Making A Choice

SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON WEEK OF AUGUST 14th

Ruth 1:8-18

Lesson Introduction: Naomi and her two Moabite daughters-in -law,Ruth and Orpah,lost all three husbands to death.Naomi decided to travel back to her home town,Bethlehem,and send the girls back to their home in Moab.Naomi prayed God's blessing over each:Naomi's child-bearing days were over.Orpah hesitated,then decided to return to Moab,but Ruth refused.Ruth set her face like a flint and clung to Naomi.In her compassionate plea Ruth quotes on of the most beautiful and profound statemants in scripture:"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:where thou diest,will I die,and there will I be buried: the Lord do so to me,and more also,if ought but death part thee and me".

*****Much like Ruth's committment to Naomi, we must do the same when it comes to us choosing Christ.It too is a life long committment,which nothing should be able to separate us from .Ruth committed to travel with Naomi,stay with her,and care for her.No matter the living conditions or the challenge of following Jewish laws and ways,Ruth wanted the life sh eobserved in Naomi's family.Ruth willingly gave up everything to follow teh true and living God.

Naomi's Plea
Ruth 1:8-10

⁸And Naomi said unto her two daughters in law, Go, return each to her mother's house: the LORD deal kindly with you, as ye have dealt with the dead, and with me.
   ⁹The LORD grant you that ye may find rest, each of you in the house of her husband. Then she kissed them; and they lifted up their voice, and wept.
   ¹⁰And they said unto her, Surely we will return with thee unto thy people

Footnotes

The three women only had each other after the death of their husbands,so the prospect of separation may have seemed overwhelming.In fact they both insisted in returning with Naomi to Israel.Naomi urges them to return to their mothers and she prays for them.**There are times on this christian journey ,when things, circumstances and sometimes people will try and persuade us to go back to the things of old, to not walk by faith to that which God has promised us.They will try and discourage and hinder you,telling you of all the challenges that lies ahead. 

Little Hope
Ruth 1:11-14

 ¹¹And Naomi said, Turn again, my daughters: why will ye go with me? are there yet any more sons in my womb, that they may be your husbands?
   ¹²Turn again, my daughters, go your way; for I am too old to have an husband. If I should say, I have hope, if I should have an husband also to night, and should also bear sons;
   ¹³Would ye tarry for them till they were grown? would ye stay for them from having husbands? nay, my daughters; for it grieveth me much for your sakes that the hand of the LORD is gone out against me.
   ¹⁴And they lifted up their voice, and wept again: and Orpah kissed her mother in law; but Ruth clave unto her.

footnotes:

Naomi describes the logical, but difficult, consequences of staying with her and keeping her as a mother-in-law.Naomi would herself have to find a new husband,keep having children until she had two sons,and then Ruth and oprah would have to wait until the boys were of marring age.So Oprah decided to comply with Naomi's admonition,and she returns to Moab.**Many because of the trials and challenges of this faith walk, choose to go back to the ways of sin instead of moving forward in the trust of the Lord.See dispite all that Naomi said Ruth choose to go on and make Naomi's God her God and just trust and believe.

Ruth Remains
Ruth 1:15-18

¹⁵And she said, Behold, thy sister in law is gone back unto her people, and unto her gods: return thou after thy sister in law.
   ¹⁶And 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:
   ¹⁷Where thou diest, will I die, and there will I be buried: the LORD do so to me, and more also, if ought but death part thee and me.
   ¹⁸When she saw that she was stedfastly minded to go with her, then she left speaking unto her.

footnotes:

Ruth's promise to make Naomi's people her people,and Naomi's God her god is not something we should merely take as a expression of devotion to her mother in law.Ruth has spent the last 10 years with Naomi's family and saw their devotion to the living God of Israel,despite being displaced from their homeland due to famine.**The lost world is watching us in our relationship to God.We must let our lights so shine at all times, that those in the world might make the choice and follow us as we follow Jesus.