What Can We Learn from Ruth?
Ruth is a prime example of what God’s grace, providence, mercy, and timing can do in the life of…anyone. The time period that the story of Ruth takes place in is an important backdrop to the story; it was during the time of Judges when, “in those days Israel had no king. Each man did what he considered to be right” (Judges 21:25). Naomi’s family somewhat exemplified this statement. They had decided to move away from Canaan, where God had called them to, because of a famine. This showed their lacked of trust in God to provide for their needs. The sons married Moabite women when they were explicitly instructed not to.
Ruth was one of the Moabite (Gentile) women who one of the sons married. Moabites were seen as outsiders to the Israelites at that time. She had married into an Israelite family so she may very well have heard some of what the Lord God is like. However, it is not until she was faced with a very difficult situation that she decided to make a stand and choose God. In reality, when she chose God, she also chose what was to potentially come with her obedience to God and loyalty to Naomi, over what would have been much simpler, to return home to her own people. What comes from this conversion and choice to obey impacts the larger redemption story for all eternity. The following are characteristics seen in Ruth’s conversion and its relation to Gentile converts today:
She was lost, but then found. Ruth was not part of the chosen people. She did not know God, she was dead in her trespasses. She had probably heard about God many times since she was married to Naomi’s sons and in the family, but it does not say that she had ever chosen to be loyal and obedient to Him, to make Him her God. However, a point came in her life where she had to make a choice. To go the way she knew seemed comfortable and known, or she would have to trust and have faith in what she had seen and known about God, even though it would be difficult for her. Every individual will have to face whether he/she will choose or reject the message of Christ. For some, it may mean a radical change, but to everyone, it means change. Everyone is lost and in need of a Savior. The choice will be the same one that Ruth had to make.
Put off the old self. If Ruth had chosen to return with Orpah, the choice would not have been to just do something, but to reject another. If she had gone back, she would have been tempted to draw back to her former ways, especially the way of worshipping other gods, not the one true God. This choice would have been to reject God. Ruth chose to return to Canaan where Moabites were not welcome, or looked upon with high regard. However, she decided to “put off [her] old self, which belonged to [her] former manner of life and was corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of [her] mind, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness” (Ephesians 4:23-24). Every believer has to decide this as well. It does not tend to be a one-time choice, but a daily choice to stay away from and not return to the former way of thinking, doing, and believing.
The blessing of the Ruth’s obedience to the Lord and choice to follow the one true God, was beyond what Ruth could ever have known or imagined. She did not have the pleasure of seeing the “big picture” and the part that she would play in creating a child that would one day lead to David, who led the line of Jesus, the Savior (Matthew 1:1-17). Yet her love, obedience, and devotion brought her to that moment. We have no idea what God has in store for each individual with whom we come into contact. We know that we are to go into all the world and share the message of Jesus Christ (Mark 16:15) and He will do the rest. We could be playing our part with someone through whom God is going to do amazing work.
