When the Biblical young woman, Ruth, married into a Jewish family she understood little about their ways, God or religion. \u00a0This is my supposition; but I base the conjecture\u00a0on facts. \u00a0Moabites were shunned\u00a0by the Israelis. \u00a0Decades before, Moab\u00a0wronged the wandering tribes who desired to travel through their land. \u00a0This set up a national rivalry. \u00a0Israel was a young nation and were probably not accustomed to travel, especially to Moab.<\/p>\n
As\u00a0a famine devastated\u00a0the land of Israel, a Judean\u00a0took his wife and two sons to live temporarily in Moab where there was food. \u00a0In Moab, the small Jewish family of a mother, father and two sons grew\u00a0to include two Moabite daughters-in-law. \u00a0Ruth was one of them. \u00a0At the end of ten years in Moab, the ranks of the family had diminished. \u00a0All the men had died.<\/p>\n
By this time, Ruth had come to understand the ways of Judaism. \u00a0She was familiar with the customs and norms\u00a0of her adopted family. \u00a0They were attractive and persuasive.<\/p>\n
It is understandable that Naomi, now a widow and having limited means, would want to go back home to her home town, Bethlehem. \u00a0She had family there. \u00a0They would take care of her.<\/p>\n
The Judean famine which\u00a0propelled\u00a0her\u00a0young family to Moab was over. \u00a0Once again, there was food in Israel. \u00a0Naomi made the logical decision to go back to her roots. \u00a0The three widows set out on their journey.<\/p>\n
Once in that process, it appears that Naomi had\u00a0second thoughts about the daughters-in-law going with her. \u00a0Perhaps out of politeness, Naomi urged and even argued with the two younger women\u00a0to\u00a0go back to their Moab homes and their mothers. \u00a0One turned back. \u00a0But Ruth made a history-altering decision. \u00a0She opposed the idea of leaving Naomi against all reason. \u00a0She would go with Naomi and share in her fate.<\/p>\n
Ruth said, \u201cI will go where you go. \u00a0I will live where you live. \u00a0Your people will be my people. \u00a0Your God will be my God.\u201d<\/p>\n
The wonderfully attractive customs of Naomi and her God\u00a0had drawn Ruth in such a magnetic way\u00a0that she was willing to leave every thing, even her own security to follow Naomi. \u00a0The key to Ruth\u2019s decision was her resolution to follow Jehovah. \u00a0\u201cYour God will be my God.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Bible is not a book about religion. \u00a0It is about God\u2019s relationship with men and women\u2013usually in the context of families. \u00a0Too often we see the laws. \u00a0We want to magnify the do\u2019s and don\u2019t\u2019s when God wants relationship.<\/p>\n
Moab was a rejected nation. \u00a0God had told Israel to reject Moab. \u00a0Yet, God orchestrated circumstances to include Ruth in Jesus\u2019 genealogy. \u00a0Ruth, a Moabite, was King David\u2019s great-grandmother. \u00a0Jesus was a direct descendent of David. \u00a0The hated and rejected Moabite\u2019s have a prominent position in the history of our Lord.<\/p>\n
Within the disability community, there is a lot of rejection. \u00a0Perhaps this is one reason why people who are mentally challenged are often eager to hear about the good news of God\u2019s love for them. \u00a0Their relationship with the Lord becomes a safe haven for them to grow and mature.<\/p>\n
Our Father\u00a0desires us to know that no matter what our customs or how limited our means and circumstances, He longs for\u00a0a relationship with us. \u00a0Customs and finances are fluid. God\u2019s grace never changes. \u00a0His desire for you to know Him is unchanging and everlasting.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
When the Biblical young woman, Ruth, married into a Jewish family she understood little about their ways, God or religion. \u00a0This is my supposition; but I base the conjecture\u00a0on facts. \u00a0Moabites were shunned\u00a0by the Israelis. \u00a0Decades before, Moab\u00a0wronged the wandering tribes who desired to travel through their land. \u00a0This set up a national rivalry. \u00a0Israel…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":387,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5,20,3,669,40,186,49,16,8,4],"tags":[690,21,688,7,388,715,701,694,672,689,673,671,6,687],"class_list":["post-3501","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-christianity","category-church","category-developmental-disabilities","category-disability-ministry-2","category-faith","category-hope","category-inspiration","category-intellectual-disability","category-mentally-challenged-community","category-simple-truths","tag-autism-spectrum","tag-christian","tag-christianity","tag-developmental-disabilities-2","tag-disability-ministry","tag-hope","tag-inspiration","tag-intellectual-disability","tag-israel","tag-mentally-challenged-community","tag-moab","tag-ruth-and-naomi","tag-simple-scriptural-truths","tag-simple-truths"],"yoast_head":"\n