WEDNESDAY March 29 Reading: Ruth 2 (or the whole story if you have time) And Ruth the Moabite said to Naomi, “Let me go to the field and glean among the ears of grain, behind someone in whose sight I may find favour.” She said to her, “Go, my daughter.” Ruth 2:2 Naomi and Ruth are destitute widows who have come to live in Naomi’s home in Bethlehem (which means “house of bread”). Ruth the Moabite is a stranger in Israel who refuses to abandon her mother-in-law. The law of Israel required that the edges of a field be left for the poor to glean. It was one of the ways in which Israel was required to secure the food supply for all. When Ruth goes out to the fields belonging to Boaz to gather barley, he welcomes her, offers her protection, and gives her food and drink. Ruth and Boaz are eventually married. Their son, Obed, becomes Naomi’s next-of-kin. Matthew will list Ruth in his genealogy as one of the grandmothers of Jesus of Nazareth. God is at work in the lives of these ordinary people to bring salvation.
Prayer: Psalm 119:30–32 Ruth chose to be faithful to Naomi, even when it appeared that doing so would lessen her chances of remarriage. Here are some verses from Psalm 119 for praying today: I have chosen the way of faithfulness; I set your ordinances before me. I cling to your decrees, O Lord; let me not be put to shame. I run the way of your commandments, for you enlarge my understanding.
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Lent 2017