RUTH: WOMAN OF INTEGRITY
Ruth 2:10-12 (KJV) 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 shsewed 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 whic thou knewest not heretofore.
I started reading Ruth last night because of something my prayer partner said. The Lord had led her to read a specific scripture, but I decided to read the entire book for myself. It was as though I was reading it for the first time. For my bible study and research, I use the Life Applicatiion Bible, King James Version, because of its simplistic built-in notes. There are other study bibles out there, but I especially like this one because it helps me understand the Word on a personal level. In fact, my Pastor likes to borrow it to gain more insight into the message he preaches on Sundays. I have to always remember to bring it for that purpose on Sunday mornings!
Naomi and her husband along with their family were from Bethlehem-Judah. A famine had caused them to move to Moah where Naomi's sons met two Moabite women. One of these women was a woman named Ruth. Eventually Naomi's husband died, and then her two sons died also. After Ruth and Orpah's husband died, Naomi told them they could return to their homeland with her blessings. (Ruth 1:8-13) Orpha left, but Ruth stayed with Naomi. Sometimes a simple act of loyalty will lead to great blessings!
Ruth had made the deliberate choice to stay with Naomi, and because of this choice, God greatly blessed her! Despite the hardship of widowhood, she chose to stay and be loyal to Naomi. The other choice that Ruth had was to return to her homeland, find another husband, and go on with her life. Instead of running to a known comfort zone, she willing chose to remain steadfast in the bitterness of what life would offer as a widow of those times. You see, widows in the ancient world were both ignored and taken advantage of. Most of the time widows were poverty stricken. The only hope for a decent living as a widow was in receiving help from a living relative that would be responsible for them. Unfortunately, Naomi had no known living relatives. So it would be especially hard for her!
One of the things that I noticed was that the notes I studied spoke a lot concerning Ruth's integrity. So I got up this morning and searched in my office dictionary for the meaning of this word. Webster's New World Dictionary gives the following defintion:
Honesty
Sincerity
Unimpaired Condition
Completeness
Wholeness
What really struck me was the honesty and sincerity. When I read that, I asked myself am I showing honesty and sincerity on a consistant basis. This is why I am writing this lesson today. Are we consistent in what we show and do? Before I get ahead of myself, let me finish the lesson.
Ruth exhibited certain qualities consistently. They can be listed as follows:
All of these qualities added up to a good reputation. My sister, is that what your reputation consists of? Let me get back to Ruth, and as I do, compare your spiritual life to hers. I cannot do that for you. Wherever Ruth went or whatever she did, her character remained the same.
I am encouraged by Ruth's tenacity to hold on, not hang on, despite the bleak circumstances. God rewarded her steadfastness by causing her to be a part of Jesus Christ's genalogy--Matthew 1:5. What a blessing can be ours if we just hold on to God's unchanging hand in the bleakest hour of our life! You may never know how your steadfastness is working a greater reward in the future for you and your seed until the end! So be steadfast and courageous my sisters in Christ!
