Devotion

Ruth 1

Context
The story of Ruth is set in the time of the judges, after the people of Israel have left Egypt but before the time of David and the kings. Moab is the land east of the Dead Sea; the Moabites are descendants of Lot (Abraham's nephew), and they have rocky relations with the Israelites.
Most Hebrew names are also words in Hebrew (like "Baker" in English); "Naomi" is the word for "sweet", and "Mara" means "bitter".

Listening to the writer
The story begins in Bethlehem of Judah. Do you know any famous people who were born in Bethlehem? (The writer is not, of course, thinking about Jesus - who won't be born for another thousand years or so - but there is some connected foreshadowing going on here.)

A small family of Jews leaves Israel due to famine in the land. They seek sustenance in neighboring Moab. What happens there? (vv 3-5)

A rumor of food back in Judah sends poor Naomi back home. As an old woman with no husbands and no sons, she is in desperate straits. Of her two daughters-in-law, one decides to stay in Moab. Ruth decides to stay with Naomi and move to a foreign (to her) land with no relatives and no job prospects.

Who does Naomi say is responsible for her painful situation?

Listening to God
Naomi's family moves to a foreign land due to a famine. That's beyond most Americans' experience - though Grapes of Wrath reminds us it has happened - but perhaps your family has had to move to a strange place due to a job situation. If so, recall what it's like to leave friends and familiar surroundings.

The Moabites accept Naomi's family, at least to the extent of intermarriage. How do you feel about strangers coming in to "your" area of the world - migrant workers, international students, immigrants? How does God view them?

Ruth's love for Naomi is touching, and her words have been used countless times to symbolize complete devotion. But devotion to individuals can also cause heartache - or worse. Who are you currently devoted to? How does God view your devotion - as healthy, or as a source of potential trouble?

Naomi states God is the source of her trouble (v. 13). Her pain blinds her to the reality that she has not returned empty; she has Ruth, and the barley harvest foreshadows a time of plenty. How does your pain blind you to the resources God has created? How might you remind yourself of God’s love in times of calamity? Are there loving ways you can help someone else in pain see God’s love in the midst of hardship (without being like Job’s “friends”)?

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