JUN 4

Ruth 1:8
Memorise 2 Timothy 2:15
“Study to shew thyself approved unto God…”

How do you normally study for a History or Biology exam, when there are a lot of facts to remember? Rather than just trying to cram all the facts haphazardly into the brain, most people would find some way of breaking the information down into smaller bits so that it is easier to digest.

Similarly, that’s how it is sometimes with Bible reading. While reading a passage as a whole will give you the gist of it, it is helpful also to divide it into different parts in order to help you focus on different points which the author is trying to make. It is like having paragraphs to organize the main thoughts in a book.

In this passage which we have been looking at, an easy and obvious way of dividing it would be to consider the 2 main characters, Ruth and Orpah, separately. As you recall from yesterday’s reading, the main point of the passage is about making godly choices. The actions and responses of these 2 women are in stark contrast to each other – Ruth ended up staying true to her word and followed Naomi all the way back to Judah, whereas Orpah eventually changed her mind and chose to remain in her homeland. This provides a nice and neat framework for understanding and interpreting this passage. We can first consider verses 11-13 for the reasons that persuaded Orpah to stay behind amongst her kinsmen. Next, we look to verses 15-17 for the reasons that motivated Ruth to choose to go with Naomi. Sandwiched in between is verse 14, which sums up both their decisions.

From these two sections with contrasting ideas, we can then make the necessary comparisons and delve in more deeply to draw out the lessons and applications which we can apply to our own lives.

As we study the Bible, it would be helpful for us to also try to segment the passages that we study into different parts, in order that we can better understand the main gist and content of it.

Thought: Comparing and contrasting can bring out many lessons!
Prayer: Lord, grant me the wisdom to rightly discern Thy Word.