The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1888-12-13
avru.s oHo,ce.
international sunday School Lesson FOR
December 80, 1888.
fflnacinliu nrrannAd frnr g. g. QuarterlY1


to duty and to God.
TIME-Ruth lived probably at tho time OF
Gideon, between b. g. 1922 and 1852.
PLACE--Bcthlehcm, six miles south OF
Jerusalem. The birthplace of Christ and
of David, and homo of Ruth. Moab, cast OF
the Dead Sea, and south of the river
Arnon This was the part where Naomi
went The whole Of Moab extends east OF
the Dead Sea and tho Jordan as far north
as the river Jabbok.
THE Book OF RuTn-Q) The author is un-
known. (2) 1t was probably written DUR
ing the reign Of David.
PERsoNs-Elimelcch means "my God Is
ling;" Naomi Tor Naomis), "lovely,"
"plcasant;" Mahlon "sickly;" Chilion,
"pining one;" Ruth, "a friend " or rose;"
Orpah, "a fawn."
The SroRY-During the times Of tho
judges great famine arose in Israel, and
Elimelech Of Bethlehem emigrated with his
wife and two sons to Moab beyond the
Dead Sea. Here his sons married two
Moabitish women. In the course Of ten
years all three husbands died. The
mother, Naomi, proposed to return to her
early home, and the daughters-in-law pro-
posed at first to go with her, and went q
little way Orpdh kissed her mother-in-law
and returned home to her heather worship
and idolatrous friends. 1t cost too much
to leave homo and join her fortunes with
poor widow In q strange country, even
though 1t be to do good and to serve God.
HELPS OVEN HARD PLAcEs-16. Entrcat me
not, etc. Ruth chose the people of God
and His service at every cost Of self-sacri-
flee. Her choice was type Of the choice Of
all who become Christians.
RUTn's CHOICE. 1. Like Mary, she chose
the good part; she made tho best possible
choice. g. She chose in full view of all the
consequences. 1t was well-coDsidered
choice. g. Her choice was Of spiritual good,
Of right and duty and religion, at the cost
Of poverty and friendlcssness and toll.
4. She was led to her choice Of God and re-
ligion through human affection. 8. She
chose irrevocably. 1t was life choice.
10. Theu came 10 Bethlehem: the early home
Of Naomi, which she had left ten years be-
fore. Here, too, she had small estate
ruth 4: 81. Al the city pds moped. Bethle
hem was q small town (Mic. 8: 2); and in
such small villages, and especially in an
age, when there were no newspapers, mails,
ETC., every event few quickly abroad by
tho, communications Of friend to friend.
Naomfs return was an uncommon occur
renee. 20. Call me not Naomi. |. O., pleas
ant, happy. Call me Mara: 1. O., bitter.
2L Hath afflicted me: for distrusting God
and going to q heather land for help.
%. Barley harvest. the middle of April. The
story Of Ruth goes on to relate how she was
rewarded for her faithfulness in ceaving
to her poor, widowed mothcr-in-law She
marries rich kinsman, and is tho mother
of the ancestors Of King David and Of
Christ.
RUTu's kECoMpENsE. Tho rest Of the
Book Of Ruth tells tho story of her recon-
pensc for her sclf-denying love, and giving
up all to religion and to God. She found q
means Of supporting her mother-in-law.
Q. She won the respect and favor Of the
people among whom shc lived. g. She
gained most excellent husband and home
In Boaz wc have model for the character
Of rich man In private life. 4. Ruth had
tho honor Of including among her descend
ants the great Kings, David and Solomon,
and, above oil, Jesus the Christ, through His
mother.
REASONS for choosing Gods people as our
people, and their God as our God. (l) Because
their God Is q glorious God-transcendent,
mighty, holy, merciful, loving; (2) because
their people are an excellent and happy
people; (0 happiness Is nowhere else to be
had but IN their God and with their people.
LESSON FAcTs-A famine has desolated
the country Of Bethlehem. Elimelech, O
resident Of Bethlehem, Is driven away from
his home, and constrained by the famine to
seek support for himself, his wife and two
sons in the land Of Moab, east of tho Jor-
dan. There they live for about ten years |;
there the sons marry; there Elimelech dies !;
and there the two sons also pass away.
Three widows (mother and two daughters
in-law) are left to mourn in secret places.
At last Naomi, the mother, decides to re-
turn to her land and people. Her daugh-
ters-in-law declare they will accompany her,
though they are not Israelites. She dis.
suades them. The parting is hard, but
Orpah decides to remain with her people.
Ruth, however, can not make up her mind
to leave her mother-in-law. In protesting
that she will not consent to abandon her,
she utters, in most touching and poetical
words, her firm determination. No Ian
guage could be more beautiful, and no poet
more poetical. That this deep affection Of
Ruth was not merely "natural Affection"
but was permeated with truly religious
spirit Is very apparent from her words /:
''Thy people shall be my people, and thu God
my God" 30 the two went on together and
came to the village Of Bethlehem. There
all Naomi's old friends were amazed ut her
return. They could hardly believe their
senses, for Moab was far OF, and ten years
long time, and the days were evil days Of
violence.
CoMMENrs-"Thy people shall be my
people and thy God my God" So says
Ruth. She had seen enough of tho religion
Of Israel to feel that 1t was far better than
that Of her own ancestors. feel as though
Elimelech and Mahlon and Chilion must
have been godly husbands, or Ruth would
not havo felt as she did. Had they been rude.
tyrannical and harsh, she would have felt
very different about their God. 1t reminds
one of the Sunday-school scholar who, when
asked how she found tho Saviour, answered |:
"First I learned to love my teacher, then
loved my teachers Bible, and at last loved
my teachers Saviour" 30 feel as though
1t was with Ruth. SO she thoughtfully re-
solved to cast In her lot with them, and to
trust their God for the balance of her days.
Notice that In doing this she deliberately
abandoned (as she thought) oil chance Of
marrying again, achauce not lightly thought
Of In those lands. Her resolve was one that
she was willing to sacrifice much to carry
out. In this we easily recognize that Ruth
lost nothing. Her gain was both temporal
and spiritual, as succeeding history shows.
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