Lesson 2: The Book of Ruth - Humility

Hello Everyone,

I pray that you all had a blessed week this week.  I hope that you had a blessed time in the Lord discovering and assessing your many choices.  We are granted so many choices in life that we sometimes take for granted the freedom of choice that we experience everyday.  While God is the author and finisher of all, He still provides us with the opportunity to choose (Proverbs 16:9).

Ruth's choice spoke of her humility to serve.  She was not concerned about her own livelihood.  She was most concerned about her mother-in-law Naomi.

I pray that as we move from choices to humility that we all will assess our humility towards the choices we make.

Resource

Ruth 2: 1-3

There was a relative of Naomi's husband, a man of great wealth, of the family of Elimelech. His name was Boaz.  2 So Ruth the Moabitess said to Naomi, "Please let me go to the field, and glean heads of grain after him in whose sight I may find favor."  And she said to her, "Go, my daughter."  3 The she left, and went and gleaned in the field after the reapers.  And she happened to come to the part of the field belonging to Boaz, who was of the family of Elimelech.

Humility - a disposition without conceit or pride; a lack of false pride


Lesson

Observe Ruth's humility, when Providence had made her poor, she cheerfully stoops to her lot (Henry 1997).  Ruth had lived a very comfortable life with her husband and his family.  It is alleged that she had not experienced any true labor and hardship until now.  However, she possessed the humility necessary to submit to her circumstance for survival.

Ruth practiced a good heart even though she was not truly familiar with the God of Naomi.  Ruth was a Moabitess and her people pagans; serving many gods and goddesses, but not the one true living God (Mears 1999).  Nevertheless, Ruth exhibits the principles of humility that God honors.  She is not too prideful to go work.

Some commentaries dispute the motives of Ruth, however, the common thread is that she worked in order to obtain a better circumstance, not just for herself, but for her family too, Naomi.  She left her homeland in order to be with Naomi in a time of need (Allen, House, & Radmacher 1999).  Therefore, her motives are exhibited from the initial introduction of Ruth in the bible.  She is gracious and humble from the start despite the devastation she has experienced in her own life.

We may not demand kindness as a debt, but ask, and take it as a favour, but Ruth was an example of industry and did not eat from the plate of idleness (Henry 1997). Instead Ruth exhibited humility and worked as hard as the men in the field which allowed Boaz to take notice of her.

There are so many areas in our lives where we have the opportunity to practice humility.  Silence is an act of humility; we don't always have to say what we are thinking (Shirer 2011).  Sometimes committing to the act of silence can be the grandest appearance of humility.  Christ has called us to practice humility in every area of our lives (Micah 6:8).

God wisely orders what seem to us small events; and those that appear altogether uncertain, still are directed to serve his own glory, and the good of his people (Henry 1997).   We cannot imagine His rewards if we would just practice humility and sometimes in the most smallest areas of our lives.

Application

In your prayer and quiet time, make a list of some areas in your life where you can practice humility.  Take that list and try to implement those practices this week.  Ask God to give you strength and to help you accomplish a new level of humility as you attempt it this week.


I pray that you all will have a blessed week.

Be blessed,

T. Carter

All scriptures are extracted from The Bible - New King James Version.  YouVersion (2013).

Allen, Th.D., Ronald B., House Th.D., J.D., H. Wayne, & Radmacher, Th.D., Earl D. (1999). Nelson's New Illustrated Bible Commentary. Nelsons Publishing.  Nashville, Tennessee

Henry, Matthew (1999). Mathew Henry's Concise Commentary on the Whole Bible.  Nelson Publishing.  Nashville, Tennessee

Mears, Henrietta (1999). What the Bible is All About.  Regal Publishing. Ventura, California

Shirer, Priscilla (2011). The Resolution for Women. B&H Publishing Group. Nashville, Tennessee