COMMITMENT CREATES OPPORTUNITIES

Week 2
Main Point and Overview:

When Ruth and Naomi returned back into Israel, they knew that their survival would depend on a new source of “income.” So, Ruth suggested that she go and “glean” grain in the fields with the harvesters. One of the Mosaic Laws required that corners of fields were to be left unharvested for the “poor” of Israel. This prevented the owners from hoarding wealth while allowing those who had little to nothing to be provided for in kind compassion. Ruth was a humble young woman who did not care about people’s perceptions. She had one goal in mind – to care for her widowed mother-in-law. So, she took advantage of this special law, and she worked very hard to provide for Naomi. Many times when tragedy hits, we “sit around feeling sorry for ourselves” instead of passionately pursuing solutions to our problems. In our culture, people are quick to blame-shift, leading to eventual “give-up mode.” Ruth gives us the exact opposite example. Instead of wallowing in self-pity, she passionately sought solutions to her struggles. She did so with a work ethic unmatched by the majority of Bible characters. The reality is that when a person “pushes forward” in the face of difficulties, others take notice. That is exactly what happened with Ruth. A man by the name of Boaz, who owned the fields that she was gleaning in, began to ask his leaders who this young woman was. In no time, he had noticed her. As he heard her story of selfless sacrifice in staying with her mother-in-law instead of seeking after a husband to take care of her in her own country of Moab, Boaz was impressed at the highest level. This resulted in him beginning to take care of Ruth in ways that she never could have anticipated. What is true of our gracious God is that he always takes care of us when we faithfully honor him and others. Ruth’s faithfulness was beginning to produce results! God’s kindness through Boaz to her was also doing something unique – it was beginning to change Naomi’s heart. Once blinded by her pain, Naomi was beginning to see God’s grace to her through her daughter-in-law. Naomi was once hopeless, but now, she was hopeful. God was also doing something else that no one ever could have expected! Every setback in life has a comeback right around the corner!