WE ARE BETTER TOGETHER  c JULY2023 r.kerr

A family begins with two people, a man and a woman, living together as one unit.  Over time, it grows into more people and children, related by birth, blood, marriage and adoption that have a common ancestor.  They form a family bond; a network, if you will.  Every family is shaped by the relationships and circumstances that they deal with over the years.

In the Bible, the story of Ruth tells the story of one family’s good and bad days.  

In chapter one, we find a family that has been devastated.  Three poorwidows are all that remain of a once vibrant, decent family.  The older is the mother-in-law who eventually tells the each of the two younger women to go back to their own mother’s house.  Her reason is she thinks they will have a chance for a better life than this one they are living with her because she has nothing left to give.  One of them, named Orpah, agrees and leaves.  The other, named Ruth, refuses to leave her. I wondered why? 

I think Ruth remembers when Naomi was happy.  She remembers the good times in the family. Father, Mother, and adult children interacting with love for one another.  I think she goes with Naomi because she is seeking the God that gave Naomi the notion to be that wonderful wife and mother she knew so well. I think she wanted the family life back that had been lost.   Plus, I think Ruth loved Naomi as a mother, maybe more than her natural mother.  

There are a lot of jokes about in-laws, and there may be some that deserve it.  But there are far more Godly in-laws that love their married children’s’ spouses than comedians would have you to believe.  Consider theinfluence of a parent or any adult in the family, who sets the example of love, rather than of bitterness.   One who shows love like Jesus, instead of constant criticism and meanness.  Even in the face of disaster, a woman or man of God, can have a powerful impact on the young people in the family,

Family is like that.  Adults are the example for the younger folks to see.  Whether it be a good example or bad example, the young people will learn something from watching their elders. It shapes how they will deal with life.  

The end of chapter one tells us when they got back to Bethlehem, Naomi’shometown, she was embarrassed and ashamed. She tried to change her name; Naomi means pleasant, but she told everybody to just call her bitter.  I wondered why?  

She was the same person, but she had a different attitude and a way different outlook on life. She still had faith in God, but it was being testedby her circumstances.  She had left home with a husband and two sons, and plans.   But after 10 years, she had buried all three.  I think she was broken.  This doesn’t happen just to women.  It can happen to anyone in our family.  

Age does not matter.  Death and disease take away those we thought we would share this life together with.  Drugs and alcohol make us unrecognizable to those we love the most. Oh, this world will put you and your family through some changes. Our faith in God will be tested as well as the strength of our relationships.

Ruth, as well as this town, has seen Naomi at her best, and now at her worse.  

Here comes chapter two. Ruth is younger.  She is looking for better days.  The young men and women, boys and girls in our families are looking for a bright future.  They don’t dwell on death, disease and hardships.  They want the promises of God.  They want that good family life, just like Ruth did.  It’s up to the elders to point them in the right direction.  It’s up to the grandmamas, granddaddies, uncles, aunts and cousins to give them hope, and to be that example of believing and trusting in God. 

This is what family is for. From Adam and Eve until this very hour, God is raising up families that call on the Name of Jesus and pray for the young people in their family.

As a race, we came out of the darkness of slavery, racism, hatred and violence into the light of Christ, which is justice, peace, and the love of God.  Our family ties were knotted up and even severed, but God has set us up to win. If we don’t tell our children our story, all they will know is his-story.   Naomi NEEDS Ruth and Ruth NEEDS Naomi.  Every generation must do their part.

Ruth held on to the good times and she wanted that again for them both. So, she went to work.  She told Naomi to sit tight, and she went out to find food.  Even though she looked different, and did not know anyone, she was not going to fall into depression or despair.  She had to hold up.  Millennials, Gen Z’ers, do not doubt what you can accomplish.  If you believe and trust in God, you can go forward with God on your side, you cannot fail.  Put in the work and you will reap the reward.  How do I know?  Because the old pray for the young. Somebody is praying every day for you.

Ruth finds food for beggars on the edge of the property belonging to a man named Boaz.  He is a God-fearing man, who goes about his business.  When he looks over his land, he sees Ruth by herself, picking up the grain on the ground, He asks the reapers about her.  

Now the reapers represent our neighbors, friends, co-workers and everybody else that gets in our family’s business.  They keep up with the truth, the lies, the gossip and all that goes on with everybody’s business but their own.  Yet, they are useful at times.  They tell Boaz all about Naomi and this girl she brought back, but they can’t say anything bad about her.  Ruth is working.  She is seeking God and a strong family.  No time for foolery.  The bible says, Seek and you will find it.  Knock on some doors, and they will open.  

Now we look at Boaz.   He represents the men in the family. No, there is no family without men.  Godly men, who handle their business are in our families to love, honor, protect and provide for the good of all members.

Boaz represents men who recognize, respect and respond to women, children, strangers.  There are men like Boaz in every family, and we ought to appreciate them.  Not because of wealth, but because of their character and their abilities.

They are due the respect, honor love and heartfelt sincerity and loyalty from their family.   When a good man and a good woman get together, it’s like DYNOMITE.  They blow up and light up the room with love, compassion and joy.  

Boaz tells the reapers to make sure Ruth collects more than enough so that she and Naomi will not suffer.  But most importantly, in verse 12, he attributes the help he gives her as a blessing from Almighty God, not himself.

That is, he knows he is blessed to be a blessing!

On to chapter 3 and it turns out, God already had a plan in place. 

Naomi had been focused on bitterness, instead of realizing who she was related to.  The land she was on was her husband’s share of his family inheritance. He had put a mortgage on it, but she was too poor to buy itback.  

Inspired by Ruth’s success, Naomi got her thinking straight.  She remembered Boaz was a relative of her deceased husband. He had helped the family in the past, but in her bitterness, she had forgotten all about him.  Suddenly, life looked bright again!!!  Suddenly, she could see that her family was not a lost cause. Naomi got her  hope back.  

Boaz eventually spoke to the other family member, and redeemed Naomi ‘s land and married Ruth.   Naomi became a grandmother, and her pleasantness was restored.  We find that later, through several generations, that King David, and later, Jesus himself, was listed in the bloodline ofthis marriage.  God had this planned all along.

We are connected to our families, but even more important, is that our families ought to be connected to God.  He is the one who will make all things right.  He will also bless us to be blessings to others, especially those in our family. 

Jesus’s example of love, by laying down his life on the cross, provides us with an inheritance of great value. It is enough to pay off the price of our sins.  But we must get our thinking right and put our trust in Him. 

We are free to make a choice, like Ruth and Orpah did, whether we and our family will follow God or go our own way.  

Chapter 1 verses 16 Ruth says to Naomi:

“Don’t plead with me to leave you or turn back from following you. Because wherever you go, I will go, and where you live, I will also live. Your people will be my people and your God will be my God”.  That is a commitment to family.  The choice is yours.

Amen