The book of Ruth

God’s message to me: If family can’t take care of each other, who will? Many will scoff at the connection I make with politics but history backs me up. The key reason for the welfare state is to undermine this concept of family. By making the state the source of help the bond of family is loosened. Reading the books and writings of Marx, Lenin, Mao and other communist leaders you see that this was their purpose in creating such states. The old and honored system known as the widows and orphans assistance became the modern welfare system. One was designed to provide for people who had little or no help from family during harsh financial times and with the loss of young men in WWI and WWI. The latter was the attempt of the state to take over a roll traditionally held by family, church and private charity.

Don’t begrudge the family member who needs help. Even though it may be a hardship at times, it is an opportunity for you to gain the Blessings God has for those who will stand for their family. If God can’t trust you to take care of relatives how can He trust you with interests beyond your family?

Promises: God blesses those who care for their family. Marriage was established and ordained by God to form this bond between people. Fulfilling the obligations of this bond will bring favor upon you.

Each person here gained favor from God for taking care of family. Naomi and Ruth cared for each other like mother and daughter. Ruth worked to provide for her mother and Naomi saw to the strategy that would provide for Ruth. Boaz, took care of Naomi and Ruth as family. He not only ordered that she be allowed to glean in the field but that his men intentionally drop extra grain for her. When she came to him on the threshing floor he sent her home with 6 ephahs of threshed grain. This probably doesn’t mean much to many people without knowing what an ephah is. The ephah is a dry measure slightly larger than a bushel. She went home to Naomi with over 6 bushels of cleaned grain. When she had gleaned in the field he saw to it she drank from the water his men had drawn and ate with the workers from the food already prepared. she even took home some of the prepared food along with what she gleaned to her mother(in-law).

For their actions, Naomi got a grandson raised in the name of Ruth’s late husband, Ruth got a husband of means. Boaz got a family and children and a son named Obed, who became the father of Jesse who was the father of David the king of Israel whose line leads to Jesus the Messiah. That’s some serious blessings.

Commands: Honor thy father and mother that thy days may be long upon the earth. This commandment is only the beginning of the responsibility to family and the law is filled with rules for taking care of family though all the ups and downs. This is the story of family.

Timeless principles: God can bring blessing through the harshest of circumstances. Naomi moved, with her husband and sons, to a foreign land to survive a famine. While living in this land her husband died, her sons married and then her sons died. She had no more children, no grandchildren and felt herself to old to start a family. She sent her daughters in law back to their homes so that they could find a life for themselves. She wanted these young women to have a chance for love and happiness and another husband and children. She knew no way to provide these things herself.

Orpah, one of the daughters-in-law protested but eventually gave in and returned home.(yes that’s how it’s spelled, yes it’s where Oprah got her name and yes she has said her family didn’t know how to spell it.) The other daughter-in-law Ruth refused to leave her mother-in-law.

How can I apply what I’ve learned: Help family when they are in need according to all that I can help. Providing for family is the first duty, if I can’t be trusted to help my relative how can I be trusted to help others.

more to learn for in-depth study: Consider the tradition of the time. The male children had their inheritance in the house of their father. What their father left as inheritance would go through the male line unless there were no males. The daughters had their inheritance in the house of their husband. Fathers and mothers made a point of finding good husbands for their daughters so that they would be taken care of. The husband would inherit from the father and the wife shared in that inheritance.

Elimelech sold his land and then died in a foreign land, His sons died having had no children and with nothing to their name. The right of redemption in Jewish law applied to the men so even the opportunity to redeem their lands in Israel was not available to Naomi or here daughters-in-law. Sending Orpah home was the kindest and most loving act Naomi could think to provide the young woman. Ruth, refused to abandon her new family. She had married into this family and felt her loyalty belonged to Naomi. Naomi, in turn, did everything she could to ensure a future for Ruth in Israel while Ruth, worked hard to provide for herself and her mother-in-law.

The duty of close kin was to become husband to the childless widow and raise a son in the name of her late husband. The closest relative refused this job for fear he would not have a son to raise in his own name. Boaz took the job with honor, marrying Ruth, bringing a son in the name of her late husband and several more as well.

GENEALOGY: The son of Jacob (also called Israel) was Judah. Judah was the father of Perez who was father to Hezron who became father to Ram the father of Amminadab. Amminadab was father of Nashon who was father to Salmon the father of Boaz.

Boaz married Ruth and had a son named Obed who became the father of Jesse whose son David killed the giant named Goliath of Gath, and later became the king of Israel. From the family line of king David was born Jesus the Christ who died for our sins and rose from the dead to save us.

tomorrow: First Samuel 1-3