Sabbath: Ruth and Esther
Daily Lesson for Sabbath 7th of June 2025
Image © Pacific Press
Read for This Week’s Study: Ruth 1:1-5; Ruth 2:5-20; Job 1:6-11; Matthew 4:8-9; Esther 3:1-14; Revelation 12:14-17.
Memory Text:
“So it was, when the king saw Queen Esther standing in the court, that she found favor in his sight, and the king held out to Esther the golden scepter that was in his hand. Then Esther went near and touched the top of the scepter” (Esther 5:2, NKJV).
This week we continue to explore stories that prefigure last-day events. By using real-life events and people, God helps us to see things from His perspective and helps us understand how to interpret the prophecies that come later, which are given to help strengthen our faith.
Our attention turns to two important women whose stories have touched the hearts of countless generations: Ruth and Esther. One is a dispossessed widow who finds hope after meeting the kindly Boaz, her kinsman redeemer. Their marriage has become a favorite love story for Christians because of the way it reflects Christ’s love for us. The other is a young girl living in a foreign land who becomes aware of a plot to destroy her people and finds herself thrust onto the main stage in the drama that unfolds to save them.
In prophecy, of course, a woman is a powerful symbol for God’s church, shedding much light on how God regards His people. Let’s look at the biblical accounts of these two women, whose life circumstances have been immortalized in the Word of God, and seek to draw whatever lessons we can from their experiences.
*Study this week’s lesson to prepare for Sabbath, June 14.
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One thing that I greatly admire among the two women, Ruth and Esther is that both made great personal sacrifice for others. Ruth left her people and country for Naomi’s God and people (Ruth 1:16). Also, Esther risked her life to save her people (Esther 4:16). These women had an element of Jesus Christ in them. Jesus also sacrificed His life for others, us! Believers who shall withstand the end-time challenges are those who will be willing to make serious sacrifices for the sake of eternal life.
“Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer. … Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you life as your victor’s crown.” (Revelation 2:10, NIV)
This is so true. Christianity requires making sacrificial choices.
God is fond of using real life experiences and real people to pass his messages. The spot light this week is on two women Ruth and Esther that are narrated in different time periods and different countries, but these stories have similar themes that teach us about God’s character and our calling.
Both stories focus on women who remain faithful to God. This reminds us of the role of women in God’s redemptive plan in history by seeing how He used Ruth and Esther, both are ordinary women with extraordinary calls on their lives.
Although they faced trying circumstances, they remained faithful and obedient to God.
The stories of Ruth and Esther show that God does not always work in the most obvious ways or use the most obvious people; God works through ordinary people – those we often might not expect – to accomplish His purposes.
We are encouraged of God’s sovereignty and our human responsibility. Ruth and Esther help us to see that life is not purposeless or random; God has a plan, and we see Him working often behind the scenes! for His glory and our good.
The important role played by humans in the story through the call to obedience. These women make decisions between doing what is easy and what is right – sometimes at great personal risk.
Ruth and Esther teach us that obedience is important, and that God works through our obedience for His glory.God remains faithful to His people. As Paul asserts to Timothy – even when we are faithless, God remains faithful, because he cannot deny Himself (2 Timothy 2:13). While reading Ruth and Esther, we notice that both situations looked bleak from the outset – but what comes out is that God is faithful to His people. The stories above all demonstrate that God’s faithful provision to us comes in many different forms.