CHA SOAP - Ruth 1:1-14

S: http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Ruth%201:1-14&version=31

O: My first thoughts or pondering on this set of verse is wondering what life was like for a woman during this time and place on the earth. In someways I wonder to myself if Ruth was full of adventure, a strong, energy filled, independent natured individual or if there was something truly different about her. One thing that seems clear to me at this passage is that Ruth cared for Naomi enough to give up whatever life had to offer so that she could stay with her. I also love how Naomi's heart was there for both her daughter-in-laws. I love how she unselfishly asked them to go back to their homeland, seek shelter and find another husband... another life. To me, this means that Naomi was willing to sever her life with these two women for their own well being. This had to be difficult for her in this day and age where her age meant that she may not have anyone... at least anyone good... take care of her for the rest of her life. Truly a reflection of Gods love for us.

A: My application on this verse would be to refine what I have already been doing in my life.
(a) Caring for someone enough to give up whatever life could offer... knowing that there is many more riches in caring for someone vs. seeking your own wealth, riches, and comfort. (b) Loving someone enough to let them go to a better life. Letting go of someone when you know that there is something better for them not necessarily of this world, but in Gods plan.
-In refining "a" I will continue to work on the things in my life that bring in selfishness and greed. Things that consume my time with no outcome... or even negative outcome. I need to rid myself of the desire to use, play, experience the newest, latest technological gadget or see the newest movie. I will continue to focus my attention to the hearts and souls of Gods children.
- In refining "b" I will spend more time in the word... to fill my soul with God. I too often focus most or all of my time and energy here on my family, friends, loved ones... whoever. I know that my focus on thee people is more than a desire to help them but also a desire to be filled myself. This has been a reoccurring train wreck in my relationships with women. I find someone I relate to, someone I like and enjoy being around. Someone with a big heart... I tend to ignore the big things that are in conflict between me and the other individual and ignore the whisperings of God telling me "this is not the one, let go, turn to me child, I will be your comfort, your peace, your love." I truly believe that God is working in this area of my life. Giving up pornography and sexual sin was easy for the most part... but becoming the man of God that I need to be... becoming the husband that God wants me to be... is the difficult part. So with that said... onto the prayer...

P: Dear God, thank you for loving me. Thank you for continuing to love me even when I don't come to you, spend time with you, or talk with you. There is a difference, I have found, between having you in my heart always, and actually spending time with you. I know it's not easy since I can't mingle with you in this world that way I can mingle with others, but I do know that when I am truly with you... it's enough.. and I am at peace. Thank you God. My prayer is that I am given the focus to see what my role is in your plan and that I gain that desire and energy to quickly let go and remove anything in my life that stands in the way of reaching that goal so that I can better love you, and I can better love your children. I ask for continued help in healing from my brokenness in relationships in this life. I ask for wisdom in seeing how I ended up becoming this way so that I can take steps to heal from it. You God, have gifted me with passion... a high intensity passion that burns fast and furious... please help me to understand this gifting and see where I can use it to better serve you. As your nature is revealed to me in your word... I see bits and pieces of my own puzzle... and I ask for a blessing on my fellow traveler for taking the time to travel your road with me. Thank you for giving me a safe relationship in my life that I can turn to. I pray this in the name of your son, Jesus, amen.

Tami - Ruth 2:1-13 (I'm enjoying this!)

Ruth 2:1-13 (The Message)

1It so happened that Naomi had a relative by marriage, a man prominent and rich, connected with Elimelech's family. His name was Boaz.

2 One day Ruth, the Moabite foreigner, said to Naomi, "I'm going to work; I'm going out to glean among the sheaves, following after some harvester who will treat me kindly." Naomi said, "Go ahead, dear daughter."

3-4 And so she set out. She went and started gleaning in a field, following in the wake of the harvesters. Eventually she ended up in the part of the field owned by Boaz, her father-in-law Elimelech's relative. A little later Boaz came out from Bethlehem, greeting his harvesters, "God be with you!" They replied, "And God bless you!"

5 Boaz asked his young servant who was foreman over the farm hands, "Who is this young woman? Where did she come from?"

6-7 The foreman said, "Why, that's the Moabite girl, the one who came with Naomi from the country of Moab. She asked permission. 'Let me glean,' she said, 'and gather among the sheaves following after your harvesters.' She's been at it steady ever since, from early morning until now, without so much as a break."

8-9 Then Boaz spoke to Ruth: "Listen, my daughter. From now on don't go to any other field to glean—stay right here in this one. And stay close to my young women. Watch where they are harvesting and follow them. And don't worry about a thing; I've given orders to my servants not to harass you. When you get thirsty, feel free to go and drink from the water buckets that the servants have filled."

10 She dropped to her knees, then bowed her face to the ground. "How does this happen that you should pick me out and treat me so kindly—me, a foreigner?"

11-12 Boaz answered her, "I've heard all about you—heard about the way you treated your mother-in-law after the death of her husband, and how you left your father and mother and the land of your birth and have come to live among a bunch of total strangers. God reward you well for what you've done—and with a generous bonus besides from God, to whom you've come seeking protection under his wings."

13 She said, "Oh sir, such grace, such kindness—I don't deserve it. You've touched my heart, treated me like one of your own. And I don't even belong here!"

S: verse 13: She said, "Oh sir, such grace, such kindness—I don't deserve it. You've touched my heart, treated me like one of your own. And I don't even belong here!"

O: Even though I picked v13, I'm so enthralled with this entire section! There is so much here - from the simple faith & purity & obedience of Ruth, to the blessing that will always result from that kind of life, to the amazing grace of God given freely to the poor, the outcast, the alien, the hurting. Boaz represents God's extravant love & care for us - how he goes & seeks her out, how he offers his protection, how he notices her quiet dignity & faithful life in the midst of her pain, how he rewards it, how he will soon (we see foreshadowing of it here) adopt her into his own family & redeem her from the life of a widow & alien. She is an outsider, but soon she will belong. Her family has been shattered, but soon she will be a part of God's family.

A: The grace of God to redeem the garbage heaps of our lives never ceases to amaze me - & makes me want to praise Him, commit myself more fully to Him, & be more like Him - extending that same hope & grace & redemption to others.

P: May it be so, Father God, Amen

Tami - Ruth 1: 15-22

Ruth 1: 15-22

15 Naomi said, "Look, your sister-in-law is going back home to live with her own people and gods; go with her."

16-17 But Ruth said, "Don't force me to leave you; don't make me go home. Where you go, I go; and where you live, I'll live. Your people are my people, your God is my god; where you die, I'll die, and that's where I'll be buried, so help me God—not even death itself is going to come between us!"

18-19 When Naomi saw that Ruth had her heart set on going with her, she gave in. And so the two of them traveled on together to Bethlehem.

When they arrived in Bethlehem the whole town was soon buzzing: "Is this really our Naomi? And after all this time!"

20-21 But she said, "Don't call me Naomi; call me Bitter. The Strong One has dealt me a bitter blow. I left here full of life, and God has brought me back with nothing but the clothes on my back. Why would you call me Naomi? God certainly doesn't. The Strong One ruined me."

22 And so Naomi was back, and Ruth the foreigner with her, back from the country of Moab. They arrived in Bethlehem at the beginning of the barley harvest.

S: verses 16-17 -
16-17 But Ruth said, "Don't force me to leave you; don't make me go home. Where you go, I go; and where you live, I'll live. Your people are my people, your God is my god; where you die, I'll die, and that's where I'll be buried, so help me God—not even death itself is going to come between us!"

O: Verses 20-21 show the really normal but really wrong response of the human heart... Naomi is hurting & bitter & blaming God. She forgets that God brings good out of everything - just as we in our weakness are prone to forget. Already in verses 16-17 she has experienced a rich & beautiful thing as a result of her trial: the love of Ruth - both for Naomi & for Naomi's God. The sweetness of this gift is kind of lost on Naomi at the time, it seems, but again - lest we judge her too harshly - I would guess many of us would miss it just like she did. How much we need our hearts & minds transformed so we can see the gifts of God in the midst of our pain.

A: I personally was living for awhile in the midst of some tough circumstances with plenty of loss - and I was hurting & bitter & blaming God - not seeing the sweetness of the gifts God was giving me right in the middle of it all. How much I need MY heart & mind transformed so I can see the gifts of God in the midst of my pain.

P: Lord, forgive me for my hurt & lack of trust. Help me to see Your hand in all things, & to look for the GOOD, not the lack. Amen.

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

Book of Ruth SOAP schedule

Summary: The book of Ruth is a tender & beautiful picture of how Christ comes into our pain & redeems it, just as Boaz redeemed Ruth. It's also the story of an oasis of faithfulness during the turbulent time of the judges.

1. Overview: Read the entire book
2. Ruth 1: 1-14
3. Ruth 1: 15-22
4: Ruth 2: 1-13
5. Ruth 2: 14-23
6. Ruth 3: 1-9
7. Ruth 3: 10-18
8: Ruth 4: 1-12
9: Ruth 4: 13-22