The Testimony of Ruth (Ruth 1:15-18)

3/15/2010 9:34 PM

 

SPIRITUAL DIARY

 

My Worship Time                                        Focus:  The testimony of Ruth

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                        Reference:  Ruth 1:15-18

 

            Message of the verses:  “15  Then she said, "Behold, your sister-in-law has gone back to her people and her gods; return after your sister-in-law." 16  But Ruth said, "Do not urge me to leave you or turn back from following you; for where you go, I will go, and where you lodge, I will lodge. Your people shall be my people, and your God, my God. 17  "Where you die, I will die, and there I will be buried. Thus may the LORD do to me, and worse, if anything but death parts you and me." 18  When she saw that she was determined to go with her, she said no more to her.”

            Verses sixteen and seventeen are magnificent verses that show the grace of God, and the testimony of a woman who had found the grace of God.  Ruth did not listen to her mother-in-law for a minute, for she wanted to return to the land of Israel and worship the One True God of Israel.

            Dr. Wiersbe points out some of the obstacles that seem to be against Ruth in his commentary on the book of Ruth.  Her background was against her as she was from Moab and they worshiped a god who delighted in the sacrifice of human babies.  Her circumstances were also against her as she saw her father-in-law die and then her husband die, and then her brother-in-law die, and thus she was left with only her mother-in-law who was bitter towards God because of her circumstances.  So how did this all end up the way that it did?  The answer is the sovereign will of God who was working out all of the circumstances in order to bring about the birth of the Messiah for Ruth is one of five women in the bloodline of Jesus Christ.  Four of the five women had, at best, character that was not the best.  Tamar slept with her father-in-law, and Rahab was a Gentile harlot, Ruth was an outcast from Moab, “No Ammonite or Moabite shall enter the assembly of the LORD; none of their descendants, even to the tenth generation, shall ever enter the assembly of the LORD.”  (Deu. 23:3)  Bathsheba committed adultery with King David even though he started it, and then we find Mary the mother of Jesus Christ whose character was wonderful.

           

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  I can’t help but think of Ephesians 2:10 as I think of this section of Ruth, actually it makes me think of Ephesians 2:8-10:  “8  For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; 9  not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. 10  For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.”  I was saved the very same way that Ruth was and that is by grace through faith, but verse ten speaks of works that God prepared for me to do before the earth was hung in place, and the question that I must think of is will I allow God to rule in my life so that I can accomplish these works or will, like Samson, will God have to overrule in my life for me to accomplish all of these works He planed for me to do?

 

My Steps of Faith for Today:

 

1. I want the Lord to rule in my life so that I can do the works that He planed for me to accomplish before the world was hung it place.

 

3/15/2010 10:02 PM