Shalom shalom everyone! I pray that this post finds you all well, and if you're going through a trial, I pray that you will know just how much more He is with you than ever. He won't give you anything you can't handle. He knows exactly what you're capable of. He believes in you - He believes that you can overcome this! Hallelujah!
It's been a looonnnggg time since I've posted anything new, or worked on the rest of the blog. But I'm in a season of my life where I'm LEARNING (yep, definitely still learning! With capitals!) that God is good, ONLY good, and that He actually believes in me, which is a foreign thought to me. But that's a discussion for another blog post!
In my last ancient post, I mentioned something about Ruth, and that I was planning on writing something about her after Shavuot. I generally don't reread the posts I write, so I hope my memory is accurate - but even if it isn't, we'll focus on Ruth for the purpose of today's post. So let's backtrack just a little bit back to Shavuot, even thought we're speedily approaching Rosh Hashanah/Yom Teruah and all the other amazing autumn (or spring, for some of us!) feasts.
There are really only two main feasts on the Hebrew calendar in which women play a large roll, whether in the Scripture readings for the feast or as the theme of the feast. Purim spotlights Esther, and Shavuot spotlights Ruth.
There are so many Biblical female characters we can learn from in the Bible, and Ruth is definitely one of them. After all, Ruth's story is still being told today among believers. She's admired and looked up to for her acts of service, loyalty, and devotion to the Jewish people even though they weren't perfect. She left all she knew behind her for a new life of fulfilment, purpose and destiny, even though the road would be more challenging and she would be swimming against the tide.
Some sources say that Ruth was a Moabite princess, the granddaughter of Balak and daughter of king Eglon. Whether or not this is true, it most certainly makes her sacrifice for the Jewish people and God even more incredible.
Most women in the Bible only share the spotlight for a very short period of time, and then disappear from our view. Ruth's story is different, as a whole book in the Bible is dedicated to her. What are some things we can learn from her?
Let's suppose Ruth really was a Moabite princess. She would have grown up in the palace, raised in royalty. Everything she could ever want was within her reach, and she had servants to accomplish whatever she asked. She was dressed in only the richest of clothes, and ate only the best food available in the land (and, thinking back to king Eglon, the food must have been amazing).
But there were other aspects of her life that weren't so good. Her grandfather was king Balak, who hired Balaam to curse Israel for him. When Israel came out of Egypt, and were about to cross over the Jordan to enter the Promised Land, Israel, the Moabites refused to give the Israelites bread and water and help them on their way. They sent their women into the Israelite camp in order to try and lead them away from the living God, and weaken them. Most of all, God commanded in Deuteronomy chapter 23 that no Moabite is to enter into the community of the Lord forever, because they did not help Israel inherit God's promises but instead opposed them and made it hard for them.
Ruth and Boaz lived in a time when all of this was only recent history. Boaz's father and grandfather had probably experienced the 40 years of wandering in the desert. Ruth's grandfather had hired Balaam to curse the Israelites, and her father oppressed them. Israel and Moab were enemies. Israel was also going through the period of the time of the Judges, which was a turbulent time in Israel. Many of the Israelites weren't walking fully in God's Torah and ways, and each man ''did what was right in his own eyes''. Supporting Israel wasn't necessarily a very appealing thing to do, especially if you were trying to do what was right. They weren't doing so well. It would have been much easier to critisize them for all their faults.
But Ruth was different. Ruth was humble. She came from pagan roots. She knew her history. And yet, she humbly came to God to learn, not to teach. She gave everything for her Maker, even though she must have known that Moabites were not accepted in God's community according to the Torah. She carried the guilt of what her people had done to God's elect.
What did she do?
She came as a servant. Instead of trying to teach everyone, she came to learn. She came to serve Naomi, a daughter of Israel. She laboured hard and provided Naomi with bread. She drew water from the well and gave her water. She knew what her people were responsible for, and quietly, one grain at a time, she gave her all for those around her. Instead of trying to seduce those around her to follow her lead in what she thought was right, she led a quiet life radiating purity and, maybe even unintentionally, leading them to glorify God and draw nearer to Him through her beautiful example.
Ruth didn't try to teach a stumbling people. She came to serve them. And her heart of pure love for God, the people to whom she joined herself for better of for worse, her faithfulness to those who strayed, her acts of true teshuva, and her loyalty even when things got hard, captured God's heart. He saw her, and He blessed her. She became the great-grandmother of King David. She turned around her story, she came near to God, and He drew her near to Him.
Ruth was strong enough to admit the wrong done by her and her people. And she was strong enough to humble herself and serve - she served her Maker, through serving His people.
People who are going through a rough spot in life, whether individually or nationally, are generally in a place where they can't receive rebuke or someone who wants to tell them how wrong they are. Sometimes, they can't even receive words of encouragement. They're in survival mode, whether they know it not, and any criticism is usually regarded as a threat. Trying to teach and correct them on any level, either by pointing out their little faults, bringing up other issues and demanding justice for oneself, just making noise or confronting them harshly, will only raise them to a more chaotic, unreachable level. It brings them down, discourages them, and in some cases makes them believe that they'll never be able to achieve anything good or grow in godliness, and therefore they give up and fare terribly. That's not the way we should work with people, no matter how wrong they are. We've all got our own stories, some like Ruth's, that started out rough. The Moabites weren't cut off because they didn't teach Israel how to inherit the Promised Land. They were cut off because they didn't support the people where they were at that time of their journey to inherit the Promise. The people of Israel would inherit the promise anyway; but the Moabites had the opportunity to encourage them and support them through the simple act of sustaining them, by looking after their needs. They could have encouraged the people who had just experienced a dry time in their history and who needed encouragement to go into the battle for the Land without fear. They could have provided them with all their needs so that they could focus on their mission instead of their daily survival. They could have hastened them into the Promise and brought salvation sooner, and been part of God's glorious plan.
Ruth got it. She had the jewel and key to life in her actions and heart. She realised what God's chosen people needed the most in a time of trial. They needed someone to support them, to look after the behind the scenes needs, and encourage them without words. They needed action. And they didn't need teachers. God had already given them all they needed in the Torah. They just needed someone to boost their courage and arouse their passion for godliness. Ruth let God do the work in their hearts while she lived a life of purity and holiness. And while she gleaned in the fields of Boaz.
Let us be encouraged to serve one another in love. Let us serve God's children, whether they agree with our theology or not, whether they are Jew or Gentile, wherever they are in their journey. Let's meet them where they are. Let's help them on their journey, not through teaching them and telling them how wrong they are, but through quietly providing them with everything they need - bread and water - and building them up. BUILD them up. Maybe we just need to be a little more like Ruth, and ignore all the shortcomings for a while, in ourselves and in each other. And like Ruth, may we be strong enough to only provide others with everything they need. Sometimes the greater things in life that change everything can be as simple as playing with a younger sibling and making them smile, or blessing your mother by making a meal. It only costs us one thing - and that is too surrender our life fully to serving God and those He places near us.
Like Ruth, we'll reap a reward, and more people will be walking on the path to life, because they would have seen that God still loves them. He's not angry at them. Indeed, they'll see His smile through yours. And love covers a multitude of sins.
Be blessed today xxx
Very inspiring story 💜