The book of Ruth in the Bible is usually told as a romance because it does end with a marriage. But it’s a lot more than a romance -- it’s a lesson of God’s faithful presence in every moment, andHis infinite wisdom in crafting your life’s story from start to end, with no aspect left behind.
The first of its four chapters begins with a tragedy. Ruth was a Moabite woman who was widowed, along with her sister-in-law Orpah. Their husbands who had died were sons of Naomi, an Israelite woman who had also been widowed, hence Naomi’s very deep grief.
Ruth 1 Ruth’s Loyalty to Naomi
“Then she arose with her daughters-in-law to return from the country of Moab, for she had heard in the fields of Moab that the Lord had visited His people and given them food.”
Hearing that there was food in Bethlehem, Naomi gave both her daughters-in-law her blessing to leave her to embark on the journey alone, but Ruth stubbornly refused to do so. Hence Naomi and Ruth both made the journey to Bethlehem from Moab, arriving at the beginning of the barley harvest, which was perfect timing.
God’s infinite wisdom assures us that the right opportunity will come in the right place at the right time.
Ruth was fighting to survive with her mother-in-law and fellow widow – something that was very difficult in ancient times as women were much more financially dependent on the men in their families.
If you think being a woman today is hard, several centuries ago, the limitations set by the patriarchal culture were countless. Two widows fending for themselves in a war-torn land,was a formula for a hopeless situation.
But when they arrived at the field, Ruth gleaned and caught the eye of the owner of the field, Boaz.
Boaz asked his servants about her, and found out that she had fallen on really hard times. Overcome by compassion, he told the men not to harass her, and also told them to leave handfuls of the barley they’d harvested, on purpose, so that she would be able to gather more with less effort.
Opportunities from God come in various packages and in various ways. If God created something as big as the universe, He can definitely create a way to provide for us, or to fix our earthly predicaments. Sometimes it will entail a valiant struggle, but sometimes, it can also arrive so effortlessly you won't be able to believe it. Either way, God’s hand will provide both materially and spiritually.
The reason God doesn’t answer our prayers in the exact way we wanted, is because He has much bigger plans for us than we have for ourselves.
Ruth made the arduous journey with her mother-in-law to a foreign land, worked an unglamorous job in a vineyard, gleaning barley as others did the actual harvesting, in order to have something to eat. She could probably only think of the next meal, but God had generations in mind. God led her to the right vineyard and the right man. She ended up marrying the owner of the vineyard. During the famine, and when she was widowed, she probably could not have imagined that she would survive, much less, that from her lineage would come David, the greatest king of Israel, and then Jesus – Saviour of the world, the King of kings and Lord of lords.
In any circumstance, God is worthy of our trust. He is all-knowing, all-powerful and deserves all the glory in any opportunity – whether hard-fought or easy. He knows the future, and knows us better than we know ourselves.
If you want to put your trust in God today, pray this prayer with me:
"Lord Jesus, I repent of my sins and surrender my life. Wash me clean. I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. That he died on the cross for my sins and rose again on the third day for my Victory, I believe that in my heart and make confession with my mouth, that Jesus is my Savior and Lord. I receive eternal life, in Jesus name, Amen."
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