Scripture
"The women said to Naomi: "Praise be to the LORD, who this day has not left you without a kinsman-redeemer... Then Naomi took the child, laid him in her lap and cared for him. The women living there said, "Naomi has a son." And they named him Obed. He was the father of Jesse, the father of David" (Ruth 4:13,16-17).
Observation
There's no way she could have known. Not in a million years.
Did she realize how closely her obedience would tie her to David, Israel's greatest king? Would she ever recognize how, through all the horrible circumstances, her "Kinsman-Redeemer" would be the Messiah?
Could she ever comprehend how close she was to royalty when she was gleaning in Boaz's fields?
You can't see through to the future. Looking forward is often cloudy. Muddled. You fly blind. Except for one thing: obedience.
It's like sonar. Obedience will not remove obstacles. It will only help you navigate through them. But it does have its requirements: obedience compels us to live by trust and obedience, not by results and rewards. No preset guarantees. Only promises.
Ruth obeyed Naomi's instructions and kept herself chaste. In an ancient world where begging women were not always connected with virtue, Ruth stands out. She remains true to God's instructions and her mother-in-law's intuition until Boaz recognized her faithfulness. "You have not run after the younger men, whether rich or poor..."
Obedience is recognizable.
Did she realize how closely her obedience would tie her to David, Israel's greatest king? Would she ever recognize how, through all the horrible circumstances, her "Kinsman-Redeemer" would be the Messiah?
Could she ever comprehend how close she was to royalty when she was gleaning in Boaz's fields?
You can't see through to the future. Looking forward is often cloudy. Muddled. You fly blind. Except for one thing: obedience.
It's like sonar. Obedience will not remove obstacles. It will only help you navigate through them. But it does have its requirements: obedience compels us to live by trust and obedience, not by results and rewards. No preset guarantees. Only promises.
Ruth obeyed Naomi's instructions and kept herself chaste. In an ancient world where begging women were not always connected with virtue, Ruth stands out. She remains true to God's instructions and her mother-in-law's intuition until Boaz recognized her faithfulness. "You have not run after the younger men, whether rich or poor..."
Obedience is recognizable.
Application
I wonder how many times I have been close to regal results but have bailed. I suspect many. But today, sitting with Ruth, her counsel refreshes my soul. Her narration has stirred my heart.
Today I will re-enlist my heart to obedience. I seldom know in advance the outcomes of decisions made today. But still I must obey, regardless of what fears assail me.
Obedience is the guide to optimum futures, and today I have been fortunate. I have had the opportunity to travel in the company of Ruth, a beggar turned regal.
How heartening it is to have a friend recount an experience in her past so that I am emboldened to walk into the fullness of my future!
Today I will re-enlist my heart to obedience. I seldom know in advance the outcomes of decisions made today. But still I must obey, regardless of what fears assail me.
Obedience is the guide to optimum futures, and today I have been fortunate. I have had the opportunity to travel in the company of Ruth, a beggar turned regal.
How heartening it is to have a friend recount an experience in her past so that I am emboldened to walk into the fullness of my future!
Prayer
Dear Father:
I know You have my best at heart, and all You ask is that I be obedient, step by step. I renew my heart today. Please forgive me for the many times where I have balked and bailed. Thank You for Your patience toward such a surly saint as I.
And thank You for Your obedience at Calvary when all of hell was against you. May I take heart today knowing that all of heaven is for me!
I know You have my best at heart, and all You ask is that I be obedient, step by step. I renew my heart today. Please forgive me for the many times where I have balked and bailed. Thank You for Your patience toward such a surly saint as I.
And thank You for Your obedience at Calvary when all of hell was against you. May I take heart today knowing that all of heaven is for me!
