I wonder if she resented it.  Her beauty that is.  After all, that’s ultimately what took her away from the only remaining family member this young woman had left.  And speaking of family, did she ever question why her parents died when she was so young?  Did she wonder how much more she’d have to endure?  First the loss of her parents and then the unexpected separation from her father-like cousin who cared for her as his own.  Did she resent being seen only as a beautiful face?  Was that as demeaning to her soul as the fact that the one thing she valued most, her virginity, would be handed to a man for a probable one-night stand?  And the competition.  Oh, the competition.  She never would have signed up for this strange beauty pageant, the one in which the winner takes all and everyone else would spend the remainder of their days in the harem.  Did she become catty as they fought for the crown?  Sure, she received royal beauty treatments and even had seven maids assigned to her, but I still wonder.  Was it hard to not reveal her ancestry and the fact that her family had been exiled from Jerusalem?  Did she gag as she partook of the special food given to her, the very foods that her Yahweh had commanded not to eat?  I wonder.

As we flip through the few pages of Esther’s short book, we can easily miss the trials, despairs and grief she invariably experienced.  The chapters in her life are complete and we can look at the end and somehow convince ourselves that it made the beginning easier.  But Esther, like us, didn’t know how her story would unfold.  No doubt she felt alone, confused, scared.  Maybe angry at God as she realized that her dreams weren’t necessarily His dreams for her.  Perhaps she was upset that people wouldn’t appreciate her for who she was.  Can you relate?   

I don’t know the ending of our stories, but I do know that it shares at least one thing with Esther’s.  We can get a crown, and we don’t even have to enter a beauty pageant.

     Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when

    he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God

     has promised to those who love him.”  James 1:12

I’m asking you to do two things.

FIRST, if you haven’t already, please read the entire book of Ruth. It’s a short, boasting only 4 brief chapters. It will take about a half hour and it’s worth much more than that.

SECOND, check out this map.

There’s several important things I want you to notice. First, Naomi came from Bethlehem, which means “House of Bread.” Bethlehem was near Jerusalem, the heart of Israel and the substance of God’s promise for his people. Because of a famine, Naomi and her family left their place of promise to find sustenance elsewhere. They ended up in Moab, where Ruth, the Moabitess, entered the picture. After the rest of the family died and was buried, Naomi and Ruth faced a huge decision: stay in the foreign country of Moab OR return to the place of promise, to Bethlehem, their “house of bread” and the place of God’s fulfillment of His covenant. However, a dead sea sat between their current predicament and the place where God wanted to make their wildest dreams come true.

As in every good story, the main characters are faced with a life-changing decision. Embark on a long journey around a dead sea to pursue the only true God, or stay rooted where is predictable and comfortable. Naomi determined to return to her “house of bread.” Ruth, showing wisdom and a heart longing for God, resolutely followed her mother-in-law’s footsteps.

The result? Both of them found redemption and new life far behind their wildest dreams.

The wealth of application in the book of Ruth is so rich I hardly know where to begin. The reality is you will face your own times of famine, some of which may end up taking you to place that’s entirely foreign, full of disappointment and loss. When you find yourself in that place, with a vast dead sea between you and your place of promise, I want you to remember one thing: It doesn’t have to be the end of the story. You can allow seasons of famine to lead you back to your “house of bread”. How?

1. Resolute Pursuit: Ruth would not be dissuaded. She knew and believed in the God of Israel, and she was willing to abandon everything familiar in pursuit of him.
2. Empty-handed Approach: Ruth also understood she came with nothing to offer. No husband, no heritage, no materialistic wealth. With hands wide open to God’s plan for her life, she approached the future expectant, hopeful and with humility.
3. Audacious Appeal: Like Ruth’s marriage proposition at the feet of Boaz, are you willing to lay yourself at the feet of your Redeemer? Are you willing to risk everything for the sweetness of a redeemed life?

Despite any dead seas standing in your path, beautiful future waits for you in the Land of Promise.