RUTH

The following comments are from Navigator's and Quiet Time Diary journals. One verse will be entered, then the comment, then the date.

1:6    Then she [Naomi] arose with her daughters-in-law that she might return from the land of Moab, for she had heard in the land of Moab that the LORD had visited His people in giving them food.

    Naomi's husband and two sons had died, she had two daughters-in-law that were still with her. With no means of support, she wanted to go back to her home country, Bethlehem.
    This verse shows me that Naomi had faith that the Lord God would provide food, as He had done for others. Naomi's direction was from the Lord, as mine should always be. (DRM 8/23/09)

1:8    Then Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law, "Go back, each of you, to your mother's home. May the Lord show kindness to you, as you have shown . . .

    Naomi's two daughters-in-law were Ruth & Orpah whose husbands had recently died. Orpah was willing to go home to find another husband, but Ruth would not leave Naomi - which is similar to our devotion to Christ. (DRM 5/30/88)

1:20    She said to them, "Do not call me Naomi; call me Mara, for the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me.

    With the loss of her husband and both sons, Naomi was bitter with the Lord. Certainly I understand what it's like to plan on doing something and having a fruitful life, then the Lord changing the plan.
    Rather than being bitter, it's best to just "go with the flow," and know that His plans are truly better - and He will be glorified the way He chooses. (DRM 8/24/09)

2:8    So Boaz said to Ruth, "My daughter, listen to me. Don't go and glean in another field and don't go away from here. Stay here with my servant girls.

    Obviously Boaz was attracted to Ruth from the beginning. Boaz knew why Ruth was in his field and had compassion for her plight. Lord, let me be compassionate! (DRM 6/1/88)

2:11    Boaz replied to her, "All that you have done for your mother-in-law after the death of your husband has been fully reported to me, and how you left your father and your mother and the land of your birth, and came to a people that you did not previously know. "

    Throughout all of history, Bethlehem has been a small town/city. Certainly that is the case here. In small towns, everyone knows is ANY change has happened; thus Boaz had been told soon after Naomi and Ruth had arrived. At least in this case, it was good for Ruth to be known.
    Amazingly to me, Jesus knows each of us personally, just like we live in a small town. Like Boaz, He wants to help in our times of trouble - and always is available for us as needed. (DRM 8/25/09)

2:19    Her [Ruth] mother-in-law [Naomi] then said to her, "Where did you glean today and where did you work? May he who took notice of you be blessed." So she told her mother-in-law with whom she had worked and said, "The name of the man with whom I worked today is Boaz."

    While Bethlehem (1:19) was a small town at the time, there were probably several farms that Ruth could have gone to, but she chose Boaz' farm to glean from for some reason.
    God had to have led Ruth to make this choice, as the whole book of Ruth and the rest of the Bible hinge on this one decision.
    This is another instance where God directs His people - and I (we) have to be open to hear His voice and do His will. (DRM 1/10/12)

    God's care for these people results in the birth of Obed, the grandfather of David (4:17, 21), whose descendants eventually include our Lord (Matt. 1:1-17; Luke 3:23-38). (Our Daily Bread Insight 1/10/12)

2:22    Naomi said to Ruth her daughter-in-law, "It is good, my daughter, that you go out with his [Boaz] maids, so that others do not fall upon you in another field."

    It seems to me that Naomi knew more than she was telling Ruth. While Naomi didn't tell Ruth which field to go to, she must have known Boaz had fields, as he was a close relative (v. 20). In this verse Naomi wants Ruth to stay at Boaz' fields. Perhaps God was directing Naomi to do and say the things she did - as history shows how important this event would be in the birth of Jesus, much later. (DRM 8/26/09)

3:4    ". . . It shall be when he lies down, that you shall notice the place where he lies, and you shall go and uncover his feet and lie down; then he will tell you what you shall do."

    It seems that Naomi was suggesting that Ruth have relations with Boaz, but apparently that was not her intent - rather that Ruth and Boaz just find out that they enjoy each other's company.
    Because of today's society, I wouldn't follow Naomi's suggestion - and hope the Lord would suggest a different way. (DRM 8/27/09)

3:11b    All my fellow townsmen know that you are a woman of noble character.

    Ruth was known for her good character. I hope that as I grow in knowledge of the Lord, that more people will also think of me in that way. (DRM 6/3/88)

4:5    Then Boaz said, "On the day you buy the field from the hand of Naomi, you must also acquire Ruth the Moabitress, the widow of the deceased, in order to raise up the name of the deceased on his inheritance."

    Apparently there was one relative that was closer to Naomi than Boaz. Since she had property, he had the right of "first redemption" or first refusal before Boaz could purchase the land and the right to marry Ruth.
    God worked it out that Boaz would be the purchaser and could marry Ruth, as He knows the future and the plans He had for Ruth's descendants. (DRM 8/28/09)

4:10    I have also acquired Ruth the Moabitress, Mahlon's widow, as my wife, in order to maintain the name of the dead with his property. . .

    In those days, it seems that choosing a wife was a part of a business transaction. From previous chapters though, I still think love had something to do with it. (DRM 6/4/88)

4:17    The neighbor women gave him a name, saying, "A son has been born to Naomi!" So they named him Obed. He is the father of Jesse, the father of David.