The Book of Ruth
Day 4
Lord, Make My House a Home
Read: Ruth 3:1-18
In the past few devotions, we’ve pondered the Lord’s redeeming work in the family of Naomi and Ruth.
At this point in the story, Naomi and Ruth have a house and income they didn’t have before. That’s good. But on a deeper level, God has much more in mind than that. Naomi knows what it is—a home. There’s a big difference between a house and a home.
One day, Naomi raises the issue with Ruth, “My daughter, should I not try to find a home for you, where you will be well provided for?” (Ruth 3:1) In some translations the word “rest” is used instead of “home.” Literally, the meaning of the Hebrew text is “resting place.” In this case, “rest” means not only absence of movement but being settled in a particular place. Bible scholar Kiel remarks that Naomi seeks for Ruth “a secure life under the guardian care of a husband” — a relationship and environment where Ruth is secure, settled, covered, at peace, at ease.
Naomi knows it will take a kinsman-redeemer to make a home. Ideally, Ruth needs a husband in order to fully experience “home.” Home is about relationships and the environment created and enjoyed by those relationships. It is wonderful and exciting to see the Lord bring Ruth and Boaz together as husband and wife to make a “home.” In that home, Ruth will experience a new security and peace. Boaz will find a new fulfillment and happiness. Knowing the godly character of these two heroic people, you can just imagine the conversations, spiritual activities, hard work, and fun times that make up the atmosphere of that home!
One of the ways we know what conditions make up a true ‘home’ is by describing what conditions are like when there’s not a true home. Moses gives us this in Deuteronomy 28:64-67: Then the LORD will scatter you among all nations, from one end of the earth to the other. There you will worship other gods—gods of wood and stone, which neither you nor your fathers have known. Among those nations you will find no repose, no resting place for the sole of your foot. There the LORD will give you an anxious mind, eyes weary with longing, and a despairing heart. You will live in constant suspense, filled with dread both night and day, never sure of your life. In the morning you will say, “If only it were evening!” and in the evening, “If only it were morning!” — because of the terror that will fill your hearts and the sights that your eyes will see.
Scattered, no spiritual devotion to Christ, no rest, anxious minds, weariness, despair, suspense, dread, drudgery, and fear. That is not what God has for our families!
It is not just sin that removes us from home. Physical separation from people and places we love also takes us away from “home” in its fullness. When I went off to college, I felt a certain kind of loneliness and emptiness. These days, when I travel to other countries by myself, I miss and long for “home” — wonderful people and an environment I can just taste, feel, see, and hear!
Naomi, Ruth, and Boaz show us that “home” starts with people, not things. And it’s what those people are like and how they choose to use their time together that creates a special environment.
How might the Lord be drawing you to focus on the people in your house instead of the things? What would He have you do in your house to create a special environment of togetherness and spiritual fullness?
Father, grow the relationships in my family into strong bonds of love and tenderness. Improve the atmosphere of our house. Remove the distractions and replacements that steal away our time and attention to each other. Embolden us to make changes in the activities of our household. Settle us. Secure us. Make our house a home. Through Jesus Christ, Amen.
Dinner table or Life Group discussion questions:
What makes home “home?”
What makes a house a home?
How can we make our house more of a home?