Overview

Through Deuteronomy, Joshua, and Judges, we’ve explored Deuteronomistic history. This is the idea that Deuteronomy all the way through to 2 Kings is one cohesive telling of Israel’s history in light of the truth of Deuteronomy 28. Obedience and faithfulness lead to blessings, disobedience leads to curses and suffering.

In the midst of this, Ruth feels like it doesn’t fit. Rather than look at a part of the nation’s history, it focuses in on the story of one particular woman and her redemption. However, we read as Judges ended looking forward to a king that would lead the people out of their wickedness.

Ruth starts set in the same time as judges and then ends with the genealogy of one of Israel’s greatest kings, David.

Ruth 1 - Moab to Israel

Ruth 2 - Ruth meets Boaz

Ruth 3 - Ruth pursues Boaz

Ruth 4 - Boaz redeems Ruth

Zooming in on this story of one family, the book of Ruth reiterates this theme that loyalty leads to blessing. It also shows the story of a people that are seemingly far from God and covenant relationship redeemed and brought back into a covenant relationship.

As we journey though the Deuteronomistic history, Ruth gives us a little side narrative that reiterates these key themes and gives us hope for a king that will come and redeem his people, as Boaz does, and of a people who are loyal and faithful as Ruth is.

Ruth 1-4

The story opens with "In the days when the judges ruled" so we know that this is still a dark time in Israel. A man called Elimelech, his wife Naomi, and their two sons left Israel and started a new life in Moab. This should already start raising alarm bells.

The Moabites have been one of Israel's enemies for a long time. They were born from the incestuous relationship Lot had with one of his daughters (Genesis 19:30-38). Up until now, whenever Israel has mixed with one of their neighbouring nations, it's gone bad.

Elimelech dies and Naomi's two sons decide to marry Moabite women. This is even worse. We read in Numbers 25 how some Israelites chased after Moabite women and it ended badly for them. Then the two sons die, leaving Naomi with her two Moabite daughters-in-law, Orpah and Ruth. Everything about this story is setting us up to think this is going to be bad.

Then Naomi decides to go back home to the land of Judah, and she encourages her daughters-in-law to stay. After a little persuasion, Orpah agrees, but Ruth refuses, saying she wants to stay with Naomi, becoming part of her people and worshipping her God.

In a time where we've seen the Israelites be so faithless to one another and to God, here is a Moabite woman that is loyal to her mother-in-law and wanting to be loyal to God. As we’ve seen before with Hagar, Jethro, and Rahab, Ruth is a foreigner that is willing to be loyal and faithful to God.

It stands in stark contrast to the state of the Israelites we read about in Judges. So Ruth goes back home with Naomi and they start life afresh in Bethlehem. At the start of this book, we see lives marked by tragedy and death and the loyalty of Ruth to her mother-in-law.

Wanting to provide for her mother-in-law, Ruth goes out to collect wheat and barley from the fields. By chance, she ends up in the fields of one of Naomi's relatives, Boaz.

Boaz notices her and her faithfulness to Naomi and so he generously blesses her, providing her with food from his table, encouraging her to only collect from his fields, and telling his servants to let her take as much as she wants. Just as Moses encouraged the Israelites to be faithful and the will receive blessings, Boaz is commending Ruth here and explaining she is being blessed because of her faithfulness.

When Ruth gets home and tells Naomi she is overjoyed, because she realises that Boaz is their kinsman-redeemer. The kinsman-redeemer was a close family member who, in situations like these, would marry the widow, take the land that belonged to her, and care for the family. This was a system that protected and supported widows.

Ruth 2 starts with Ruth and Naomi making a plan, followed by Ruth having a key encounter with Boaz, and then Ruth returns to Naomi as they celebrate and decide to wait and see what happens. Ruth 3 follows the same structure.

Naomi encourages Ruth to prepare herself and then go to Boaz and explain that he is her kinsman-redeemer. She then does this and Boaz is once again amazed at Ruth's loyalty.

Ruth was clearly young and beautiful enough that she really could have any man of her choice. Instead, she is faithful to Naomi and sticks by her, choosing a man like him, so that Naomi would also be cared for.

Boaz agrees to marry, but points out there is someone who is a closer relative that he needs to double-check with first. Ruth returns to Naomi, they celebrate, and then wait to see what will happen the next day.

The next day, Boaz gathers the elders and the other kinsman-redeemer together and explains the situation. The other kinsman-redeemer has no interest in taking Ruth as his wife, so he turns down the opportunity and Boaz redeems her instead.

Boaz and Ruth marry. Together we see the marriage of two very faithful, very generous people, who go on to have a child of their own. This story that started off with death and tragedy, has ended in a place of joy and celebration with a new birth. All this was because Ruth was first faithful to Naomi, and then because Boaz was faithful to Ruth.

More than that, at the very end of the book, we see that their child, Obed, will grow up to be the grandfather of David. David was one of the first kings of Israel. So during the time of judges, where everyone does what is right in their own eyes because they don't have a king, we see the first proper glimpses of hope. We see the beginning of the line of king David, and it all starts with two faithful people.

Psalm 77

This psalm is attributed to two people, Jeduthun and Asaph, both musicians of king David. It falls into the category of lament psalm. Unlike most lament psalms, this psalm lacks a clear request. Instead, the psalmist is happy to trust that God will make things right.

Psalm 77:1-4 - The complaint

Psalm 77:5-9 - The psalmist questions their complaint

Psalm 77:10-20 - Declaration of trust

The psalmist starts by sharing how they cry out to God, and he will hear them. But despite this, the psalmist feels weary crying out to God, presumably as currently it feels like God doesn’t hear. As much as they cry out, remember God and meditate, they’re left feeling tired and uncomforted. It almost feels like God is holding their eyelids open so they cannot rest.

But then the psalmist begins to question the validity of their complaint. They think back to what life was like and start to search through their thoughts. Is it really true that God will never smile upon them again? That God has stopped loving them or keeping his promises? Has God really forgotten grace and compassion and been overcome with anger?

Having raised the questions, the psalmist begins to answer them. They remember the great things God has previously done. They cling to them. He is a holy God who works wonders, makes himself know to his people, and redeems them. That’s his character who he is.

He’s a powerful God with the power of the oceans, rain, thunder, and lightning. He is the God that created a path through the seas and led his people through them.

And then the psalmist ends there. The unspoken answer to their questions? God has been good and faithful in the past. It is who he is. Therefore, he will be good and faithful to us now and in the future. The psalmist no longer needs to make a request because they’ve been able to encourage themselves with these truths.