King James Bible Study – [And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. – Mark 8:34]
Date: Sunday, April 07, 2024
Chapters: Ruth Chapters 1-4
Message: A Restorer of Life
Hello My Friend,
I do not know why, but as I was reading the chapters for today, this passage came to mind, [John 6:35-38,47 And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst. 36 But I said unto you, That ye also have seen me, and believe not. 37 All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out. 38 For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me. 47 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life.]
Many people have a value and affection for Christ yet come short of salvation by Him not because they do not know who He is, but because they cannot find it in their hearts to forsake other things and attach themselves to Him. However, if we conclude that nothing shall separate us from Christ, through our faith in Him alone, then we may be sure that we can also conclude that we will always be provided and cared for by our Father, [Matthew 6:31-33 Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? 32 (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. 33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.]
The Book of Ruth contains four chapters, the author is unknown, but is probable to be Samuel as he wrote the Book of Judges. The timeline for these events is approximately 1300 -1290 BC. The purpose of the book was to show Israel and everyone else that God is not a respecter of persons, He will redeem and accept anyone who comes to Him, [Ruth 4:14-15 And the women said unto Naomi, Blessed be the LORD, which hath not left thee this day without a kinsman, that his name may be famous in Israel. 15 And he shall be unto thee a restorer of thy life, and a nourisher of thine old age: for thy daughter in law, which loveth thee, which is better to thee than seven sons, hath born him.]
The Book of Ruth is a supplement to the book of Judges, and an introduction to that of Samuel, taking place around the time that the civil war was going on between Israel and the Benjamites, the tribe of Judah being the first to go up against them and lose twenty thousand men. It is also probable that Eli was becoming judge at the time and things were starting to settle as the tribes began returning to God. During that time a terrible famine hit the land, a man of the tribe of Judah, named Elimelech, thought the best thing to do for his family was to leave until things got better, and ended up taking them into the land of Moab of all places.
[Ruth 1:1-5 Now it came to pass in the days when the judges ruled, that there was a famine in the land. And a certain man of Bethlehemjudah went to sojourn in the country of Moab, he, and his wife, and his two sons. 2 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 Bethlehemjudah. And they came into the country of Moab, and continued there. 3 And Elimelech Naomi’s husband died; and she was left, and her two sons. 4 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. 5 And Mahlon and Chilion died also both of them; and the woman was left of her two sons and her husband.]
[and they dwelled there about ten years.] It was after Elimelech died that his sons married their wives and chose to live in Moab for ten years, but neither of them had children. We like to think that we can deal the famines of life on our own, but without God in the picture we will always be searching for provisions in the wrong places, [John 4:13-14 Jesus answered and said unto her, Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again: 14 But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.]
Moab, despised Israel, and the feelings were mutual, it was full of idolatry, and known for sacrificing children to their god. Nevertheless, God, will still use every situation to His advantage, we do not know much about the lives they lived while they were there, but apparently some loyalty from God was present as Naomi decides to return home and the widowed women wanted to follow her.
[Ruth 1:6-10 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. 7 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. 8 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. 9 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. 10 And they said unto her, Surely we will return with thee unto thy people.]
[Surely we will return with thee unto thy people.] True believers want to not only know the way to God, but follow Him as well. God’s people are truly one body of Christ made up of all races, colors, and people from all over the world and they will go wherever God is or leads them, [Ephesians 4:11-12 And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; 12 For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:]
Naomi, was now at the turning point to where Moab would be out of sight, knowing how hard it would be for her daughter-in-law’s to make it in a strange town she urged them to return back home. While Orpah cried a little bit, she hugged Naomi and Ruth then headed home, but Ruth did not want to leave her.
[Ruth 1:12-14,16-17 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; 13 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. 14 And they lifted up their voice, and wept again: and Orpah kissed her mother in law; but Ruth clave unto her. 16 And Ruth said, Intreat me not to leave thee, or to return from following after thee: for whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge: thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God: 17 Where thou diest, will I die, and there will I be buried: the LORD do so to me, and more also, if ought but death part thee and me.]
[And Ruth said, Intreat me not to leave thee,] Ruth, begged Naomi to let her go with her to what was now just called Bethlehem and the reason being is that she wanted to go where God is. While God is everywhere and anywhere, the world does not know that so what better way to find Him is at their local New Testament church. Oddly, sometimes that local church might be an hour a way, but God will always lead you where He feels you will get fed with the right spiritual food. We need to be careful that the church we are attending or seeking is teaching the right doctrine, [Galatians 1:6-8 I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel: 7 Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ. 8 But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed.]
So, Naomi hearkened to Ruth plea and when they arrived in Bethlehem and everyone she knew welcomed her back, but they knew that something was off about her. In fact, it was so off that she no longer wanted them to call her Naomi, but Mara, [Ruth 1:19-21 So they two went until they came to Bethlehem. And it came to pass, when they were come to Bethlehem, that all the city was moved about them, and they said, Is this Naomi? 20 And she said unto them, Call me not Naomi, call me Mara: for the Almighty hath dealt very bitterly with me. 21 I went out full, and the LORD hath brought me home again empty: why then call ye me Naomi, seeing the LORD hath testified against me, and the Almighty hath afflicted me?]
[for the Almighty hath dealt very bitterly with me.] You can feel her pain and grief as she speaks out. I believe that the loss of a child is more devastating than it is any other loved one so you can imagine how empty she did feel as she had lost both of her sons. Nevertheless, she did start to perk up a bit when Ruth wanted to help her out by going out and working in the fields of all things.
[Ruth 2:1-5 And Naomi had a kinsman of her husband’s, a mighty man of wealth, of the family of Elimelech; and his name was Boaz. 2 And Ruth the Moabitess said unto Naomi, Let me now go to the field, and glean ears of corn after him in whose sight I shall find grace. And she said unto her, Go, my daughter. 3 And she went, and came, and gleaned in the field after the reapers: and her hap was to light on a part of the field belonging unto Boaz, who was of the kindred of Elimelech. 4 And, behold, Boaz came from Bethlehem, and said unto the reapers, The LORD be with you. And they answered him, The LORD bless thee. 5 Then said Boaz unto his servant that was set over the reapers, Whose damsel is this?]
[Then said Boaz…Whose damsel is this?] Right away Boaz knew that Ruth was not only a stranger, but not like the other women among his people. Boaz, did not question her faith or honesty, in fact, he saw it right before his eyes. That was when he told her that if she is going to work in the field, then she needed to stay close by.
[Ruth 2:8,10-12 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: 10 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? 11 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. 12 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.]
[under whose wings thou art come to trust.] Wow! It truly is amazing to be under the wings of God, it reminds me of my favorite passage in the Old Testament, [Isaiah 40:28-31 Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of his understanding. 29 He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength. 30 Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall: 31 But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.]
Wow! To have that kind of faith! Whether we are working in the fields, washing dishes, answering phones, or taking care of the family, God, always rewards us with not only the necessities we need, but desires as well. I cannot even count how many times God has protected me and still does. Now, Boaz, was quite taken by Ruth, he even invited her to lunch, then commands the men to let her continue to glean in the field, and leave a little bit more than normal for her take home with her. As for Ruth, she really did not know what to think, but she gladly reaped what was left and brought it back home.
[Ruth 2:14-16,19-20 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. 15 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: 16 And let fall also some of the handfuls of purpose for her, and leave them, that she may glean them, and rebuke her not. 19 And her mother in law said unto her, Where hast thou gleaned to day? and where wroughtest thou? blessed be he that did take knowledge of thee. And she shewed her mother in law with whom she had wrought, and said, The man’s name with whom I wrought to day is Boaz. 20 And Naomi said unto her daughter in law, Blessed be he of the LORD, who hath not left off his kindness to the living and to the dead. And Naomi said unto her, The man is near of kin unto us, one of our next kinsmen.]
[who hath not left off his kindness to the living and to the dead.] What kind of a statement is that? Well, God gave a law concerning birthright and the inheritance of the father being passed down to the first born son? And if he had no son then she would be passed down to the eldest cousin? [Deuteronomy 25:5-6 If brethren dwell together, and one of them die, and have no child, the wife of the dead shall not marry without unto a stranger: her husband’s brother shall go in unto her, and take her to him to wife, and perform the duty of an husband’s brother unto her. 6 And it shall be, that the firstborn which she beareth shall succeed in the name of his brother which is dead, that his name be not put out of Israel.]
Naomi, saw this as the perfect opportunity not only to find a husband for her daughter-in-law, but keep the inheritance of her husband. She came up with a plan to literally get Ruth to propose marriage to Boaz, [Ruth 3:1-4 Then Naomi her mother in law said unto her, My daughter, shall I not seek rest for thee, that it may be well with thee? 2 And now is not Boaz of our kindred, with whose maidens thou wast? Behold, he winnoweth barley to night in the threshingfloor. 3 Wash thyself therefore, and anoint thee, and put thy raiment upon thee, and get thee down to the floor: but make not thyself known unto the man, until he shall have done eating and drinking. 4 And it shall be, when he lieth down, that thou shalt mark the place where he shall lie, and thou shalt go in, and uncover his feet, and lay thee down; and he will tell thee what thou shalt do.]
[thou shalt go in, and uncover his feet, and lay thee down;] Say what? What may seem like a strange custom to us was actually a form of honor given to the husband. It is said that women in the East, when going to the bed of their lawful husbands, through modesty, as a token of subjection, go to the bed’s foot, and gently raising the covers, creep under them up to the head of the bed. According to the old Hebrew law, Ruth, was already married to Boaz, on the supposition that he was next of kin. Naomi, apparently had no knowledge of a kinsman who was older than him because when Ruth did what Naomi had instructed her to do, it took some time for Boaz to figure out that Ruth was doing when he found her at his feet.
[Ruth 3:7-12 And when Boaz had eaten and drunk, and his heart was merry, he went to lie down at the end of the heap of corn: and she came softly, and uncovered his feet, and laid her down. 8 And it came to pass at midnight, that the man was afraid, and turned himself: and, behold, a woman lay at his feet. 9 And he said, Who art thou? And she answered, I am Ruth thine handmaid: spread therefore thy skirt over thine handmaid; for thou art a near kinsman. 10 And he said, Blessed be thou of the LORD, my daughter: for thou hast shewed more kindness in the latter end than at the beginning, inasmuch as thou followedst not young men, whether poor or rich. 11 And now, my daughter, fear not; I will do to thee all that thou requirest: for all the city of my people doth know that thou art a virtuous woman. 12 And now it is true that I am thy near kinsman: howbeit there is a kinsman nearer than I.]
[spread therefore thy skirt over thine handmaid; for thou art a near kinsman.] This was a marriage proposal, and since Boaz was still quite taken with her, he would have jumped at the opportunity. Nevertheless, he wanted to be up front with her and told her about there being another man would actually be the next of kin in the bloodline. So, the next morning Boaz stood at the gate with the man who was the next of kin to Elimelech.
[Ruth 4:1,3-6 Then went Boaz up to the gate, and sat him down there: and, behold, the kinsman of whom Boaz spake came by; unto whom he said, Ho, such a one! turn aside, sit down here. And he turned aside, and sat down. 3 And he said unto the kinsman, Naomi, that is come again out of the country of Moab, selleth a parcel of land, which was our brother Elimelech’s: 4 And I thought to advertise thee, saying, Buy it before the inhabitants, and before the elders of my people. If thou wilt redeem it, redeem it: but if thou wilt not redeem it, then tell me, that I may know: for there is none to redeem it beside thee; and I am after thee. And he said, I will redeem it. 5 Then said Boaz, What day thou buyest the field of the hand of Naomi, thou must buy it also of Ruth the Moabitess, the wife of the dead, to raise up the name of the dead upon his inheritance. 6 And the kinsman said, I cannot redeem it for myself, lest I mar mine own inheritance: redeem thou my right to thyself; for I cannot redeem it.]
[thou must buy it also of Ruth the Moabitess, the wife of the dead,] Buy? In order for Ruth to become his wife, he would have to redeem or purchase their land in order to keep it in the family first. It really was a tough call for a man who had hopes of his own wife and family to marry a woman what was his brother’s, and on top of that, their first born son would not be recognized as his own. However, that was the Law and they needed to abide by it, unless they absolutely refused, then that is when the show ceremony took place. This man gladly accepted the disgraceful title and let Boaz purchase Ruth and he became his wife.
[Ruth 4:8-11 Therefore the kinsman said unto Boaz, Buy it for thee. So he drew off his shoe. 9 And Boaz said unto the elders, and unto all the people, Ye are witnesses this day, that I have bought all that was Elimelech’s, and all that was Chilion’s and Mahlon’s, of the hand of Naomi. 10 Moreover Ruth the Moabitess, the wife of Mahlon, have I purchased to be my wife, to raise up the name of the dead upon his inheritance, that the name of the dead be not cut off from among his brethren, and from the gate of his place: ye are witnesses this day. 11 And all the people that were in the gate, and the elders, said, We are witnesses. The LORD make the woman that is come into thine house like Rachel and like Leah, which two did build the house of Israel: and do thou worthily in Ephratah, and be famous in Bethlehem:]
[have I purchased to be my wife, to raise up the name of the dead upon his inheritance,] [Redeem; To purchase back; to ransom; to liberate or rescue from captivity or bondage, or from any obligation or liability to suffer or to be forfeited, by paying an equivalent.] Do you understand what Boaz did? Boaz, redeemed her, he not only paid the price to free her from a man that wanted nothing to do with her, he made her a part of the family. She was now as though she was one of them, not a Moabite, not a strange woman, but one of the tribe if Judah, related by blood.
[Ruth 4:13-17 So Boaz took Ruth, and she was his wife: and when he went in unto her, the LORD gave her conception, and she bare a son. 14 And the women said unto Naomi, Blessed be the LORD, which hath not left thee this day without a kinsman, that his name may be famous in Israel. 15 And he shall be unto thee a restorer of thy life, and a nourisher of thine old age: for thy daughter in law, which loveth thee, which is better to thee than seven sons, hath born him. 16 And Naomi took the child, and laid it in her bosom, and became nurse unto it. 17 And the women her neighbours gave it a name, saying, There is a son born to Naomi; and they called his name Obed: he is the father of Jesse, the father of David.]
[And he shall be unto thee a restorer of thy life,] This is what Jesus does for us, He restores our life, in fact, what He really restores is life to our soul, then when our body dies we become more alive than we will ever be, [1 Corinthians 15:51-54 Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, 52 In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. 53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. 54 So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.]
Jesus Christ Revealed/Magnified: [Ruth 4:10 Moreover Ruth the Moabitess, the wife of Mahlon, have I purchased to be my wife, to raise up the name of the dead upon his inheritance, that the name of the dead be not cut off from among his brethren, and from the gate of his place: ye are witnesses this day.]
Today’s Prayer: God, I know and believe with all my heart that Jesus is Your Son, who died for my sins, was buried, and arose again on the third day, and I have accepted Him as my only way to You and Your Kingdom. To acknowledge this truth comes so naturally with great enthusiasm, boldness, and conviction, but the real test is when I publicly acknowledge these truths among those who do not agree with me. Lord, where You go, I go, no matter where you place me or what test You give me, and by Your grace, I know I can and will endure the things before me, and I will reap the rewards for my faithfulness. I ask this in Your name, Jesus. Amen.
God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina
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