Ruth and Ruthless

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Scripture

“Stop urging me to abandon you! For wherever you go, I will go. Wherever you live, I will live. Your people will become my people, and your God will become my God.”

~Ruth 1:16, NET

Quote

Trails and hardship are the food of the faithful.

~George Mueller

After yesterday’s blog, I sure you will enjoy something lighter and much more edifying. I read the book of Ruth this week in the REB and as I thought about Ruth and her character, her kindness, compassion, gentleness, devotion and loyalty, I thought about her name and its meaning. The thought popped in my mind, to be the opposite of Ruth is to be ruthless. So I checked the etymology of the word ruthless and found out that I was not the only one who thought that “ruthless” might have originated from the great grand mother of David, Ruth the Moabite. It is true that Ruth was not ruthless; she was very considerate and compassionate. The root word rue means to have pity or regret. The word ruthless describes a person who has no compassion, no pity and shows no mercy. By the way, the Hebrew word Ruth means “friend” or “friendship.” I think it is true that a ruthless person will also be friendless.

Todays devotion in Ray Comforts book on Proverbs featured Proverbs 14:10, “Only the person involved can know his own bitterness and joy–no one else can really share it.” Let me say in passing that Jesus is the exception–He can share in your bitterness and your joy. But the connection to Ruth is the word bitterness which is “mara” in Hebrew. When Naomi arrived back in Bethlehem {after losing a husband and two sons} she said to the women of Bethlehem, “Don’t call me Naomi {pleasant} anymore, call me Mara because the LORD has made my life bitter.” Obviously, Naomi was blaming God for her misfortune, after all, He is the one who gives and takes life. I would not call Naomi ruthless but she was certainly in need of more rue. The spirit of Ruth is what we should strive for. By the way, the name Ruth was very popular in the early part of the last century but today it ranks 257th as a popular name for a female.

Thank goodness it is Friday. I know that is a big deal for the working class. I hope you have a great day and weekend.

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