Ruth was written in perhaps the 2nd half of the 12th century, making it contemporary with Jephthah and Samson of Judges 11 and following. This is important because if you didn’t know that you’d think there’s no way the events could take place concurrently with Judges. Judges is filled with immorality, disloyalty, fear, war, and God abandoning His people and giving them into the hands of their enemies because of their disobedience.
Yet Ruth is such a wonderful book of promise that it seems very opposite. I think it shows us that God redeems even in the midst of what seems like a world gone totally away from Him - a good lesson for us today.
The book of Ruth has several important aspects:
It is first a love story, a godly love story between two people, which speaks to us of how tragedy and hopelessness can be overcome through selfless love.
It is also a sign of godly devotion in a time of great darkness. In the time of the Judges "everyone did what was right in their own eyes." Boaz is a very righteous man who is careful to follow not only the letter of the Law but also the spirit, showing that the character of Yahweh was ruling in his heart.
Thirdly, Ruth speaks to us about the love of God. Ruth, a Moabite foreigner, is brought into the family of Israel through the love of a kinsman redeemer. In the same way we, who are foreigners to God through our own sin, are brought into His family through the efforts of our kinsman redeemer, Jesus Christ.
Finally, Ruth also speaks of the tenacity of God in bringing forth the real kinsman Redeemer. Ruth, though a Moabite, is the great-grandmother of David, the forerunner of Jesus.
Chapter 1:1 - 3
The famine was a trial for Elimelech. In those days God often used famine as a wake up call to bring His people back to Himself. Elimelech had a choice to make: stay and just endure the famine, run away from it, or pray for God’s work in his life and his family through it. We are faced with much the same set of decisions when we face difficulties. Elimelech chose to run (walking by sight, not by faith) and it ended in perhaps not seeing all that God could do. But God also worked it out for good as well, for if Elimelech had not gone to Moab, Ruth would never have gone to Israel. So even in our wrong decisions God can make it right. That doesn’t make sin right, it makes God pretty powerful.
4 - 5
What a hopeless situation. These two had so many things stacked against them they might as well have just packed it all in. First they were women without extended family. Women were not cared for unless they had a father or husband or close relatives. Secondly they were in a foreign land (at least to Noami). Third, they were a mixed family: Noami was Israelite and Ruth and Orpah were Moabite. So they would not be accepted in either culture as a family unit.
Does your situation ever seem so hopeless that you can see no way out? The Bible gives us lots of examples of people who find themselves in "no win" situations. The woman in 1 Kings 17 who was totally out of food in another famine and was just about to make her last meal and die of starvation when Elijah came by and she had oil and flour to spare for many days. Or the story of Elisha’s servant in 2 Kings 6 who saw armies surrounding him, until God opened his eyes and he saw angels on horses and chariots of fire surrounding the Syrians. Or the Apostle Paul who was on a ship that was going down in a storm in Acts 27. Everyone had given up hope until Paul had a vision of the Lord telling him everyone would arrive safely.
What you see here is that we are not aware of what God is up to in our "no win" trials. There may be provision coming from an unknown source, there may be things going on in the spirit realm that totally change the situation, or we may just need to seek God for His reassurance that He has us in His hands. The only hopeless situation is the one God is not in.
6 - 14
So why did Naomi refuse to have Ruth and Orpah go back with her? Was it because she didn’t think they’d be accepted in Israel or was it that bringing these two Moabite women would be proof that her and her husband had allowed their sons to marry outside the nation Israel? Why wouldn’t Naomi want her daughters to become faithful to Yahweh and stop serving other gods? At first the two daughters seemed to not want to leave their mother-in-law. She has to do a lot of explaining as to why it wouldn’t work. The explanations deter Orpah, but not Ruth. Here we have a sign of Ruth’s faith and desire to love Yahweh.
15 - 18
You can really see Ruth’s conversion to Yahweh here strongly. She identifies with Naomi and won’t be separated from her. While it is important that everyone have their own personal relationship with God, at the beginning at least, many times a new believer will look to the more seasoned Christian for most everything. Like a new baby or a young child, new Christians have many questions and need constant attention and reaffirmation. That’s okay until they are mature enough to attend to their own relationship. Don’t worry about the need for attention in a young believer. It’s when that need for you is never transferred fully to Jesus that you need to be concerned.
19 - 22
Naomi and Ruth come back to Bethlehem in mid to late April - the beginning of the barley harvest, which was normally a time of celebration. Naomi is doing anything but celebrating, though. She almost sounds as if she is throwing a pity party. "Naomi" means "pleasantness." She doesn’t want to be known by that name any more, but "Mara" which means "bitter." Although she doesn’t blame God for her troubles, she certainly ascribes them to Him, rather than to her own choices.
You see, there are three reasons that we can face difficulties: our own choices, the fact that we live in a fallen world, or the enemy’s attack. Yes, God is sovereign, and allows these things - but we too often ascribe sort of a slantwise blame on Him for us having trouble.
James 1:12-15 Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him. 13 Let no one say when he is tempted, "I am being tempted by God," for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one. 14 But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. 15 Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death. ESV
God didn’t tell Naomi to go to Moab, or to marry her sons to Moabite women. God is not to blame here. Nor should she be bitter. It’s almost as if she comes back looking so sad that everyone will have pity on her instead of asking her why she abandoned her town and her people in times of trouble.
When through our own choices we suffer we should simply admit it, learn from it, be strengthened from it, and move on.
But our God is so powerful that even through our errors He can work His glory. In fact it almost seems as if He waits for us to blow it, not so that He can gloat but so that He can work in us something He couldn’t before - His glory, His character.
Ezekiel 34:16 "I will seek what was lost and bring back what was driven away, bind up the broken and strengthen what was sick; but I will destroy the fat and the strong, and feed them in judgment." NKJV
Conclusions
Don’t make running from trials the default position
James 1 tell us that trials teach us steadfastness but that we should let "steadfastness have its full effect that you may be complete"
Peter tells us to "humble yourself under the mighty hand of God that at the proper time He may exalt you" 1 Peter 5:6
Don’t look around when all seems hopeless, look up
How often do we search frantically for a solution within our sight, and forget to look up and ask God for His unknown third alternative.
Psalm 121:1 "I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come from? From the Lord who made heaven and earth."
Don’t underestimate the power of your trials to bring others to Christ
People are watching you. It doesn’t mean you have to be perfect, it is just as they see the reality of your relationship with God it will encourage them to get to know Him too.
Don’t forget to give the young in Christ a helping hand
Romans 15:1 - "bear with the failings of the weak" Paul’s writings to the Corinthians have one of their major themes the idea of adjusting your walk in order not to stumble a younger brother who is less mature.
Don’t cover up your failings, but freely admit them to yourself, your friends, and your God
James 5:16 Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. ESV
Don’t blame God for the bad stuff in your life, ask Him to use it to strengthen you
Job 1:21 The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord." ESV
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