Day 097 Ruth 1-4
Welcome to Day 097. After the darkness of Judges, Ruth is a breath of fresh air.
Ruth is a Moabite; therefore, she is a foreigner. She has no status in Israel. No claim to God's covenant. Her husband dies, leaving her a widow in a foreign land with Naomi, her mother-in-law.
But Ruth makes a choice. "Where you go, I will go. Where you live, I will live. Your people will be my people. Your God will be my God," she tells Naomi.
Ruth works. She gleans in the fields. She provides for herself and Naomi through hard work and faithfulness. She notices Boaz, a kinsman redeemer. He is someone who can legally marry her and restore her family line.
Boaz notices her too. Not because she's beautiful or has connections. But because of her character. "All the people of my town know that you are a woman of noble character," he tells her.
Ruth becomes Boaz's wife. She becomes the great-grandmother of King David. Her lineage leads to Jesus.
An outsider. A woman. Poor. Forgotten by most. But crucial to God's redemptive plan.
The Heartbeat: God honors faithfulness, especially quiet, humble faithfulness in small things. He sees the overlooked and elevates them. He doesn't need us to be powerful or connected. He needs us to be faithful.
Heart-Check: What small, faithful acts are you doing that you think nobody notices? Trust that God sees.
Listen to today's verses from the ESV, then scroll down to select your learning path for supplemental studying.