WordLive - Year OneSample

Prepare: ‘Praise be to the LORD, who this day has not left you without a family guardian-redeemer’ (v 14). Take time to thank God for his work in your life. Choose to praise him today – perhaps by singing a song in response to this passage.

From bitterness to joy
Boaz and Ruth are married and God granted her conception. God’s providence is clear: after all the struggle, bereavement, famine, poverty, shame, loneliness and loss, Ruth finally has a son. In a culture surrounded by the darkness of death and destruction – which has many resonances with us today – life is affirmed.

Naomi, who became Mara, is now Naomi again. God transforms her experience from bitterness to joy. What a beautiful picture of grace! And to underline the significance of this grace, through her son Ruth becomes an ancestor of King David and ultimately of Christ.

Faithfulness rewarded
This Gentile woman’s life demonstrates that inclusion in God’s people is by faith, that God rewards faithfulness in relationship to him and that we all need to be redeemed and covered.

Her story is prophetic – not only does she physically point to Christ, she also demonstrates in her life something of what Jesus will come to do.

Respond: Think about how you can demonstrate Jesus as Redeemer. Does your life point those around you to the bigger story of Jesus and his forgiveness? Ask the Lord to fill you with the Holy Spirit and empower you to live for him, showing through your actions as well as your words how great he is.

http://www.wordlive.org/Session/Classic/2012-09-08