What is your struggle today?

 
RUTH 1:8 – 15
Naomi’s husband Elimelech died, and then her 2 sons Machlon and Chilion died, leaving Naomi in dire straights and her daughters-in-law widows.

 Na’omi says, "No my daughters. On your behalf I feel very bitter that the hand of Adonai has gone out against me".

Naomi had in mind in her argument for Ruth and Orpah to go home to their mothers.

Orpah turns and tearfully leaves to go back in her Moabite hometown.

Did Orpah do something wrong, or selfish or evil in leaving Na’omi and going back?

Orpah’s decision shows us a good picture of how it is that people can walk right up to the brink of accepting the God of Israel and His Son Jesus Christ take the final step because there is another road to follow and it is the natural if not easier one. It is not an evil road necessarily; it just doesn’t lead to the true God and His plan for us. There is an interesting parallel to this narrative about Naomi, Orpah and Ruth in the New Testament in the book of Matthew.

Matthew 8:19, "A teacher approached and said to him, "Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go."Jesus said to him, "The foxes have holes, and the birds flying about have nests, but the Son of Man has no home of his own." Another of dicsiple said to him, "Sir, first let me go and bury my father."But Jesus replied, "Follow me, and let the dead bury their own dead."

Now we don’t know for certain what choices these two men made when Jesus told them what they must do and how uncertain life would be for them in following Him. But the point is that this little episode is so reflective of the Na’omi story. He warns them off and says He really has no good prospects of comfort and plenty ahead to share with them The one makes a statement that he will follow Jesus Christ right then and there; the other of them says he’d like to follow Jesus but really needs to return home for a while.

With no other information given it’s probably reasonable to suspect that the first one did go with Jesus (like Ruth did with Na’omi), but the second returned home to bury his father (choosing Orpah’s route). They would not have done an evil thing not to follow Messiah as part of His team; they would nothave done a wrong thing. But the better thing would have been to drop everything and go with Him.

There is no reason to believe that they did not trust Yeshua as Messiah; it was their level of commitment and translating that commitment to action that was at issue. These men and women remind us lot's wife from the old testament.

Ruth makes promises to Na’omi and then seals it with a vow. First is that where Na’omi goes, Ruth will go and that wherever Ruth stays (lives) she will stay. Na’omi’s people will become Ruth’s people, Na’omi’s God will become Ruth’s God and where Na’omi dies Ruth will die and finally wherever Na’omi chooses to be buried Ruth desires to be buried alongside her.

Ruth made a covenant with Na'omi. "May Yehoveh bring terrible curses on me and worse ones as well if anything but death separates you and me."

This week the holy spirit has been talking to me saying, your words needs to line up with action.

Many believers today wanted an easy route. We want take only the advantage of God, His blessings. But when it comes to suffer, crucification and commitment, we choose the easy way not Godly way.

What is your challenge that is holding you from serving God with all your heart, your will and all your mind? I challenge you to surrender to God. He is willing to help you, so go head cry out to God.

Let's pray for one another. I will love to pray for you...........what is your struggle and challenges? I also want to encourage you to study His word, and listen to the torah class teaching. They teach from hebrew understandng. God bless you all!!!