The Afro-American., 1895-10-19
SABBATH SCHOOL.
INTERNATIONAL LESSON FOR
OCTOBER 20.
Lesson Text: e'Ruth's Choice, !" Ruth
L., 14-22-Golden Text:
Ruth l., 16-Com-
mentary.

IL. "And they lifted up their voice and
wept again and Orpah kissed hermother-in-
law, but Ruth clave unto her" The fact
that the Holy Spirit has mentioned the name
of Ruth in the opening verses of the New
Testament (Math t.. 81 should lead us to
prayerful study of the book and Thought
full consideration of her, who, though gen
tile is honored with place in the ancestry
of Christ. The flight of Elimetech and his
family to Moab because of the famine in
Israel would seem from Deut. xiii, B. to
have been wrong move on his part and
lack OF faith in God, but yet OVerruled by
God for the working out OF His purposes
AS we see Naomi returning without either
husband or sons Oversees 5, g. after her ten
years soiourn in Moab it looks still clearer
that they did not well to go TO Moab. 1t
makes us think of Abraham's going to Egypt
because of a famine. his trouble there and
the absence of an altar unto the Lord until
he returned to Bethel (Gen. xiii, III, to
xiii, ~
10. "And she said, Behold thy sister-in-law
is gone back unto her people and unto her
gods. Return thou after thy sister-in-law.
Naomi knew of the true and living God, the
God of Israel while the Moabites were idol
alters, and to see her trying to turn her
daughters-in-laW back to their Idols is truly
a pittful sight. The same thing is seen to-
day when Christians enter into fellowship
with the world either for pleasure or profit,
and thus virtually urge the worlds people
to stay by their idols because there is moth
ing satisfying in the Lord Jesus Christ
What a Islander on the Lord and dishOnor to
His holy name! See Jer. xxxiv., Is, 16, and
Eek. kill. 8, and let us aim to honor His
worthy name (Jas H., Z; Pet. H., 81.
49, ''And Ruth said, Entreat me not to
leave thee or to return from following after
4E,r,a FCr. 1ryI,if Il Inn I Wi
where thou lOdgest [ will lodge; thy people
shall be my people, and thy God my God
Nav we not hope that Naomi had lived
godly life even in Moab, and that it was God
in her who led Ruth to takethis noble stand3
Then we could put this construction upon
her words to Orpah and Ruth. II am going
back to Israeli land and to Israel's God, but
have nothing to offer you except His prom
ises, and if these seem insufficient then you
had better stay with your friends and their
idols"
". aWhere thou diest will die, and
there will / be buried; the Lord d0so to me
and more also, if aught but death part thee
and me" Noble woman, ny the grace OF
God Such cIeaving to the Lord is sure to
be rewarded. Compare theisame purpose of
heart III Ittai the Gittite as he clave to David
I'll Sam XIV, 81, with purpose OF heart let
US ceaye unto be Lord (Acts XII, 23). For
the eyes of the Ior1 run to and fro through
out the whole earth to shew Himself strong
on behalf of those whose hearts are perfect
OF whole toward Him III Chron. xvi, g..
18. "When she saw that she was stead
lastly minded to go with her, then she left
sDeaizing unto her" The command to us is
to "Be steadfast, unmovable." The secret
of being thus established is found in II
Chron Xxx, 20. To look around us will bring
only dismay elsa. xii, 10, r. V.), but to
'sconsider Him who endured such contra
A. # oil CT
us from being weary or faint in our minds
(Heb xiii, 81. We think of Him when the
time was come that He should be received
up, how He steadfastly set His face to go to
Jerusalem duke tx. Sly; also of Stephen,
full of the Holy Spirit, as he looked up
steadfastly unto heaven and saw the glory
of God and the Son of Man standing ON the
right hand of God
ID $50 they two went until they came to
Bethlehem" We may imagine that they
had much talk along the way concerning the
God of Israel and His wonderful dealings
with the Nation They were jOurneying to
house of bread and praise bethlehem
Judah), and they might well talk OF Him
who alone is worthy to be praised, and who
had fed Israel with bread from heaven for
forty long years in the wilderness. We think
of the words concerning Elijah. and Elisha,
"They two went on" ",Fhey two stood. ="
"They two went over III Kings H.. 6, Z, 81,
and we remember the Lords oft repeated
word, 81 am with you SO that we two, He
and l. may daily 90 on together.
81 "And she said unto them, Call me not
Naomi. call me Mara" She felt that mara
(bitter) expressed the Lords dealings with
her better than Naomi (pleasant), but she
does not seem to have considered that
all the bitterness was probably due to
the wandering away from God OF hef-
self and her husband. We are apt
to think hardly of God when we
ourselves are the cause of the trouble she
uses the name Almighty not knowing,
perhaps. that the "All Sufficient One was
seeking to lead her to know Him as such by
His dealings with her.
q. ~ went out full. and the Lord hath
brought me home again empty. The name
IGiAImightv'' is found more often in the book
u If Job than in all the rest of the Bible taken
ktogether, and it is there that we see full
man thoroughly emptied in order that he
nav know the "AlI Sufficient One" the
Almighty. Then we see Him filled as never
before. Until we are willing to be emptled
of all that is OF us we cannot know the full-
ness of God. Christ Jesus -enaptied-i Himself,
taking the form Of a servant, wherefore God
hath highly exalted Him (Phil. H., 7-9). Con-
trast Naomi's complaint with Sam. ILL, IL,
and Job j., q.
%. "And they came to Bethlehem in the
beginning of barley harvest" Then follows
the story OF Tine EulSnty HAL VI W0htths ING
kinsman redeemed, in whose neld5 Ruth
went to CLEAN. and from whom she received
much kindness, who afterward became her
, husband and the father of Obed, of whom
! came Jesse, the father ofDavid Chapter iv.,
21.22). Henry Moorhouse, in his book Of Ruth,
entities the four ehapters-Ruth deciding,
Ruth cleaning, Ruth resting, Ruth rewarded.
Among the refreshing things Of chapter ii,
notice the greetings Of Boaz and his reapers
(verse Al, the beautiful words Of Boaz to
Ruth oversees II, l2), the handfuls let fall Of
purpose (veIse 49,, and Naomi's greeting
when she brought home her gleanings that
first day. Let chapter ill.,. is, suggest Ps.
cxxxviii., 8, and let US CLEAN diligently in
the field Of orr kinsman Redeemer, tne
Mighty Man OF Wealth (the field is the worldly,
for we shall find many handfuls dropped on
purpose, and in the morning we shall be
married to the owner Of the field. All will
then be ours, and we shall reign with Him for
ever. Then we shall see the reward of for
gaking father and mother and friends for His
sake MARX K, 29. 30l, and we shall be ex-
ceedingly glad.-Lesson Helper