Twelfth Symbol of the Jesse tree: Ruth's wheat

Jesse Tree Symbol #12: Ruth, shaft of wheat
In the days of the Judges, famine left an Israelite woman named Naomi widowed and without both her sons. As she moved back to her hometown, one daughter-in-law (Ruth) stayed with her. This penniless foreigner--this outsider--Ruth was cared for and brought in to the Israelite family tree... the roots of Christ

 Ruth 1:6-9,15-18; 2:1-12 and 16

Matthew 1:1-5

                                     

Reflection by Peg Powell

After reading these passages in Ruth, I was reminded of one of my favorite stories.

Long ago, there was a mayor who lived with his only son in the hills of China. None of them in this village owned a horse, but one day, out of the blue, a stallion appeared at the mayor’s home.  All of the people exclaimed, “How lucky you are.” The mayor said, “We’ll see.”

A few days later, the stallion disappeared, and all of the town’s people said,” How sad.” The mayor said, “We’ll see.” A week later the stallion returned along with five mares. The town’s people declared,  ”How wonderful,” and again, the mayor said, “We’ll see.”

     Shortly thereafter, the mayor’s son was badly crippled as he tried to break the mares.  The town’s people said, “Oh, How sad”, and the mayor said, “We’ll see.”  Wars erupted in the country, and army personnel came to the village, taking all the able-bodied men to fight.  The mayor’s son was not taken because of his injuries. The story goes on to show that things may not be as they seem, and God always  has a better plan.

Naomi and Ruth too certainly had

some very sad experiences and losses, and many times, their contemporaries could have said, “Oh, how sad.” Naomi left her familiar home in Judah with her husband and two sons, and moved to Moab.  Her sons married Moabite women, Orpah and Ruth.  Her husband died, followed by the deaths of her two sons.  In that patriarchal culture, and at that time historically, Naomi and Ruth were left impoverished, and powerless; some might have thought of them as an ordinary widows, or inconsequential outsiders.

God had a better plan, and He said, “You’ll see.”   Loyal daughter-in-law Ruth ultimately married Naomi’s wealthy kinsman, Boaz.  Their son Obed was the father of Jesse, and Jesse became David’s father.  Ruth was David’s great-grandmother, and an ancestor of Jesus.  She might have seemed quite ordinary, but God sure thought she counted, and He used her in an irreplaceable role in the telling of  His story.

Pray:
God, open our eyes so that we might see.
Help us to see the new possibilities of your Kingdom
Help us to see ways of peace in the midst of strife, light in the midst of darkness.
Help us to see You.
Amen.

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Kids Corner

Read: The Story of Ruth (kid version)

Discuss:

Ruth was an outsider; not an Israelite, but she becomes part of Jesus' family. What does that say about how we should treat new people?
How did Ruth show her kindness?
How did Boaz show kindness?
Can you show kindness to people you know in similar ways?

Participate:  Discuss a few simple things you can do to show kindness to someone--and do them. (maybe pack an extra snack in your lunch, or help your parents with dishes, say very nice things to a sibling....)

Pray:

 Dear God, Thank you for friends and family.
Please help us to always be kind and loving toward them
--and to be kind to strangers like Ruth.In Jesus' Name we pray.
Amen.