Tuesday
Read Ruth 1:1-18
1–2 Long ago, in the days before Israel had a king, there was a
famine in the land. So a man named Elimelech, who belonged to the clan of
Ephrath and who lived in Bethlehem in Judah, went with his wife Naomi and their
two sons Mahlon and Chilion to live for a while in the country of Moab. While
they were living there, 3Elimelech died, and Naomi was left alone
with her two sons, 4who married Moabite women, Orpah and Ruth. About
ten years later 5Mahlon and Chilion also died, and Naomi was left
all alone, without husband or sons.
6 Some time later Naomi heard that
the Lord had blessed his people by
giving them a good harvest; so she got ready to leave Moab with her
daughters-in-law. 7They started out together to go back to Judah,
but on the way 8she said to them, “Go back home and stay with your
mothers. May the Lord be as good
to you as you have been to me and to those who have died. 9And may
the Lord make it possible for each
of you to marry again and have a home.”
So Naomi kissed them goodbye. But they
started crying 10and said to her, “No! We will go with you to your
people.”
11 “You must go back, my daughters,”
Naomi answered. “Why do you want to come with me? Do you think I could have
sons again for you to marry? 12Go back home, for I am too old to get
married again. Even if I thought there was still hope, and so got married
tonight and had sons, 13would you wait until they had grown up?
Would this keep you from marrying someone else? No, my daughters, you know
that’s impossible. The Lord has
turned against me, and I feel very sorry for you.”a
14 Again they started crying. Then
Orpah kissed her mother-in-law goodbye and went back home,b but Ruth
held on to her. 15So Naomi said to her, “Ruth, your sister-in-law
has gone back to her people and to her god.c Go back home with her.”
16 But Ruth answered, “Don’t ask me
to leave you! Let me go with you. Wherever you go, I will go; wherever you
live, I will live. Your people will be my people, and your God will be my God. 17Wherever
you die, I will die, and that is where I will be buried. May the Lord’s worst punishment come upon me if
I let anything but deathd separate me from you!”
18 When Naomi saw that Ruth was
determined to go with her, she said nothing more.
Think
The story of Ruth is not n impressive Theological argument; it just tells
the story of Naomi, Boaz (a kind and gentle soul) and Ruth - faithful friend to
Naomi.
When Ruth promises to go with Naomi she makes the proclamation: "Your
people shall be my people and your God will be my God."
When we worship God he brings us into community with people. And this book seems to be about faithful,
loyal, gentle, caring people.
Ruth is a part of the lineage of Jesus (according to Matthew).
Pray
Lord - help me to be gentle, caring and loyal. I'll never know what may result from some
small act of kindness.
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