Ruth 4:14-15 And the women said unto Naomi, Blessed be the Lord, which hath not left thee this day without a kinsman, that his name may be famous in Israel. And he shall be unto thee a restorer of thy life, and a nourisher of thine old age: for thy daughter in law, which loveth thee, which is better to thee than seven sons, hath born him.
Happy Valentines Day Friends! To celebrate this day, I wanted a story of real love, and after some thought, the Most High led me to Ruth. It tells how a Jewish family, Naomi, her husband Elimelech and their two sons moved to the land of the Moabites during a famine in Bethlehem, where the sons married Moab women. However, within ten years, the three males died, leaving three widows. Now in that intensely patriarchal society a widow’s life was extremely rough, especially if she had no men folk to turn to. So, having neither kit nor kin in a strange land, Naomi decided to return to her own people, and Ruth, in spite of Naomi’s protestations, decided to go with her, while her other daughter in law, Orpah, stayed at home. However, they were so poor when they returned to Bethlehem, that Ruth had to go out in the fields behind the harvesters of the barley crop and collect whatever dropped from them. But little did they know that the Good Lord was already on the case. He led Ruth to the fields of Boaz, a wealthy relative of Naomi’s husband. And the rest is history. Boaz saw Ruth, was smitten, and through Naomi’s skilful handling of the situation, the couple eventually got married and Ruth bore a son. The women were so happy for Naomi, that they blessed the Lord who had at last given her a close male relative, who would be famous and look after her in her old age. But what touches me most, is their saying that Ruth’s LOVE for her was better than seven sons. Imagine that nuh; in that male dominated society, women saying that a woman’s LOVE for another was better than seven male children. It must have been a real strong, unselfish LOVE. But strangely, the female neighbours said, ‘There’s a son born to Naomi,’ not Ruth, ‘and they called his name Obed: he is the father of Jesse, the father of David.’ Oh thank you so much Ruth sugar! If it wasn’t for your perseverance, your love and kindness to Naomi, we would never have those wonderful, inspirational words of Bruh David to turn to in times of need. Yuh see people, how our God himself, delights in a good LOVE story with plenty drama. He could just as easily have caused Boaz to marry one of his own, but no, he decided that Israel’s greatest, statesman, warrior King, writer and musician would be a descendant of a poor Moabitess, a woman from an entirely different culture. I was taken aback this evening, when I realized that Ruth was Bruh David’s great grandmother. I guess that’s why Ruth is one of only two Books in the Bible that bears a woman’s name. The other is Esther. Anyway Friends, although our modern world is going to be more taken up with the commercialism of the day; how much money was spent on chocolates, flowers etc. let’s try and focus more on the LOVE aspect nuh. It’s a chance for us to spread some real LOVE: ‘agape’; the kind that Ruth bore her mother in law. Hn! But how many daughters in law would react that way today eh? Not too many. As always, Much LOVE! …it’s a day for celebrating LOVE…so let’s do it in a manner our God would appreciate…
Happy Valentines Day Friends! To celebrate this day, I wanted a story of real love, and after some thought, the Most High led me to Ruth. It tells how a Jewish family, Naomi, her husband Elimelech and their two sons moved to the land of the Moabites during a famine in Bethlehem, where the sons married Moab women. However, within ten years, the three males died, leaving three widows. Now in that intensely patriarchal society a widow’s life was extremely rough, especially if she had no men folk to turn to. So, having neither kit nor kin in a strange land, Naomi decided to return to her own people, and Ruth, in spite of Naomi’s protestations, decided to go with her, while her other daughter in law, Orpah, stayed at home. However, they were so poor when they returned to Bethlehem, that Ruth had to go out in the fields behind the harvesters of the barley crop and collect whatever dropped from them. But little did they know that the Good Lord was already on the case. He led Ruth to the fields of Boaz, a wealthy relative of Naomi’s husband. And the rest is history. Boaz saw Ruth, was smitten, and through Naomi’s skilful handling of the situation, the couple eventually got married and Ruth bore a son. The women were so happy for Naomi, that they blessed the Lord who had at last given her a close male relative, who would be famous and look after her in her old age. But what touches me most, is their saying that Ruth’s LOVE for her was better than seven sons. Imagine that nuh; in that male dominated society, women saying that a woman’s LOVE for another was better than seven male children. It must have been a real strong, unselfish LOVE. But strangely, the female neighbours said, ‘There’s a son born to Naomi,’ not Ruth, ‘and they called his name Obed: he is the father of Jesse, the father of David.’ Oh thank you so much Ruth sugar! If it wasn’t for your perseverance, your love and kindness to Naomi, we would never have those wonderful, inspirational words of Bruh David to turn to in times of need. Yuh see people, how our God himself, delights in a good LOVE story with plenty drama. He could just as easily have caused Boaz to marry one of his own, but no, he decided that Israel’s greatest, statesman, warrior King, writer and musician would be a descendant of a poor Moabitess, a woman from an entirely different culture. I was taken aback this evening, when I realized that Ruth was Bruh David’s great grandmother. I guess that’s why Ruth is one of only two Books in the Bible that bears a woman’s name. The other is Esther. Anyway Friends, although our modern world is going to be more taken up with the commercialism of the day; how much money was spent on chocolates, flowers etc. let’s try and focus more on the LOVE aspect nuh. It’s a chance for us to spread some real LOVE: ‘agape’; the kind that Ruth bore her mother in law. Hn! But how many daughters in law would react that way today eh? Not too many. As always, Much LOVE! …it’s a day for celebrating LOVE…so let’s do it in a manner our God would appreciate…
