Tuesday, April 1 ~ Family Unity

~~Ruth 4: 13-15
So Boaz took Ruth and she became his wife. When they came together, the LORD made her conceive, and she bore a son. Then the women said to Naomi, “Blessed be the LORD, who has not left you this day without next-of-kin; and may his name be renowned in Israel! He shall be to you a restorer of life and a nourisher of your old age; for your daughter-in-law who loves you, who is more to you than seven sons, has borne him.”  

~~God works in so many ways. The old saying “when one door closes another door opens” certainly applies in the story of Ruth. God had taken Naomi and her daughters-in-law into a strange land. The husbands, Elimelech, Mahlon and Chilian had died, leaving the women alone. One daughter in law named Orpah returned to her people but Ruth stayed with Naomi and devoted her life to taking care of her in her old age.
They went to Bethlehem, the land of Naomi’s people. Ruth became a gleaner in the barley fields of Boaz. It was the custom of those times for workers to drop some grain in the fields for the poor to pick up.
Boaz, being a relative of Naomi and her husband, asked about Ruth’s story. He learned of her devotion to her family and Naomi. He told Ruth not to go into anyone’s fields but his. He became her protector in the field and later, through Naomi’s encouragement, he took Ruth as his wife.
Boaz prayed to God to reward Ruth for her devotion and assistance to Naomi. God rewarded them with a son. They called him Obed. He was the father of Jesse, the father of David.
The shaping of families takes work, time, endurance and sometimes sacrifice. Naomi and Ruth’s lives encourage us to endure in our own faith while raising our families. God has a hand in the raising of our children as we protect and nurture our families.
My husband and I both came from large families and I continue to rely upon my family.
Linda McFarland