Faithful Fridays Two - Ruth

 Posted by Lisa Laree to Beer Lahai Roi

Ah, the sweet little book of Ruth...a breath of fresh air after the mire and muck of Judges.

A book about devotion and respect and honor and commitment.  

It is not a romantic love story. Boaz was likely old enough to have been Ruth's father.  The two times he is recorded as speaking to her, he refers to her as 'my daughter'.

This book is about the inheritance.

Then Boaz announced to the elders and all the people, "Today you are witnesses that I have bought from Naomi all the property of  Elimelech, Killion and Mahlon.  I have also acquired Ruth the Moabitess, Mahlon's widow, as my wife, in order to maintain the name of the dead with his property, so that his name will not disappear from among his family or from the town records.  Today you are witnesses."  -- Ruth 4:9-10, NIV  84

That was the wedding, right there.

Hardly the stuff of romance novels.

This was so all the property of Elimelech, Killion and Mahlon could be passed to Ruth's son, Obed.

Who became the father of Jesse, who became the father of  David, who became king of all Israel.

That is the wonder of the story to me; Ruth, a foreigner, turned her heart to her Jewish mother in law, to care for her as if she were her own mother, and to live in reverence of Naomi's God.  Was this only out of respect for Naomi, or did she see something that contrasted with the pagan idols she had grown up with?  I am sure that Ruth had a genuine faith; I can't imagine her abandoning her people if she didn't have a heart for the God of her husband's people.  I wonder when it took root..because the fruit of it was amazing.  

Her great grandson was the king of all Israel, a man after God's own heart.

Because of devotion, respect, honor and commitment...on the part of both Ruth and Boaz.

If we learned to value devotion, respect, honor and commitment as much as we value 'romantic love'...we will see a complete turn around in our divorce statistics.

Just sayin'.