Read Ruth 1-4
During the time of the judges, the book of Ruth records the lives of one family. Elimelek and his wife Naomi are from Bethlehem, and they have two sons, Mahlon and Kilion, when famine hits the land. The names are very significant – Bethlehem means ‘House of Bread’ and yet there is no bread. Any one of God’s people could have told you why.
God promised in Deuteronomy 28:1-6 that if his people obeyed him and walked in his ways, they would flourish. Their crops would grow. But if they disobeyed God, they would be hungry. And so Elimeleck, whose name means ‘My God is King’ has rejected God as King and disobeyed him. So, he takes his family away to a foreign land, Moab, where he dies.
In disobedience of God’s law, the sons marry foreign women. It isn’t that God is racist, as people from other nations could join God’s people. But the men were not to marry foreign women who worshipped other gods and could lead them away from God – and they disobeyed this part of God’s law. Their names, Mahlon and Kilion, mean ‘sickly’ and ‘wasting away’ and they soon die also.
Naomi, whose name means ‘pleasant’ changes to Mara, meaning ‘bitter’. Her husband and sons have died, leaving her a widow with no social security to fall back on. She sends away her daughters in law, having nothing to offer them, but Ruth refuses to go. She wishes to worship God too, and to serve Naomi. They head back to Bethlehem, Naomi full of her troubles and feeling that God is at the root of them.
Was Naomi right to blame God for her problems when her people had so clearly disobeyed him? Or was she simply stating a fact – God is all powerful and in charge of everything that happens, so when hardship comes, he has at very least allowed it to?
Naomi has missed the light in the darkness – God is already at work in giving her Ruth, whose name means ‘friend’. Her daughter in law is industrious and goes to gather leftover grain, it being God’s law that harvesters should leave some at the edges of the field for those who are in need. She meets the land owner, Boaz (meaning strength), who is strong in character and keeps God’s laws faithfully.
He ensures she is protected, knowing she is vulnerable to attack as she has no male relatives to avenge her honour. He provides her with extra grain, knowing she is vulnerable to poverty. And he blesses her, knowing the protection she most needs is the Lord’s, praying she will find refuge under the wings of the Almighty. Now light starts to rush into Naomi’s dark situation, as God leads Boaz to marry Ruth, redeeming the family land, and giving Naomi a grandson.
So, My God is King left the House of Bread because the people’s disobedience meant there was no longer any bread. Sickly and Wasting Away died, causing Pleasant to turn Bitter. But there was a glimmer of light in the darkness. God did not leave her alone. He provided a Friend who was given Strength, leading to a much brighter future.
God’s people have been waiting, and waiting, and waiting for the promised one who will save them from their wrongdoing; who will save them from their endless cycle of living for God, turning away, facing the consequences, crying out, and being rescued. In the midst of this mess comes the story of two Saviour figures. Ruth, the Friend, who sticks by Naomi and risks her own safety to go out and provide for her needs. And Boaz, the Strength, who uses his power to care for the most vulnerable.
This story is more than an account of one family’s life. It’s a huge arrow, pointing upwards to the heavens. There is a Saviour. He will risk his own comfort, even his life to provide for his people. He will use his strength, not for his own gain, but for those who cannot get their act together on their own. He will come.
Reflect
– Do you think God was harsh to bring famine in Bethlehem, or is it loving to allow his people to learn from facing the consequences of their actions?
– How did Naomi and Ruth’s story speak to you?
