blessings. Knowing this information is important as we begin reading the book of Ruth. It is in this setting that we see Elimelek make the choice to move his family from Bethlehem to Moab.

We also need to understand that the Moabites descended from Lot. They are the result of an incestuous affair between Lot and his oldest daughter. Genesis 19:30-38. When the nation of Israel was wondering in the wilderness, Moab was frequently causing them harm. Deuteronomy 23: 3-6 says:

“No Ammonite or Moabite or any of his descendants may enter the assembly of the Lord, even down to the tenth generation. For they did not come to meet you with bread and water on your way when you came out of Egypt, and they hired Balaam, son of Beor from Pethor in Aram Naharaim to pronounce a curse on you. However, the Lord your God would not listen to Balaam but turned the fuse into a blessing for you, because the Lord your God loves you. Do not seek a treaty of friendship with them as long as you live.

Knowing a little of the history between the two nations makes the move seem more significant. Elimelek was literally moving his family into enemy territory.

He was not placing his faith in God and God’s provision but instead decided to move from God’s land of protection and out of His will.

We see from this story that it is still better to be in the land of God’s will – even when you are experiencing discipline and “famine” – than it is to seek relief outside of His will while trying to escape discipline. I spent years trying to run from God and trying to find greener pastures. The greatest thing I learned from that is that it is better to feel discipline from a loving God that to feel acceptance from an uncaring world. And we get it, don’t we? When we feel like another land can provide better opportunities, a better future for our families, or wanted relief from the “famine” in our lives, we are tempted to leave God’s promised land and His provision.

We are tempted to live like Elimelek, focused on what we see rather than Whom we trust.The land of easy and abundance is always tempting when we are weary, hungry, and seeking relief.

I’d love to encourage you if you’ve been tempted like Elimelek lately and the “land” you are in seems to be experiencing a famine. Trust God. Stay where He has you right now and trust Him to provide for your needs. We will see later in Ruth Chapter 1 that God does come through for His treasured children. He does come to their aid.

Have you ever chased green lands? What have you learned about God when you chose to stay in the “famine” and wait for God’s provision?

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Bible Study Freedom

Freedom: Live Free

Today we are finishing up our study in Galatians and I wanted to review a little of what I learned. Here are the major lessons we’ve learned:

Trust Christ’s death on the cross and grace. Our works will never get us anywhere.

It’s not about what we do, but who God is and what He will do through us.

Don’t seek rules. Walk in the Spirit by seeking God, and He will lead you to where you need to be. As long as God is directing you, you never have to worry if you’re doing too much or not enough.

Galatians 6:15

“Neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything; what counts is the new creation.”

The Galatians didn’t need to do anything to be saved. They already were. They were already made new by their faith in Christ. From their example, we learn we don’t need to work for what we already have.

When Jackson was a baby, I fed him with a bottle every morning when he woke up or during the day we he was hungry, he would cry for me to feed him because he was unable to get food on his own. Now that he is a teenager, he can get up and get food on his own. He still asks me for breakfast, snacks and supper. I still have to remind him that he is free to get food when he likes. Sometimes as Christians we need reminding that we are free. We get bogged down with traditions as the Jews were and we forget we are free to worship and serve God. We are free from the wages of sin. We are free to live our life for God to the fullest.

That’s the reminder I hope this series gave you. You have freedom with God’s grace. If you are saved by faith, you are free. My hope is that now you are empowered to go out and live free.

It doesn’t matter what church you go to, if you feel the spirit move and you wanna raise that hand do it. If you wanna thank God for his presence in your life, testify. We are free from traditions and rules people put on salvation. God says if you call on his name and believe with your heart your will be saved. You don’t need a class or a special service. You need one on one time with God.

Categories
Bible Study Freedom

Freedom: to Carry Each Others Burdens

A month or so ago in Sunday School, the question was posed what do we do when we see someone giving in to temptation or being worn down from temptation. These verses in Galatians 6 came to my mind. The problem most of the time with me is fear. I do not want to damage the relationship and in the back of my mind I am thinking, “I sin too! I just sin differently.” And I don’t want the people to think I am judging them. But Paul tells us how to do this and help others.

Galatians 6:1-6 New International Version (NIV)

6 Brothers and sisters, if someone is caught in a sin, you who live by the Spirit should restore that person gently. But watch yourselves, or you also may be tempted. Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. If anyone thinks they are something when they are not, they deceive themselves. Each one should test their own actions. Then they can take pride in themselves alone, without comparing themselves to someone else, for each one should carry their own load. Nevertheless, the one who receives instruction in the word should share all good things with their instructor.

When I see someone being ensnared by sin, I normally speak to my husband. We talk about our burden for them. Daniel(my husband) is very non- confrontational. So when ever this comes up he always says pray for that person and I am like, “what about restoring them?” This is a really tough balance. Gently restore without being judgy or condemning.

For the last three months, I have been dealing with just this. Daniel and I have been praying our hearts out for a friend who is on a slippery slope that will only lead to destruction. We have been trying to find the time and manner to address the problem and we have been praying that God would open a door for us to talk or change that persons heart. We are carrying this person’s burden and I don’t think they even know.

Paul begins with a situation where a person is caught in any transgression. We should begin by observing that Paul is not reserving this discussion for what we would classify as a “serious sin.” Rather, if anyone is caught in any transgression. Please also consider that Paul is not saying that we are catching people in their sins. Rather, the person is caught or trapped in sin. They are ensnared by sin. We are witnessing a Christian who has been overtaken by sin.

Paul says that we must not standby and do nothing. We are not to despise the person or condemn them in our hearts. We are not to gossip to others about the person. We are called to restore the person. This Greek word that we have translated into English as “restore” was a word used in secular Greek for setting a fractured bone. The word means to knit together. Our concern must immediately be the restoration of the person. This is exactly what Jesus taught in Matthew 18:15-17.

“If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother.

Who is supposed to do the work of restoration? Paul says, “You who are spiritual.” Who are the spiritual? I believe our context would direct us back to Galatians 5:16-26 where the spiritual are those who are walking by the Spirit and that walk is observed by the fruit of the Spirit in their lives. The spiritual are those in whom the fruit of the Spirit is seen. These are the ones who should see the opportunity and take responsibility to go to a brother or sister in Christ who has been captured by sin.

Paul also tells us how we are to go restore someone who is captured by sin. The spiritual are supposed to go to that one in a spirit of gentleness. Gentleness is one of the characteristics we read that reveals the fruit of the Spirit. We are coming to them with our emotions and words under control. A lack of gentleness is a sign of immaturity and is why the spiritual are commanded to go restore a fallen believer.

Warning. Paul also includes a warning for this process. The one who is spiritual who is trying to restore the brother or sister must keep watch on himself or herself. There is a temptation to sin in this process. Spiritual pride is a great temptation in trying to restore another. We must be mindful that anyone can fall and no one is above temptation. Even in trying to do the right thing, Satan will tempt us to sin in this process.

Bearing one another’s burdens is described as fulfilling the law of Christ. Christ is the ultimate example of love and serving, who bore our burdens of sin so that we could be restored to him. We are commanded to love others as Christ loved us (John 13:34; Ephesians 4:32). Bearing burdens is one way we follow in the footsteps of Jesus. Remember what Paul taught earlier in Galatians 5:13-14 that through love we serve one another and thus are fulfilling the law.

This command implies that we have relationships with each other. We cannot help each other unless we are in relationship with each other and have fellowship with each other. This means we must open up to each other and welcome deeper relationships as family than just cursory, obligatory conversations. We must spend time together and speak to each other about spiritual things if we will have any opportunity to help each other grow and be able to restore each other.

This is a beautiful picture God has given us. If we walk by the Spirit, we will love one another more, and in loving one another more, we will bear one another’s burdens. In desiring to bear one another’s burdens we will attempt to restore anyone who is caught by a transgression.

But again Paul must warn us about the proper way about how we can help each other and bear one another’s burdens. Paul must caution us against a temptation to pride. “For if anyone thinks he is something, then he is nothing, he deceives himself.” It is important that we read this explanation carefully because it will help us in our fight against pride. The middle of the statement is what we need to hear. Before God we are nothing. Therefore, you must not think you are something because you are deceiving yourself.

The gospel is to create in us a new self-image. My sin and God’s grace humbles me. Yet his grace empowers me because all that matters is the praise and honor that comes from God. My value is not in myself but in God who loves me and gave himself for me. This is the new image we are to possess that the gospel creates in us. Jesus’ approval of me is what matters! What I think of myself is not important because I am likely wrong. We are nothing of ourselves but made valuable in Christ.

“But let each one test his own work.” This is not a competition. We are not here for comparison. Keep your eyes on God, not others, when looking at your own work. Comparison wrecks us. Look at your own work before God and take joy in your work. Do the work given to you. Take joy in your own work that you have granted to you by God.

“For each will have to bear his own load.” This is not a contradiction to the command in verse 2. The point is to just carry your load. Stop comparing your load to others. Stop worrying about how you are doing in comparison to others. This is the same message as the parable of the talents. Each of us have been granted different loads and different responsibilities. What matters is what you do with what has been granted to you. In this, there is no room for pride because we are nothing before God, carrying our loads, and helping each other when we are caught in a transgression.

I needed this study now more than ever. Hear is what I learned: We need to care about each other. We must care enough to act when we see one another struggling spiritually. We must attempt to help with a spirit of gentleness, watching ourselves so that we are not tempted into pride because we are nothing. But God has made us his chosen possession by His grace. Look at your own work. Do not compare your load to others but carry your load, enjoying the work God has given you.