By 
The book of Ruth opens with “a famine in the land”—a stark contrast to the common “once upon a time” prologue that points us to palaces and princesses. Ruth wasn’t royalty, and her story isn’t a fairy tale. Ruth was a stranger in a strange land, widowed, without a caretaker, in the middle of a national crisis.
Verse 1 of the book gives us a time marker for Ruth’s life: In the days when the judges ruled. Flip back one page in your Bible to the book of Judges and you see a succinct and chilling description of that time in the history of Israel: “In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes” (Judges 21:25, ESV).
It was into this bleakness that hope arrived. This is God’s way after all, isn’t it? In four brief chapters detailing the life and decisions of a Moabite woman living in the center of the Jewish world, we learn beautiful truths about God:
- God is sovereign and can use any situation to accomplish His will, for your good and His glory.
- God is always at work, even when you see no evidence of it.
- God has a perfect plan for your life, and desires to bless His children beyond what you can ask or think.
Ruth 1:1-5 is a dreary picture of hunger and loss, wandering and hopelessness. At the same time it sets the reader up to see God’s hand leading at every turn.
Elimelech moved his family out of Bethlehem where there was a famine (Bethlehem, notably, means “House of Bread”), into Moab, amongst a people that had been enemies of Israel since they wandered in the wilderness.
While Scripture doesn’t cite the famine or even the family leaving their land and people as the reason, Elimelech and his sons die. Naomi, the matriarch, and Orpah and Ruth, the two Moabite women her sons had married, are now alone and vulnerable. The Lord placed the women into this chaos, grief, and loneliness for a purpose, using circumstances to strengthen their faith and set the stage for His eternal plan to unfold.
Ruth becomes a great gift to her mother-in-law, and she receives a precious blessing as well. Verse 16 tells us she came to know Yahweh through her connection to this hurting family: “Your people will be my people,” she says, “and your God my God” (NIV). God was on the move in the middle of a mess, turning a desperate situation into good and blessing generations to come.
The book of Ruth also shows us that God is always at work, even in ungodly times; but in her bitterness, Naomi can’t see it. She says of the Lord, “the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me. I went away full, and the LORD has brought me back empty. Why call me Naomi, when the LORD has testified against me and the Almighty has brought calamity upon me?” (1:20-21, ESV).
Naomi’s heart of bitterness caused to her forget that “Adonai”, the word she used to describe her Lord and Master, is also “El Shaddai”—the gracious, compassionate, sufficient, and supplying God. The Lord mercifully provided Ruth and graciously brought Naomi and Ruth back to Bethlehem. And in chapter 2 we see God provided Boaz, a kinsman redeemer—a godly man who stood out in the dark time of the Judges—who willingly took Ruth under the shadow of his wings.
But all Naomi saw was what was right in front of her: no husband, no heir, no food, all wrapped in a big wet blanket of bitterness. Thankfully our sin does not prevent God from accomplishing His will. God is always at work, even when we’re blinded by fear, disappointment, and unmet expectations.
And finally, God’s perfect plan and bountiful blessings come to fruition. How are these truths seen in the life of a Gentile widow and her bitter mother-in-law? In this story the ultimate blessing is Jesus Himself. Ruth and Boaz marry and have a son named Obed. Obed fathers Jesse. Jesse fathers a shepherd boy named David.
The book of Ruth ends here. But we live on this side of the Resurrection; we know Who came next. Through Ruth, the Lord delivered provision that would not only restore and nourish this once-destitute family, but transcend their lifetimes:
“I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, and he shall reign as king and deal wisely, and shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. In his days Judah will be saved, and Israel will dwell securely.”
—Jeremiah 23:5-6, ESV
For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end.He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the LORD Almighty will accomplish this.
—Isaiah 9:6-7, NIV
God used Ruth, the most unlikely character in the story, to bless this little family in spite of sin, unbelief, and bitterness. God did not have to do this; He was not obligated to act based on Ruth’s behavior or character. Ruth had no idea her grandson would grow up to rule all of Israel. She certainly never dreamed she would be mentioned in the Gospels in the line of Christ Himself, the ultimate Redeemer (Matthew 1:5). This was pure grace flowing from the very heart of God.
The book of Ruth is a picture of the eternal significance of the life of a follower of Christ. No detail is mundane, no relationship is benign, no decision is meaningless. Dr. John Piper says it this way, “God wants us to know that when we follow him, our lives always mean more than we think they do. For the Christian there is always a connection between the ordinary events of life and the stupendous work of God in history.”
Leslie Strader
Leslie Strader is a freelance writer and editor, and for 10 years was the Women’s Bible Study Coordinator of Bethel Bible Church. She has authored two Bible studies for Big Dream Ministries (https://www.bigdreamministries.org) - The Amazing Life of Jesus Christ and Empowered: The Amazing Church of Jesus Christ - along with several others as part of Bethel’s WBS Curriculum Writing Team. She and her husband Ross have been married since 1995 and have three children. Leslie loves spending time with her family, cooking (not baking!), and the pursuit of wisdom and joy in Christ with fellow believers. 
