Through 2024, every member of the Thirst Collective – Thir.st, Salt&Light, Stories of Hope, 还好吗 hhm.sg, Living Room, Collective Studio – has committed to reading the Bible from cover to cover. 

We thought it’d be cool to pick out reflections and insights from our team’s readings to share with you. This time, dive deep into Ruth with us!

Nicole, Thir.st

“But Ruth said, “Do not urge me to leave you or to turn back from following you; for where you go, I will go, and where you lodge, I will lodge. Your people will be my people, and your God, my God.” (Ruth‬ ‭1‬:‭16,‬ ‭AMP‬‬)

Why did she choose to follow Naomi’s God though she was a Moabite? Moabite practices were quite terrible actually, they had blood sacrifices involving children and animals.

Was it after she married into Naomi’s family that she was exposed to the God of Abraham? Did their lives speak for themselves, so much so that Ruth wanted to stay and follow after Yahweh?

Christina Wong, Thir.st

Sometimes I do wonder if Naomi was shrewd or manipulative…

But the fact that she was confident and sure of Boaz’s character and that he would surely redeem Ruth (considering all the risks involved), makes for a good foreshadowing of what is to come in Jesus.

Our confidence is found in Him and redemption from our own sins is given by His blood.

Christine Leow, Thir.st

The wives were given the chance to turn back, to return to their gods. But Ruth would not. And for that, she was honoured and from her line came David and then Jesus.

She was unshakable, determined. In the face of the unknown, in the face of a very real possibility of hardship, she would not let go of Ruth and of the God of her husband. May I be as determined to stick with my God. Unshakable even in the face of suffering.

“I went away full, but the Lord has brought me back empty. Why call me Naomi? The Lord has afflicted me; the Almighty has brought misfortune upon me.” (Ruth 1:21)

Why is it that the 10 odd years where they lived in Moab escaping the famine were not attributed to the goodness of God? Yet the deaths of her husband and sons were blamed on God? Didn’t they choose to live on pagan land against what God would have wanted?

God is an easy scapegoat for our decisions, for the brokenness of the world. Which is why thankfulness is urged upon us repeatedly. Our fleshly selves do not naturally incline towards thankfulness.

Isaac, Collective Studios

Thankful for all the faithful friendships in life. Only God knows all the happenings and conversations in our lives and only God has a mind that can fit the pieces together. Our job is to trust He will put all the pieces in the right place.

Peck Sim, Salt&Light

God chooses a foreigner from enemy territory to perpetuate the lineage of the Messiah. Another redeemer would arise from Bethlehem.

Felicia Chin, 还好吗hhm.sg

God is a God of generations. 

This verse stuck out to me too: “Naomi said to her daughter-in-law, “Why, God bless that man! God hasn’t quite walked out on us after all! He still loves us, in bad times as well as good!” (Ruth 2:20).