There are many stories in the Bible. Each one tells a small piece of God’s ultimate plan. All the stories that have already happened we call history. When they relate to God’s overall plan I like to call them His-Story. Ruth is a book that doesn’t mention God directly very often, but if we think about what is happening in this book, we can see God’s hand directing His-Story throughout the book. What I like about digging into these stories is it helps me realize that some things in my own life are directed by God to accomplish a small part of His-Story.
The His-Story Ruth leads into is the Genealogy of Jesus the Messiah. Ruth married Boaz in this story and became the great grandmother of King David with direct genealogy to Jesus. Boaz was the son of Rahab, but that is another story.
The other thing we need to remember is before creation God knew everything that was going to happen to everyone from their birth to their death. The thing I find fascinating is He gives us free will to choose what we do, but He already knows what it is we will do. Therefore, it is our choice if we want to be blessed by becoming a part of His Story.
This story starts in Ruth 1:1-2:
1 In the days when the judges ruled, there was a famine in the land. So a man from Bethlehem in Judah, together with his wife and two sons, went to live for a while in the country of Moab. 2 The man’s name was Elimelek, his wife’s name was Naomi, and the names of his two sons were Mahlon and Kilion. They were Ephrathites from Bethlehem, Judah. And they went to Moab and lived there.
Because of a famine Elimelek moved his family to Moab. We don’t know the location, but we do know where Elimelek chose by his free will to go was in the same area Ruth lived in.
Scene two is in Ruth 1:3-5:
3 Now Elimelek, Naomi’s husband, died, and she was left with her two sons. 4 They married Moabite women, one named Orpah and the other Ruth. After they had lived there about ten years, 5 both Mahlon and Kilion also died, and Naomi was left without her two sons and her husband.
The sons married Moab women and lived there 10 years. After Elimelek and the sons died, Naomi had no son to pass her property onto. They lived there 10 years, but neither of the women had children to carry on the family name. I see that as the Hand of God in His Story of this genealogy. Many times in Scripture God “closed the womb” of certain women until the child that fit into His Story was born. So Naomi decided to go back where they came from and told the girls to go back to their own people.
Ruth 1:11-14:
11 But Naomi said, “Return home, my daughters. Why would you come with me? Am I going to have any more sons, who could become your husbands? 12 Return home, my daughters; I am too old to have another husband. Even if I thought there was still hope for me—even if I had a husband tonight and then gave birth to sons— 13 would you wait until they grew up? Would you remain unmarried for them? No, my daughters. It is more bitter for me than for you, because the Lord’s hand has turned against me!” 14 At this they wept aloud again. Then Orpah kissed her mother-in-law goodbye, but Ruth clung to her.
Verse 16 shows God’s Hand of opportunity in Ruth’s life. She freely decides to leave everything she knows, her family and the God she grew up worshipping, and go with Naomi and her God.
Ruth 1:16:
16 But Ruth replied, “Don’t urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God.
Like many of the choices we make in life, Ruth followed the leading of God in her heart and started the possibility to be part of His Story of Jesus genealogy. Next Ruth “happens” to choose to glean in a field owned by Boaz. Again, God knew this would happen.
Ruth 2:1-3:
1 Now Naomi had a relative on her husband’s side, a man of standing from the clan of Elimelek, whose name was Boaz. 2 And Ruth the Moabite said to Naomi, “Let me go to the fields and pick up the leftover grain behind anyone in whose eyes I find favor.” Naomi said to her, “Go ahead, my daughter.” 3 So she went out, entered a field and began to glean behind the harvesters. As it turned out, she was working in a field belonging to Boaz, who was from the clan of Elimelek.
When Boaz shows up he notices Ruth over all the other women who were gleaning and chooses to protect of her. Was the fact he noticed Ruth over the others God’s influence in his thinking?
Ruth 2:5-9:
5 Boaz asked the overseer of his harvesters, “Who does that young woman belong to?”
6 The overseer replied, “She is the Moabite who came back from Moab with Naomi. 7 She said, ‘Please let me glean and gather among the sheaves behind the harvesters.’ She came into the field and has remained here from morning till now, except for a short rest in the shelter.”
8 So Boaz said to Ruth, “My daughter, listen to me. Don’t go and glean in another field and don’t go away from here. Stay here with the women who work for me. 9 Watch the field where the men are harvesting and follow along after the women. I have told the men not to lay a hand on you. And whenever you are thirsty, go and get a drink from the water jars the men have filled.”
This part of the story is good to reflect on. Because of the fact that Ruth was willing to do the hard work to help support Naomi, Boaz was impressed with her. A connection in His Story. Then Boaz decided to treat her better than the other gleaners.
Ruth 2:14-16:
14 At mealtime Boaz said to her, “Come over here. Have some bread and dip it in the wine vinegar.” When she sat down with the harvesters, he offered her some roasted grain. She ate all she wanted and had some left over. 15 As she got up to glean, Boaz gave orders to his men, “Let her gather among the sheaves and don’t reprimand her. 16 Even pull out some stalks for her from the bundles and leave them for her to pick up, and don’t rebuke her.”
Boaz choosing to show kindness to this stranger is again a part of His Story. When the day was finished, Ruth returned to Naomi with food for them. Then Naomi realized Ruth had met one of their close relatives.
Ruth 2:19-20:
19 Her mother-in-law asked her, “Where did you glean today? Where did you work? Blessed be the man who took notice of you!” Then Ruth told her mother-in-law about the one at whose place she had been working. “The name of the man I worked with today is Boaz,” she said.
20 “The Lord bless him!” Naomi said to her daughter-in-law. “He has not stopped showing his kindness to the living and the dead.” She added, “That man is our close relative; he is one of our guardian-redeemers.”
Naomi realizes that Boaz was in line to buy their property and marry Ruth as a guardian-redeemer. She sends Ruth to reach out to Boaz to see if he would redeem her.
Ruth 3:10-13:
10 “The Lord bless you, my daughter,” he replied. “This kindness is greater than that which you showed earlier: You have not run after the younger men, whether rich or poor. 11 And now, my daughter, don’t be afraid. I will do for you all you ask. All the people of my town know that you are a woman of noble character. 12 Although it is true that I am a guardian-redeemer of our family, there is another who is more closely related than I. 13 Stay here for the night, and in the morning if he wants to do his duty as your guardian-redeemer, good; let him redeem you. But if he is not willing, as surely as the Lord lives I will do it.”
Through the free will of Boaz, the marriage of Boaz and Ruth becomes a possibility. Because of Boaz’s righteousness he offers another man that is a closer relative the opportunity, but they decline. God’s intervention?
Ruth 4:9-10:
9 Then Boaz announced to the elders and all the people, “Today you are witnesses that I have bought from Naomi all the property of Elimelek, Kilion and Mahlon. 10 I have also acquired Ruth the Moabite, Mahlon’s widow, as my wife, in order to maintain the name of the dead with his property, so that his name will not disappear from among his family or from his hometown. Today you are witnesses!”
Following the laws that were established to care for God’s people, Boaz was happy to acquire the property and take Ruth as his wife. As the generations unfolded, Ruth was the great grandmother of King David and in the genealogy of Jesus.
I think it is easy to think things just happen, but I believe when necessary to fulfill situations in His Story, God puts idea is our mind that, if we freely chose to follow, allows us to have a part in His Story.
Christian Life Coach 