Posts Tagged with "book of ruth"

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Strong Links

If you think about family genealogy and history like links in a chain of faith, there are broken links, weak links, strong links, and first links. ...

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Jesus’ Grandmothers, Part 2

Ruth converted to the Lord after her husband died, and she became one of the godliest women in the Bible. She was King David’s great-grandma....

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Jesus’ Grandmothers, Part 1

In an unprecedented act, Naomi’s friends seemed to have named the boy Obed in what was possibly a prophetic utterance. Obed means servant, or worshipper, of God....

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Restorer of Life

God’s order of marriage is covenant, consummation, then conception. For the first time, Boaz and Ruth enjoyed the gift of marital intimacy as husband and wife....

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New Beginning

The storyline of Ruth goes from a funeral to a wedding both practically and emotionally. Ruth, which is one of the best-written short stories of all time, concludes with scenes of God’s hand of providential blessing resting upon Boaz, his lovely bride, Ruth, and her mother-in-law, Naomi. ...

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Our Redeemer

Indeed, Boaz shines forth here as a strong, bold, wise, and shrewd redeemer. He was clearly a man of action who made a promise to Ruth, headed immediately into town, called a court meeting to session, invited the unnamed man to sit down and make a decision on the spot, and in a short period, obeyed the law and redeemed Ruth as he led and everyone gladly followed him....

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Part of God's Family

Filled with joy for his legal victory and thrilled to be marrying Ruth, Boaz launched into a speech before those he had assembled to witness this great day of redemption. He promised to lovingly care for Ruth as his wife, as well as Naomi as his mother-in-law, and to honor Ruth’s deceased husband, Mahlon, and Mahlon’s deceased father, Elimelech....

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Joy from God's Plan

Influenced by Boaz’s shrewdness, the unnamed man realized that he couldn’t afford to buy the land and care for the two widows and any children that he might bear through Ruth....

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Strings Attached

By Israelite law, when land was put up for sale, it was preferable for it to be purchased by a near relative to keep it in the family (Leviticus 25:25-30; Jeremiah 32:6-12)....

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Business Day

For many people, reading the Bible can be, quite frankly, a bit disappointing. They see God speaking to people, but they’ve never heard His voice. They see angels delivering messages, but all they get are bills in the mail....

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Provider, Protector, Redeemer

Now the story hits a crisis when Boaz reveals to Ruth that as a law-abiding man, he must find a way to marry her legally. Because Naomi had chosen to welcome Ruth as a full daughter, the women had the legal right to their family land....

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Toeing the Line

Today, single people often ask where the line is in dating. But Ephesians 5:3 (NIV) says, “among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality.”...

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Stepping Out

In this scene, the older woman Naomi practiced the essence of Titus 2:3-5, providing Ruth with counsel that was wise but also quite risky....

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The World's Way or God's Way

Ruth could see the differences between a relationship in her native, sexually-immoral Moabite culture and her adopted, Godly Israelite community. ...

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Defining the Relationship

At this point in the story, Ruth and Boaz have taken center stage. Their relationship commenced with great hope as Boaz spoke kindly to Ruth, prayed for her, protected her, and provided for her all as one would expect from a man ready to be a godly husband....

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The Gift of a Redeemer

With wise motherly counsel, Naomi encouraged Ruth to stay close to Boaz and his workers because he was a godly and safe man. ...

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Getting to Provide

A clue to the remainder of the story is then revealed when Naomi informs Ruth that Boaz was, in fact, a relative somehow connected to them through her deceased husband, Elimelech (see also 2:1). Consequently, Boaz was qualified to become a “redeemer” for the women if he so chose and if other relatives concurred....

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Grateful to Know You

Boaz demonstrated his generous and kind character in his care for Ruth, making sure she is fed, safe, and employed...

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Giving to Know You

The story of Ruth and Boaz, which is arguably the greatest human love story in all of Scripture, is incredibly timely even though it is roughly 3,000 years old....

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Getting to Know You

Much of who we are and how we see the world is shaped by our earliest childhood experiences. ...

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Protection and Provision

In response to the gracious protection and provision of Boaz, Ruth followed a common Eastern mode of demonstrating gratitude and humbly received his favor. Without tipping his hand, the author paints a lovely picture of Boaz as a respectable man with character like Jesus’, and Ruth as a blessed and cared-for woman who respected Boaz easily....

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The First Encounter

To modern ears, the exchange of prayers between Boaz and his workers seems especially peculiar; very rarely does a boss walk into his or her business to hear priestly blessings showered down from the cubicles. Boaz was apparently a man who was an evangelist and pastor to his workers. He loved and cared for them so well that they spoke well of him and prayed to God for him....

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Luck or Providence?

As Ruth went out to glean for food, she found herself in the fields of Boaz....

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Provision for the Poor

Scripture has much to say regarding the poor. There are both righteous and unrighteous poor people. The righteous poor include those who are widows (like Ruth and Naomi), orphans, sick, elderly, immigrants, and hard-working people who struggle to make ends meet, even such as our Lord Jesus. The unrighteous poor include those who are poor because of sin such as laziness, dr...

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Trustworthy and Faithful

The timeless book of Ruth is timelier than ever. For the first time in U.S. history, the majority of adults are single. The same is true in many other nations around the world. As anyone seeking a mate can testify, finding a safe person is perhaps more difficult than ever. ...

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HONEST ABOUT THE HURT

Perhaps the women were sitting together and weeping loudly at the thought of adding the loss of their close friendship upon their already devastated lives as Naomi continues to persuade her daughters-in-law to return to their families in Moab rather than journey with her for an uncertain future in Bethlehem. Orpah chose the ordinary course of reasonable action and returned...

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NAOMI SAYS GOODBYE

In his book Necessary Endings, Dr. Henry Cloud explains how there are times in life where we need to have a clear ending with a person or place so that we can heal up and move into a new season of life. This is what happens after the funerals in Moab....

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HOPE IN HARDSHIP

Have you ever hit rock bottom? Have you ever lost someone you dearly loved? Have you ever felt like your whole world came crashing down, that there was no one to turn to and God seemed far away? ...

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WOUNDED WIDOWS

While in Moab, Elimelech and his wife, Naomi, saw their sons marry Moabite women, which wasn’t technically forbidden in Scripture (Deuteronomy 7:1...

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MOVING AWAY FROM GOD

Can you recall the absolute worst season of your life? Do you remember how overwhelmed you felt, how exhausted you were, and how unsure you were if your future would ever get any better?...

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