One
of the great values of God’s word in general, and of a book like Ruth in
particular, is that is enables us to see the “Big Picture” – how the Lord does
in fact work all things together for good for those who love Him.
We
cannot see The Big Picture in our own lives. We operate from day to day, a step
at a time. If our recent days have been hard, full of toil or heartache or
grief, it’s very difficult to convince ourselves that tomorrow will be any
different.
But
“faith comes from hearing and hearing from the word of Christ.” So we look to
stories like Ruth’s to reveal what God is up to behind the scenes. In four
chapters His plans unfold to reassure us that the story He is writing is for
His glory and our good.
Ruth
has three main characters. First we meet an older woman named Naomi. Broken by grief, she has lost
her husband and grown sons in a ten-year sojourn in Moab. Finally she returns
to her home in Judah. “Don’t call me Naomi (“pleasant) , she tells her old
friends. “Call me Mara (bitter),
because the Almighty has been brought me back empty."
Not
quite empty, though she can’t yet see it. She brings back Ruth, for whom the book is named, Naomi’s own widowed
daughter-in-law. As a Moabitess, Ruth knows she will be regarded with suspicion
and prejudice, and that she will have little chance of ever marrying again. But
not only has she committed herself to Naomi, but she has also been converted to
follow the God of Israel and to leave her pagan past behind.
In
time she meets Boaz, a middle-aged
Jewish farmer. Boaz is a man of spiritual depth, wealthy, and well-regarded in
his community. But for whatever reason, he has never married, and so has no
children and thus no legacy.
The
book of Ruth is a timeline for its characters to walk, verse by verse. But we can
read the whole thing in 20 minutes, and quickly see the Big Picture in a way
the characters cannot. By the end of chapter 1, Naomi would never believe that her
happiest years are ahead of her, or that the daughter-in-law she barely
tolerates will become dearer to her than a daughter, and the main source of her
happiness.
At
the start of chapter 2, Ruth’s new life in Judah has begun and she feels
friendless and mistrusted. Humbly she goes about the hard work of providing for
herself and her mother-in-law, with only grudging appreciation from Naomi. She
seems content with her new-found faith, but cannot see a future that includes
home or husband or children.
How
could she know that that very day she would meet a godly man who would respect
her, cherish her, and by the middle of chapter 4, marry her? How could she know
that in God’s Big Picture she will become the mother of a baby boy, much less that
he would be the grandfather of King David?
And
how about Boaz? In the “small picture” he lives a life of faithfulness and
kindness. He is respected by his employees and is a man of standing in the
community. But he is past the point where young women give him a second look.
When he goes home at night, it is to an empty house.
How
could he know that Yahweh plans to bring him a wife, a woman who, like
Eve, will be suddenly there when he awakes one night on the threshing floor?
The
lives of these three are just like our lives. They only know what has already
happened, but they cannot see the good plans God has for them – and for all who
love Him.
But
what a Big Picture it is! There’s a baby cooing on his grandmother’s lap, and a
smile softening the eyes of Naomi. There are Ruth and Boaz walking together,
sharing a moment and a life, full of unexpected love and joy.
Maybe
we cannot tell whether the chapters of our lives are adding up to tragedy or
comedy or absurdity. Looking back, we can see some things only with regret or
shame. But The Author of our life and times has redeemed it all, and one day
the story He has written will be seen for what it really is - a song of wonder
and grace, of God’s infinite wisdom and limitless compassion, where the ending
is just as it should be, the perfect ending which becomes the perfect beginning
of joy unspeakable and full of glory.
