Calendar

PROVIDENCE, CHOICES, AND FAMILY LIFE (2)
MONDAY, AUGUST 5
Ruth 3:1-5

Genesis 2:18-24

 

“…thou shalt do that which is right
and good in the sight of the LORD:

that it may be well with thee…”

 

PROVIDENCE, CHOICES, AND FAMILY LIFE (2)
 
From the picture that is drawn from the initiative of Naomi on behalf of Ruth, we see the home as a place of security, rest and piety for the wife. This means that the choice of the person one marries or gets married to is of great importance. Many marriages do not progress well in part because they did not start well. They were not founded on the right principles or started on the right footing. This also stresses why guidance is essential in the process of getting a husband or a wife.
 
“My daughter, shall I not seek rest for thee, that it may be well with thee?” (Ruth 3:1). What Naomi sought for Ruth was: (1) a secure home, (“seek rest for thee”) and (2) a happy home (“it may be well with thee”).
 
1. A secure home – Married life is not intended for turmoil, but rather for rest. As the wife seeks rest in her husband’s home, the husband procures, promotes and maintains rest for his wife in his home. This he does by providing for her, protecting her, leading as head of the family and modelling godliness in the home (Ps 128:1).
 
2. A happy home – This points, secondly, that a marriage that is entered into well (with God’s guidance through His Word and with godly counsel from spiritual parents), progresses well. Naomi desired and sought for Ruth that “it may be well with thee.” It is a phrase that appears severally in the Bible. This phrase is appended to the Fifth Commandment as a promise that accompanies the children who fulfil their God-given duty (Deut 5:16). It also appears in other verses in Deuteronomy and Jeremiah and is conditioned by obedience and adherence to God and His Word. A happy home, therefore, is one where there is obedience to God and His Word (Jer 7:23; Deut 4:40; 5:33). How often we run into ruin and pierce ourselves with many sorrows, because we think there are other ways to procure and maintain marital happiness outside of God’s ordinances, and ignore God-ordained roles and responsibilities in marriage.
 
THOUGHT: “Trust and obey, for there’s no other way to be happy in Jesus.”

PRAYER: O Father, give us homes where Christ is Lord and Master.

Search