Helping others can be messy, inconvenient, and hard—but Jesus calls us to stop, notice, and choose mercy. “Go and do likewise.”
The Parable That Won’t Let Me Go
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Alan Smith
Ruth 4:18-22 – Yalad: More Than a List of Names: Studies From the Book of Ruth, Part 42
The genealogy at the end of Ruth reminds us that God works across generations. Every faithful act today may bear fruit long after we’re gone.
Ruth 4:16-17 – Aman: The Sacred Work of Caring: Studies From the Book of Ruth, Part 41
God often does His deepest work through ordinary faithfulness. The quiet acts of caring, nurturing, and showing up for others may seem small, but they can shape lives for generations.
Ruth 4:14-15 – Kul: When God Sustains You: Studies From the Book of Ruth, Part 40
When the future feels uncertain, remember kul: the God who sustained Naomi is still faithfully supplying the strength, support, and provision His children need today.
Ruth 4:13 – Herayon: The LORD Gave Her Conception: Studies From the Book of Ruth, Part 40
God’s silence is not God’s absence. Just as He worked behind the scenes in Ruth’s life, He is still working in ours, bringing new life and hope in His perfect timing.
Ruth 4:10 — Shem: A Name Not Forgotten: Studies From the Book of Ruth, Part 38
Also Ruth the Moabite, the widow of Mahlon, I have bought to be my wife, to perpetuate the name of the dead in his inheritance, that the name of the dead may not be cut off from among his brothers and from the gate of his native place. You are witnesses this day. ...
Ruth 4:9-10 – ʿEd: You Are Witnesses This Day: Studies From the Book of Ruth, Part 37
Like the witnesses at Bethlehem’s city gate, we are called to testify to God’s faithfulness by sharing what we have seen Him do in our lives.
Ruth 4:7-8 – Teudah: When Words Alone Are Not Enough: Studies From the Book of Ruth, Part 36
God leaves testimonies of His faithfulness in our lives—like Ruth 4’s sandal moment—reminding us to trust Him through every season.
Ruth 4:5-6 – Nachalah: The Greater Legacy: Studies From the Book of Ruth, Part 35
What inheritance are you most concerned about preserving? Earthly possessions fade, but the eternal inheritance we have in Christ will never perish.
Ruth 4:2 — Zaqen: The Wisdom of Elders: Studies From the Book of Ruth, Part 33
Biblical wisdom values more than age—it treasures lives shaped by faithfulness. The community still needs godly elders sitting at the gate.