DAY 12

RUTH & BOAZ
May the Lord reward you for what you have done. May the God of Israel bless you richly. You have come to him to find safety under his care.
-Ruth 2:12

PAUSE
After Joshua and the Israelites moved into the Promised Land, things went well for a while, but then God’s people began to disobey Him. Even though many of God’s people were making bad choices, there were always some who loved God and wanted to obey Him. Ruth’s story is about a family who loved God and trusted Him. Her family would play a very important role in God’s plan to rescue us from our sin.

Ruth moved to a new home where she didn’t know anyone except her mother-in-law Naomi. They lived in a land called Moab. Ruth grew up in a land where there were false gods, but now she was married to Naomi’s son. While Ruth was living with Naomi and her husband, she saw them worship the true living God and heard of His wonderful acts. Ruth made the decision that she, too, would worship God. Sometime later Naomi’s husband and son, Ruth’s husband, died. Naomi and Ruth were sad, and Naomi wanted to move back to Bethlehem. Because Ruth loved Naomi, she moved with her. 

When the two women got to Bethlehem, they did not have any food to eat. Ruth would go into a field nearby and gather wheat to make into bread for them to eat. Although Ruth did not know it, the field where she gathered wheat belonged to a wealthy and important man named Boaz who loved God. One day Boaz noticed Ruth in his fields and watched her. He learned that she loved God and loved others. He learned that she took care of Naomi and others around her. Boaz grew to love Ruth and eventually they got married. Boaz took care of Ruth and Naomi from then on and they never went without food again. Just as Boaz provided for them, God takes care of everything we need. Ruth and Boaz later had a baby boy named Obed who would be the father of Jesse. God had a special plan for Ruth. Later, through her family, the Savior of the world was going to come! God has a special plan for you too!

DISCUSSION
The relationship between Naomi and Ruth is an admirable one. What relationships do you have that could be characterized by a similar devotion?  How could you cultivate a relationship like that? How can we imitate Boaz in our time?

PRAY
Thank you God for the story of Ruth. Thank you for having a plan for my life just like you had for Ruth. Please help us to be kind and love others like you love us.  Amen.

FAMILY ACTIVITY
As a family, make a list of kind things that you could do for others this Christmas.