I really was happy to read the question this morning from Kim at Cafe Chat over at Christian Women Online. Today's question was "What is your favorite book of the bible and why was it your favorite book?". I knew immediately how I would answer this question with no hesitation. I have always adored the book of Ruth and the incredible story of this Moabitess and the journey in her life. Her obedience to the Lord led her on a fascinating journey that also led her to be part of the lineage of our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. I have read the story probably hundreds of times over and each time, I am just as moved in my heart as if it were the first time that I had ever read it. I can't imagine losing my husband and my brother in law and then having only my mother in law left and then having to figure out how we would survive. Where would we live? What would we eat? How would we get food and water and any semblance of a normal life? Having not personally lived in a time where women were so incredibly cast aside in a case like Ruth's, I cannot fathom what I would have done. I know that I would have been so terrified with the uncertainty of what was going to happen. But for Ruth, her humble spirit and her patience to wait on what the Lord had in store for her ultimately led to a glorious union with her new husband, Boaz. Ruth's faithfulness to the Lord brought her out of unbelievably dire circumstances where there really didn't seem to be too much hope.
RUTH
Gender: Feminine Usage: English, German, Scandinavian, Biblical, Biblical Latin Other Scripts: רוּת (Ancient Hebrew)
Pronounced: ROOTH (English), ROOT (German) [key]
From a Hebrew name which was derived from the Hebrew word רְעוּת (re'ut) meaning "friend", "friendship", "companionship".
I could write for hours on Ruth and her journey. I loved her character and nuances and all that she stood for. She loved her family and chose to stand by her family, no matter what the circumstances. It just so happens that I come from a long line of "Ruth's", LITERALLY! My maternal great grandmother was Ella Ruth. 
My maternal grandmother was Nellie Ruth. My mother is Betty Ruth and my 3 year old niece is Margaret Ruth. And, if the Lord blesses me with a daughter, she too will carry on that precious name as well. The Ruths in my family have carried on the tradition of the Ruth we read about in the scriptures. Those that have gone on to the Lord endured many hardships including the Great Depression, the loss of a spouse at 38 years old (left to raise 4 children from age 17 down to age 6), just to name a few things. It's so ironic. Their strength during those times mimics the strength of the Moabitess. They dug their heels in. They banded together. They raised their families the best they could. They put food on the table and they made ever penny stretch to its limits. They raised more incredibly strong women of the Lord. And to this day, my mother carries on in their absence.....strong in her faith and strong in her commitment to take care of her family. Every time I see my niece's name, I can't help but stop and pray for the line that she is carrying on. I pray that the sweet little blonde headed 3 year old who is full of life and energy will rise up to be another woman from our family, strong and grounded in her faith. I pray that she will have a relationship with the Lord that the other Ruths had and still have.
Ruth 1:16 (New King James Version) 16 But Ruth said: “ Entreat me not to leave you, Or to turn back from following after you; For wherever you go, I will go; And wherever you lodge, I will lodge; Your people shall be my people, And your God, my God.
I just know that Ruth was faithful and obedient to the Lord which led her to heaps of blessings in her life but ultimately, to the Lamb that would die for my sins and your sins on the Cross at Calvary. I am thankful for Ruth's obedience, for without it, there couldn't have been a King David, and without King David, there wouldn't have been a Messianic line to my Savior. Praise God for women of faith in the scriptures!
What is your favorite book of the bible and why?
