LOYALTY
The PDF of this Lesson...
With a Game (in Various PDFs), the Quiz, and Verses to Memorize
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faithfulness to a person, organization or country.
There are only two books in the Bible named after women. Esther is the story of a brave queen and how she saved her people. The other book, Ruth, tells us about the loyalty of one woman for her mother in law.
The story of Ruth begins in the village of Bethlehem. This was the same place where Jesus would be born many years later. The family of a man named Elimelech lived there, but things weren’t going well. There was a famine in the land, which means that there wasn’t enough food for everyone. Elimelech decided to take his family to a foreign land, Moab, where there was plenty of food. The people of Moab, however, worshipped idols instead of God. It was not a good place to raise their family.
Sadly, Elimelech, his wife Naomi and their two boys Mahlon and Chilion packed their things and headed east. When they finally arrived in the country of Moab they settled into their new home and Elimelech found work to provide for his family. That didn’t last for long, though, as Elimelech became so sick that he died.
As the boys became teenagers, they wanted to get married. One day they brought girls from Moab home to meet their mother. Naomi wanted her sons to be happy, but she knew that God wanted them to only marry Jewish girls. It didn’t matter to the boys. They were in love and in time they married the two girls, Orpah and Ruth.
God wasn’t pleased with this whole situation either and just a few years Mahlon and Chilion both died. Now there were three widows living in one house. Naomi was very sad, and she longed to be back in Bethlehem. Soon she heard that there was plenty of food now in Israel, so she decided to return. When she told her daughter in laws, they agreed to go with her.
As they walked toward Israel, Naomi began to think about what all her friends back home would think if she returned with two Moabite women. Since Elimelech, Mahlon and Chilion weren’t with her, the people in Bethlehem would realize that God had judged them for being disobedient. Naomi would rather return alone.
When the three women reached the Jordan River, the border between Moab and Israel, Naomi spoke kindly to Ruth and Orpah. She told them that they would have little chance of finding a husband in Israel. They were still young, and it would be better for them to go back home and get married again. Orpah agreed, so she kissed her mother in law goodbye and headed back to her home in Moab. We never hear about her again.
Ruth, however, knew that Naomi would have a very difficult life as a widow. It would be hard for her to go out and work in the fields and it would be very unlikely that she would find another husband because of her age. Ruth had also come to love Naomi’s God and she had no desire to return to the false gods that the people of Moab worshipped.
Boldly Ruth made a pledge of lifelong loyalty to Naomi. She told her that she would not leave her but would go wherever Naomi went. She would be there to help her mother in law have food and shelter. Ruth knew that it would not be easy, but she was determined to be loyal.
God rewarded Ruth’s loyalty and she ended up marrying a wonderful, godly Jewish man named Boaz. They had a son named Obed. He grew up and had a son named Jesse and Jesse grew up and had a son named David, who became the king.
Ruth is a wonderful example of loyalty. She stayed true to Naomi even when it was hard. She is even listed in the family of Jesus found in Matthew 1. We need to be loyal too.
WHO SHOULD WE BE LOYAL TO?
First, we need to be loyal to GOD. One follower of Jesus, Judas, was so disloyal that he turned Jesus over to His enemies. The other disciples ran away when Jesus was arrested, and Peter even denied three times that he knew Jesus. Later, though, they were willing to give their lives for Jesus.
Are you loyal to God? Do you speak up for Him when others use His name lightly or do you just remain silent? Do you tell others that Jesus is your best friend? Are you willing to give Him your life and do whatever He says? Do you obey Him in everything?
Second, we should be loyal to our FAMILY. A family begins with a pledge between a man and a woman to love each other for life. This is a very difficult thing to do, but God is pleased when a couple remains loyal to each other. Children also need to be loyal to their parents and their brothers and sisters. This means that you don’t say unkind things about your family behind their backs. You also do your part to help and to be obedient.
Third, we should be loyal to our FRIENDS. Friends are gifts in life and we ruin that gift by being disloyal to our friends. We should not let others speak unkindly about our friends, nor should we turn our back on them. If you want good friends, then you need to be a good friend.
Finally, we need to be loyal to our COUNTRY. The United States is not a perfect country. We have many problems. It is, however, the greatest country on earth. Many brave men and women are willing to show their loyalty by serving in the Armed forces or as policemen and firemen. We should do our best to support our soldiers and safety personnel. We should pray for our President and for those who are our leaders asking God to help them make wise decisions that would be pleasing to Him.
Curriculum by: Mark Redka (CBM)