Truths from the OT: A noble character is earned.

A noble character is earned.  In a great tragedy, Naomi returns to Israel after loosing both her husband and two sons while sojourning in foreign Moab.  Fortunately for Naomi, her foreign daughter-in-law Ruth loyally stays and supports her by gleaning (scavenging) behind harvesters.  Ruth's unswerving loyalty and work ethic are not only noticed (Ruth 2:6-7), but also reported among the entire town (Ruth 3:11).  When Ruth makes her daring marriage request of Boaz, he confirms his intent, largely influenced by her “noble character.”  Reputation and family names are still worth their weight in gold (Proverbs 22:1), since they have a way of uplifting or haunting us our entire lives.  Strongly tied to obedience, the difficulty of earning favor and a good name with both God and man hinges on our following God's teachings and commands.   (Proverbs 3:4).  To further confirm the difficulty of earning such a reputation Proverbs congratulates the man who finds a wife of noble character (Proverbs 31:10).  Once earned, we must defend our noble character by following God's wisdom in complete love and faithfulness.