GOD CAN DO WHAT MAN CANNOT DO; BEYOND WHAT THE MIND CAN CONCEIVE; HE WORKS IN INCREDIBLY WONDROUS WAYS!
A story of hope in the midst of hopelessness.
*******Disclaimer- This is long reading. Only proceed if you desire to hear of God's goodness and delight in His Word. If you DO NOT want to be inspired, do not read!!!!*******
[And the name of the man was Elimelech, and the name of his wife Naomi, and the name of his two sons Mahlon and Chilion, Ephrathites of Beth-lehem-judah. And they came into the country of Moab, and continued there.
And Elimelech Naomi's husband died; and she was left, and her two sons.
And they took them wives of the women of Moab; the name of the one was Orpah, and the name of the other Ruth: and they dwelled there about ten years.
And Mahlon and Chilion died also both of them; and the woman was left of her two sons and her husband.
Then she arose with her daughters in law, that she might return from the country of Moab: for she had heard in the country of Moab how that the LORD had visited his people in giving them bread.
Wherefore she went forth out of the place where she was, and her two daughters in law with her; and they went on the way to return unto the land of Judah.
And Naomi said unto her two daughters in law, Go, return each to her mother's house: the LORD deal kindly with you, as ye have dealt with the dead, and with me.
The LORD grant you that ye may find rest, each of you in the house of her husband. Then she kissed them; and they lifted up their voice, and wept.
And they said unto her, Surely we will return with thee unto thy people.
And Naomi said, Turn again, my daughters: why will ye go with me? are there yet any more sons in my womb, that they may be your husbands?
Turn again, my daughters, go your way; for I am too old to have an husband. If I should say, I have hope, if I should have an husband also to night, and should also bear sons;
Would ye tarry for them till they were grown? would ye stay for them from having husbands? nay, my daughters; for it grieveth me much for your sakes that the hand of the LORD is gone out against me.
And they lifted up their voice, and wept again: and Orpah kissed her mother in law; but Ruth clave unto her.]-Ruth 1:2-14 (KJV)
Elimelech, his wife, Naomi, and their sons, Mahlon and Chilion journeyed on to Moab. They were a secured family. I imagine them traveling, joyful and expectant, ready to walk into a great future. They were happy, then something happened. Elimelech died. Poor Naomi. She lost her king. As hard as that had to be, she went on, just her and her sons.
Her sons, Mahlon and Chilion, went on and married two Moab women, Opal and Ruth. They were happy, these two married couples. The Bible says they were together for ten years, until something happened. Both Mahlon and Chilion died. Poor Naomi, she was struck with a terrible, tragic loss once again. Poor Opal and Ruth. They lost their kings. My God. What pain they all endured.
Distraught and without a plan, Naomi tells her beloved daughter in laws to stay in their hometown while she returns to her hometown. They refused. Clinging to her, they vowed to stay with her. Her response was one of hopelessness, she says,
"Why will ye go with me? are there yet any more sons in my womb, that they may be your husbands?
Turn again, my daughters, go your way; for I am too old to have an husband. If I should say, I have hope, if I should have an husband also to night, and should also bear sons;"
Naomi knew she could not bring her lovely daughter in laws husband's to replace the ones they had lost, and they so did need husbands. A husband was more than a person to cuddle up with. A husband was security, surety, and means to carry on the name and inheritance of an individual (from the man/husband). This is why marriage and bearing a son was so important to in the Levirate law.
So, Opal and Ruth had nothing. No husbands, no sons, and little to nothing to survive. Likewise, Naomi had nothing. Her inheritance from her husband had died with the death of her two sons and she was unable to have another son. My God, what a hopeless situation!!!
Opal ended up listening to her mother in law, retreating, and with tears and sadness kissed Naomi goodbye. Ruth refused. She clung even more to her mother in law and declared her loyalty to her. She was going to stay with her no matter what. Now, that's Love. Ruth knew her mother in law had nothing to give, no means to help her, yet she stayed anyway.
If you would go on and read the book of Ruth you will see how Ruth and Naomi journeyed to Bethlehem, Naomi’s home. While there, she gleaned wheat from the fields of Boaz (Ruth 1–2). In desperation, with all the men in her immediate family dead, Naomi and Ruth were in danger of losing their inheritance and their family’s land if an heir could not be produced. While gleaning, Boaz, noticed her and marked her out among all others in his field. For some reason, Ruth stood out from everyone else.
This is the account of what happened afterwards:
[Then said Boaz unto his servant that was set over the reapers, Whose damsel is this?
And the servant that was set over the reapers answered and said, It is the Moabitish damsel that came back with Naomi out of the country of Moab:
And she said, I pray you, let me glean and gather after the reapers among the sheaves: so she came, and hath continued even from the morning until now, that she tarried a little in the house.
Then said Boaz unto Ruth, Hearest thou not, my daughter? Go not to glean in another field, neither go from hence, but abide here fast by my maidens:
Let thine eyes be on the field that they do reap, and go thou after them: have I not charged the young men that they shall not touch thee? and when thou art athirst, go unto the vessels, and drink of that which the young men have drawn.
Then she fell on her face, and bowed herself to the ground, and said unto him, Why have I found grace in thine eyes, that thou shouldest take knowledge of me, seeing I am a stranger?
And Boaz answered and said unto her, It hath fully been shewed me, all that thou hast done unto thy mother in law since the death of thine husband: and how thou hast left thy father and thy mother, and the land of thy nativity, and art come unto a people which thou knewest not heretofore.
The LORD recompense thy work, and a full reward be given thee of the LORD God of Israel, under whose wings thou art come to trust.
Then she said, Let me find favour in thy sight, my lord; for that thou hast comforted me, and for that thou hast spoken friendly unto thine handmaid, though I be not like unto one of thine handmaidens.
And Boaz said unto her, At mealtime come thou hither, and eat of the bread, and dip thy morsel in the vinegar. And she sat beside the reapers: and he reached her parched corn, and she did eat, and was sufficed, and left.
And when she was risen up to glean, Boaz commanded his young men, saying, Let her glean even among the sheaves, and reproach her not:
And let fall also some of the handfuls of purpose for her, and leave them, that she may glean them, and rebuke her not.
So she gleaned in the field until even, and beat out that she had gleaned: and it was about an ephah of barley.] -Ruth 2:5-17
Whoa! Ruth went from nothing to a whole lot. The owner of the field, Boaz, practically begged her to stay close to him, and not just that, he told her that he instructed the men to not touch her and to let her drink as much as she wants of the waters which they drawed. But, that's not all, Boaz told Ruth to come and sit down and have a personal meal with him, which she did. Wow. A sure job (security) with full benefits and a dinner with the boss. Oh, yeah, to add the cherry on the ice cream Boaz instructs his servants to intentionally leave produce behind while gleaning so that Ruth could take all that she wanted. Free food!!!! Yes Lord. Things begin to start looking good for Ruth.
Ruth, as loving as she was, went on to give her mother in law food from her great harvest and tell her what had transpired between she and Boaz. Naomi says it is good for her to take his offer and later tells her that Boaz is her kinsman. A kinsman was one who could redeem a widow and restore her the property that was lost with her husband as well as marry her and conceive a son with her.
Naomi comes up with a plan to set things in motion. Ruth complies. As Boaz lay asleep one night, Ruth lies at his feet, uncovering his feet. He wakes up startled wondering who she was. She tells him and asks him to cover her with his skirt (not a feminine skirt but a man's night covering of the time). Now, do not take this to mean that Ruth seduced Boaz. This custom of covering one with a skirt or to "spread his garment” over her, meant to assume the responsibility for her care, as her husband. Ruth, in a way, is proposing to him. She is asking him to save her, to redeem her. She wants Boaz to be her kinsman redeemer. (look up kinsman redeemer to find out more about the term and how it parallels what Jesus Christ does for us). The very act of Boaz covering her with his garment is symbolic of espousal, which is also symbolic of the relationship of God to us, His people.
"Fear not; for thou shalt not be ashamed: neither be thou confounded; for thou shalt not be put to shame: for thou shalt forget the shame of thy youth, and shalt not remember the reproach of thy widowhood any more.
5For thy Maker is thine husband; the LORD of hosts is his name; and thy Redeemer the Holy One of Israel; The God of the whole earth shall he be called." -Isaiah 54:4-5
"For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ." -2 Corinthians 11:2
To shorten the story, Boaz tells Ruth that there is a close kinsman than he; that he will present the offer to him, for him to redeem the property which she had lost with the death of her husband and also, to gain his hand in marriage. He finds this near kinsman and meets with him before a council. Presenting the offer, the nearest kinsman says he cannot do what was proposed or else he would mess up his inheritance. Boaz gladly takes responsibility and declares himself the redeemer of Ruth in his stead.
Boaz marries Ruth. In keeping with the Levirate marriage law, Ruth was able to marry a close relative and bear a son who would legally belong to Naomi’s family, thereby ensuring that the property would not pass from them (Deut. 25:5–10). Mannnnn, can someone say HAPPILY EVER AFTER???!!!!!
Ruth went from nothing to everything. Little by little she was given everything she needed, right down to a husband a man child, a son. Her loyalty to her mother in law paid off greatly. She wasn't looking to receive. All she wanted was to Love and comfort her grief stricken mother in law. See how much you gain when you give out of a pure heart, void of ulterior motives? Boaz was better than the nearest kinsman, he was full of compassion and loyalty. She got a husband of her equal and he had great possessions. Ruth wasn't a gold digger, she was a goal digger, and she was blessed with good and plenty.
As for Naomi, she went from sad and hopeless to happy and provided for. Boaz' plan of redemption included her and provided for her for the rest of her life. Remember how Naomi in her grief told her daughter in laws repeatedly that she could not conceive a son for them, that she had not another son that she could birth? Well, Boaz became the son that she said she could not conceive. Naomi did not have to get remarried to conceive another son for her daughter in law. God hooked her up with it all in His way. He gave her all she needed and more. Look AT GOD! God's ways are above our own ways. He will do what seems impossible to man. Praise God!
Today I want you to stop thinking about what you think to be the worst and begin to imagine how God will turn it around for your good. You may not be able to imagine just how God will fix it but you can have faith that He will fix it somehow and someway. What God did for Naomi and Ruth, He can do for you too! God can turn your worse situation into your greatest miracle. He will turn it around!
GOD WORKS IN INCREDIBLY WONDROUS WAYS!
Matthew 19:26 (KJV)
But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.
