Ruth 1-4


BIBLE READING: Ruth 1-4                                                                              
                In Genesis 19:37, we read that the Moabites descended from Moab, the son of Lot, and his oldest daughter. Yes…his oldest daughter. When Lot and his family fled from the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah per the instruction of the angels, they fled into the mountains. Lot’s daughters were so afraid that they might be the only people left in the world that they seduced their father with wine and slept with him to get pregnant. Their sons were named Moab and Ammon. History tells us that their descendants become the Moabites and the Ammonites.
The Moabites were known as a pagan people who worshipped the idol Chemosh. According to the Old Testament, this became known as the "the abomination of Moab," and was introduced at Jerusalem by Solomon (1 Kings 11:7), but was abolished by Josiah (2 Kings 23:13). It was not unusual for the people of Moab to offer up human sacrifices to this idol to appease him. The reason why this is so significant in the book of Ruth is because Ruth was a Moabite (Ruth 1:4). We don’t know if Ruth worshipped Chemosh prior to her marriage to Chilion, but what we do know that through the example of her mother-in-law, Naomi, she became a follower of Jehovah God.
It can be very difficult for people of different faiths to be in a relationship. When discussing religion, the conversation can quickly escalate into disagreements and arguments. However, that does not have to be the case. Naomi’s example provides us a hope of how living a godly life can be the best example to someone who is not affiliated with the Way. In fact, Naomi’s example was so impressionable that Ruth “clung to her” when given an opportunity to return home. Naomi’s example could have been the spark that led to Ruth’s life change when she became the wife of Boaz and, later, the great-grandmother of King David, which placed her in the lineage of Jesus (Matthew 1:5). In yesterday’s devotional, we learned the dangers of what happens when there is no example of godly leadership to. The book of Ruth offers us hope of the power that a godly example provides.
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