Lessons from the Book of Ruth
by Patricia Dailey
Senior Pastor,
Ruth 1:1
Now it came to pass in the days when the
judges ruled, that there was a famine in the land. And a certain man of
Bethlehemjudah went to sojourn in the country of
The time of Ruth was a period of time when the judges ruled
You’d think God’s people would realize that the Bible tells us
what is right and what is wrong: that it’s not what we think in our own eyes,
but what Thus saith the Lord.
During this time period, the children of
Hebrews 13:17
Obey them that have the rule over you, and
submit yourselves: for they watch for your souls, as they that must give
account, that they may do it with joy, and not with grief: for that is
unprofitable for you.
God has given Divine leadership, and there is a purpose to such leadership:
As pastors, my husband and I have often warned others that they will
fall into a snare if they continue the way they are headed. Some take such
a warning, knowing that we watch for their souls. They receive what we have
to say, and spare themselves of a lot of problems:
But then . . . there have been those who don’t want to be told. They
might ask for advice as to whether or not they should do a certain thing:
but down in their heart it’s already established what they are going to do.
Jeremiah 17:9
The heart is deceitful above all things,
and desperately wicked: who can know it?
We have to be very careful that we don’t go by our own heart. It’s
always good to pray about things before we make a decision to jump into something.
It might look like it would be exciting, might be something we really would
like to do - but then, it might not be the will of God for us.
If we don’t use wisdom we may do things that could bring hardships
on the whole family, all because we failed to place it in God’s hands and let
Him make His will known unto us.
It’s so hard today to speak to people concerning this, because
they don’t want any Divine authority over them. They don’t want to listen.
What a great blessing it is to us when we counsel someone, warning
them about something, and then they receive it. It brings joy to our souls, and
also brings joy to that one we had counseled.
Hebrews 13:7
Remember them which have the rule over
you, who have spoken unto you the word of God: whose faith follow, considering
the end of their conversation.
If those who are in authority at church have spoken unto you the
Word of God, you should follow their faith.
The children of
The children of
What we think is not always what God thinks - for His thoughts are
higher than our thoughts. We need to be very careful that we don’t allow
ourselves to get into the place where we find ourselves in servitude to Satan.
GOING TO THE COUNTRY
OF MOAB
Ruth 1:2
And the name of the man was Elimelech, and
the name of his wife Naomi, and the name of his two sons Mahlon and Chilion,
Ephrathites of Bethlehem-judah. And they came into the country of
Solomon introduced the worship of this god to please his foreign
wife. He brought in other gods, introducing them to the children of
And many times we know it’s wrong, and yet we persist and go ahead
to do it just the same - even though it’s against God’s Word.
Some think they can go ahead doing as they please, and God will
just wink at it - but God does not wink at sin.
NAOMI'S LOSS
(see Ruth 1:3-5)
Elimelech and his family went down to
The two sons married, and lived in
It’s bad enough to lose one loved one, but to lose your husband -
and your two sons!
BEING STEDFAST IN HEART
Ruth 1:6
Then she arose with her daughters in law,
that she might return from the country of
Naomi heard there was food in
Ruth 1:8-10
And Naomi said unto her two daughters in
law, Go, return each to her mother’s house: the Lord deal kindly with you, as
ye have dealt with the dead, and with me. The Lord grant you that ye may find
rest, each of you in the house of her husband. Then she kissed them; and they
lifted up their voice, and wept. And they said unto her, Surely we will return
with thee unto thy people.
They didn’t really want to leave Naomi.
She spoke to them again to return, and on the third time, Orpah
went back to her mother’s place.
Ruth 1:15, 16a
And she said, Behold, thy sister in law is
gone back unto her people, and unto her gods: return thou after thy sister in
law. And Ruth said, Entreat me not to leave thee, or to return from following
after thee . .
Naomi spoke to Ruth to go back with her sister in law. But Ruth
was so stedfast and constant in her dedication to her mother in law that she
would not turn back.
We can learn something here:
Ø being stedfast in our faith,
Ø being constant in our walk with the Lord,
Ø and not turning back to the things which
God has brought us out of.
How important it is that we stay stedfast, and not waver in our
experience. We need to make up our mind, determined to serve God and love Him
with all that is within us.
Realize that when we come to Christ there should be a separation
from worldly people.
I Corinthians 15:33
Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners.
Make up your mind that you’re not going back - no matter what. Someone
may come along and keep after you, Come on, come on - go out with us partying.
They might work on you day after day to get you to go do something that
would not be according to God’s Word.
II Corinthians 6:17, 18
Wherefore come out from among them, and be
ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will
receive you, and will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be My sons and
daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.
We must get into the Scriptures, applying ourselves to them so
that we can understand God’s Word and grow.
Ruth 1:16-18
And Ruth said, Entreat me not to leave thee,
or to return from following after thee: for whither thou goest, I will go;
and where thou lodgest, I will lodge: thy people shall be my people, and thy
God my God: where thou diest, will I die, and there will I be buried: the
Lord do so to me, and more also, if ought but death part thee and me. When
she saw that she was stedfastly minded to go with her, then she left speaking
unto her.
Notice, Ruth made a decision, a wise decision. This is the wisest
decision that any of us could make - to turn our lives over to the true and
living God.
John 3:16
For God so loved the world, that He gave
His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but
have everlasting life.
The love and the devotion Ruth had for her mother in law! She had
a faith in Naomi’s God. I believe she must have heard about the God of Israel,
and it created a faith within.
GOING ALL THE WAY
To follow Naomi Ruth had to leave her family, her friends, her
native land, and her false gods. She wasn’t forced to leave them. She wanted to
leave them. I believe the Lord was prompting her to go to
Sometimes people think they’ve been forced into things. I don’t
believe God forces us into things. He asks us - but He doesn’t force us.
Here we find Ruth giving up everything. She surrendered all. And
that’s what God wants of us - to surrender all to Him.
MOVING TOWARDS GOD'S DIVINE PURPOSE
I believe it was in the providence of God for Ruth to go to
Bethlehem-Judah - because she was going to become an ancestor of David, through
which the lineage of Jesus Christ would come forth.
Ruth 1:18-20
When she saw that she was stedfastly minded
to go with her, then she left speaking unto her. So they two went until they
came to
Naomi felt this way because she had lost her husband and her two
sons. And sometimes I believe that’s just the human way of thinking about
things when we have a tragedy in our life, when we lose a loved one, or lose
several loved ones - believing God has dealt bitterly with us.
Ruth 1:21-23
I went out full, and the Lord hath brought
me home again empty: why then call ye me Naomi, seeing the Lord hath testified
against me, and the Almighty hath afflicted me? So Naomi returned, and Ruth the
Moabitess, her daughter in law, with her, which returned out of the country of
Naomi’s husband had a kinsman of her husband’s here in
Ruth 2:2
And Ruth the Moabitess said unto Naomi,
Let me now go to the field, and glean ears of corn after him in whose sight I
shall find grace. And she said unto her, Go, my daughter.
Let me go and glean after him in whose sight I shall find
grace. This sounds
like Ruth had some faith. She believed she was going to find grace in Boaz’s
sight - and, you know what? She did!
Ruth 2:3-8
And she went, and came, and gleaned in the
field after the reapers: and her hap was to light on a part of the field
belonging unto Boaz, who was of the kindred of Elimelech.
And, behold, Boaz came from
Then said Boaz unto his servant that was
set over the reapers, Whose damsel is this? And the servant that was set over
the reapers answered and said, It is the Moabitish damsel that came back with
Naomi out of the country of Moab: and she said, I pray you, let me glean and
gather after the reapers among the sheaves: so she came, and hath continued
even from the morning until now, that she tarried a little in the house.
Then said Boaz unto Ruth, Hearest thou
not, my daughter? Go not to glean in another field, neither go from hence, but
abide here fast by my maidens
BEING FAITHFUL WHERE YOU'RE PLANTED
The adversary ever tries to get us out of the place where God has
placed us, out of that field where God has put us, to get us to go into another
field - where we will be completely out of the will of God.
Ruth 2:9
Let thine eyes be on the field that they
do reap, and go thou after them: have I not charged the young men that they
shall not touch thee? and when thou art athirst, go unto the vessels, and drink
of that which the young men have drawn.
Let your eyes be on the field where God has put you. But I have
nothing to do there!
But, when people have pride and a big ego, they look for
recognition: and the devil will work on that. He gets their eyes on another
field, making it look so exciting and great - to get them to leave the field
where God has placed them.
We can learn from this - the devil is ever there to entice us to
go to another field. He always makes the grass look greener on the other side
of the fence: but once we get there we find out it wasn’t as nice as we thought
it was.
Ruth 2:10-12
Then she fell on her face, and bowed
herself to the ground, and said unto him, Why have I found grace in thine eyes,
that thou shouldest take knowledge of me, seeing I am a stranger?
And Boaz answered and said unto her, It
hath fully been showed me, all that thou hast done unto thy mother in law since
the death of thine husband: and how thou hast left thy father and thy mother,
and the land of thy nativity, and art come unto a people which thou knewest not
heretofore.
The Lord recompense thy work, and a full
reward be given thee of the Lord God of
Ruth trusted in the Lord. She had a faith in God.
LOVE IN ACTION
Now, Naomi was up there in years, and Ruth was looking out for
her. She was taking care of her. What a love and a dedication she had for her
mother in law!
Thank God for those who have a heart of love, and are concerned to
look out for those who are older - even if it means they have to use some of
their strength, spend some of their money, give up some of their time.
Listen! Love is not selfish. Love will go out of its way to help
someone in need. Love will care about someone when others don’t seem to care.
Love is kind. Love will say, I don’t care what it cost me. I don’t care if
it means I have to work and labor to help someone, maybe losing some sleep. I
don’t care what it costs. I’m concerned. I love them.
But today people are so selfish. This is a sign in II Timothy 3
concerning the last days - men will be lovers of their own selves, lovers of
pleasure more than lovers of God.
FULFILLING OF THE DIVINE PURPOSE
Ruth 4:1-5
Then went Boaz up to the gate, and sat him
down there: and, behold, the kinsman of whom Boaz spake came by; unto whom he
said, Ho, such a one turn aside, sit down here. And he turned aside, and sat
down.
And he said unto the kinsman, Naomi, that
is come again out of the country of Moab, selleth a parcel of land, which was
our brother Elimelech’s: and I thought to advertise thee, saying, Buy it before
the inhabitants, and before the elders of my people.
If thou wilt redeem it, redeem it: but if
thou wilt not redeem it, then tell me, that I may know: for there is none to
redeem it beside thee; and I am after thee. And he said, I will redeem it.
Then said Boaz, What day thou buyest the
field of the hand of Naomi, thou must buy it also of Ruth the Moabitess, the
wife of the dead, to raise up the name of the dead upon his inheritance.
If this kinsman wanted the land that was Naomi’s he would have to
marry Ruth: But he backed off. Now Boaz was next in line, so he was able now to
purchase the land - and marry Ruth.
God had a purpose for Ruth’s marriage to Boaz: Boaz was a Jew, and
Ruth was a Gentile. Their son, Obed, was the father of Jesse, who was the
father of King David - and through this lineage Jesus came forth in the flesh.
See Matthew 1
The book of the generation of Jesus
Christ, the son of David . . . and Booz begat Obed of Ruth; and Obed begat
Jesse; and Jesse begat David the king . . .
Take every warning that you hear when God deals with you through
the preaching of His Word. Yes, take those warnings to heart. Get your eyes off
all those flashy things the devil would put before you, get your eyes off other
people and what they’re doing.
Remain in the field where God has placed you, and faithfully do
your part.
Luke 9:62
And Jesus said unto him, No man, having
put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the