RUTH – A MODEL IN THE FAITH (Part 2 – Chapter 3 & 4)

v  Honor your Parents & Elders

One of the 10 commandments given to Moses was for us to honor our parents. In this instance though, Naomi wasn’t Ruth’s biological parent, but she became so by virtue of the bond formed between them.

One folly of youths these days is their penchant for disregarding the counsel of elders. We often equate intelligence for wisdom. Certain wisdom - I have discovered – is only gotten from a degree of experience which we don’t possess at a certain age. Tapping from the experience of the elders is highly profitable.

There are certain things that we might not understand, but once we’re clear that God has put us under a particular individuals’ (or group of individuals) care – be it mentor, parent or otherwise – and that the instruction given doesn’t go against God’s precepts; then we sometimes need to accept it as it is.

Ruth was instructed by Naomi in Chapter 3 Verse 1 – 4. Let’s read Ruth’s response;

⁵ and she said unto her, all that thou sayest unto me I will do.

Notice something; she (Ruth) didn’t question Naomi for a moment, because she already knew that Naomi had her best interest at heart and that God had placed Naomi on her path as a guide. We should learn to do this sometimes!

v  Do away with procrastination

Is it any wonder that Boaz was a successful man? Reading verse 18 of Chapter 3; we realize that Boaz was a man who got things done as soon as possible. It certainly feels like he was a man averse to procrastination, at least judging by the testimony of Naomi concerning the man in the stated verse.

v  Do what is right even if it seems like it is not to your favor

We often times bandy around the word “righteousness” without fully grasping its true meaning. Simply put, Righteousness dictates that we do the right things always.

Boaz would have obviously preferred that Ruth be married to him, but he nevertheless insisted on doing the right thing by first presenting the opportunity to the man who was more entitled than him (Chapter 3 verse 12). He set about doing this in Verse 1-6 of Chapter 4.

v  Your way of life can be a source of blessing to your offspring

In Chapter 4 Verse 14 -15, we see how the women pronounced blessings upon Obed due to the kind of person his mother (Ruth) was. This goes to show that it is profitable (not only to you) to live an exemplary, God-fearing life.

Image gotten from: http://www.lookandlearn.com/blog/2847/ruth-gleaning-barley-in-the-field-of-boaz/