RUTH 1:16 (NRSVUE)
But Ruth said,
"Do not press me to leave you,
to turn back from following you!
Where you go, I will go;
where you lodge, I will lodge;
your people shall be my people
and your God my God."
MATTHEW 1:5-6, 16 (NLT)
Boaz was the father of Obed (whose mother was Ruth).
Obed was the father of Jesse.
Jesse was the father of King David...
Jacob was the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary.
Mary gave birth to Jesus, who is called the Messiah.
THE ESSENCE
Ruth, the traumatized foreigner, stands as a genealogical witness to God's faithfulness as he prepared to send Jesus the Messiah.
DAILY FODDER
The account of Ruth the Moabite is often seen as a great love story. More significantly, though, it shows how a brave and faithful foreigner ended up in the story of Jesus. She's not the type of person historians would normally accentuate, but God has her in the story for a purpose. And that purpose is?
PRAYER
Mighty God, you faithfully led history to bring us a Messiah to renew creation and our lives. If you included a widowed foreigner in the story of Jesus, how is it that we have become so narrow in our thinking about how you get things done? We've replaced faithful humility with worldly power as our preferred method. Lead me to follow in the pattern of Ruth, who allowed the trauma in her life to redirect her into her role in the Jesus story. I want to be like Ruth. Amen.
Our Father in Heaven,
we hold your name in the highest regard.
Please come and establish your reign here on earth
so that everything that happens here will align
with what is happening in heaven.
and we’ll forgive those who have wronged us.
Shield us from the trials and temptations that come our way.
Lastly, we pray that you will protect us from all forms of evil. Amen.
