(REFLECTIONS ON Ruth 4:1-22) 17 The neighbor women gave him a name saying, “A son has been born to Naomi!” So they named him Obed. He is the father of Jesse, father of David. 18 Now these are the generations of Perez: to Perez was born Hezron, 19 and to Hezron was born Ram, and to […]
(REFLECTIONS ON Ruth 3:1-18) In Ruth 3, Naomi seeks security and protection for Ruth through their kinsman-redeemer, Boaz. A kinsman-redeemer was a close relative who had the responsibility of helping preserve the family line and inheritance. Naomi instructs Ruth to wash herself, anoint herself, put on her best clothes, and present herself to Boaz at the […]
(REFLECTIONS ON Ruth 2:1-23) In July, 2011 my family of four (wife, son, daughter, and I) moved from California back to the country of my birth, Taiwan. Interestingly, 34 years earlier, my family of four (father, mother, sister, me) left Taiwan to pursue the American Dream in the United States. Through God’s amazing grace and guidance […]
(REFLECTIONS ON Ruth 1:1-22) A story of a family of four, a husband, wife, and their two sons. In hope they left Bethlehem and moved to the land of Moab seeking for a new and better life. Why would Moab represent a new and better life for this family? Because we are told that there was […]
19–25 August 2018. Ruth 1 (click to read). Ruth is one of the shortest books in the Bible, but also one of the most beautiful. It’s so moving because at each step of the story we see the profound importance of kindness, compassion, and love. In chapter 1 we see this at two different levels. […]
5–11 June 2016. Ruth 3–4 (click to read). Anyone who has lived in a different country knows how hard it is to be a foreigner. We often get pushed away or treated badly just because we’re different. Sadly, the ancient Israelites often treated foreigners in shocking ways: oppressing and rejecting them, even murdering foreign women, children and […]