Tami's SOAP - Ruth 1:1-14

Ruth 1:1-14 (The Message)

1-2Once upon a time—it was back in the days when judges led Israel— there was a famine in the land. A man from Bethlehem in Judah left home to live in the country of Moab, he and his wife and his two sons. The man's name was Elimelech; his wife's name was Naomi; his sons were named Mahlon and Kilion—all Ephrathites from Bethlehem in Judah. They all went to the country of Moab and settled there.

3-5 Elimelech died and Naomi was left, she and her two sons. The sons took Moabite wives; the name of the first was Orpah, the second Ruth. They lived there in Moab for the next ten years. But then the two brothers, Mahlon and Kilion, died. Now the woman was left without either her young men or her husband.

6-7 One day she got herself together, she and her two daughters-in-law, to leave the country of Moab and set out for home; she had heard that God had been pleased to visit his people and give them food. And so she started out from the place she had been living, she and her two daughters-in-law with her, on the road back to the land of Judah.

8-9 After a short while on the road, Naomi told her two daughters-in-law, "Go back. Go home and live with your mothers. And may God treat you as graciously as you treated your deceased husbands and me. May God give each of you a new home and a new husband!" She kissed them and they cried openly.

10 They said, "No, we're going on with you to your people."

11-13 But Naomi was firm: "Go back, my dear daughters. Why would you come with me? Do you suppose I still have sons in my womb who can become your future husbands? Go back, dear daughters—on your way, please! I'm too old to get a husband. Why, even if I said, 'There's still hope!' and this very night got a man and had sons, can you imagine being satisfied to wait until they were grown? Would you wait that long to get married again? No, dear daughters; this is a bitter pill for me to swallow—more bitter for me than for you. God has dealt me a hard blow."

14 Again they cried openly. Orpah kissed her mother-in-law good-bye; but Ruth embraced her and held on.

S: verses 1 & 5:
Once upon a time—it was back in the days when judges led Israel— there was a famine in the land.

Now the woman was left without either her young men or her husband.

O: What I love about the opening of this book is how totally real it is. Here is a story of a woman that is a follower of God but who faces some really tough & tragic stuff in her life. First a famine that probably decimates her community, forcing her to leave her home & travel to live in a strange & godless country. Then the death of her husband & 2 sons. This is pain - as raw & searing as it gets. She is probably wrestling with all the same things we would: Why, God? Why me? How can you be a loving God & let stuff like this happen? How do I put the pieces of my life back together? Am I strong enough to get through this? I want to become bitter & disillusioned - will I be able to move past them to acceptance & hope? Will I ever have joy again?

What I also love is the invisible thread of God's love & compassion. We can't see it visibly yet, but He has not forgotten Naomi, & He IS in control, & He WILL bring healing & restoration & joy. In the midst of our pain, He is there.

A: This passage reminds me that dark days are a part of every life - I've experienced my share of them & will experience more in the future. When I am where Naomi is in the opening verses of this story, she is lost in the darkness - she can't see the good that God will bring. But she puts one foot in front of the other & continues to move ahead. I need to do the same. I need to trust that the darkness is not the end of the story. That God will redeem the pain. That love & life & hope & joy lie ahead. That He hasn't forgotten me.

P: Papa God, thanks for your never-ending, relentless, redeeming, unstoppable love that is bigger than every tough thing I face. It's even bigger than my own weakness & fear & failure. Help me to see You in the dark. Help me to whisper Your name & wait for the light. Help me to trust You & keep taking steps of obedience & righteousness even when it's hard. I love You. Amen