UT 1-2{S. Did God send any one else to take care of the children of Israel after Samson died?
M. No, they were left for a time, to do what was right in their own eyes, and we have seen how low and weak they were. But the Spirit of God has kept account for us of a touching little story of two faithful women, who lived in the time of the judges. There was a famine in the land, S. Oh, mamma, could there be a famine in the land of Canaan?
M. It was God's judgment, because His people had forsaken Him. Moses had told them that it would be so. It was a land which overflowed with every good thing—a land the Lord their God cared for, and His eyes were always upon it from the beginning of the year to the end. He sent the rain and the sunshine at the right time, that they might gather in their corn, and their wine, and their oil; but He said, if they went after other gods, that He would shut up the heavens that it might not rain, and the land should not yield its fruit. Instead of being blessed in their field, and blessed in their store house, they should be cursed, because they had forsaken their God, their own Jehovah, who sent them every good.
S. Was there always some one who loved God?
M. Yes, God never left this sinful world without one single witness of His love, and of His mercy to poor sinners. When there was not a man to care for His Name, He chose a woman. When there was not an Israelite, He chose A Gentile! When the famine was in the land of Canaan, a man named Elimelech went to the country of Moab with his wife and his two sons. But he soon died and left Naomi, his wife, with her sons alone in that strange country. And her sons married women of Moab. One was called Orpah and the other was Ruth. But very soon the sons died too, and these three poor women were left alone. What could they do?
S. Did they ask God to give them food?
M. Naomi remembered the God of Israel, and she remembered that she had heard that He had taken away the famine in the land of Canaan, so she said she would go back to her own land; and she set out with her daughters-in-law to go to the land of Judah. But as they were going, she said she thought it would be better for Orpah and Ruth to go home to their mothers, and that perhaps they would get husbands in their own country who would take care of them, and she kissed them, and they all cried, and said they would go on with her. But she said they had much better not; for Naomi was greatly grieved that God had made them widows. At last Orpah kissed her mother-in-law and went home to her people; but Ruth stayed with her, and when Naomi wanted her to go too, she said, Entreat me not to leave thee, or to return from following after thee; for where thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge: thy people shall be my people, and thy God shall be my God: where thou diest, I will die, and there will I be buried. So Naomi said no more, because Ruth was determined to stay with her forever.
S. I suppose she loved Naomi better than any one else in the world?
M. Naomi was all that belonged to what she had lost; her husband was dead. Ruth was a lonely widow, and she was a Gentile. Her own people worshipped idols. Naomi was poor too, but she knew the God of Israel and she belonged to the land of blessing, and so Ruth chose the good part when she followed Naomi. Orpah went back to the Moabites, but Ruth went with Naomi to Bethlehem—the house of bread. And the people there knew Naomi, and they came out to see her; but she said to them, Do not call me Naomi any more, call me Mara. Naomi meant my delight or my pleasures, but Mara meant 'bitterness,' for she said, The 'Lord has dealt very bitterly with me. I went out full, and came back empty. And it was the time of barley harvest when they came to Bethlehem. Now there was a very rich man there, whose name was Boaz, and he was a relation of Naomi's husband. And Ruth asked Naomi to let her go and glean in the fields, and by chance she went into a field that belonged to Boaz. And he came to see his reapers, and he said to them, The Lord be with you. And they answered him, The Lord bless thee.
S. How nice that was! Did Boaz love God?
M. Boaz served the God of Israel; and when he saw Ruth he said to his steward who was minding the reapers, Whose girl is this? And he said, She has come back with Naomi from the country of Moab. Then Ruth asked him to let her glean after the reapers; and he spoke very kindly to her, and told her not to go into any other field but his, and that when she was thirsty she might go and drink out of his vessels. When Ruth heard this she bowed down to the ground and said, Why are you so kind, to me, I am only a stranger? But Boaz said that he had heard of how she had left her own country and her own people to be with Naomi. And Boaz prayed that a full reward might be given her of the Lord God, of Israel, under whose wings she had come to trust. He also spoke kindly to her, and told her to come at meal time and eat with his reapers, and Boaz himself handed her something to eat. And he said to his young men, Let fall some handfuls on purpose for her, that she may pick them up.
S. That reminds me of what. Moses said: that they were always to leave some corn in their fields for the poor people to pick up.
M. God is the Rewarder of those who seek Him; and no one ever put his trust in Him and was disappointed. Ruth hack put her trust in the God of Israel, and, like Abraham; she got an exceeding great reward. Ruth had given up everything in this world to follow Naomi; her own country, her own people, and her father's house, everything that she could hope for in this world she had left behind. When Ruth beat the grains of corn out of the ears she took it home to Naomi, and she was astonished at all she had gleaned. But when she told her all that Boaz had said to her, Naomi said, Blessed be he of the Lord, because he has shown kindness to the living as well as to the dead, for he was a relation of Naomi's husband. And Boaz told Ruth to glean in his fields every day until his harvest was gathered in.