Ruth #7 Transformed by Grace

Finding Joy in Tough Times ~ Transformed by God’s Grace Episode #7

If your life needs transformation, consider reading the Book of Ruth, where God powerfully transforms each character  and wants to do the same for you. God’s faithfulness can bring triumph out of tragedies, restoration from waywardness, and blessing out of loss. Join us today as we conclude our series on the Book of Ruth.

Finding Joy in Tough Times is a seven-part series. Today, we will cover these points. (Scroll down for the podcast.)

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The Family

• The beautiful, gracious, and even joyous Naomi, according to the meaning of her name suffers great loss. (Ruth 1-3)
• Elimelech and family left Bethlehem, meaning house of bread to find more bread during the famine.
• Naomi’s husband died and the two sons married Moabite wives – Orpah and Ruth.
• They lived in Moab about ten years, and both sons died.
• In Ruth 1:16, Ruth made a declaration of loyalty to Naomi and the God of Israel -it changed her life forever.

Naomi Becomes Mara but returns to Naomi

• Naomi said, “Do not call me Naomi [pleasant, gracious, joyous]. Call me Mara [bitter], for the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me. ²¹ I went away full, and the Lord has brought me back empty…the Lord has afflicted me, and the Almighty has brought calamity upon me?” (Ruth 1: 19)
• Ruth returned home after gleaning in Boaz’ fields with 30 pounds of grain.
• Naomi praises and blesses the Lord again; joy returns.
• Naomi sees God’s footsteps in their lives: Boaz to become the kinsman redeemer and agrees to marry Ruth and become her kinsman redeemer.

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Boaz, a Messianic Type of Christ

• Boaz’s loving-kindness shadows God’s love sent to us in Jesus Christ.
• As the kinsman redeemer, Boaz was a Christ-like figure.

Ruth, the “Worthy Woman”

• Boaz described Ruth as one known as a “worthy woman” among the people. (Ruth 3:11)
• These exact words appear in Proverbs 31: 10-31.
• She is foremost “a woman who fears the Lord” and “to be praised” (v. 30).
• Boaz, her husband, was “known in the city gates when he sits among the elders in the land” (v. 23).
• “Her children rise and bless her; her husband too, her husband also, he praises her” (v. 28), as seen in the record of Matthew 1: 5 where she will be praised and remembered forever as a great-grandmother of King David and member of Christ’s lineage.

The Marriage, the Lineage of David and Jesus Christ

• JOY multiplies for Naomi, Ruth, and Boaz as the town’s women pray a blessing over their lives and new life  Obed (Ruth 4).
• Boaz and Ruth are in the lineage of David (Ruth 4: 18-22) and of Jesus (Matthew 1).
• Once a prostitute and Canaanite, Boaz’s mother was Rahab, who helped Joshua’s spies.

Blessings

• Blessing Prayers are themes of Ruth, and there are seven recorded blessings.
• Blessings are one of five types of prayer : 1) blessing or adoration, 2) petition, 3) intercession, 4) thanksgiving, and 5) praise .
• A blessing for another proclaims God’s goodness, kindness, and power and it includes a petition asking God to share His goodness, power, compassion, and favor to change a situation.
• Ruth includes blessings of Naomi praising God and asking for the daughters-in-law, Boaz blessing and praying for Ruth, the neighbors blessing and praying for Naomi, Ruth Boaz and Obed (Ruth 1: 17, 2:4, 12; 2:19–20; 3:10, 4:11-12, 14).

God is the HERO of RUTH!

• Ultimately, God is the hero of the Book of Ruth.
• God directs each detail and composes everything according to His divine purpose.
• God’s grace leads us beyond the short span of our lives- He blesses us in our earthly lives and uses us to impact our immediate sphere and generation, as well as those in the generations to come.
• Let’s remember to look to God in impossible situations and allow him to impact the next generation through our witness and loving-kindness.

Links

Seven Part Series Finding Joy In Tough Times

• Part 1  Decision Making & Turnarounds
• Part 2 Weeping Forward, I Will Go Where You Go
• Part 3 New Hope, New Direction & Blessing Prayers
• Part 4 Starting Over & Noticing God’s Footsteps
• Part 5 Waiting in Peace
• Part 6 Final Blessings and Reversals
• Part 7 (This podcast) Transformed By God’s Grace

Cup of JOY

Karen offers Cup of JOY Women™ or  Cup of JOY Gathering,™  which include  FREE study guides to accompany every podcast in each series: Finding JOY, A Joy-filled Advent, Esther for This Time: Joyful Reversals, Nehemiah & Rebuilding Hope, Joyful & Battle Ready,  Ruth & Finding Joy in Tough Times  W  or  WRAP Yourself in Scripture.  Sign up at Karen’s Website.

• CUP of JOY Women or Gathering small group and sign up.
• Download Bookmarks from the podcasts: com
• Check out more podcasts here!

Books by Karen

• Wrap Yourself in JOY: Find the Joy and Fight the Fear
• Esther for Such a Time as This: Prayer, Reversals & Joy
• Nehemiah: Rebuilding Hope & Joy in Your Life
• Wrap Yourself in Scripture: A Guide to Lectio Divina

Boaz Marries Ruth

Do you need restoration or turnarounds in pain, sorrow, or emptiness, look to the Book of Ruth. Join the podcast today as the Book of Ruth reveals how God offers to rescue, deliver, and restore you.

Finding Joy in Tough Times ~ Final Blessings and Reversals Episode #6

Finding Joy in Tough Times is a seven-part series. Today we cover these points:

Problem: Another Redeemer

• Ruth asked Boaz to initiate the Levirate Marriage legal procedure and become her husband.
• In reply, Boaz blessed Ruth and told her he would all that she asked
• Another was closer kin and had the right to redeem her.

 The City Gate (Ruth 4: 1-6)

• The City Gate (Ruth 4:1) was the business district in ancient Israel
• .Boaz was wise in his approach with the possible other kin and “goel”
• The goel refused when he heard the stipulation that he must marry Ruth the Moabitess.
• He turned his right over to Boaz.

The Legal Transaction (Ruth 4: 7-10)

• Boaz chose 10 men to witness his conversation and exchange of a sandal.
• Boaz agrees to marry Ruth and claim the land to maintain the Elimelech – Mahlon name on the inheritance.
• Elimelech’s family name is alive in the community for all generations.

The Blessings (Ruth 4: 11-14)

• The sixth blessing is a powerful prayer spoken by the elders for Boaz and Ruth – from the Bible.
• Rachel and Leah were the mothers to the twelve sons or leaders of the twelve tribes of Israel.
• Tamar has a levirate marriage too; the witnesses prayed for Ruth to have a son and be famous in Israel.
• In the final blessing, Naomi receives kin and a grandson.

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Personal Application

• What impacts you most from Ruth 4?

1. God is a God of Reversals. He can do miracles. You too can have a reversal in circumstances. If you need one, ask the Lord in prayer, Stay faithful. Remember his promises, especially Ephesians 3:20
2. God is a Redeemer. He not only reverses situations, but He redeems them. A redeemer is one who rescues, saves, restores and delivers. Elimelech’s name has been redeemed. His land has been redeemed; the family name has been restored in Bethlehem. Ruth is no longer called a widowed Moabitess from a pagan culture, she is has become the wife of Boaz. She is no longer a barren woman, she is a mother. So if you need a redeemer for your life, call on Jesus. He will rescue, deliver and restore you. Remember: Jeremiah 30:17 and Colossians 1: 13-14.

Links

Seven Part Series Ruth: Finding Joy In Tough Times

• Part 1 
• Part 2
• Part 3
• Part 4
• Part 5
• Part 6
• Part 7 

Consider hosting a weekly one-hour Cup of Joy small group study that accompanies each podcast series, especially this one. Read more (here) on hosting a CUP of JOY Women or Cup of JOY Gathering small group.  It’s free, and I will send you the materials you need for the one-hour discussion and study.

• CUP of JOY Women or Gathering small group and to sign up.
• Download Bookmarks from the podcasts: WrapYourselfinJOY.com 
• Check out more podcasts here!
• Find my books:
  • Wrap Yourself in JOY: Find the Joy and Fight the Fear
  • Esther for Such a Time as This: Prayer, Reversals & Joy
  • Nehemiah: Rebuilding Hope & Joy in Your Life

Ruth #5-Finding Joy in Tough Times-Waiting in Peace

Is waiting in peace for God to answer a prayer difficult? It can be challenging for every Christian.  Join the podcast today as the Book of Ruth shows us that God is at work even when we don’t see the answers yet, so we can His rest in peace.

Finding Joy in Tough Times ~ Waiting in Peace Episode #5

Finding Joy in Tough Times is a seven-part series. Today, we will cover these points:

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

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Wait Time

• Time has passed between Chapters two and Chapter three of Ruth—between two and three months.
• Waiting often prepares our hearts to what’s ahead in life.
• Time and love prepared Naomi and Ruth for God’s blessing and challenges that were about to come.

Wash and  Anoint Yourself (Ruth 3: 1-5)

• Naomi wants a husband and home life for Ruth.
• She reminds Ruth that Boaz is the kinsman and landowner  who just happens to be winnowing barley that night.
• Naomi gives Ruth four instructions and Ruth obeys.
• Uncovering his feet, was signaling Ruth wants to be his wife and he, her kinsman redeemer!

Boaz was Startled! (Ruth 3: 6-13)

• Boaz was startled to find a woman lying at his feet.
• By asking him to spread his cloak over her, Ruth was repeating Boaz’s words of Ruth 2 when he blessed her for seeking refuge under the wings or cloak of God.
• In Ezekiel 16:8, God even uses the same phrase saying he will spread his cloak over Israel in covenant love to protect the nation and make the nation his forever just like the covenant commitment in a marriage.
• Boaz says he will marry her and spread his cloak (meaning provision, protection and warmth) over her; everyone in the village knows she is a worthy woman (in Hebrew word haill) which means honorable, noble and excellent.

Problem: Another Redeemer

• Boaz agrees to marry Ruth but says a closer kinsmen exists who legally has the first opportunity to marry her and claim the land of Elimelech that might have gone to Mahlon.
• Boaz likely had been considering his obligation – he knew he was in line to be the kinsman-redeemer.

Provision and More

• Boaz, in his display of hesed love, gives Ruth 60 pounds of Barley to take back to Naomi.
• Naomi would understand the gift of barley to mean Boaz was giving his word in agreement with God’s laws.
• She said to Ruth, wait my daughter, let your heart be peaceful, you can count on Boaz to work this out.

Personal Application

What impacts you most from Ruth 3?

1. Surrender & Trust. At one point on the threshing floor, Ruth came to complete trust and complete surrender to God and his laws. She did everything she knew to do and now would trust the rest to God. Proverbs 3: 5-6 reminds of the same: Proverbs 3: 5-6 reminds us we can count on God. Surrender you needs to him and trust he is leading you as you walk forward.
2. Wait in Peace, God is at Work. Remember that while waiting for God to answer but not seeing answers yet, God is still at work. We can pray with Psalm 27: 13-14 that reminds us God will answer, He is at work while we wait.   Our Savior Jesus will “settle the matter for us” always.  Even if you feel empty like Naomi did, wait on God and His son Jesus.  You will see that He will settle the matters for you. Proverbs 16: 3 also assures us of this.  Repeat these Scriptures daily, declare them to yourself and pray them.

Links

Seven Part Series Finding Joy In Tough Times

• Part 1 
• Part 2
• Part 3
• Part 4
• Part 5
• Part 6
• Part 7 

Consider hosting a weekly one-hour Cup of Joy small group study that accompanies each podcast series, especially this one. Read more (here) on hosting a CUP of JOY Women or Cup of JOY Gathering small group.  It’s free, and I will send you the materials you need for the one-hour discussion and study.

• CUP of JOY Women or Gathering small group and to sign up.
• Download Bookmarks from the podcasts: WrapYourselfinJOY.com 
• Check out more podcasts here!
• Find my books:
  • Wrap Yourself in JOY: Find the Joy and Fight the Fear
  • Esther for Such a Time as This: Prayer, Reversals & Joy
  • Nehemiah: Rebuilding Hope & Joy in Your Life