"An Excellent Woman"

 RUTH knelt down by the pile of barley stalks she had gathered during the day. Evening was descending on the fields around Bethlehem, and many workers were likely wending their way up to the gate of the little city perched on top a nearby ridge. Ruth's muscles surely protested the long day's labor, for she had been working steadily since the morning. Still she kept at it, singing a small rod or flail down onto the stalks to loosen the grains. All in all, it had been a good day-better than she could ever have hoped for. 

Were things finally starting to look up for this young widow? As we saw in the preceding chapter, she had attached herself to her mother-in -law, Naomi, vowing to stick with her and to make Naomi's God, Jehovah, her God. Together the two bereaved women had come to Bethlehem from Moab, and Ruth the Moabitess soon learned that Jehovah's Law make practical, dignified provisions for the poor in Israel, including foreigners. And now she found that some of Jehovah's people, who lived under the Law and were trained by it, showed a degree of spirituality and kindness that touched her wounded heart. 

Next time: "An Excellent Woman" -Conclusion

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