The Untold Story of Ruth: A Journey of Triumph and Tragedy

[Applause] my name is Ruth and this is my story it is a story that speaks of Love loss and Redemption born into a world where Destiny seemed predetermined my tale begins in the land of Moab my hometown my journey started with a man called Ali Malek a man from Bethlehem who in order to survive the famine in the land of Israel fled to the province of Moab and made his home there in spite of the fact that Bethlehem was a prosperous agricultural region he left to seek his fortune in the Savage land of Moab to do so he had to make the arduous Journey Through the baring Jericho pass the Judean Wilderness close to the Dead Sea and the Jordan River into the territory of Moab this marked a decisive step away from the promised land of Israel and a movement in the opposite direction back towards the Wilderness from which God had freed Israel many hundreds of years earlier Alima lack left his home with the intention to return the name of his wife was Naomi and the names of his two sons were Malin and Killian aphrodites of Bethlehem Judah after moving to Moab Ali Malek and his family did not find life easier Ali Malek soon died and his wife Naomi was left to care for their two boys Malin and Killian I got married to Malin and a woman named orpah married Killian after some years together my husband died even Killian my husband's brother died therefore at this point there were three childless widows Naomi Orba and I to be a childless widow at that time period was to be a member of one of the lowest and most disadvantaged classes because you had no one to support you you were forced to rely on the kindness of complete strangers in order to survive in Moab Naomi did not have any family or anyone else who could assist her it was a really perilous position Naomi who was living in Far Away Moab at the time learned that God was doing wonderful things in Israel she desired to take part in the wonderful things that God was doing we had heard in the country of Moab that the Lord had visited his people by giving them bread we all arose with Naomi so that she might return from the country of Moab this differentiated Naomi from a great number of other people many hear of the good things God is doing and only wish they could have some of it Naomi could have remained in Moab forever longing for a different life instead she took action to receive God's blessings before setting out Naomi said to us go back each of you to your mother's home may the Lord show you kindness as you have shown kindness to your dead husbands into me may the Lord grant that each of you will find rest in the home of another husband this was the wise thing to do my sister-in-law and I had stronger Family Ties in Moab than we did with Naomi so it made sense for us to stay in Moab instead of going to a new land with Naomi she then kissed us goodbye but we wept aloud we will go back with you to your people this was because of the real relationship of love between Naomi and us but Naomi said return home my daughters why would you come with me am I going to have any more sons who could become your husbands return home my daughters I am too old to have another husband even if I thought there was still hope for me even if I had a husband tonight and then gave birth to Sons would you wait until they grew up would you remain unmarried for them no my daughters it is more better for me than for you because the Lord's hand has turned against me according to the laws of Israel if a young lady was left a widow without having had a son then one of the brothers of her late husband was responsible for being a surrogate father and providing her with the Sun Naomi here makes us know that she has no other Sons to give either orpa or me both Orba and I felt deeply we loved Naomi and were anxious about the future but a choice had to be made and Orba chose to stay in Moab while I clung to Naomi Naomi did what she could to discourage me from coming with her back to Israel look said Naomi your sister-in-law is going back to her people and her Gods go back with her but I replied don't urge me to leave you or to turn back from you where you go I will go and where you stay I will stay your people will be my people and you are God my God where you die I will die and there I will be buried may the Lord deal with me be it ever so severely if even death separates you and me this was more than a change of address I was willing to forsake the moabite gods that I grew up with and embraced the god of Israel I was deciding to follow the lord this Gentile woman once far from God had drawn near to him I had little knowledge of the true God the god of Israel but I knew he was a god of fairness and Justice so he could be called upon to hold me accountable to this promise Bound by loyalty and devotion I stood at the side of my beloved Naomi a woman whose strength and wisdom seemed to transcend the hardships that life had dealt her together we faced the harrowing reality of loss grief enveloped us like a veil threatening to consume our Spirits entirely it was a long walk from Moab to Bethlehem and the trip was mostly uphill and it happened when we had come to Bethlehem that all the city was excited because of us Bethlehem was just a large Village everyone in the village knew everyone else and remembered those who had left years ago the ladies then asked one another is this Naomi but she responded to them by telling them do not call me Naomi call me Mara because the almighty has dealt with me in a manner that is very bitter the meaning of the name Naomi is Pleasant while the meaning of the name Mara is bitter this was Naomi's way of conveying to the people of Bethlehem how cruel it had been for her to be apart from Israel and the god of Israel in other words Naomi was not a pretender there was no way she was going to go home and act like everything was all right so she could be pleasant she was going to tell it like it was and say here I am and my life has been bitter Naomi was not afraid to acknowledge that God was at work in all of her misfortune Naomi was well aware that the disaster that had befallen her was not the result of Fate chance or blind Fortune because she was unable to know how God's plan would ultimately play out she came to the conclusion that the catastrophes were evidence of God's affliction however she was aware that there was a God in heaven who was in charge [Music] in spite of all these bitter circumstances Naomi did not Harbor resentment towards the Lord so we returned from Moab arriving in Bethlehem as The Barley Harvest was beginning [Music] Naomi came back repentant and honest Naomi could have readily wallowed in her grief had she chosen to do so they had all been taken from her her husband two sons and a daughter-in-law she had lost all kinds of material possessions all she had left was one daughter-in-law me there was a member of the family of elimelech who was a man of great wealth his name was Boaz Naomi was related to this man Boaz through her deceased husband Boaz stayed behind in the promised land while the rest of his family fled to Moab during the famine and God provided for him in fact God blessed Boaz with abundance Boaz is a Kinsman this is a very important word the Hebrew word goel to refer to Boaz as a goel also known as a Kinsmen meant that he was more than just a relative rather it indicated that he served as an important spokesperson for the family within the family he held the position of Chieftain and I said to Naomi let me go to the fields and pick up the leftover grain behind anyone in whose eyes I find favor in Israel farmers were required by law to refrain from totally harvesting their land they were given the directive to cut Corners in the harvesting process and to always leave some behind in addition if they accidentally dropped a bag of grain they were instructed not to pick it up but rather to leave it where it fell instead of picking it up this was a part of Israel's social aid program that they offered the farmers were instructed to stop short of completely harvesting their fields so that those who were less fortunate and in need could come and gather what was left for themselves this was a wonderful way of helping it required the farmers to have a heart of generosity and it commanded people living in poverty to be active and work for their food and a way for them to provide for their own needs with dignity Naomi said to me go ahead my daughter so I went out entered a field and began to glean behind the Harvesters as it turned out I was working in a field belonging to Boaz just then this Boaz arrived from Bethlehem and greeted the Harvesters he asked the overseer of his Harvesters who does that young woman belong to the overseer replied she is the moabite who came back from Moab with Naomi I pleaded let me glean and gather among the sheaves behind the Harvesters with compassion in his voice he said to me don't go and glean in another field and don't go away from here stay here with the women who work for me watch the field where the men are harvesting and follow along after the women these were boaz's female field workers who tied together the cut stocks of grain Boaz told me to stay close to them so that I would be well taken care of in boaz's field I would find companionship among the young women in boaz's field I would find protection in boaz's field I would find refreshment when you were thirsty the kindness of Boaz was wonderful he commanded the men not to lay a hand on me he also told me to get a drink from the water jars the men have filled when I'm thirsty at this I bowed down to the ground and I asked why have I found such favor in your eyes that you notice me a foreigner I was a MOAB by Tess and not an Israelite I knew that on this basis I didn't belong this made boaz's kindness to me all the more precious he replied I've been told all about what you have done for your mother-in-law since the death of your husband and how you left your father and mother and your Homeland to come live with the people you didn't know before may the Lord repay you for what you have done may you be richly rewarded by the Lord the god of Israel under whose wings you have come to take refuge my news had spread around this is a dynamic of small town life everybody knows everybody else's business I was flattered so I said may I continue to find favor in your eyes my Lord you have put me at ease by speaking kindly to your servant though I do not have the standing of one of your servants at meal time he came to me giving me some bread and dipping it in the wine vinegar and when I sat down with the Harvesters he offered me some roasted grain I ate all I wanted and had some left over as I got up to glean Boaz gave orders to his men let her gather among the sheaves and don't reprimand her even pull out some stalks for her from the bundles and leave them for her to pick up and don't rebuke her so I gleaned in the field until evening then I threshed The Barley I had gathered and did a mountain to about an IFA I carried it back to town and Naomi saw how much I had gathered my mother-in-law asked where did you clean today where did you work blessed be the man who took notice of you the name of the man I worked with today is Boaz I said she pointed out that Boaz is a close relative one of our Guardian redeemers Naomi encouraged me to go with the women who work for him because in someone else's field I might be harmed so I stayed close to the women of Boaz to glean until the barley and wheat Harvest were finished but one day Naomi said to me my daughter I must find a home for you where you will be well provided for now Boaz with whose women you have worked is a relative of ours tonight he will be winnowing barley on the threshing floor wash put on perfume and get dressed in your best clothes then go down to the threshing floor but don't let him know you are there until he has finished eating and drinking when he lies down note the place where he is lying then go and uncover his feet and lie down he will tell you what to do I will do whatever you say I declared so I went down to the threshing floor and followed my mother-in-law's instructions to the letter Boaz went to rest at the far end of the Grain Mound after he had finished eating and drinking and was feeling good Boaz slept at the threshing floor for a good cause during the time of the judges Israel's government and Society were in a constant state of instability it was a common practice for bands of Bandits to raid farms and steal the farmer's whole Harvest of grain to protect his Harvest from thieves Boaz spent the night on the threshing floor I approached quietly uncovered his feet and lay down now it happened at midnight that the man was startled and turned himself and there a woman was lying at his feet and he said who are you so I answered I am Ruth your maidservant spread to the corner of your garment over me since you are a guardian Redeemer of our family since Boaz had been there to protect against thieves it must have given him quite a shock to wake up and know someone was there when he found out that the guest was a woman though his first amazement gave way to a sense of curiosity here I boldly asked Boaz to take me in marriage the spreading of a skirt over a widow was a way of claiming her as a wife even though Ali Malek had passed away he had the right to have his family name carried on and Boaz in his role as goel was responsible for carrying out this right on a limilex behalf this could only take place if Boaz and I were to get married I boldly yet humbly and properly sought my rights in a calm and sincere manner he sent the Lord bless you my daughter this kindness is greater than that which you showed earlier you have not run after the younger men whether rich or poor and now my daughter don't be afraid I will do for you all you ask all the people of my town know that you are a woman of noble character Boaz continued now although it is true that I am a guardian Redeemer of our family there is another who is more closely related than I he told me to stay for the night and in the morning if the other wants to do his duty as my guardian Redeemer good but if he is not willing as surely the Lord lives he will do it so I laid At His Feet until morning but got up before anyone could be recognized and he said no one must know that a woman came to the threshing floor he also said bring me the shawl you are wearing and hold it out when I did so he poured six measures of barley and placed the bundle on me then he went to town when I came to Naomi she asked how did it go my daughter I told her everything Boaz had done for me and added he gave me these six measures of barley saying don't go back to your mother-in-law empty-handed then Naomi told me to wait until I found out what happened because Boaz will not rest until the matter is settled Boaz went up to the town gate and sat there just as the guardian Redeemer he had mentioned came along the most respected and Noble citizens of the city could usually be found sitting at The City Gate it was a kind of outdoor Court the place where judicial matters were resolved by the elders and those who had earned the confidence and respect of the people it was a place for business and as a kind of forum or public meeting place Boaz took 10 of the Elders of the town and spoke to the guardian Redeemer that I was selling the piece of land that belonged to elimelech the responsibility of the goel also known as the Kinsmen Redeemer in Israel included more than only the need to keep his brother's family name alive it was also to keep land allotted to members of the clan within the clan when Israel came into the promised land during the days of Joshua the land was divided among the tribes and then among the family groups God intended that the land stay within those tribes and family groups so the land could never permanently be sold every 50 years it had to be returned to the original family group but 50 years is quite a while that's why God established the Kinsmen Redeemer system so that even if the land was sold it could be bought back and reclaimed by its original family again it was the obligation of the Kinsmen Redeemer to preserve the larger families persons property and posterity and all of these duties went together when Boaz approached the closer relative about the issue he initially framed it as a dispute over property which is something that any person would be interested in hearing about anyone would want to buy back a piece of property and keep it in the family name by keeping it for oneself he proposed that the guardian Redeemer purchase it in front of those who were sat there as well as in front of the Elders of the people he said if you will redeem it do so but if you will not tell me so I will know for no one has the right to do it except you and I am next in line on the day you buy the land from Naomi you also acquire Ruth the moabite in order to maintain the name of the Dead with his property in response to this the guardian Redeemer stated then I am unable to redeem it because I may put my own estate in Jeopardy you redeem it yourself I cannot do it this was the first time the nearer Kinsmen had given this any thought and it was a rather big question to process all at once because of the way Boaz had framed the occasion Boaz was intelligent and shrewd in his approach to this situation when it came down to a question of property alone making a decision was simple however when it became necessary for him to take me as a bride the situation became more complicated even while it would be wonderful to inherit the land that was connected to Ruth the closer relative was aware that taking me into his home and bringing up her children would ruin his own inheritance in former times in Israel in order for the process of property Redemption and transfer to become final one party would have to take off his sandal and give it to the other party this was the process that was used to make transactions in Israel legitimate so the guardian Redeemer said to Boaz buy it yourself and he removed his sandals then Boaz announced to the elders and all the people today you are witness that I have bought from Naomi all the property of alimalak and his sons and in the process also acquired Ruth the moabite mallon's Widow as my wife to maintain the name of the Dead with his property so that his name will not disappear from among his family or from his hometown today you are Witness the elders and all the people at the gate said we are witness may the Lord make the woman who is coming into your home like Rachel and Leah who together built up the family of Israel may you have standing in Ephrata and be famous in Bethlehem Through The Offspring The Lord gives you by this young woman may your family be like that of Perez whom Tamar bore to Judah in the beginning I seem to be giving up on my best chance of marriage by leaving my native land of Moab and giving my heart and life to the god of Israel but as I put God first he brought me together in a relationship greater than I could have imagined so Boaz took me and I became his wife and I bore a son then the women said to Naomi blessed be the Lord who has not left you this day without a close relative and may his name be famous in Israel and may he be to you a restorer of life and a nourisher of your old age for your daughter-in-law who loves you is better to you than seven sons has borne him then Naomi took the child and laid him on her bosom and became a nurse to him the path that led me here from the desert Plains of Moab to the fertile Hills of Judah was one marred by loss yet ultimately paved with the abundant grace of a loving God as I end this story I am reminded of The Incredible Journey that brought me to this very moment where I find comfort in the knowledge that my story will forever bear witness to the enduring power of loyalty love and the faithful hand of God my name is Rue and this is my story

Channel: Grace Digital Network

Views: 86,919

Keywords: grace digital

Id: O2UCrS_MWlU

Length: 27min 22sec (1642 seconds)

Published: Mon Sep 11 2023