Unswerving, selfless devotion

The Book of Ruth is about transformation. It is the story of a woman name Naomi, whose life takes a dizzy turn from full of promise to one of total emptiness. After emigrating to a far away land because of a drought in their homeland, tragedy first strikes Naomi when her husband dies. Naomi’s two sons married ‘foreign’ woman, one of whom is named Ruth. However tragedy strikes again and again, and both of Naomi’s sons die. Naomi is left "empty".
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However as the story unfolds it relates the unswerving and selfless devotion of a daughter-in-law to her mother-in-law and through this act of loyalty and love, the great story of transformation begins to unfold. Naomi moves from despair to happiness. She is helped to do this through the selfless acts of Ruth, also grieving the loss of her husband. Ruth and Naomi are transformed from the destitution and emptiness of such tragic loss to find security, hope and fullness.
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Ruth, who is not an Israelite, but a foreigner who practices another religion, exemplifies the truth that participation in the coming of God’s kingdom is decided not by blood and birth, but by the conformity of one’s life to the will of God.
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However, it is the selfless love of Ruth that fulfills God’s law and because of Ruth, and because of her actions, all nations of the world will have a place in God’s Kingdom. Ruth will become a convert to the Israelite religion and exemplify what it means to love God and to love neighbour. Ruth’s trust in God enables the transforming love of God to work in ways that can only be described as mysterious. Through Ruth, a foreigner and convert to the Isrealite religion, God will continue his purpose and plan to offer redemption through a Messiah.
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Ruth’s act of selfless love and unswerving devotion and her conformity to the will of God through obedience that comes from faith embodies the Jewish religious law. Ruth’s love and devotion also reflects God’s love and devotion to us.
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The Book of Ruth is a marvelous joining of human actions with God’s plan. I am sure that neither Naomi or Ruth could ever really understand why their husbands and Naomi’s two sons had to die. However, the Book of Ruth teaches us this powerful truth, that in those times when we do not understand what God is up to, we can be assured that God’s plan is unfolding as it should. God is always in control no matter how chaotic or disorderly life might be and God is with us.
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When Naomi returns to her homeland, she left full but returned empty. But God is at work, Ruth meets and marries a man named Boaz - a relative of Naomi. Boaz also exemplifies this same selfless love and devotion. He and Ruth will have a son who will be the grandfather of Kind David - God’s at work! As an aside, when Matthew relates the genealogy of Jesus, he names Rahab, a prostitute and Ruth who was a convert to the Jewish faith. God’s always at work.

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M. RUTH 1 ....................TRIPLE TRAGEDY - FULLNESS TO EMPTY
T. RUTH 2 ....................RUTH MEETS BOAZ - HOPE ARRIVES.
W. RUTH 3 ...................MEET NAOMI THE MATCHMAKER
T. RUTH 4 .....................BOAZ MARRIES RUTH
F. MATTHEW 1:1-17 .....DUBIOUS GENEALOGY,