God Blesses the faithful in unimaginable ways
As we’ve been looking at Ruth, we’ve become familiar with the fact that she was known for her faith and hard work. Yesterday we saw that her hard work paid off when the Lord
led the wealthy field owner Boaz to give her water, food, safety, and direction in her work, kindly comforting her with his words and generosity.
There’s much more to Ruth and Boaz’s story than we’ll see today (see Ruth chapters 3-4) but for now, we’ll see how some of Ruth’s and Naomi’s greatest tragedies were used for good through God working in their lives.
At the beginning of our look at Ruth, she began as a widow who was determined to remain faithful to God and loyal to Naomi who was a widow as well. Because of this, Ruth had to take on roles she normally wouldn't have to if she were married. Naomi was also very upset amidst all their family loss because there was no longer anyone to carry on their family line.
Just when all hope seems lost, Ruth continues working for the Lord, and Boaz notices (see Ruth chapter 2). After telling Naomi about Boaz’s great generosity towards them, Naomi tells Ruth that Boaz is actually related to them! Could this mean the family line isn’t actually at its end? Let’s find out...
Ruth 4:9-10 “Then Boaz said to the elders and to the crowd standing around, ‘You are witnesses that today I have bought from Naomi all the property of Elimelech, Kilion, and Mahlon. And with the land I have acquired Ruth, the Moabite widow of Mahlon, to be my wife. This way she can have a son to carry on the family name of her dead husband and to inherit the family property here in his hometown. You are all my witnesses today.”
Ruth 4:13-15 “So Boaz took Ruth into his home, and she became his wife. When he slept with her, the Lord enabled her to become pregnant, and she gave birth to a son. Then the women of the town said to Naomi, ‘Praise the Lord, who has now provided a redeemer for your family! May this child be famous in Israel. May he restore your youth and care for you in your old age. For he is the son of your daughter-in-law who loves you and has been better than seven sons!”
There are many more details that surround the beautiful ending to this story, but we see God turn Ruth and Naomi's tragedies into even greater blessings than before.
Ephesians 3:20 “Now all glory to God, who is able, through His mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think.”
Questions:
Would Ruth and Naomi have seen God’s mighty power if they hadn’t remained faithful?
What about if Ruth decided to let Naomi journey on her own? How would the story have changed?
How did God use Ruth’s tragic loss of her husband for good?
How did God turn Naomi’s mourning into joy?
In what other ways has God blessed us with His mighty power?
Have you faced a tragedy in your life? How has God used it for good?