EXPRESSING LOVE

8/19/12

1.     UTTER LOSS (RUTH 1:1-5)

·         The book of Ruth sets forth the devout devotion of an individual to what ever God would provide.

·         The story opens on hard times - there is a famine in the land and one of its families decide to go into Moab where they hoped to find a way to survive.

Moab was a son of Lot, the evil fruit of the incestuous relation of Lot with one of his daughters (Gen 19:36-37). Moabites had hired Balaam to curse Israel (Num 22:1-8), during Israel's pilgrimage to Canaan.

(from The Wycliffe Bible Commentary, Electronic Database. Copyright (c) 1962 by Moody Press)

MOAB

The exclusion of Moabites (and Ammonites) from the congregation of the Lord to the tenth generation was not on account of any active hostility but, as is expressly said (Deut 23:3-4), on account of their want of hospitality and of the hiring of Balaam.

(from The New Unger's Bible Dictionary. Originally published by Moody Press of Chicago, Illinois. Copyright (c) 1988.)

2.     UNSELFISH COUNSEL (RUTH 1:6-15)

2A. SACRIFICIAL EXPRESSION OF LOVE (RUTH 1:11-13a)

 11 But Naomi said, "Return, my daughters. Why should you go with me? Have I yet sons in my womb, that they may be your husbands? 12 "Return, my daughters! Go, for I am too old to have a husband. If I said I have hope, if I should even have a husband tonight and also bear sons, 13 would you therefore wait until they were grown?

NASB

2B. DECLARATION OF COMMITMENT (RUTH 1:15-17)

15 Then she said, "Behold, your sister-in-law has gone back to her people and her gods; return after your sister-in-law." 16 But Ruth said, "Do not urge me to leave you or turn back from following you; for where you go, I will go, and where you lodge, I will lodge. Your people shall be my people, and your God, my God. 17 Where you die, I will die, and there I will be buried. Thus may the LORD do to me, and worse, if anything but death parts you and me."

NASB

3.     UTMOST COMMITMENT (RUTH 1:16-22)

3A. DEMONSTRATION OF COMMITMENT (RUTH 1:18, 2:2-3)

18 When she saw that she was determined to go with her, she said no more to her.

NASB

2 And Ruth the Moabitess said to Naomi, "Please let me go to the field and glean among the ears of grain after one in whose sight I may find favor." And she said to her, "Go, my daughter." 3 So she departed and went and gleaned in the field after the reapers; and she happened to come to the portion of the field belonging to Boaz, who was of the family of Elimelech.

NASB

·         This was a practice equivalent to begging, but Ruth was willing to avail herself of the means to keep alive instead of complaining.

·         The harvester left a great deal of grain in the field in that day – possibly as much as 30%.

4.     UNSWERVING KINDNESS (RUTH 2:1-23)

4A. REWARDS OF COMMITMENT (RUTH 2:11-12)

11 And Boaz answered and said to her, "All that you have done for your mother-in-law after the death of your husband has been fully reported to me, and how you left your father and your mother and the land of your birth, and came to a people that you did not previously know. 12 May the LORD reward your work, and your wages be full from the LORD, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to seek refuge."

NASB

·         This little Book of Ruth reveals something that is quite interesting: racial barriers were broken down, is concerned and loves even those who have upon them a stigma and a judgment.

·         Bethlehem was evidently given over to gossip, as most places are, and they were gossiping about this foreign girl, but what they were saying was good, which was unusual.

·         They were amazed at her, for she had come back and was true to her mother-in-law, she did not chase around after men, and she was a wonderful person.

·         And now, when Boaz sees Ruth for himself, he realizes that all the good gossip was true and that Ruth had made a tremendous sacrifice to come into the Promised Land.