Covid 19 has brought many changes to life in America. During this unprecedented season many of us have had adult children move back to shelter at home. Amid times of stress and hardship sometimes there is no place like home sweet home.

Please get your Bible, journal and pen. Take a moment to quiet your heart before God and ask Him to teach your through His Holy Word.

journey home

Please read Ruth 1:1-7.

In the days when the judges judged, there was a famine in the land. A certain man of Bethlehem Judah went to live in the country of Moab with his wife and his two sons. ² The name of the man was Elimelech, and the name of his wife Naomi. The names of his two sons were Mahlon and Chilion, Ephrathites of Bethlehem Judah. They came into the country of Moab and lived there. ³ Elimelech, Naomi’s husband, died; and she was left with her two sons. ⁴ 

They took for themselves wives of the women of Moab. The name of the one was Orpah, and the name of the other was Ruth. They lived there about ten years. ⁵ Mahlon and Chilion both died, and the woman was bereaved of her two children and of her husband. ⁶ Then she arose with her daughters-in-law, that she might return from the country of Moab; for she had heard in the country of Moab how Yahweh had visited his people in giving them bread. ⁷ She went out of the place where she was, and her two daughters-in-law with her. They went on the way to return to the land of Judah.

Who left Israel to go to Moab (vs 1-3)?

With whom did Naomi leave Moab to return to Israel (vs. 7)?

Why did Naomi decide to return to Israel?

come on home

Go back and read verse 6 again. Go back to verse 6 again and make note in your journal of a few important words from this verse.

The word arose used in this verse is from the Hebrew word quwm which means be clearer, confirm, ordain, strengthen, to stir up. The use of this word indicates that Naomi makes a a definite decision to return to her homeland.

But this was not a decision Naomi made on her own. Quwm also means to denote the inevitable occurrence of something predicted or prearranged (Strong, 1996). From the definition of this word we see God is at work in Naomi’s heart, strengthening and stirring up her soul for the return trip to Bethlehem so she could go back and shelter at home.

return home

Take another look at verse 6. The Hebrew word used for return is shuwb which means call, convert, deliver, draw back, fetch home again, rescue. Again we see evidence that God is at work behind the scenes to bring Naomi back to Bethlehem.

Using what you’ve learned from the definitions of arose and return, please rewrite Ruth 1:6 in your own words in your journal.

why return home?

Why was God going through all this trouble to bring Naomi and her daughters back home? Please open your Bible and read Matthew 1:1-16.

Whose family line is recorded in Matthew 1:1?

What familiar woman’s name is recorded in Matthew 1:5?

The wonderful sovereignty of God! A Hebrew family willingly leaves the Promised Land to live in Moab. God not only calls Naomi back to Bethlehem, but He uses this event to further His will. Ruth is part of the family line of Christ!

shelter at home

How about you? Have you wandered far from God? If You have God is working right now, behind the scenes to quwm your heart so you will shuwb back where you belong to shelter at home with Him.

What’s one thing you need to do now so you can return to shelter at home with God?

You do not have to wait until you clean up our act, get it together or fix yourselves up before you go home. Naomi sure didn’t. She returned home empty and broken. But she was wise enough to return. Run home now. God is waiting for you to shelter at home with Him.

Home is where His heart is!

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How are you sheltering with God during this season? Please leave me a comment below. I’d love to chat with you!

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For more information on sheltering at home, please click on the links below:

Moody Bible Sheltering at Home

Focus on the Family: Corona Virus Quarantine

Please click below to access parts of this study:

Day 1: Journey, Shelter in Place

Day 2: Journey, A Good Name

The birth of a baby is a joyous event! The parents to-be spend hours preparing the nursery, buying baby paraphernalia, baby-proofing the house and most importantly, choosing a good name. Today our Bible study focuses on the meaning and importance of names.

Please take a moment to pray and ask God to open prepare your heart to receive His word. Get your Bible, journal and pen!

Please read Ruth 1:1-5 out loud.

 In the days when the judges judged, there was a famine in the land. A certain man of Bethlehem Judah went to live in the country of Moab with his wife and his two sons. ² The name of the man was Elimelech, and the name of his wife Naomi. The names of his two sons were Mahlon and Chilion, Ephrathites of Bethlehem Judah. They came into the country of Moab and lived there. ³ Elimelech, Naomi’s husband, died; and she was left with her two sons. ⁴ They took for themselves wives of the women of Moab. The name of the one was Orpah, and the name of the other was Ruth. They lived there about ten years. ⁵ Mahlon and Chilion both died, and the woman was bereaved of her two children and of her husband.

A good name

Like modern day parents, names were also very important to the ancient Hebrew people. However, the Hebrews believed that names not only identified a person, but also represented the character of the person.

What is Naomi’s husband’s name?

The name Elimelech is a combination of two Hebrew words that mean my God is king. Elimelech’s name is a reminder that God is king  and sovereign over every event, even famine. Like Elimelech, we need to remember the meaning of God’s good name and shelter in place during times of trouble.

A few more good names

Read verse 2 again.

Who is Elimelech’s wife?

In Hebrew, Naomi translates as pleasant, splendor, grace, beauty. Naomi faces a great challenge to live up to her good name during a time of hardship and loss.

What un-pleasant thing is Naomi trying to face with grace?

Like Naomi, what un-pleasant hardships are you trying to face with grace?

A good name changed

Please skip ahead and read read Ruth 1:20.

She said to them, “Don’t call me Naomi. Call me Mara, for the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me.

What did Naomi change her name to and why?

Do you think Naomi has reason to be bitter?

Do you think Naomi has reason to continue trusting God?

Why should we continue to trust God during hard times?

Good names?

As a teacher I sometimes wonder about the names parents choose for their children. Cinderella. Pumpkin. Steelie. Why? But Naomi and Elimelech win the What were they thinking? prize.

Look back and remind yourself of the names of Naomi’s sons.

Mahlon translates from the Hebrew as sick, weak, worn, afflicted. Chilion means pining, destruction, failing. I’d like to ask Naomi why she chose such strange names for her children. Can you imagine being married to Afflicted or Destruction? ( Well…I dated a few “Destructions” in my day.)

No other information is given about Afflicted or Destruction in the rest of Scripture. It’s likely sickness may have been a factor in the deaths of the brothers. They seem to have “lived-up” to the meaning of their names.

One more good name

While every thing seems to be going wrong for Naomi, one thing was going right. Ruth. In Hebrew Ruth translates as friendship, companion. In the middle of loss and heartbreak, God provides Naomi with a friend.

What encouragement do you draw from God’s provision of Ruth to Naomi?

Give an example of a time when God provided you with a friend during a time of heartbreak.

One last name

We have one more name to consider, Orpah (not Oprah!). In the original Hebrew Orpah means gazelle, or mane. Orpah descends from other Hebrew words which mean back of the neck, obstinate, to seize, to pull. 

What insight is God giving you about Orpah and her name?

A little bit later in our study we will see how Orpah’s name may be a precursor of her future actions.

Thank you for joining me today for Bible study! As always please leave me a comment below in the comment section. I’d love to chat with you!

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To learn more about Ruth and the importance of names, please click on the links below!

Journey: shelter in place

Behind the Name

The sky looked doubtful; the weatherman had forecast rain. Should I go or shelter in place? I glanced at the sky and decided to chance a walk anyway. I left the house and kept a watchful eye on the darkening sky.

drip. drip. drip.

Half way through my walk the rain began to fall. However, what started as a light sprinkle soon evolved into a summer shower. Up ahead I saw a dry spot in the road. An overhang of trees offered protection from the rain. As I hurried to the dry spot, I thanked God for providing a shelter in the storm.

shelter in place

The rain became heavier. As the heavens opened up, I was tempted to leave my safe haven and make a run for home. I considered my options, shelter or run. If I left my leafy shelter I would meet the full force of the storm head on. Despite the downpour, I was barely wet. My leafy shelter protected me from the worst of rain. I was still in the storm but protected from the storm. I decided to stay put and ride it out. 

shelter in Him

Life can be stormy. Often our first reaction to storms is to run. But God gives us opportunity to take Him up on His promise to  work all things for our good. If we shelter in Him, He decides what touches us, what gets through the leaves. Instead of dashing out into the storm, we need to shelter in place—in His Presence.

The danger is not in the storm, but in the running.

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( Note: Even if we do run, God still has a plan to bring us back to Him)

Bible study

For the remainder of today’s Bible study we are going to read about a family who decided not to shelter in place but to run in the face of a storm. Get your Bible journal and a pen.

Let’s take a moment to pray.

Dearest Father, please open our hearts to your word and teach us Your truths. Help us to shelter in You during the storms of life. Amen.

Read Ruth 1:1-5.

In the days when the judges judged, there was a famine in the land. A certain man of Bethlehem Judah went to live in the country of Moab with his wife and his two sons. ² The name of the man was Elimelech, and the name of his wife Naomi. The names of his two sons were Mahlon and Chilion, Ephrathites of Bethlehem Judah. They came into the country of Moab and lived there. ³ Elimelech, Naomi’s husband, died; and she was left with her two sons. ⁴ They took for themselves wives of the women of Moab. The name of the one was Orpah, and the name of the other was Ruth. They lived there about ten years. ⁵ Mahlon and Chilion both died, and the woman was bereaved of her two children and of her husband.

According to these verses who was leaving Bethlehem?

Why were they leaving Bethlehem?

Who joined Elimelech’s family after they reached Moab?

Reread Ruth 1:1 and fill in the missing information:

Now it came to pass _________________, there was a famine in the land.

The phrase when judges ruled refers to a time period from the death of Joshua to the start of the reign of King Saul. It was a time of chaos, idolatry and disobedience in the land of Israel. To get a little taste of this time when the judges ruled, read Judges 2:10-11

¹⁰ After all that generation were gathered to their fathers, another generation arose after them who didn’t know Yahweh, nor the work which he had done for Israel. ¹¹ The children of Israel did that which was evil in Yahweh’s sight, and served the Baals.

Focus on verse 10.

Why do you think the generation that lived after Joshua did not know the Lord, nor the work which He had done for Israel? (See Deut. 6:5-9 for a hint!)

train them up

The importance of training our children in the Lord can hardly be over-stressed. As parents/teachers/mentors we have the incredible opportunity to impact not just the next generation but several generations to come. The choice is ours; shall we leave a legacy of faith or famine?

According to Ruth 1:1 what was in the land?

The famine was an outward sign of an inward condition of the heart.

Where were Elimelech and his family dwelling at the time of the famine (Ruth 1:1)?

In this present age, the idea of moving to another state or country is not unusual. Most people would quickly relocate to provide for their families when faced with hardship.  However, moving was not an acceptable option for the Hebrew people. For the people of Israel, to move outside of Israel was to leave the Presence of God.  As New Testament believers we have the privilege of God’s Presence in us. When we accept Christ as our Savior we are indwelt forever by His Holy Spirit. 

Amos 8:11 warns of another more dangerous type of famine. What is it?

How can we avoid this type of famine?

From time to time I have experienced seasons of famine in my life (a famine of relationship, a famine of peace, a famine of  hope). How about you?

The key to thriving during  a season of famine is not running or moving but sheltering in place, in God’s Presence and in His Word. 

The first step of your journey with Jesus is to stop running and shelter in place.

How can you shelter in place with Jesus during this season of life?

What message does have for you while you shelter with Him?

Please leave a comment in the reply section below. I’d love to chat with you!God bless!

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Nourishment for the Soul

15 “And she [Naomi] said, “Look, your sister-in-law has gone back to her people and to her gods; return after your sister-in-law.” 16 But Ruth said:

Thankfully,

God uses anyone who’ll answer His call to follow Him,

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even a foreign widow from a pagan land. In God’s perfect timimg, Ruth marries Boaz, the most eligible man in town and becomes part of the family line of Christ; a scandalous  move … the scandalous love of God.

Action Points:

1. What steps do you need to take today to follow God?
2. What do you need to leave behind so you can follow Him?
3. Are you willing to follow without the approval of others, even the approval of close friends and family members?

Life is sweet.

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We have come to the end of our journey with Ruth, but as long as we draw breath, we are not finished with our journey God. With God there are always new beginnings, challenges and chances. To do the final day of walking with God, please click on the link: Walking with God: Day Sixteen

Image courtesy of graur razvan ionut/ FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Every young girl dreams of her wedding day, but can you imagine a wedding without a bride, or a ceremony without a kiss? Ruth is no ordinary girl and this is no ordinary wedding! To do day fifteen of the study, please click on the link: Walking with God: Day Fifteen

Image courtesy of graur razvan ionut/ FreeDigitalPhotos.net