THE ' K I N G ' S B U S I N E S S
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APRIL 25, 1920 RUTH ’S WISE CHOICE Golden Text: ‘‘Thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God.” Ruth 1:16. LESSON TEXT. Ruth 1:14-22. (Read Ruth 1: Ps. 91.)
So they two went until they came to Bethlehem. And it came to pass, when they were come to Bethlehem, that all the city was moved about them, and they said, is this Naomi? (20) And she said unto them, Call me not Naomi, call me Mara: for the Almighty hath dealt very bitterly with me. (21) I went out full, and the Lord hath brought me home again empty: why then call ye me Naomi, seeing the Lord hath testified against me, and the Almighty hath afflicted me ? (22) So Naomi returned, and Ruth the Moab- itess, her daughter in law, with her, which returned out of the country of Moab: and they came to Bethlehem in the beginning of barley harvest. The book exhibits the grace of God in the midst of evil. The Book of Judges is full of dark, dreary scenes, awful tragedies, wars and bloodshed. The Book of Ruth is like a landscape at eventide. The quiet country domestic life; the field; the courtship; thé mar riage. God is interested in the family affairs of His people. In the midst of apostasy some remained faithful to God. In type, we have the calling forth of the Gentiles. The heroine is a Moabitess,-—a mod est, faithful, strong, pure woman. The scene is in Betjilehem, sacred to the memory of Ruth, of David, of Mary, of Jesus. The second verse gives us the names of the family, and they are all signifi cant: Elimelech— “ My God is king.” Naomi— “ Beautiful.” Mahlon— “ Song.” Chilion-—I‘Perfection.’’ Ephrathah— “ The place of fruits.” Bethlehem—-“ House of prayer.” Judah— “ Praise.”
(14) And they lifted up their voice, and wept again: and Orpah kissed her mother in law; but Ruth clave unto her. (15) And she said, Behold, thy sister' in law is gone back unto her people, and unto her gods: return thou after thy sister in law. .(16) And Ruth said, Intreat me not to leave thee or to return from following after thee: for whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I Will lodge: thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God: (17) Where thou diest, will I die, and there will I be buried: the Lord do so to me, and more also, if aught but death part thep and me. (18) When she saw that she was steadfastly minded to go with her, then she left speaking unto her. (19) Introduction: The Book of Ruth is a typical proph ecy, portraying the past, present and future of Israel. The key to the hook is the word “ kinsman” (4:14). It is a supplement LESSON to the Book of EXPOSITION Judges, and former- T. C. Horton ly a part of it, and was included in every Hebrew canon. It is an episode in the history of Israel. The time of writing the hook was after the birth of David, for he is mentioned twice, and is an important personage in the eye of the writer. The author was probably Samuel. The scene is domestic and dramatic. We have the hearth, the home, the field, the gate. The four chapters and eighty-five verses may be divided as follows: Chap ter 1, ‘/Many are the afflictions of the righteous” ; Chapters 2, 3, 4 ,' “ The Lord delivereth from them all.” There are four pictures of Ruth,-— Ruth choosing; Ruth gleaning; Ruth resting; Ruth rewarded.
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