Have you ever found God to be distant especially when life is suddenly turned upside down by dark and disorienting suffering? The story of Ruth is a story of deep and sudden suffering. And yet, woven through the suffering is a story of redemption. It’s a story of sufferers finding God to be faithful in some of the most unexpected ways, but through some of the most difficult of circumstances. God shows up. God proves himself faithful. God provides a redeemer!
Part 1: Redeeming Ruth
Ruth 1:1-5
The first five verses of the book of Ruth simply establish the setting of the story. The setting is bleak, but as a literary piece it is rich and full as any other section in the story. It provides at least two lessons for how to navigate through suffering. We should never underestimate God’s purposes in our suffering, and we should never compromise his promises in our suffering.
Part 2: The Road Back Home
Ruth 1:6-22
What do we do when we’ve walked the road of compromise? When we’ve found ourselves in sin again? Maybe it’s not outright sinful decisions, but maybe it’s just you taking the reigns of life in your own hands — striving to meet your own needs, leaning on your own understanding, determining the path forward and doing so apart from the seeking to know and submit to the purposes and promises of God for your life? This section of Ruth gets at the importance of repentance. What does repentance look like and how should it become part of our lives?
Part 3: Contending for Favor
Ruth 2:1-13
Repentance is messy, it’s difficult, it’s personal and it’s meant to be noticed by others. But it’s what realigns us with God’s heart. Removing ourselves from the deep entanglement of walking in our own understanding and placing ourselves in God’s mercy is the definition of freedom. However, the freedom of repentance often does not relieve us of physical hardship and suffering. Instead, it introduces us to a mysterious relationship of walking by faith and obedience as we seek God’s favor and relief from our suffering.
Part 4: Faith & Favor
Ruth 2:14-23
As Ruth begins to take massive steps of faith, what do we see of God’s favor? What do we learn about God’s heart for humble, risky Ruth? How does God demonstrate his favor? Throughout Scripture we see that God rewards those who diligently seek him. He favors those who walk by bold, humble, all-in faith. He demonstrates his delight toward them by either displaying his presence in greater measure or bringing added blessing to their lives.
Part 5: Finding Rest
Ruth 3
When God’s people live by faith according to his promises and purposes, God meets that faith with his grace. Sometimes that grace comes in the form of physical blessing, and other times it comes with his power or his presence. In this section we find that one of the primary rewards God gives to his people is REST. Not just physical rest, but the idea is that of having a place of belonging — having a family and security. God rewards us by providing a home.
Part 6: The Redeemer
Ruth 4
Ruth chapter 4 introduces redemption as the means by which God provides rest and belonging for his people. Boaz redeems Ruth and becomes a beautiful picture of Jesus who redeems us out of our wandering insecurity into his everlasting family. He blesses us, gives us a new name, a new reputation, and he becomes our breakthrough!
Part 7: The Providence of God
Ruth Overview
Providence is one of the themes that the author of Ruth weaves into the storyline. The reality of providence screams from these pages. It’s like the author has intentionally placed Ruth and Naomi at center stage and surrounded them with a dense fog of uncertainty. The reason for this is that on one hand, the author is emphasizing man’s responsibility in times of uncertainty. He should not lean on his own understanding but trust in the LORD with all your heart!
But on the other hand, the author is emphasizing God’s providence - his hidden hand at work in times of uncertainty. It’s like the author is begging us to read between the lines. We are meant to trace the gifts to the true Giver. You are intended to see God’s subtle but obvious handiwork. How did this blessing come? Through happenstance or coincidence? No, it came through divine providence! In moments of uncertainty we can take comfort in the fact that our God never stops working for our good.