VBS General Session - Day 7

Synopsis

The Trail of Loyal Faith

Today, we’re living in a world full of uncertainties, and the word uncertain can’t be stressed enough! Do we know when the next disaster in our lives is going to hit? Can we predict the dangers and sorrows of tomorrow? The sure and perhaps only answer is no. 

Now what could possibly be good about being in the middle of a disastrous situation, and if we haven’t found the light yet, what could it mean about the nature of God?

If we take a closer look at scripture, we find that the national issues and personal grieviences that tormented people back in the time of the Old Testament (or the new) wasn’t very different from what we are facing today. Infact, the uncertainties of plague, floods, famine, war and loss were much more common, as they were not protected by man-maid safe-houses, economic compensation and international aid.

Our lesson today comes amid a famine that struck the nation of Israel, and how it changed the lives of people, especially a woman named Ruth. What was her response to the grave situation she was thrust into? Let’s take a look!

The story

Our story begins with a man named Elimelech, from the town of Judah in Israel, who moved to the land of Moab when famine hit his hometown. The people of Moab were relatives of the Isralites, through Abraham’s nephew Lot, and were a result of the illicit relations between Lot and his daughters. 

Eventually, Elimelech dies, leaving his wife and two sons behind. The sons soon find Moabite women to marry, but we read that they die too. Now Naomi, Elimelech’s wife, and her two daughters-in-law, Orpah and Ruth are left behind.

Naomi is devastated by what has happened in her life. She is heartbroken by the tragedy that has struck her family, twice in a row, and understandably so, has given up hope. She is quick to persuade her daughters-in-law to leave her and go back to their hometown. She tells them she has nothing that could offer them hope for a better future. But they refuse to leave at first. However, after a little persuation by Naomi, Orpah kisses her mother-in-law alive, but Ruth sticks around. She clings on to Naomi, telling her she will not depart from her, even though the worst calamity may come upon them.

Soon they move back to Judah, where God is said to be at work, and we see that Ruth goes out to find food supplies. She hopes to find favour in the eyes of strangers as she looks to glean in another’s field in the new town she’s in. Ruth soon finds a field, and as it turns out, it happens to be of a man that is a close relative of Elimelech. The closest actually.

The Lord, during the Levitical days, had made provisions for households that were facing loss, and in the event the man of the house has passed away, his household was to be redeemed by their closest relative. Boaz was, in essence, Naomi and Ruth’s guardian redeemer.

Boaz and Ruth meet, and Boaz shows her extreme kindness, after hearing of her story from his overseers. We see Naomi instructs Ruth to lay at Boaz’s feet one night, in an appeal for marriage. Boaz is joyed by this gesture, as he understands Ruth could’ve wanted someone younger or richer, but has gone with what was best for her and her family. Boaz and Ruth eventually get married.

What can we take back from this?

There are several lessons of life we can learn from the story we just read. Lessons that would especially be useful to us during this time, or anytime in the future we may face sorrow, loss or disaster. So we’ll call it “Disaster Management 101”, just as an easy pneumonic. Here we go:

1. 1. Stay where God has placed you: We see that Elimilech was quick to move from where God had placed him, as soon as panic struck. God explicabily warned Israel not to engage with other nations. However, Elimilech still moved and was eventually met with tragedy. It is always better to be at the center of God’s plan, than outside it, no matter how bleak circumstances may seem. 
   2. Cling on loyally: Ruth couldn’t have possibly seen the future, and the future to her looked quite bleak. In contrast to Elimilech, Ruth clung on loyally to the situation where God had placed her in, and the family God had given to her. Adopt this kind of loyalty that God appreciates when you are in a similar situation. 

• Respond proactively: In the story, we are met by two kinds of reactions towards a disastrous situation. One was Naomi who lost all hope and cried out in dejection, the other was Ruth who proactively took steps to move forward for her family. Do not be complacent in hopelessness, but act purposefully with the hope God has given you during such times. 

• Be obedient: Ruth didn’t understand the customs of the Israelites and probably wasn’t fully aware of the implications of the instructions given to her by Naomi, but she obeyed her diligently, and that bore fruit in their lives. It is always important to receive sound instructions by elder members of the family, as well as believers who are further in their walk, so we will be able to navigate our lives well.

• Show kindness to the vulnerable: We see that Boaz’s kindness puts Ruth, a foreigner, at ease. We will come across people who are vulnerable during a disaster and we must cautiously show kindness, not only in our words, but in our actions, i.e.. by helping them during their tough time. God himself made provisions for the poor, the foreigner and the widowed in the community to be fed, cared for and protected. We need to be mindful about them too.
  
  

Finally, what do we understand of the nature of God in all of this? It’s easy to see God at work when things go right, but when they are falling apart, we often find ourselves asking him “Where are you?”, and we can still go back to the story of Ruth to pick up on God’s character.

1. God h9as as already worked out everything for you: All things work together for the good of those who love the Lord, but the clincher is “those who love the Lord”
   The bible tells us that those who love the Lord will follow his commands. If we follow the Lord’s commands, we are sure to know that He has already worked things out for our good. When Ruth, the Moabite, made Naomi’s God her God, she had come into the everlasting, eternal God’s fold. Her life transformed out of her troubles as was led to the exact person who would redeem her and her family. God will lead us to redemption. Our greater good may not be everything we imagine to be good for us, but what our creator knows is best. 
2. God looks at your heart: We have heard this quite a bit, but think of the gravity of it from Ruth’s point of view: Ruth didn’t belong to God’s chosen nation of Israel, but was from the nation of Moab that was known for it’s sinful origin. However, she still found favor in God’s eyes as persisted with loyalty.
   
   

As you navigate this season, and whatever seasons of trials and famine and loss that may come to you in the future, remember that God has ordained the days of your life in His book (Psalm 161), and as long as you’re within His fold, you always have reason to hope.