Today at VBS, the children heard how Ruth refused to leave Naomi, her mother-in-law and stay in Moab, but instead, went with her to Bethlehem. Here is her beautiful statement to Naomi, after Naomi had urged her to follow her sister-in-law in staying in Moab:
Entreat me not to leave you, or to turn back from following after you; for wherever you go, I will go; and wherever you lodge, I will lodge; Your people shall be my people, and your God, my God. Where you die, I will die, and there will I be buried. The LORD do so to me, and more also, if anything but death parts you and me. (Ruth 1:16-17)
Ruth turned from the false gods of Moab to the one true God. In turn, God used her to encourage Naomi, who, at that point in her life, blamed God for the great losses in her life. She was removed from her home, family, and friends in Bethlehem to follow her husband in seeking food in Moab, only to witness the death of her husband and two sons after moving there. When she got back to Bethlehem after 10 years in Moab, she asked her friends to no longer call her “Naomi” (“happy” or “pleasant”), but to instead call her “Mara” (“bitter”).
But God patiently showed Naomi what He was doing (Psalm 34:18). In the process of providing food for them in Bethlehem, He led Ruth to meet Boaz, the kinsman redeemer, who provided for her and finally married her. In a minute, we will see the significance of this union.
Joshua chapter two tells the story of Rahab. Like Ruth, Rahab grew up in a nation that served false gods and accepted evil practices as normal. She heard of the God of Israel and decided to follow Him. God used her to hide the spies that Joshua had sent to Jericho. She exclaimed to them that “the LORD your God, He is God in heaven above and on earth beneath” (2:11) and pleaded with them to deliver her family from death.
God saved her indeed, and gave her an Israelite husband by the name of Salmon. We read about him and Obed in the genealogy in Matthew chapter one:
Salmon begot Boaz by Rahab, Boaz begot Obed by Ruth, Obed begot Jesse, and Jesse begot David the king. David the king begot Solomon by her who had been the wife of Uriah. … And Jacob begot Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus who is called Christ. (Matt. 1:5-6, 16)
God uses those to turn “to God from idols to serve the living and true God.” I Thess. 1:9. God has a plan for each of us to impact others for His Kingdom and His glory as we see in Isaiah 43:7 – Everyone who is called by My name, whom I have created for My glory; I have formed him, yes, I have made him. Let’s move forward in serving Him faithfully, knowing our labor is not in vain in the Lord!