The Book of Ruth
WHETHER WE SEE THE
PURPOSE OF GOD
NOW OR NOT, GOD HAS A PURPOSE!
("Mara" - even in
our bitter or pleasant times, God has a purpose!)
Part One
Written by “The
Puppet Man”
Richard Arillotta
ă
June 2004
Used by Permission of the Author
“It
is more bitter for me than for you, because the Lord’s hand has gone
out against me” (Ruth
1:13b)! “Don’t
call me Naomi”
(Pleasant), she told them.
“Call me Mara,”
(bitter)
“because
the Almighty has made my life very bitter. I went away full, but the
Lord has brought me back empty. Why call me Naomi? The Lord has
afflicted me; the Almighty has brought misfortune upon me”
(Ruth 1:20,21).
Before going on to
read this study, please read the Book of Ruth first. The book of Ruth
is one of the most beautiful stories because the circumstance seems as
if there was no purpose in it, and it is a story that seems to lose
hope, but God was there to fulfill His purpose, and to renew hope. It
goes on to talk about how Naomi lost everything: property, husband (Eliimelech),
and her two sons. Therefore, she said, “Don’t
call me Naomi.” For Naomi means “Pleasant.”
She didn’t see herself as “Pleasant.”
She couldn’t see God because her eyes were on the circumstances. For
that reason she said, “Call me Mara”
which means “bitter.” She thought
the Lord has made her life very bitter, and felt that God had
abandoned her. Many of us perceive life like that. As a result, we
become very bitter, and we too say “Mara!”
Naomi was overwhelmed with the lost and was looking at the situation
instead of humbly seeking God – “that
He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him” (Heb.
11:6b). The terms in Hebrew – “afflicted”
“The Lord has afflicted me”
means “The Lord has brought evil
upon me!” How quickly we blame God when we are in a
horrendous ordeal and misfortune just like Naomi. We don’t trust Him
no matter what happens to us.
At first, Naomi
did not want Orpah or Ruth to be with her. She was very depressed. A
depressed person has a tendency to want to be alone. This is the last
thing that a person can do for herself. We need our brothers and
sisters to minister to us, to comfort us, and encourage us to look for
God when situations look so dim and it seems like there is no way
out. Of course, it is a time to grieve (to mourn) when our loved ones
are gone. But Naomi gave in to her emotions by saying - “Call
me Mara,” and did not consider that God has a purpose or
did not trust that God has a purpose. Ruth was one of Naomi’s two
son’s wives. Naomi wanted to be left alone, and go back to
Bethlehem. But Ruth kept pleading and pleading to be with her.
Finally, Naomi let her come to Bethlehem to live, not realizing that
God was using Ruth to bring Naomi out of her pit of misery. At the
time, Bethlehem was at the beginning of barley harvest (Ruth 1:22).
Moreover, not realizing, God has something there for them. It is a
place (Bethlehem) of destiny for the purposes of God to be fulfilled
in Ruth and Naomi. Bethlehem was a place where Jesus Christ was
born. The town Bethlehem means the “house
of bread” and refers to Jesus Christ who is “the
Bread of Life.” Furthermore, Naomi was going back to the place
where her hope would be reborn. God puts us in the place where we are
going to live whether we realize it or not - “And
He has made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the
face of the earth, and has determined their pre-appointed times and
the boundaries of their dwellings” (Acts 17:26). It is so the
purpose of God can be fulfilled in us and through us. I will tell
what the purpose for Naomi and Ruth is, later on in this study.
Ruth was saying
to Naomi no matter what happens, I am staying with you even to the
point of death (Ruth 1:16, 17). But remember, it was God who ordained
Ruth not to leave Naomi. It is interesting how Naomi’s other
daughter-in-law Orpah didn’t go with her but went back to her people
and to her gods (Ruth 1:15). It was because God had a specific
purpose for Ruth. If Orpah went with them, perhaps Ruth and Orpah
would be in conflict or clash (envy could have arisen) with each other
over Boaz. Remember Naomi says to her two daughters-in-law “I
do not have any more sons to give to you for marriage.” That
is an indication that these women wanted to get married again. It is
interesting that “Orpah” means “neck”
or “stubbornness.” There must be
something to that name. Usually in the Bible, names signify the
person. Like “Jacob,” which means “heel
catcher” or “supplanter,” etc.
Even though Orpah told Naomi that she wanted to go with her, her heart
was not into it, and perhaps it was because of her stubbornness.
Being stubborn is the direct result of selfishness. God said, “And
stubborn is as iniquity and idolatry”
(I Sam. 15:23). These are very strong warning words. There is a
clear indication that Ruth was not selfish, and her heart was not like
Orpah, for she was willing to give her life up for Naomi.
There must be a
deep relationship between Ruth and her mother-in-law Naomi.
Evidently, Ruth loves Naomi to the point of giving up her life for
her. In fact, the name Ruth means, “FRIENDSHIP!”
She lived up to her name. This is a perfect example of what Jesus was
saying, “Greater love has no one than
this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends”
(John 15:13).
Ruth was a type of the Spirit of Christ in this aspect – “Greater
love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.”
Jesus is the real Friend that lay down His life for His friends. A
friend has a deeper relationship than a servant – Jesus said, “No
longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his
master is doing, but I have called you friends, for all that I have
heard from my Father I have made known to you”
(John 15:15). This verse expresses intimacy with the relationship
between Christ and His disciples. A true friend is one who knows the
person, and shares heart to heart. The task, which a servant must
perform, is often laborious, and burdensome with much effort, but a
friend is compelled by love – “A friend loveth at all times”
(Proverb 17:17). This is another important aspect of God. God wants
to become our friend to each of us. Jesus did not come to condemn the
world. Many of us think of God is ready to beat us up with a 2 by 4
(a piece of lumber) or to condemn us – “For
God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that
through Him we might be saved”
(John 3:17). But no, God in the person of Jesus Christ wants to
become our friend. This kind of relationship is so special because
the Spirit of God draws us to spend time with Him. As a result, we
want come to Him – “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you”
(James 4:8). This kind of relationship is called, “Intimate!”
It is intimate because it requires spending quality time and quantity
time with Him.
There are three
kinds of relationships. The first one is acquaintance. The second
one is casual, and the third is intimate. The acquaintance and casual
require less time. For example, we greet one another in church
service, but we don’t know them intimately or casually. This is
called, “acquaintance.” Another
example is that, a politician has a lot of acquaintances. Casual
friendship is going to a ball game or doing different things every
once in a while together. We may have a lot of acquaintances and
casual friends, but intimately, we only have two or at the most
three. The Lord Jesus is our best Friend. He is a friend who sticks
closer than a brother. The most important example of “intimacy”
other than the Lord is husband and wife. The classic example of a
true friend other than the Lord is David and Jonathan – “the soul of Jonathan was knit to the soul of
David, and Jonathan loved him as his soul”
(I Sam. 18:1).
There was a deep bond and unity between the two. A true friend will
look out for the best interest of the other. The characteristics of
a true intimate friend are trust and security. An American songwriter
and singer named Carole King wrote a song called, “You
got a friend.” The words of that song exemplify a true friend
– “Winter, Spring, Summer, or Fall, all you have to
do is call, and I’ll be there, you got a friend.”
In addition, a true friendship is based upon trust. To build trust
takes a long time, and spending time is the only way. That is what
Ruth had with Naomi. To give her life for Naomi tells us that she
trusted her. To trust someone is to know someone really well.
As a result, Ruth did everything Naomi told her to do (Ruth 3:5-9). A
true friend does not break trust with a friend, and vice-versa! Sin
violates the trust of God, but Jesus Christ restores our trust to
God. Trust is earned, and how to earn trust is based upon how we
value a person. So, treat trust like a valuable
possession. James 2:23 said, “And
the scripture was fulfilled which says, “Abraham believed God, and it
was accounted to him for righteousness.” And he was called the
friend of God.”
Any friend of God is one who trusts and believes God. God is the One
we should value the most for friendship and for an intimate
relationship. Here is a poem on trust:
THE BEAUTY OF
TRUST
The power of
trust generated by honesty and openness.
Faithfulness is the way to succeed.
And loyalty is the builder of trust.
To build trust with someone is sometimes like a long journey.
And to continue on that path,
will make the beauty of trust goes a long, long way.
But when trust is
crushed and bruised,
Suspicion and pain will sweep like a flood.
All the foundation of trust will start trembling down.
And the oneness of life will become
as a total eclipse of the sun.
The healing of
trust is sometimes endless.
Depending upon how deep the root of forgiveness is in one’s heart.
A relationship is at its best only when trust is involved.
So, treat trust like a valuable possession.
And the strength of love will not be broken.
Written by “The Puppet Man”
Richard Arillotta * Sept. 1992 ©
Used by
Permission of the Author
Here was God’s
main purpose for Ruth and Naomi, and it is in Chapter 4:14-17a, Boaz
took Ruth in marriage and she had a son named Obed. For “the women said to her”
(Naomi): “Praise be to the Lord, who this day has not left you without a
kinsmen-redeemer. May be become famous throughout
Israel!
He renews your life and sustains you in your old age. For your
daughter-in-law”
(Ruth) “who loves you and who is better to
you than seven sons has given him forth. Then Naomi took the
child, laid him in her lap and cared for him. The women living
there said, ‘Naomi has a son.’”
Boaz was a wealthy man. Boaz was being a kinsman redeemer, which
means he exercised a right by marrying Ruth and obtaining the property
of her first husband’s father, a near relative. He could not marry
someone in a relationship from within (like Naomi, Boaz was
Elimelech’s brother). It would be incestuous (Leviticus 18:12,
13,17). Out of that son (Obed) came Jesse, and Jesse had a son named
David, and he became a king and out of David came the descendants of
Jesus Christ. Now Naomi had the purpose of God in her life, and God
gave her a new hope. But now with us it is not a hope that come from
without (things that are seen with our natural eyes), but it is the
Hope from within us – “Christ in us, the hope
of glory!” God used Ruth to bring Naomi out of her misery.
Ruth was serving God by ministering to Naomi. Some Bible scholars say
that Naomi had adopted the son. But whatever the case may be, Naomi’s
spirit was lifted up, and she had a sense of purpose. Even in her old
age, Naomi’s life was renewed. We can see in the spiritual realm
every little detail of God’s unseen purposes. Naomi did not seem to
have the purpose of God from the beginning. Her purpose seemed dead.
But at the right time, God made His purposes alive in Naomi. God
restores her life by using Ruth and Boaz. Now Naomi has a story to
tell. Naomi can call herself once again “Pleasant!”
Ruth was blessed and rewarded, and she has a purpose too (Chapter
3,4). Ruth shifts from widow and poor to marriage and prosperity.
Ruth was a Moabite (a Gentile) and God used her. The bitter
situation turns the unseen purpose of God into sweetness. Here is an
interesting verse – “The full soul loathes a honeycomb. But to a hungry soul
every bitter thing is sweet”
(Proverb
27:7). This verse means a hungry soul has been in many different
situations to stay hungry enough in order to taste everything sweet.
In Naomi’s case, she had everything taken away, and became bitter - “Mara.”
She could not taste the sweetness out of the bitter because she fixed
her eyes on the situation. Therefore, she acquired the bitter taste.
Evidently, she was not hungry enough. A hungry soul will cry out to
God and seek Him because he is in a place of need – “Blessed
are they which do hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall
be filled”
(Matthew 5:6).
It is good to stay hungry for Him, so that God can become sweeter even
in the bitter time. There is nothing wrong with having the material
things of life or good gifts -
“Every
good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of
the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows”
(James 1:17 NIV).
However, God gave
us the desire (for the material things of life or good gifts) to enjoy
them, but we can use them for the wrong purposes. When the
natural or material things of life or good gifts are taken away from
us, we should humbly come to Him and seek Him instead of blaming Him
or resisting Him of His work in us. Whatever situation we are in, God
can even turn our bitter times into sweetness. It is interesting how
a person has everything is going smoothly and full, and yet he has a
tendency to be not satisfied and be miserable - “The full soul loathes a honeycomb”
(Proverbs 27:7b).
The ultimate
purpose of Ruth’s story is to bring the descendant of Jesus Christ
into fulfillment – “Christ in us, the hope of
glory.” God uses the circumstances of Naomi, Ruth and Boaz to
bring about the real Kinsman Redeemer – Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ
redeems us by purchasing us with His blood and so has taken us to be
His “bride.” Ruth, Boaz and Obed were recorded in the genealogy of
Jesus Christ (Matthew 1:5). By the way, “Obed”
means “Worshipper!” The meaning of
the name was a prefiguring of David – the true worshipper of things to
come. Out of Obed came Jesse, and out of Jesse, David. Obed was the
grandfather of David. That made Ruth the great-great grandmother of
David.
God did not reveal
to Naomi His purpose from the beginning. On the other hand, Abraham
and Sarah knew the purpose of God beforehand. You remember the three
visitors (angels) came and said to Abraham, “Where
is your wife Sarah?” they asked him. “There, in the tent,’ he said.
Then the Lord said, “I will surely return to you about this time next
year, and Sarah your wife will have a son.” Now Sarah was
listening at the entrance to the tent, which was behind him”
(Genesis 18:9-10). Then Sarah laughed because she was beyond
childbearing age. God told them that they would have a child out of
their own body. She had a son named “Isaac”
which, means “laughter.” So
therefore, Abraham and Sarah knew the purpose of God beforehand, and
God told them that Sarah would become the mother of all nations.
Nevertheless, Sarah and Abraham were beyond childbearing and their
bodies were as good as dead; therefore, the plan of God for them had
to be a miracle. But before they had Isaac, they tried to help God
out by using Hagar their maidservant, and she had a son named
Ishmael. It was about twenty-nine years later when they had Isaac.
Abraham and Sarah were trying to fulfill God plan’s in their way (it
was cause by their unbelief). Consequently, the Israelites have
problem from the descendents of Ishmael (the Arab nations) to this
present day. Abraham and Sarah were over 90 years old when they had
the promised child. To all the senior citizens out there, God may not
be finished with you yet! He may still have the purpose of God yet to
be fulfilled through you.
WHETHER WE SEE THE PURPOSE OF GOD NOW
OR NOT, GOD HAS A PURPOSE!
(Mara, even in our
bitter or pleasant times, God has a purpose!)
Part Two
Written by “The
Puppet Man”
Richard Arillotta
ă
Used by
Permission of the Author
I take great
comfort knowing that God has a purpose in my life whether I know it or
not. It is good not to know the purpose ahead of time, or we will be
like Abraham and Sarah trying to fulfill His plan in our own strength
or in our own ability by trying to help God out. God does not need
our help. We need to trust Him and rest in the fact that God will
fulfill His purpose in us (Philippians 1:6). However, God gave some
men and some women of God to know their purpose is ahead of time for a
specific reason. Remember Joseph’s dreams (Genesis 37-50)? Joseph
needed the dream from the beginning because of the ordeals and trials
he went through, so that God could work in him. He wore a coat of
many colors, wore it before his brothers, and it made his brothers
envy him. God had to do a work of humility in him by using his
brothers to put him in the pit. In addition, he was in prison etc.
In prison, whatsoever he did made everything prosper. And while he
was there in prison he learned more about being in authority, which
led him to be second in command of Egypt. There is another aspect of
why he could sustain these ordeals and trials and we see it where the
Scripture said, “The Lord was with Him”
(Genesis39:23). Therefore, he could say later on when he met his
brothers, “But as for you meant evil against
me; but God meant it for good” (Genesis 50:20). He could not
have said that if he did not have the dream from the beginning (ahead
of time). Another example is Jesus Christ – “who
for the joy that was set before Him endured the Cross, despising the
shame” (Hebrews 12:2b). Jesus saw His purpose beforehand –
bringing many sons and daughters in the Kingdom. Jesus went through
horrible ordeal – before the Cross and while He was hanging on the
Cross. Many of us can ask God to give us a peak into the future, so
that we can endure with a purpose. Be sure of this, we will go
through a lot of adversities, obstacles and sufferings even to the
point of despising the shame for the process of executing the purpose
of God. We need adversities and obstacles to ask Him for wisdom
(James 1:5, 6). Moreover, we need wisdom, so that the purpose of God
can firmly fitly positional together. Without wisdom, we would not
know how to stand firm in the on-going process.
The problem is
that we focus fixedly on the future (goal or promise), and miss what
God is doing now. As a result, we miss seeing the important little
details in the present. Realize this: His daily plans for our lives
are in this very moment. The little details of now are the groundwork
for the future. We look to the future for big things, and forget the
little things that God has given us now.
Therefore, God wants us to focus on the now. Jesus said, “Therefore
do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own
things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble” (Matthew
6:34). In the verses before Matthew 6:34, Jesus was talking about the
necessities of life. The reason why Jesus says that is because He
wants us to be free from the burden of caring for the future.
We do not praise
Him for the little things. In Zechariah 4:10 we read, “For who has despised the day of small things?”
God wants us to meditate on the small things, so that we can learn how
to be thankful in all things – “In
everything give thanks for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for
you” (1
Thessalonians 5:18). If we cannot learn to be thankful for small
things, then we will not learn to be content. It is in the small
things that lead us to believe for bigger things. How can we ask and
believe God for the big things if we don’t ask and believe for the
small things – “He
who is faithful in what is least is faithful also in much”
(Luke 16:10)? Our faith grows in the small things. Do you remember
king David? Before he killed the giant Goliath, he was a shepherd,
the least of all occupations, but he believed God enabled him to kill
the bear and the lion (1 Samuel 17). His faith did not begin with big
things. It began in his life as a shepherd, and then included the
bear and the lion. He believed that God could use him to kill Goliath
with five smooth stones. We often do not believe that small things
are significant. In God’s eyes, all small things are significant.
One time I was
looking for my keys. I couldn’t find them. I kept on looking and
searching. I went to my bedroom and shut the door. I sat on my bed,
and asked God, “I
can’t find my keys, help me Lord to find my keys.”
Then I heard Him say to me, “They
are beneath you.”
I looked there, and it wasn’t there. So I went and looked around the
house again, and still I couldn’t find them. I went back to my
bedroom and asked God again, “Where
did I put my keys?”
He said, “They
are beneath you.”
I quickly took my blankets apart, but I didn’t see them there. So
again I looked around the house and still I couldn’t find them. This
time I went back to my bedroom irritated and frustrated. I demanded
in a loud voice to God, “WHERE ARE MY KEYS?”
Again He said, “They
are beneath you.”
But this time I slowly removed my covers from the bed. Guess what?
There they were, underneath the blanket. My faith was encouraged. I
know that He is interested in the small things, too. To God, all
small things are significant to Him. Our faith will grow in the small
things. That is why we should not despise the day of small things!
Jeremiah 29:11
said, “For I know the thoughts that I think
toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give
you a future and a hope.”
The problem with that (the future - knowing God’s purpose ahead of
time) is that we try to make things happen and we are get ahead of
God. As a result, we accomplish the objective in our flesh (Remember
Abraham tried to accomplish God’s purpose by using Hagar).
James (4:13-16)
said, “Go to now, ye that say, Today or
tomorrow we will go into such a city, and continue there a year,
and buy and sell, and get gain. Whereas ye know not what shall be on
the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor, that
appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away. For that ye
ought to say, If the Lord will’s, we shall live, and do this, or
that. But now ye rejoice in your boastings: all such rejoicing is
evil.” The plan or goal may never happen the way we want it to
go. God may show us what lies ahead (His plan), but if we are
focusing on the future and getting ahead of God, then it can become
evil. It is evil because we become like a god knowing how and what to
do, and it may not be the way God does it or He may never have
intended that for us in the first place. That is why we ought to say,
“If the Lord will’s, we shall live, and do this, or that.” The
Apostle Paul gave us an example in the book of Acts 18:18-21. “Paul
stayed on in
Corinth for some time. Then he left the brothers and sailed for
Syria, accompanied by Priscilla and Aquilla. Before he sailed, he had
his hair cut off at Cenchrea because of a vow he had taken. They
arrived at Ephesus where Paul left Priscilla and Aquilla. He himself
went into the synagogue and reasoned with the Jews. When they asked
them to spend more time with them, he declined. But as he left, he
promised, ‘I will come back if it is God’s will.’”
Paul made a promise, and knew that the plan might change, and he
acknowledged God by saying “if
it is God’s will!” On the other hand, we should plan for the
future or work toward the future plan – Jesus said, “Occupy
till I come” (Luke 19:13)!”
God’s ultimate
purpose is to conform us into the image of Jesus Christ (Romans 8:28,
29). Every believer is enclosed in that purpose. We have a story to
tell of how God gave us a purpose in the midst of a bitter or pleasant
situation. The purpose of conforming us is that we will serve Him in
a most excellent way. Jesus said, “Yet
shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among
you shall be your servant. And whoever of you desires to be first
shall be servant of all” (Mark 10:43,44). Matthew 20:25,26
relates, “But
Jesus called them to Himself and said, “You know that the rulers if
the Gentiles lord it over them, and those who are great exercise
authority over them. Yet it shall not be so among you: but
whoever desires to become great among you, let him be your servant.”
The story recorded in the book of Ruth
is about getting His purpose done through us, and to see that Jesus
has called us His friend, not because we serve Him, but that a Friend
loves His friend and will do anything for Him.
---------------------------
Richard Arillotta has
a nickname:
“The Puppet Man!” A college teacher
once said that he "moved like a real live marionette puppet." Richard
says, "It was because of my erratic movement caused by my cerebral
palsy. My new name associates that, as 'a broken vessel' I can be
used by God." You may contact Richard at:
beholdhim@ez2.net
Friday Study Ministries
P.O. Box 92131
Long Beach, CA
90809-2131 USA
www.fridaystudy.org
Ron@fridaystudy.org
