Send us Fan Mail

“And Ruth said to her mother-in-law, Naomi, Intreat me not to leave you, or to return from following after you: for where you go, I will go; and where you live, I will live: your people shall be my people, and your God my God.

Hello, and welcome to Episode 17 in our series, Spiritual Warriors: The Caregivers. My name is Dr. Stephanie Wright, and this year, we're focusing on spiritual warfare. Today, we look at a woman who was a caregiver to her mother-in-law. Her name is Ruth, and her mother-in-law was Naomi. Naomi and her husband, Elimelech, left Bethlehem because of a famine in their land. They moved to a country called Moab, with their sons, Malon, and Chilion. After a while, Elimelech died, and the two sons married. One married a woman named Ruth, and the other a woman named Orpah.

But about 10 years later, both sons died. Now, Naomi, Ruth, and Orpah are all widows. Naomi decided to return to Bethlehem where the famine had ended. But Ruth implored Naomi to let her return with her to Bethlehem. Orpah decided to remain in Moab. Ruth was a caregiver to her mother-in-law by first traveling with her back to Bethlehem. It is estimated that the trek on foot took between seven and ten days. Once they returned to Bethlehem, Ruth ensured her mother-in-law had food. Ruth subjected herself to a process called gleaning. Gleaning allowed the poor and the widowed to gather crops left over after the harvest. Basically, it was gathering the scraps left behind.

Gleaning was not an easy process. It required people to work in the heat of the day, stoop to gather the leftover crops, and then collect them into bundles for a process called threshing. But Ruth's dedication to gleaning caught the eye of a man named Boaz. Boaz was the wealthy owner of the field where Ruth was gleaning. He was also a near kinsman of Naomi. Boaz saw Ruth's resourcefulness and her dedication to Naomi. He later married Ruth.

Ruth not only blessed Naomi by being her caregiver, but she also blessed her with a grandson. Something they probably had lost all hope for after her sons died. And we were blessed by Ruth's faithfulness and caregiving. Because Boaz and Ruth's son was Obed, who began what is known as the Davidic line that led to the birth of Jesus, our Savior and Lord.

Let me close with some scriptures that show the significance of the widow, and how God holds the widow in high esteem. And why we should be concerned about the care and caregiving of widows. Psalm 68 verse 5 reads, “A father of the fatherless, and a judge of the widows is God in his holy habitation. James chapter one, verse 27 reads, “Pure religion, and undefiled before God, and the Father, is this, to visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction and to keep oneself unspotted from the world.”

We did a podcast on the entire Book of Ruth, a very short 4-chapter book. So, when you have time, visit our website, and listen to it. Now, stay tuned as Dr. Apostle Charles Wright tells you how to contact us and access past podcasts.

Thank you for joining us today. Until next time.

If you want to contact us or comment on this podcast, please visit our website and select www.cgmissions.com/podcasts, where all episodes are available by category in series format. You can see some video and audio podcasts at:
www.youtube.com/@cgmissionsinc then select from the video or podcast"Playlist."

CGM is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. Donations may be made on our website:
https://www.cgmissions.com/donate-here-general-and-wecare/