RUTH AND BOAZ: A SECOND TIME AROUND LOVE STORY

A SECOND TIME AROUND LOVE STORY

(Ruth)

Naomi lost her husband,

While living in a foreign land.

A decade later she lost her sons;

It wasn’t the life she had planned.

She was left with Orpah and Ruth,

Her loving daughters-in-law.

She wanted what was best for them,

So she made the choice to withdraw.

Naomi got word from her homeland,

That there was abundant food.

She decided to join her people,

Though she still continued to brood.

Both girls wanted to join her,

Though her home to them would be strange.

Naomi insisted they stay in their land,

They were too young to make a change.

So Orpah kissed Ruth and Naomi good-bye,

And to Moab, her home, she returned.

But Ruth could not leave Naomi,

For her safety she was concerned.

Where you go, I will go, she said,

And where you stay I’ll stay.

Your people shall be my people,

And your God I will obey.

Where you die I will die;

You will always have my heart.

Be assured I will never leave you,

Until death do us part.

So around the Dead Sea they walked,

And they crossed the Jordan River.

They climbed the mountains of Judah,

To the birthplace of the Lifegiver.

When they arrived in Bethlehem,

Her friends were glad to see her.

They asked, “Is this Naomi, our friend?”

She said, “No. Just call me Bitter."

When Ruth went to gather some grain,

She caught the owner’s attention.

He asked about the young lady gleaning,

She was given honorable mention.

Boaz let her glean in his fields,

And he promised her protection.

He offered her water to drink,

And added sheaves to her collection.

She thanked him for his kindness,

And he wished her a reward,

For he knew that she had traveled there,

Under the wings of the Lord.

Ruth told Naomi about the man,

She met while doing her chore.

Naomi knew he was kin by marriage,

So she told Ruth to go back for more.

At the end of the harvest, Boaz held a feast;

But his heart, not his stomach, was fed.

Boaz realized he was in love,

And so he and Ruth were wed.

Naomi went to live with them,

And the Lord was ever present.

Her name was no longer Bitter;

The meaning had changed back to Pleasant.

Ruth bore a son named Obed;

And Jesse was Obed's son.

Jesse had a son named David,

Grandfathers of The Holy One.

Ruth had showed such love,

That she greatly pleased the Lord.

She had crossed a river and climbed mountains,

Which earned her a great reward.

Though she wasn’t Jewish or Hebrew,

Ruth was treated as she had treated.

Her story is preserved in the Bible,

And her vows are still repeated.

Becky Wall