Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1923-04-26
SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON
For April 20, 1928. Ruth
BY DIR. MARION McH. HULL
Golden Text-"Thy people shall be
my people, and thy God my God"
Ruth 1:16.

my people, and thy God my God.
Ruth ZIG.
A human interest story will often
| tell more about the political and the
religious life ef the day tha2 an ex'
tensive and exhaustive scientific
article on the subject will present in
many pages. Such story is that
of Ruth. Picture, if you will. the
| famine, the distress of family In
! the hill country of Judea, the fanl'
| ~ council, the forsaken home, the
! journey to the hills of Moab, the
two weddings, the three funerals
| the news of gain after ten years alb
sence, the yearning of the old widow
! for her home, the start, the parting
of the ways, the one going back to
Moab, the two crossing the Jordan
and climbing the hill to Bethlehem
Listen to the surprises, the animal
ed conversations with the old neigh
bors, the sad story and the express
sions of sympathy, the introduc'
! tions of the new to the old. See the
dilapiGated inheritance, the young
Gentle widow going out in search
for food, the discovery by Boaz, the
gracious trick to give this beauti-
full young woman an abundance of
food, the surprised and pleased look
on the old woman's face; and hear
her questions and the replies. Think
with the old mother-in-law as she
schemes for q husband for her
daughter and the protection that
marriage affords. Eat and drink
with the harvesters at the winnow-
ing feast, and enter into the spirit
of merriment and rejoicing with
the reapers and the cleaners. Watch
the man of valor, the owner of the
field, as he is startled at midnight
by the presence of someone at his
feet, and take off your hat to him
for tire way in which he behaves
and guards the good name of the
Mcabites. See her trudging home
just before day with enough food
for long time, and listen to the
old woman as she expresses her
satisfaction at the way things are
progressing.
Attend court next day and see the
transfer of all right from one to an
other; then go to the wedding cerc.
monies and hear the older man of
valor add the richest laurel yet TO
his successful list of endeavors.
A little later you will look in and
see a wrinkled old woman with a
little baby in her arms, cooling to it
ana coddling it as if it were her
very own.
And then you have the matchless
little story and its purpose-which
nthnr - All
the birth of a baby; for this baby
became the grandfather Of the great
king, David, and the progenitor of
the Babe of Bethlehem.
1t is story full of human inter
est, full Of critical moments, full of
fine distinctions, full Of choices with
good or bad consequences, full of
high ideals. Every character is well
drawn, none overdrawn, because the
story is true story of real men
and women.
Let us dwell little while in the
company of the heroine. She is
Gentle and a heather woman-for
SO was every one regarded who was
not a Jew. She was born and rear.
ed in the, land of Moab, and until
after her second marriage she is still
referred to as the "Moabitess." Moab
was one of the sons of Lot by his
own daughter, you will remember.
The Moabites had gone far from
Lots God; one Of the results of
Lots selfish choice. Ruth grew up
without knowing the one God, Je.
hovah. Through her association
with Naomi, and particularly after
the death of their husbands, she
learned to know the Mighty One of
Israel, and to commit herself wholly
to Him. Therefore, when she came
to the parting of the ways it is easy
to see what made her so firm in her
decision that no amount of persua-
sion could turn her from her choice.
She was a woman of falkland a
faith that demonstrated it's reality
by her loyalty and devotion. 1t was
quite sacrifice that she made to
go on with Naomi-Ske was leaving
all behind that makes life most dear,
her mother and father, all her rela.
tives and friends, her home-her all.
She was leaving these to go among
a people in a country that had al
ways been hostile to her people; but
she was going because she believed
in God. She had connected herself
with Him, and counted the spiritual
blessings that He had promised and
which she had learned through
Naomi greater than all else that life
could afford.
The contrast to Orpah is marked.
"Orpah" means the Back of her
neck" She had all the privileges,
but when the real test came, she
showed the back of her neck and
went away.
Ruth was woman Of industry
and humility. The family inherit
ance was so .dilapidated that there
was no means of support; so she set
out to make living for herself and
her old mother-in-law. and she did
not stop at the most mental work
Cleaning the droppings of barley in
strange field was not a very ex-
allied work; it was hard, humiliating,