God’s Sovereign Care Of Us During Our Times Of Weak Faith: The Story Of Ruth
The story of Ruth is very touching. It is touching to see the devotion of Ruth to Naomi. It is touching to see Ruth not end up on her own and to end up with Boaz in the end. It is touching to see that Naomi who once thought God had hung her out to dry was going to be taken care of. But none of these are main story of the Book of Ruth. The main thought in the Book of Ruth is that God keeps His promises. The main thought in the Book of Ruth is the faithfulness of our promise keeping God
Read Ruth 1:1-5
“In the days when the judges ruled there was a famine in the land” is the way this book begins. This introduction helps us to understand that the entire book of Ruth should be seen in the historical backdrop of the Book of Judges. The Book of Judges is one of the worst periods, if not the worst, of the history of God’s people. There is an often repeated theme that runs through the book of Judges, “everyone did what was right in his own eyes”. So, as you read the Book of Judges you find a very corrupt and rebellious people. They are not submitting to God’s Law, they are not submitting to the Word of God and so everyone is doing whatever they, not God, believes is correct. Not only is this book set in a time period of low moralities, but we also find that there is a “famine in the land”. Food is becoming scarce, because of drought and possibly other factors also. These people lived and died by their agriculture and in a time of great famine they often died. This is an agricultural society, and to have a famine in the land meant that most people were fighting just to survive.
During this time of famine and immorality Naomi’s husband died, and she was left with her two sons. Naomi’s two sons married, but within 10 years both of her sons have died, and now Naomi is left with her two daughter-in-laws: Orpah and Ruth. So, she is now in the country of Moab with her two daughter-in-laws during a time of great famine and immorality. This is the backdrop of the Book of Ruth.
God has promised to honor those who come to Him. God has promised to save in the end all those who turn from ruling their own lives, who turn from doing that which is right in their own eyes, and come to Him. And God is faithful to all those who come to Him. Remember when you are fighting through the storms in life, God is faithful, and He has promised to work all things together for our ultimate good.
And that seems to be what the Book of Ruth illustrates. It illustrates the glorious truth that is found in Romans 8:28.
“And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.”-Romans 8:28 ESV
God Is Faithful Even When Our Faith Is Dull (Ruth 1:6-21)
Naomi was struggling to have food to eat. She was not going to be able to provide for Ruth and Orpah as she was supposed to do. So, she told the two daughter-in-laws to go back to their homes. Kinsmen Redeemer laws stated that Naomi was to provide for Orpah and Ruth but she simply did not have the ability to do so. And so, we see the three women weep together. Naomi talked Orpah into leaving, but Ruth clung tightly to Naomi and professed her endless devotion.
What we need to notice in this passage is Naomi’s response to the hard times, because it is very similar to what our response would be. And in fact, it is very similar to our response to times that are not as hard as Naomi’s.
“Turn back, my daughters; go your way, for I am too old to have a husband. If I should say I have hope, even if I should have a husband this night and should bear sons would you therefore wait till they were grown? Would you therefore refrain from marrying? No, my daughters, for it is exceedingly bitter to me for your sake that the hand of the LORD has gone out against me.” (Ruth 1:12-13 ESV)
“She said to them, “Do not call me Naomi; call me Mara, for 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?” (Ruth 1:20-21 ESV)
Naomi made three statements about God’s dealing with her in this passage of Scripture. They are:
- “the hand of the Lord has gone out against me”
- “the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me”
- “the Almighty has brought calamity upon me?”.
When I look at Naomi’s situation, I have to say that if anyone ever had a right to question God’s kindness toward them it was Naomi.
She felt that God was treating her worse than she deserved. She felt that God was seeing to it that good would not come of her life. She felt that God would not take care of her and that God had abandoned her. God had taken everything away from her. He was not answering her prayers, and He was not meeting her greatest needs. God seemed to be ignoring her as she wandered without hope in a dry and barren land afflicted by the thought that there was no one left on this earth who could take care of her. Naomi had lost all hope, and her faith in God was next to nothing. In her opinion God had treated her in an ill manner, and He wasn’t for her; He was against her.
And these are very similar to the thoughts that often enter our brains when the hard times hit.
God Is Faithful Even We Are Slow To See It (Ruth 2:1-23)
The author set up the rest of the story for us in Ruth 2:1. A wealthy and influential man who was related to Naomi’s late husband lived in the land and his name was Boaz. Because of the Kinsmen Redeemer laws in Judah this man could possibly be the one who would redeem them. This could be the man that would redeem the land that was once owned by Naomi, and would possibly marry one of the women who had been left behind by death. This would mean their salvation from starvation and would give them safety.
Read Ruth 2.
Ruth saw that her and Naomi are needing to put food on the table, so Ruth wants to go out and gather grain from whoever will let her gather grain. Then we begin to see God’s providential care over Naomi and Ruth begin to play out in time.
Though neither Naomi nor Ruth knew that Boaz lived in the land, Naomi just happened to wander onto Boaz’s field. God’s providential care brought Ruth to this exact field and the right time. This is an incredible act of God’s intervention.
We see people brush off God’s intervention all the time. When a family huddles into a closet of a house during a tornado and survive though the rest of the house is blown away people will call them lucky. No, God kept them save. That is an example of God’s providential care.
Boaz then allowed Ruth to gather grain and tells her to remain in his field. And it becomes obvious that he is already protecting here. He tells her to stay in his field so that no one would harm her. He told those working in the field to be kind to her and that she could drink with the other women. And, even though she was not a Hebrew, Boaz showed her favor. And she saw this incredible kindness and threw herself at Boaz’s feet. Boaz let her know that he had heard of her great faithfulness to Naomi, which is again a view of God’s providential care over Ruth. God had so worked things out that the hardships and faithfulness of Ruth to Naomi were heard by Boaz before they even met.
The fact is God had been working long before this event to care for Ruth and Naomi. Even when they felt that God had abandoned them, He was working these events out for their good. And the same goes for us, even though we are not able to see it God is working all things for our good and His glory.
God is always working outside of us accomplishing all of His purposes (Isaiah 46:10). God is always accomplishing in our lives all of His good pleasure (Philippians 2:13). God is always accomplishing in our lives our greatest good. (Romans 8:28).
God Is Faithful (Ruth 3-4)
Someone in Naomi’s family was still responsible for taking care of Ruth and Boaz is a relative of hers, so Naomi instructs Ruth to bathe, look her best, put on some perfume because it is time to throw on some charm. She instructed Ruth to go where Boaz is, at the threshing floor, and wait until he had eaten and drank his fill and is asleep and to uncover his feet and lie down there. This is basically a marriage proposal that Naomi is telling Ruth to do, and Ruth agreed and did all of it.
At around midnight Boaz woke up startled by Ruth, but she made her motives plain.
“I am Ruth, your servant. Spread your wings over your servant, for you are a redeemer.”-Ruth 3:9
Ruth did not beat around the bush and Boaz was pleased at the offer. But there was something else to consider. There was someone else in the area that was a closer relation to Naomi than Boaz. So, Boaz decided to meet with the person of closer relation. But Boaz did not send Ruth home empty handed. He gave Ruth some Barley and told her to stay with Naomi until things were settled.
Boaz went out to meet the closer relative at the age. The closer relative agreed to redeem Naomi’s land until he found out he would have to marry Ruth. So, Boaz would be the redeemer of both the land and the ladies.
So, Boaz redeemed Naomi’s land and took Ruth to be his wife. Naomi and Ruth were now ok. God had providentially taken care of these two women. But God did much more than this. And this is where we see God’s care for Naomi and Ruth really shine through.
Boaz and Ruth had a son that Naomi cared for. After losing so much in her life, a baby was added to the family. It was plopped right down into her lap. The child was Obed, the grandfather of David. And so, this means that God used the hardships to give the people of Israel their future King, David. And amazingly, Ruth will always be remembered as being in the lineage of David, and eventually Jesus.
Ruth had begun our story as an outsider with Naomi struggling to make it. God provided. God provided greatly with a wealthy husband who would now take care of her and Naomi. And not only had God provided for her in this life, but she now will be remembered for all eternity as one of the people in the lineage of King David and Jesus.
Though life had been extremely hard, and Naomi and probably Ruth had felt abandoned by the Lord, He had provided. And God had not only provided, but He exalted Ruth by placing her in this lineage of our Lord.
God did all that He promises to do. He caused all these terrible situations to work together for the good of Naomi and Ruth. And through it all He glorified Himself through the life of Ruth by raising up a family that would one day bring forth the Messiah. When our hopes are dashed we have to remember Romans 8:28, and remember that it is true.
God’s plan is being worked out in your life, no matter how hard it is. But through it all you must see that God is working all things together for good. That is not to say that all things that happen to you are good, but that all things will work together for your good.
I wonder how many times David had been told of the struggles of his grandmother. I wonder if it caused him to grow in his understanding of God’s providential care over His people in this life. And I wonder how much of this influenced him when he eventually wrote this song in the middle of intense trials.
“The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for His name’s sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; my cup overflows. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”-Psalm 23
R. Dwain Minor