THE BOOK OF RUTH A STORY OF LOSS PAIN AND LOVE ANIMATED RUTH BIBLE STORY

In the days when the judges ruled, there was a famine in the land. So a man from Bethlehem in Judah, along with his wife and two sons, left the country to live in the Moabite countryside. His name was Elimelech, and his wife's name was Naomi. Their two sons were Malon and Kilion. They were Ephratites from Bethlehem in Judah. When they arrived in Moab, they settled there. Some time later, Elimelech, Naomi's husband, died. Naomi was left with her two sons. They married Moabite women, one named Orpah and the other Ruth. After about ten years, both Malon and Kilion died. Naomi was left without her husband and her two sons. Naomi was left with nothing but grief and two daughters-in-law. When she heard that the Lord had blessed Bethlehem with food again, she made up her mind. It was time to go home. As they journeyed, Naomi turned to Ruth and Orpah and said, My daughters, go back to your families. Start fresh. May the Lord be kind to you as you've been kind to me. Orpah kissed Naomi goodbye, tears in her eyes. But Ruth, Ruth held on. Don't ask me to leave you, Ruth whispered. Where you go, I'll go. Where you live, I'll live. Your people will be my people, and your God will be my God. So the two women walked into Bethlehem together, weary and wounded, as the barley harvest began. The whole town was buzzing with excitement over them. The women asked, Is this really Naomi? Naomi replied, Don't call me Naomi, which means pleasant. Call me Mara, which means bitter, because the Almighty has made my life very bitter. I left here full, but the Lord has brought me back empty. So Naomi returned from Moab, accompanied by her Moabite daughter-in-law, Ruth. To provide for them, Ruth went out to gather leftover grain in the fields. She didn't know whose field she entered, but it happened to belong to Boaz, a relative of Naomi's late husband. Just then Boaz arrived from Bethlehem. He greeted his workers, The Lord be with you. They replied, The Lord bless you. Boaz asked his young servant in charge of the workers, Who is this young woman? The servant replied, She's the Moabite who came back with Naomi from the country of Moab. She asked me to let her gather grain behind the workers. She's been working hard from morning until now. She's been resting only a short time in the shelter. Boaz said to Ruth, Listen, my daughter, Don't go to gather grain in any other field. Don't even leave this field. Stay here with my young women. Watch where my men are working and follow the young women. I've told the men not to touch you. When you're thirsty, go to the water jars and drink some of the water the men have fetched. Then Ruth bowed with her face to the ground and asked, Why are you being so kind to me? I'm a foreigner. Boaz replied, I've heard all about what you've done for your mother-in-law since your husband died. When it was time to eat, Boaz told her, Come here and have some bread. Dip it in the vinegar. So she sat beside his workers. Boaz handed her some roasted grain, and she ate all she wanted. When she finished, she had some left over. When she got up to gather grain, Boaz gave his young men the following orders. Let her gather grain even among the bundles of grain. Don't give her a hard time. Pull some grain out of the bundles and leave it for her to gather. Don't scold her. Ruth gathered grain in the field until evening. When she beat out what she had gathered, she had about 25 pounds of barley. She carried it back to town and showed her mother-in-law what she had gathered. Ruth also gave Naomi the leftovers from her lunch. Naomi asked her, Where did you gather grain today? Where did you work? Blessed be the man who took notice of you. Ruth told her mother-in-law who she had worked with. She said, The man I worked with today is named Boaz. Naomi said to Ruth, My daughter, I must find a secure home for you so that you'll have a good life. Now isn't Boaz the man you've been working with a relative of ours? Tonight he'll be threshing barley on the threshing floor. Wash yourself, put on some perfume and wear your best clothes. Then go down to the threshing floor. But don't let Boaz notice you until he's finished eating and drinking. When he lies down, notice where he is. Then go, uncover his feet and lie down. He'll tell you what to do. Ruth went to the threshing floor and did exactly as her mother-in-law had told her. Boaz ate and drank and was in a good mood. Then he went to lie down at the end of the pile of grain. Ruth came quietly, uncovered his feet and lay down. At midnight, Boaz was startled, turned over and saw a woman lying at his feet. He asked, Who are you? She answered, I'm Ruth, your servant. Spread the corner of your coat over me because you're a close relative who can marry me. Boaz said, The Lord bless you, my daughter. This last kindness that you didn't go after a young man, whether rich or poor, is better than the first kindness you showed your mother-in-law. Now, my daughter, don't worry. I'll do everything you ask because everyone in town knows you're a woman of noble character. It's true that I'm a close relative who can marry you, but there's a relative closer than I am. Stay here for the night. In the morning, if he wants to marry you, that's fine. Let him marry you. But if he doesn't want to marry you, I swear to the Lord that I'll marry you. Lie down until morning. So Ruth lay at his feet until morning but got up before it was light enough for people to recognize each other. When Ruth came to her mother-in-law, Naomi asked, How did things go, my daughter? Ruth told Naomi everything the man had done for her. She added, He gave me this grain to bring to you. Naomi asked, Wait, my daughter, until you see how things turn out. That man won't rest until he settles this today. Meanwhile, Boaz went to the city gate and sat down there, as took ten men from the leaders of the town and asked them, Sit down here. So they sat down. Then Boaz said to the relative, Naomi has come back from the country of Moab and is selling the field that belonged to our relative Elimelech. I thought I'd tell you about it. Buy it in the presence of these men sitting here and in the presence of the leaders of our people. If you're going to redeem it, then redeem it. But if you won't redeem it, tell me, so that I'll know. You're the only one who can redeem it and I'm next after you. The relative replied, I'll redeem it. Then Boaz said, When you buy the field from Naomi and from Ruth the Moabite, you must marry the widow to keep the dead man's property in his family. The relative said, Then I can't redeem it for myself. If I did, I might jeopardize my own inheritance. You take my right of redemption for yourself. I can't do it. Now, in the past, when people exchanged or redeemed something in Israel, they would take off their sandals and give them to the other person. This was the way contracts were publicly approved in Israel. The relative said to Boaz, Buy it for yourself, and took off his sandal. Boaz said to the leaders and all the people, Today you're witnesses that I'm buying from Naomi I'm also buying Ruth the Moabite, Marlon's widow, as my wife. I'm doing it to keep the dead man's property in his family so that his name will continue in his inheritance. You're witnesses today. All the people at the city gate and the leaders said, We're witnesses. May the Lord make the woman who's coming into your home like Rachel and Leah, who together built the house of Israel. May you be famous in Bethlehem. May your family be like the family of Perez. The son Tamar bore to Judah because of the descendants the Lord will give you by this young woman. Boaz married Ruth, and she became his wife. When he went to her, the Lord enabled her to become pregnant, and she gave birth to a son. The women said to Naomi, He didn't leave you without a close relative. May this child make your name famous in Israel. He'll renew your life and take care of you in your old age, because your daughter-in-law, who loves you and is better to you than seven sons, has given birth to him. They named him Obed. He was the father of Jesse and the grandfather of David. Ruth's story is more than a love story. It's a story of quiet strength. She lost everything, yet chose to stay with Naomi, not knowing what the future held. She humbled herself to glean in the fields, trusting God would provide. And without chasing attention, she caught the eye of a man who saw her heart. Through her faith and loyalty, God wove her into his plan, turning ashes into beauty. Ruth reminds us that when we walk with God, even in silence, he writes something eternal. Now, let us pray. Today's prayer is specially for women. Lord, we pray for every woman who has lost her husband. Wrap her in your arms, Father. Comfort her heart. Restore her joy. And remind her that you have not forgotten her. Just as you gave Naomi a bundle of joy through Obed, may these women also receive their divine reward, a fresh start, a testimony, a reason to smile again. We also lift up every woman waiting and trusting you for a husband. May she not grow weary in waiting. Let your peace guard her heart. Lead her to the right man in your perfect time. For it is written in Hebrews 10.37, For in just a little while, he who is coming will come and will not delay. Amen. In the ages, his love will mold. Grace eternal, brighter than gold. In a lion's den, shadows loom. Never fear in that stony room. It's sound and walls will fall. Strength of heaven conquers all. Sing so bold, courage untold. Through the ages, his love will mold. Grace eternal, brighter than gold.