Women In The Bible Series: Ruth: In A Strange Land
Lesson Seven: Ruth: In A Strange Land
Lesson Six: Hagar: A Woman Scorned | Lesson Five: A Shulamite: The Beloved | Lesson Four: Wisdom: A Woman Called By This Name | Lesson Three: Zipporah: Married to the Ministry | Lesson Two: Tamar: Overcoming Your Past | Lesson One: Leah: The Unloved
Hello ladies, and welcome to my blog! This year I am going to write a series called Women of the Bible, where I will explore the lives of some of the Bible’s most notable female characters. I believe every woman’s story can be found in God’s Word – and those stories can bring hope and encouragement. I will touch on some serious topics such as rape, suicide and jealousy, along with some lighter ones such as love, righteousness and more. Together, we can discover what the Lord is speaking to His beautiful bride.
Before we begin, I also want to thank you for joining me throughout last year’s series on Church Decorum. If you like what you read, send me comments and let me know – it encourages me to keep writing!
Taking this journey together,
First Lady Vivian Pruitte
***
Before she takes one step into the city, they already know her life story.
She can feel their eyes rise and fall as they scrutinize her hair, her skin and every other part of her body. They don’t even try to hide their whispers as she passes by along the endless dirt road; the one that never seems to end at her final destination.
After making the bold proclamation to stay with her mother-in-law, reality sets in. She is in a strange and unfamiliar place – one that does not welcome her and probably wonders why she’s even there.
“The rejections from the other women in town are starting to wear on me,” she thinks to herself. “I feel so alone.” It’s gotten so bad she has to draw water in the heat of the day, rather than the cool of morning, just to avoid hearing their murmurs and feeling their stares.
“I’m a woman just like you’re a woman, we’re not much different!” she screams inside her head. But who was she kidding. No matter how akin she felt to this country, she would always be different.
But this was more than just hurt feelings. It wasn’t safe for her to be walking around the fields by herself. She had heard stories of woman being raped there, but she had no choice. She had to provide for her mother-in law.
Just thinking about the elderly woman put a tender smile on her face. The work was endless and back breaking, but the love she felt for that woman propelled her to go back out day after day and glean the fields.
***
Many of us have made decisions that have greatly impacted and even altered the course of our lives. This is the situation Ruth finds herself in. At the time, giving up her homeland and following her mother-in-law back to Bethlehem seemed like a noble gesture. But Ruth had no idea of the opposition she would face in the land she chose to attach herself. No one in Bethlehem was waiting to greet her with open arms.
Having to give up her customs, culture, religion and traditions and adopt new ones could not have been easy for her. Other than her mother-in-law, she had no one to take her under their wing and guide her. Gleaning the fields placed Ruth in a very vulnerable position, but she had to depend on the kindness of strangers for her livelihood.
Similar to Ruth, we sometimes find ourselves in a strange land. It can be very uncomfortable and can make us susceptible to being taken advantage of by people. Ruth had to depend on the kindness of strangers to survive. She decided to place her trust in a God she was not familiar with, but grew to trust through the witness of her mother-in-law.
Giving up total control and placing our trust in God can be difficult for us. We are used to being in control. And when things are not, we become fearful and try to take matters into our own hands. The Lord uses those times of defenselessness to show us that He is always in control and will take care of us if we rely on Him. Ruth placed her trust in God, and not only did she reap the benefits, but her mother-in-law and generations to come reaped the rewards of her trust.
There are several life lessons we can take away from Ruth. First, if we place our trust in God not only will we reap rewards, but it will bless our family. Second, we do not have to be in total control at all times. It’s enough just knowing that God is in control and He will place people in our lives to help us along the way. So when you find yourself in a strange land, relax and know that God is there with you.