Ruth Ch1/ Matthew Ch2
True love and Following Jesus
Ruth 1/ Matthew 2
Ruth chapter 1 tells us: Ruth vowed to follow Naomi to the end because she loved her mother-in-law from her heart. From that time on, Naomi’s God had been her God.
Matthew chapter 2: Here we see how the Magi looked for the Lord, loved the Lord and worshipped Him as their only King. We also read how Joseph and Mary loved Jesus and protected Jesus by risking their own lives.
Lesson we learn from these two chapters: All of them truly loved the Lord from their heart. They were willing to pay any price for Him. All of them had played an important part in God’s kingdom. Together they had fulfilled God’s divine plan.
Ruth 1/1-5
Here was a man moved his whole family to a place to live for a while because there was trouble in the holy land (Bethlehem). He did not pray to God for guidance. He took his own way. He was his own king. Later, he died. His two sons married Moabite women. They lived there about 10 years. This family had taken the wrong way for a long time and did not return to God. Both of the sons also died. Three widows were left alone.
Matthew 2/1-5
Few Magi from the east had hope of the birth of Savior everyday. When they saw His star, they came all the way to Jerusalem to worship Him. When King Herod and all Jerusalem heard Christ was born to be king of the Jews, they were upset. According to God’s words, the chief priests and teachers of the law knew Christ would be born in Bethlehem in Judea. But they did not worship Him as their King because they wanted to be their own king. They wanted to live for themselves and had their own ways.
Ruth 1/6-14
Naomi the wife had followed the way of her husband and two sons. But now she was awake to the mercy of God. She heard that the Lord helped His own people by giving them food. She decided to return to the land of Judah. Her original plan was to take her daughters-in-law with her. But she did not want to impose her will on them. Therefore, Naomi urged them repeatedly to return to their mother’s home, or to marry another husband. She told them honestly and directly that there was no hope in following her to Judah. Both of the daughters-in-law cried loudly. One kissed the mother-in-law good-bye, but the other was unwilling to leave.
Matthew 2/6-14
The prophecy about the birth of Jesus had been written in the Holy Bible. But who was willing to pay attention to His word? Who would listen to God and worship this Great King? Herod asked Magi carefully about everything. Then he told them to report to him as soon as they found Jesus, so that he could go and worship Him. In fact, he wanted to kill Jesus. He who wanted to be king by himself would not want Jesus to be King. But as to those who looked for the Lord from their heart, the Holy Spirit would guide them as a star to the Lord. They would see Jesus. These Magi were willing to pay a high cost to see Jesus the Savior. They did not care how far they had to travel to see Him. Nor were they scared of the dangers in the long journey. How they desired to see the Lord and worship Him as the only King! They presented what they treasured most to the King when they came to worship Him. They presented a gift of gold. It meant they gave up their golden years, bright and promising future or whom they love most for the sake of Jesus. They also brought a gift of incense. It meant they had the fragrance of keeping God’s words. The gift of myrrh meant they were willing to suffer for the sake of Jesus.
To follow her mother-in-law, Ruth had given up her golden and happy years as a young woman. What she had done for Naomi since the death of her husband. How she had left her father and mother and her homeland for the sake of Naomi. All of her love and sacrifice for Naomi had become a pleasant smell of incense and myrrh in the land of Judah.
The Magi and Joseph and Mary had instructions from the Lord so as to escape from persecutions of the evil one. It was because they loved the Lord from their heart.
Ruth 1/15-18
Naomi told Ruth to go back with her sister-in-law. But Ruth made a vow that she would give up everything of the world to go with Naomi. Where she lived, Ruth would live. Where she died, Ruth would die. Her God would be Ruth’s. When Naomi realized that Ruth was determined to go with her, she stopped urging her.
Matthew 2/ 15-18
King Herod, a type of anti-Christ, was a king of this world. He was so angry that he killed all the baby boys of two years old and under. It is true that we must go through many troubles to enter into the Kingdom of God. Therefore, we must have a determination to vow if we want to follow Jesus. But our suffering is temporary. Herod would die soon.
Ruth 1/19-22
When Ruth passed the test of her love for Naomi, she could walk with her suffering mother-in-law. Naomi had suffered bitterly before. But as soon as she returned to God’s will, her great misfortune was changed into a great blessing. God used them to fulfill His divine plan.
Lessons from these two chapters:
(1) Do not do what one likes to do when there are troubles in the environment. Be sure to pay attention to the prophecies in the Holy Bible. Fear the Lord. Do everything according to the teachings of the Bible and the guidance of the Holy Spirit. We must seek for the Lord and worship Him as the only King no matter what it costs.
(2) Do not follow the bad example of Orpah. She was a type of person who was close to the Lord by her lips. Her heart was far away from God. Orpah might get temporary happiness of the world when she returned to her mother’s home or married to another husband. But she had no part in God’s divine plan. She lost everlasting blessing and true joy in heavenly kingdom.
Do not follow the terrible example of Herod. He said by his mouth that he wanted to worship the Lord. In fact he wanted to kill Jesus because he wanted to be king by himself on the world. But he ended up dying in the lake of fire.
(3) If our love to God is pure and sincere, we will past His test of it again and again. We must have a determination to vow to follow the suffering Lord. A double-minded person cannot follow Jesus till the end. He will shrink from following Jesus because he is scared of persecutions and troubles of the cross. He will be a deserter of the Lord’s army. He has no determination to overcome the test of family relationship and new marriage of another wife. Ruth was a good example of following the Lord. She made a vow to go with Naomi, to stay with her and even to die with her because Ruth loved her mother-in-law. Ruth determined to follow her to the end. Our Lord first loved us. He had forsaken everything for us. Today will you and I determine to follow Our Lord to the end?
(4) The narrow way of cross is bitter at first, but it turns out to be sweet at the end. If we agree to walk with our suffering Lord now, we will get glorious Christ in the future. If we take the lustful wide way now, we will be thrown into the darkness in the future. There we will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. It will be too late to regret.