A Beauty Battle: Ruth vs Esther | Bible Belles | Bible Lessons on Real Beauty, Leadership and Faith
A Beauty Battle : Ruth vs Esther
Ruth 3: 10-11 “...This kindness is greater than that which you showed earlier:...And now, my daughter, don’t be afraid. I will do for you all you ask. All the people of my town know that you are a woman of noble character.”
Boaz was smitten by Ruth. He was so moved that she had chosen him. He considered himself blessed because of how she interacted with him. In Ruth 3:10 he told her that she was kind to him. But Boaz was the one that allowed Ruth to glean in his field and told his servants to make sure to drop additional grain so that she could have enough for she and Naomi, her mother in law. The beauty of Ruth was in her character. Despite her poverty, her grief, her loss, she carried herself with grace, gentleness and love. Ruth gave up her blood family to follow Naomi to a strange land and endure isolation as a foreigner. She was committed to her mother in law and her word was her bond. Boaz saw this and referred to her as having a noble character worthy of being known by all people.
Esther 2:16-17 “And when Esther was taken to King Ahasuerus, ... the king loved Esther more than all the women, and she won grace and favor in his sight more than all the virgins, so that he set the royal crown on her head and made her queen …”
Esther was first noticed for her outward beauty. King Ahasuerus deemed her to be the most beautiful woman in his entire kingdom when he chose her as his queen. But when called to sacrifice her life for her people, Esther turned to God in prayer and fasting. She placed her life on the line and went before the king to set a course that would save the lives of those she loved and those she did not even know yet loved the same. In appearing before the King, she presented herself humble, yet bold, soft yet strong. The King saw the outer and inner beauty for he offered to her “even up to half his kingdom.” Esther’s character was the influence that moved others in a path that led to God’s glory.
So who is the true beauty? Esther saved a nation. Ruth gave birth to the lineage of Jesus Christ. Esther displayed bravery in the face of certain death. Ruth displayed fortitude in the face of certain destitution and eventual death. Esther knew God and clung to Him in the time of distress. Ruth clung to Naomi’s God in the time of their distress. I hope the picture is becoming clearer. At the end of it all, outward appearance is not what is remembered. Instead it is what the person did when all seems lost. True beauty is in the character. A beautiful character is only in Christ.
Our sons and daughters are being told they must have a look, style, outfit, body figure in order to be accepted as beautiful. But God is saying I make you into a truly beautiful being when you begin to look like me in character. Let us teach our children the value of a truly beautiful character.
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5 Bible stories for kids that celebrate five extraordinary women in the Bible. Hannah, Esther, Abigail, Ruth, and Deborah.
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