V7PC Ruth Devotional Week 4

Potential Problem Day 22

Read: RRuutthh 44::11--44

Boaz kept his promise to Ruth, and the same morning went down to thecity gate to speak with the kinsman closer to Naomi than him. The gatewas the place where judicial business was conducted, as a judge couldhear both townspeople and those from the country easily. After Boazwaited, the other kinsman arrived.

Boaz told the kinsman that Naomi, a widow, had land that needed to beredeemed. The kinsman, who undoubtedly knew his duty to the law andthe benefit of additional land, agreed to redeem it. At this point in thestory, tension has risen. It looks like some other man, who we knownothing about, is going to end up with Naomi’s land and, as a result, Ruth!Things do not appear to be going according to plan.

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We often feel as though events in our life are spiraling out ofcontrol. Whether we apply for a job and they don’t call back, weexpect a bonus at work but there is no room in the budget, we hopeto make a sports team and are cut, or we try to reconcile arelationship with a friend and are spurned, things can often go theopposite of how we hope or expect them to go.

DDaa ii ll yy CChhaa ll ll eennggee

When what you want from life and what you actually get don’t matchup, will you trust God? Write down some areas that you haveexpected to go one way, yet things happened a totally different way.Next to each of those things, write or recite Romans 8:28.

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Pray that you will trust God’s sovereignty even when things don’t go asyou plan and that in all things you will believe He is working for yourgood and His glory.

The Right MomentDay 23


Boaz waited to reveal that Ruth would also have to be redeemed until theright moment. Ruth, as the wife of Mahlon, was entitled to the sametreatment under the law as other Israelites through her marriage and inmoving to Bethlehem. As a result, if the kinsman had redeemed the land,he also would have had to redeem her.

The other kinsman, however, wanted no part of having to marry a poor,Moabitess widow. Whether it was Ruth’s social-economic status or hernationality, the kinsman was unwilling to be the redeemer of both theland and her. As a result, the offer of kinsman-redeemer passed to Boaz,who eagerly accepted the offer. There, before elders of the city, Boazbecame the closest redeemer to Ruth and Naomi.


The Bible is full of “right moments-” occasions where God hasbrought things to fruition in His perfect timing. Do we believe thatHe continues to do this for us, or do we foolishly fail to see theconnection between God’s amazing sovereignty and the seeminglyminute details of our lives? Do you truly believe God is working allthings for His glory and your good?

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What do you expect to accomplish this week at work, in relationships,or in your free time? Are you willing to put your schedule aside andtrust God’s timing in every aspect of your life? Christ came to earthat exactly the right moment of history to achieve His plan of salvation!


Pray that you will believe and see God’s timing in your life, waitingpatiently for Him. Pray that you will make the most of the opportunitiesHe has given you and thank Him for what He has already done.

It’s Official! Day 24


In this passage, Ruth is finally redeemed by Boaz. Unlike the otherkinsman, Boaz did not worry about his reputation or inheritance beingshamed. Rather than seeking the profit of the land, which was the otherman’s motive, Boaz was in it for Ruth. Here we see the love of Christ forHis people clearly pictured.

Boaz loved and redeemed a woman who was poor. She could bring himnothing that he could not buy for himself. She was a widow, which broughtsome of its own emotional baggage and social stigma. Boaz wasunconcerned with this. She was a Moabite- an unclean foreigner in theeyes of many Israelites. Yet, Boaz loved her and chose to redeem her inspite of these things. This is a picture of Christ’s true love for us.


We are Ruth in this picture. We are a lost, hopeless and rebelliouspeople apart from the work and love of Jesus Christ. In spite of ourweakness and frailty, He died on the cross for us. Now, we are theredeemed, and our lives ought to be a response to His grace.


How do you reflect the love that God first showed you in theinteractions you have with others? Write a list of people you finddifficult, including friends, family members, co-workers and churchmembers. Then, write specific ways you can show Christ’s love toeach of them this week.


Pray that you will see yourself for who you really are. Pray that youremember that while you were yet a sinner, Jesus Christ died for you,and that you would share His love with all you encounter.

BlessingsDay 25


The people surrounding Boaz and Naomi recognized, to some degree,the significance of what was taking place so they asked for God’sblessing. Do we seek God’s blessing for other brothers and sisters-in-Christ? Or, has praying for God’s generosity and bounty become rarefor you?


Pray that God will bless at least five other believers in your life. Thinkabout different areas you can specifically target, such as relationships,children, outreach, community impact, living out the Gospel, or otherparticular areas of focus. Continue to pray these prayers throughoutthe week, trusting God to work for His glory in the midst of these.


Pray that God would use you to impact the lives of other believers throughprayer, words of encouragement, or acts of service. Pray that you wouldlive out your role as a member of the body of Christ faithfully this week.


After Boaz became Ruth’s redeemer, the people who acted as witnessespronounced several blessings upon the two of them. They prayed that:

1. Ruth would be built up like the house of Israel, like Rachel and Leah. They asked that God bless her with children and a heritage that would impact the nation of Israel.

2. Boaz would act worthily and be renowned in Ephrathah and Bethlehem.They asked that God would make his public ministry virtuous and successful.

3. Their house would be like that of Perez. Perez was the symbol of fruitful offspring. They prayed that God would bless Ruth and Boaz through children.

God’s Enabling Power Day 26


As the final act of Ruth’s story drew to a close, we see that God’sblessings abounded in the lives of Ruth and Naomi. Boaz married Ruth andthey bore a son together. The language in this passage reminds us thatevery child is a gift of God, as it was the Lord who enabled Ruth toconceive (vs. 13). This grandson was not only a blessing to Ruth, but toNaomi.

It is clear from this passage that although Boaz was the kinsman-redeemerit was God who brought this to fruition. As a result, His name is worthyof honor and praise, because from the beginning He had orchestrated abeautiful finale to a story that involved tragedy and desperation.


God is orchestrating all of our stories the same way He did in thelives of Ruth, Naomi and Boaz. From our perspective, life may seemchaotic and out of control, but from His perspective, everything hasa purpose that brings Him glory and is good for His people.


Are you able to admit aloud that God is sovereign in your life andknows, understands, and is intimately involved in every detail ofyour life? Take some time to ponder this and verbally acknowledgethat He has a plan for your life and will not leave you to chance orchaos. Rest on this promise!


Pray that you would see God working in the details of your life, even thesmall and seemingly insignificant ones. Pray for peace, faith and a desireto pursue God in specific areas you are having a hard time trusting Him.

Through RuthDay 27


God used a Moabite widow in a way no one ever would have expected.The story ends after coming full circle. Naomi, who was once happy withher family, lived bitterly for a time. Then, in spite of her own attitude,God provided her a new family, and the women of Bethlehem proclaimedthat the childless old widow now had a son once more (her grandson).

What is even more profound is that this son, Obed, was the grandfatherof King David. In a time when the Judges ruled and almost no righteousmen or women could be found in the land, God preserved His chosenpeople and kept His promises about the coming Messiah through anunlikely family. How great is the Lord!


It is easy to hear a love story like that of Ruth and Boaz andidentify with their characters. What we need to remember,however, is that we often act more like Naomi than either of them.The lesson is that in spite of our own failings, whether bitterness orsomething else, God uses us for the glory of His Kingdom.


Take the lessons you have learned from Ruth and apply them toothers in your life. Think about the Naomi’s in your life that you canencourage by praying for them, serving them in some way, ortalking to them about the sovereignty of our amazing God who keepsHis promises.


Pray for those in your life who fail to see any hope in this world. Praythat as they are bogged down in bitterness and despair, that God wouldtransform their heart and use you to impact their lives for eternity.

God used who? Day 28


When we look at genealogies, it is easy to skim through a list of nameswithout stopping to understand the significance of each name. The lastfew verses of Ruth are, in some ways, the most important, as they pavethe way for First and Second Samuel, and the formation of the kingdomof Israel.

However, the list does not stop at King David, but continues until the birthof Jesus Christ in Matthew 1 and Luke 3. The conclusion of the bookofRuth is that God used the most unlikely people to bring about the birthof His promised Messiah, mentioned first in Genesis 3:15. The genealogyof Ruth 4 reminds us that God used fallen men and women like Judah andTamar (Gen. 38), Ruth and Boaz, and the youngest son of a family ofshepherds, David, to accomplish His plan of redemption.


Ruth should be a story of great encouragement to us. It teaches usthat God is accomplishing His plan of redemption in spite of the sinof man. It also paints the picture of Christ as the kinsman-redeemerof His people. He has saved us and lavished blessings upon us, eventhough are undeserving.


If you are a child of God, then you are now redeemed. You are partof the line of Christ, David, and Ruth and Boaz. You belong to thefamily of God and are being used as He continues carrying out Hisredemptive plan. Believe and trust these promises in everysituation. Remember who you are!


Pray that you will be constantly reminded that you have a Kinsman-Redeemer who died for you in order to pay for your debts and care foryou. Pray that this would bring you hope in every situation.

Ruth – a Devotional and Prayer Guide

CChheecckk oouutt oonnee ooff oouurr YYoouunngg AAdduulltt CCoommmmuunniittiieess!!

SSuubbssccrr iibbee ttoo tthhiiss DDeevvoott iioonnaall aanndd PPrraayyeerr GGuuiiddee

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V7PC Ruth Devotional Week 4