Women...and the O.T.: Ruth

So I've been reading the stories of women in the Old Testament. I'm learning some things from these women. I started with Ruth because my grandmother was named Ruth, and I feel a connection to Ruth when I read her story. She was committed. She was selfless. She was obedient. I like and admire those things. I aspire to become those things. But let me tell you some specific things that Ruth did that really impress me.

1. She was willing to stay with her mother-in-law. I imagine that if I was in a strange land with a different culture from the one I grew up with and my husband died, I would want to go home. My personal take on Ruth is that she was converted and that she wanted to stay with her mother-in-law because she believed. Her commitment to Naomi was a commitment to God.

2. Ruth was obedient when she was instructed to do something. She followed the plan Naomi laid out for her. She trusted her. She didn't let her pride get in the way or decide that she knew how to do things better. She just listened and acted. I think I am impressed by this because I tend to want to do things how I think they should be done. But there is a time to swallow my pride, and I don't always have to be right about what I should or should not do.

3. Ruth was patient. When Boaz told her that he would have to first check with a nearer kinsman to see if he wanted to marry her, she didn't complain about it. She waited patiently. Now, I wasn't there, and it's not like the account given is a detailed one. But, I think she loved Boaz. Boaz had been kind to her. And her actions after his kindness seem to indicate that she cared for him. So it would have been hard to think that perhaps some other man would have a right to her. But she accepted it.

Now this is what I'm learning from all the women I read about in the Old Testament. Those were rough times for women. And women didn't have a lot of say in their fates. I think those women were some very honorable and good spirits. I for one am very very grateful to have the freedom of choice that I do. Those women did not have that freedom. I think it took special women, obedient and humble women, to live in times like those. I am learning from them that not everything has to go my way in order for me to be obedient. In fact, perhaps that is the point. Obedience and trust in God should be a given. Regardless of whether or not the circumstances are ideal.

I do wonder if they thought, "Gee, it sure would be nice not to be the pawn here. It would be nice if I didn't have to wait for a man to decide for me." Even so, I am impressed with the patience it must have taken to wait for men to decide Ruth's fate. She was a good woman, that Ruth. She truly was.