The book of Ruth is a ray of light during a time of darkness and godlessness. It is a story of God’s sovereignty, kindness, and redemption.
Date & Place of Writing
Themes
Let’s begin reading:
Ruth 1:1-2
“1 In the days when the judges ruled in Israel, a severe famine came upon the land. So a man from Bethlehem in Judah left his home and went to live in the country of Moab, taking his wife and two sons with him. 2 The man’s name was Elimelech, and his wife was Naomi. Their two sons were Mahlon and Kilion. They were Ephrathites from Bethlehem in the land of Judah. And when they reached Moab, they settled there.”
Elimelech = “God is my king"
Naomi = “Pleasant; Kind”
Mahlon = “Sick”
Chilion = “Wasting away; suffering; tiresome”
Elimelech and Naomi’s names were a picture of who God is and who He was throughout the book of Ruth. He is both king (sovereign) and He is pleasant/ kind.
Mahlon and Chilion’s names were a picture of the situation their parents found themselves in.
Judges 21:25 - “In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes.”
[SHOW MAP]
When times get tough, what do you do? Where do you go? Do you trust God in the midst of your situation? Or do you go to Moab? Do you lean on doing what is right in your own eyes?
When times get difficult financially, in our marriage, at work, let us not go to “Moab” and simply do what is right in our own eyes. Instead, let us trust God in the midst of our troubles. God has a plan.
Tragedy Strikes
3 But Elimelech, the husband of Naomi, died, and she was left with her two sons. 4 These took Moabite wives; the name of the one was Orpah and the name of the other Ruth. They lived there about ten years, 5 and both Mahlon and Chilion died, so that the woman was left without her two sons and her husband.
However, God was not trying to punish Naomi for her past decisions. Instead, God was looking ahead to remedy the situation.
Do not allow your circumstances to define who you are. Instead, trust that God has a plan. If things are still bad, then God is not finished.
Ray of Hope in the Land of Moab
“6 Then she rose with her daughters-in-law to return from the country of Moab, for she had heard in the fields of Moab that the Lord had visited his people and given them food. 7 So she set out from the place where she was with her two daughters-in-law, and they went on the way to return to the land of Judah.”
Naomi had lived in Moab for 10 years. Bethlehem, her hometown, was only about a day’s walk, she could have returned home at any time. However, her sons had married Moabite women. A part of her life was stuck in Moab. Although God was her sovereign king who was good to her, there was a part of her life where she was still doing what was right in her own eyes. Therefore she stayed in Moab all those years.
We must ask ourselves, are there areas of our life where we are still doing what is right in our own eyes? In order for us to leave Moab, we have to trust God’s leading. God’s leading will always bring us back to His promises.
The Way-maker was making a way toward a future filled with hope. Like Naomi, all we have to do is start walking.
Takeaways: