69 of 365 - Character

Boaz replied, “I’ve been told all about what you have done for your mother-in-law since the death of your husband—how you left your father and mother and your homeland and came to live with a people you did not know before. May the Lord repay you for what you have done. May you be richly rewarded by the Lord, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge.” Ruth 2:11-12
Ruth’s reputation as loyal is spreading.  What a wonderful thing to be known for in your new homeland. She came to town as a foreigner and widow with nothing. And not just any foreigner, a Moabite. The Moabites descended from deep sin and were looked down upon by the Israelites. Despite all of this going against her, it didn’t take long for her to be known for her love of her mother-in-law and strong work ethic. Her character was outshining her background and circumstances.
What we do and how we live matters. As Christians, we are told that people will know the love of God by seeing how we live and love people.
Boaz gives Ruth a blessing…that the Lord repay her for what she has done and for her to be richly rewarded. Boaz recognizes that she has come under the wings of the Lord to take refuge from her circumstances and loss.
With every action, Ruth is proving to be a woman of strong character, and Boaz shows himself as a man of God. “As it turns out” this was not a bad field to work in.
In a small way, Ruth is beginning to see some light in her dark situation. While she didn’t stand by and wait for others to fix things for her, she did crawl into the wings of the Lord – this God she likely heard so much about from her husband and his family -- for refuge. Things are looking up.
Questions: What would you say you are known for? What traits would people list about you if asked? How can we take refuge in the wings of the Lord? What does this look like in our lives? ​