As my girls are getting older, I think more about them finding a Christian husband. Not one in name, but one in deed.
The story that I look to is Ruth. How did Ruth find Boaz? Was it chance? Was it Providence? Was it a cunning trap?
I think we first have to look at the character of Ruth. It is said that "A woman must be so lost in God that a man has to get close to Him to find her." I truly believe that is how a young lady will find a godly man, and vice versa.
The story begins with Elimelech taking his family into a heathen country because of a famine.
Ruth 1:1- Now it came to pass in the days when the judges ruled, that there was a famine in the land. And a certain man of Bethlehemjudah went to sojourn in the country of Moab, he, and his wife, and his two sons.
Ruth was a Moabite. She wasn't a Jew. She was raised in a heathen country by ungodly parents. And she caught the attention of one of these Jewish boys.
Ruth 1:3-5- And Elimelech Naomi's husband died; and she was left, and her two sons. And they took them wives of the women of Moab; the name of the one was Orpah, and the name of the other Ruth: and they dwelled there about ten years. And Mahlon and Chilion died also both of them; and the woman was left of her two sons and her husband.
All the men died. And the mother, Naomi, decided it was time to go back to her home. And here is where we see the first glimpse of how Ruth found Boaz. Ruth wasn't Jewish. She had no children. She had family in the country they were living in. And her husband was dead. There was no obligation for her to stay with her mother-in-law. But, Ruth had spent 10 years with this woman and she recognized there was something about her. Ruth chose to leave everything she knew behind for this woman.
Ruth 1:16-17- And Ruth said, Intreat me not to leave thee, or to return from following after thee: for whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge: thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God: Where thou diest, will I die, and there will I be buried: the LORD do so to me, and more also, if ought but death part thee and me.
Ruth and Naomi made the long trek back to Bethlehem in Judah. There, we see another attribute of Ruth. Not only was she willing to leave everything she knew with no promise of a better future, but she was also a hard worker. She took care of Naomi.
Ruth 2:3, 17-18 -And she went, and came, and gleaned in the field after the reapers: and her hap was to light on a part of the field belonging unto Boaz, who was of the kindred of Elimelech. So she gleaned in the field until even, and beat out that she had gleaned: and it was about an ephah of barley. And she took it up, and went into the city: and her mother in law saw what she had gleaned: and she brought forth, and gave to her that she had reserved after she was sufficed.
Ruth caught the eye of the owner of the field. In fact, she caught the eye of many different people in the town. When Boaz asked who she was, he got an answer right away. And he knew she was a good woman by the report the people gave him of her. She wasn't trying to catch a man's eye. She was just trying to do right!
And here, we see the next thing that makes Ruth special. She could've been looking for a suitor- handsome, rich, young, intelligent. But instead, she obeyed Naomi in following the customs of the Jews.
Can you imagine how awkward it was for Ruth to hear about laying down by Boaz feet after she uncovered them? The humility it must have taken for her to hear "There is someone else who can marry you and I have to ask them if they want you first"? And the patience she had to exhibit when she went home and had to wait to see whose wife she would become?
Ruth 3:11- And now, my daughter, fear not; I will do to thee all that thou requirest: for all the city of my people doth know that thou art a virtuous woman.
Wow! The entire city thought of her as a virtuous woman. The stranger who left all to go with her mother-in-law was thought of in a respectable manner by the entire town!
If Ruth hadn't been a hard worker she never would've gotten Boaz attention. If she hadn't submitted and humbled herself she never would've gained his favor. And if she hadn't waited she never would've gotten the blessing of his hand.
Too many Christian young people are sidelined by the devil because they think they need to be searching for their spouse. God never told you to search for your spouse. He said to work for Him and He would bring you what you need.
Psalm 37:3-5- Trust in the LORD, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed. Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.
How did Ruth find Boaz? She trusted God. She delighted in doing what was right, even when it was difficult. And she was committed to having a virtuous testimony. And God gave her the desires of her heart. He brought it to pass!
