Read | Ruth 1:1–18
During the time of the judges, there was a famine in the land. A man left Bethlehem in Judah with his wife and two sons to stay in the territory of Moab for a while. The man’s name was Elimelech, and his wife’s name was Naomi. The names of his two sons were Mahlon and Chilion. They were Ephrathites from Bethlehem in Judah. They entered the fields of Moab and settled there. Naomi’s husband, Elimelech, died, and she was left with her two sons. Her sons took Moabite women as their wives: one was named Orpah and the second was named Ruth. After they lived in Moab about ten years, both Mahlon and Chilion also died, and the woman was left without her two children and without her husband.
She and her daughters-in-law set out to return from the territory of Moab, because she had heard in Moab that the LORD had paid attention to his people’s need by providing them food. She left the place where she had been living, accompanied by her two daughters-in-law, and traveled along the road leading back to the land of Judah.
Naomi said to them, “Each of you go back to your mother’s home. May the LORD show kindness to you as you have shown to the dead and to me. May the LORD grant each of you rest in the house of a new husband.” She kissed them, and they wept loudly.
They said to her, “We insist on returning with you to your people.”
But Naomi replied, “Return home, my daughters. Why do you want to go with me? Am I able to have any more sons who could become your husbands? Return home, my daughters. Go on, for I am too old to have another husband. Even if I thought there was still hope for me to have a husband tonight and to bear sons, would you be willing to wait for them to grow up? Would you restrain yourselves from remarrying? No, my daughters, my life is much too bitter for you to share, because the LORD’s hand has turned against me.” Again they wept loudly, and Orpah kissed her mother-in-law, but Ruth clung to her. Naomi said, “Look, your sister-in-law has gone back to her people and to her gods. Follow your sister-in-law.”
But Ruth replied:Don’t plead with me to abandon you
or to return and not follow you.
For wherever you go, I will go,
and wherever you live, I will live;
your people will be my people,
and your God will be my God.
Where you die, I will die,
and there I will be buried.
May the LORD punish me,
and do so severely,
if anything but death separates you and me.When Naomi saw that Ruth was determined to go with her, she stopped talking to her.
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Each week, we’re reminded that experiencing God happens best through Scripture alongside others—join us for worship today at one of our five campuses and grow together in faith. Today’s sermon is titled, "Ruth."
Focus
In preparation for today’s sermon, read this blog from the Story of Scripture team at Dallas Theological Seminary.
Ruth—Faith In The Daily Grind
It was a time of chaos, confusion, spiritual decline, and social instability. “... everyone did whatever seemed right to him.” In fact, it was one of the darkest periods in this nation’s history.
What time and what nation comes to mind for you? The American Civil War (c. 1860)? France in 1789? The 1967 Summer of Love in San Francisco? Or maybe even more recently with some of the unrest that our country has experienced over the last few years.
The dark period I am talking about was around 1100 B.C., during the time of the Judges—in Israel. There was a vacuum of leadership (no king), and it is against this backdrop that Ruth the Moabite comes into full focus.
But Ruth was not like Joan of Arc or the Roman female warrior Boudica. In fact, if Ruth’s story had not been preserved in a biblical book named after her, history may have simply forgotten her. Yet God wove her quiet faithfulness into a grand story of redemption—even placing her into the very lineage of David and of course, ultimately even Jesus.
The encouragement for us today is beautifully displayed in the life and legacy of Ruth the Moabite—another seeming outsider to God’s primary story told through his covenant with Abraham.
Through Ruth we see that God’s redemptive work—fixing what is broken—often unfolds through steadfast, quiet, unseen obedience. Her story is known for loyalty, risk, and covenant love. It is a reminder that showing up faithfully, when nothing feels dramatic, is often God’s quiet way of accomplishing his will.
While figures like Napoleon, Lincoln, and Churchill often grab the headlines, and massive biographies are written about them, the story of Ruth is a gentle reminder that God just as much—if not even more—moves history through ordinary faithfulness. Even when no one may be looking, or even cares.
What small acts of faithfulness might God be reminding you to be consistent with today? Where do you need to show up—steadfast and true—again? Don’t despise the small things. Look for ways to honor God today knowing you have an audience of One.
Pray
Ask the Lord for the opportunity to become a listening ear for someone’s struggles or doubts.
Going Deeper
If you are also following the BibleProject’s One Story That Leads to Jesus reading plan, complete today’s reading.