Not ForgottenSample

Ruth

I've heard it said that faith is spelled R-I-S-K. In this situation with Ruth, that is true. As we have been reading, Ruth has been gathering the leftovers behind the harvesters in the field of Boaz, a righteous man who has been kind to her, and things have finally been looking up. One day Naomi gives her instructions that could put all of that in jeopardy. Naomi tells her to go down at night to where Boaz has been sleeping to protect the harvest, wait until he is asleep, uncover his feet, and lay beside him. It may sound strange to us now, but Ruth was taking an enormous risk at the time! She was a Moabite woman, a foreigner, and likely already feeling scrutinized to see if she would "lead my people astray" (Deut 17:17). The risk she was taking by coming to Boaz like this was great! But, she had faith in the goodness of God and in Naomi, who had introduced her to Him in the first place.

Boaz's reaction to finding her at his feet shows much about himself and Ruth. Ruth demonstrated that what mattered most to her was godliness as she didn't try and "go after" a younger or more affluent man but saw that Boaz was righteous, wise, and kind, just like she had come to learn that the God of Israel was. Boaz also recognized Ruth's risk in coming to him that way by affirming that she was "a woman of noble character." He saw that Ruth wasn't trying to tempt or seduce him into caring for her but that she was being vulnerable and honoring the righteous man that Boaz was. Sometimes it can be easy to try and "help God out" instead of being vulnerable and trusting in Him. If Ruth had placed her trust in her ability "to get a man" on her own merits, she would have missed out on the amazing gift God had placed in front of her and the incredible honor bestowed upon her by being David's grandmother and in the lineage of Jesus himself.

Has God ever asked you to take a risk in faith? What did it look like?

Have you ever been tempted to "help God out"? What happened?