Known By Name
Opening Prayer
Gracious Lord God, may I know Your loving, caring presence throughout this day and honor You in all I do.
Read Ruth 1:1-18
[1] In the days when the judges ruled, there was a famine in the land. So a man from Bethlehem in Judah, together with his wife and two sons, went to live for a while in the country of Moab. [2] The man’s name was Elimelek, his wife’s name was Naomi, and the names of his two sons were Mahlon and Kilion. They were Ephrathites from Bethlehem, Judah. And they went to Moab and lived there. [3] Now Elimelek, Naomi’s husband, died, and she was left with her two sons. [4] They married Moabite women, one named Orpah and the other Ruth. After they had lived there about ten years, [5] both Mahlon and Kilion also died, and Naomi was left without her two sons and her husband. [6] When Naomi heard in Moab that the LORD had come to the aid of his people by providing food for them, she and her daughters-in-law prepared to return home from there. [7] With her two daughters-in-law she left the place where she had been living and set out on the road that would take them back to the land of Judah. [8] Then Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law, “Go back, each of you, to your mother’s home. May the LORD show you kindness, as you have shown kindness to your dead husbands and to me. [9] May the LORD grant that each of you will find rest in the home of another husband.” Then she kissed them goodbye and they wept aloud [10] and said to her, “We will go back with you to your people.” [11] But Naomi said, “Return home, my daughters. Why would you come with me? Am I going to have any more sons, who could become your husbands? [12] Return home, my daughters; I am too old to have another husband. Even if I thought there was still hope for me-even if I had a husband tonight and then gave birth to sons- [13] would you wait until they grew up? Would you remain unmarried for them? No, my daughters. It is more bitter for me than for you, because the LORD’s hand has turned against me!” [14] At this they wept aloud again. Then Orpah kissed her mother-in-law goodbye, but Ruth clung to her. [15] “Look,” said Naomi, “your sister-in-law is going back to her people and her gods. Go back with her.” [16] But Ruth replied, “Don’t urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God. [17] Where you die I will die, and there I will be buried. May the LORD deal with me, be it ever so severely, if even death separates you and me.” [18] When Naomi realized that Ruth was determined to go with her, she stopped urging her. Scripture taken from the THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION
Reflect
What was the difference in the choices of the two daughters?“In the days when the judges ruled” (1) refers to an era of unprecedented challenge to faith in the one true God. Israel had come through years of upheaval and now struggled to settle in the land, facing significant economic, moral and social pressures. The book of Ruth shines into this darkness, telling the story of ordinary people facing extraordinary events. The inclusion of this tale in the Bible indicates that the lives of ordinary people are not insignificant to God. He knows every detail of our lives; he cares for us and numbers the hairs on our heads. Bereaved widows are known by name; their relationships with one another and their faithfulness to God in the face of huge pressures are inspiring. For the author of Ruth, names are significant. In Hebrew culture to know a person’s name is to know their character. It was terrible to have your name destroyed; it left you as if you had never existed. Elimelech means “My God is King.” Is there some rebuke here since he takes his family away from Bethlehem (“house of bread”) to a foreign land for provision? Naomi means “pleasant, lovely, delightful” and the poignant significance of this comes out as the story unfolds.
Apply
Whatever your circumstances, God knows your name. Spend time in prayer bringing to him any worries or pressure you face.
Closing prayer
Lord God, I’m grateful that You know my name and are always with me. I can have peace knowing that.
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