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PROVIDENCE, CHOICES, AND FAMILY LIFE (12)
THURSDAY, AUGUST 15
Ruth 3:6-13

2 Samuel 2:5-7

 

“…I also will requite you
this kindness, because

ye have done this thing.”

 

PROVIDENCE, CHOICES, AND FAMILY LIFE (12)
 
When considering a marriage partner, what do you look for? How does one know that the person one has chosen will make a good spouse? Boaz, as he spoke, did so as one who saw Ruth’s choice to marry him as an act of great kindness. He also had spoken (in chapter 2) of her kindness to her mother-in-law and the sacrifice she had made to come to Bethlehem, as well as the testimony of what she had done for her late husband. These he placed in contrast with the things she did not consider in picking him as her choice, and thus concluded that he was the recipient of Ruth’s kindness. So, what makes someone a good candidate for a spouse, whether husband or wife?
 
“…thou hast shewed more kindness in the latter end than at the beginning…” (Ruth 3:10). Character makes a person. Boaz considered Ruth’s character. The kindness he had observed of her was kindness that she had shown not to Boaz, but rather to her late husband, probably inferred by the phrase “at the beginning.” In Ruth 2:11, Boaz had talked about the kindness she had shown to her mother-in-law (“since the death of thine husband…”) not only in coming with her to Bethlehem and thus forsaking her land of nativity, but also in going out to glean and work for their sustenance.
 
“…thou followedst not young men, whether poor or rich” (Ruth 3:10). The second part is what she did not consider. She did not base her choice on physical considerations. She did not look at the young men; she did not consider their wealth too. What considerations do you make when seeking a spouse? Things that can change, or things that are more permanent and lasting? Eternal values help us make better choices. Temporal values may deceive us as we seek to choose who is right for us. And for those hoping or preparing for marriage, focus on your relationships with your parents and siblings, and cultivate and practise kindness and other spiritual values as they will add to your value as a spouse (whether a husband and leader, or a wife and helpmeet at home).
 
THOUGHT: Kindness begets, and rewards with, kindness.

PRAYER: Help me, Father, to be a kind person to all.

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