Sep 11, 2022
Scripture Reading: Ruth 1
During the time of the judges in Israel, God's providence was on display in a wondrous way, in order to show His faithfulness to bring the promised Messiah. In the process, God displays His grace to a family in Bethlehem. He does this through the everyday ebb and flow of life and not through some spectacular miracle.
The book of Ruth is a story of ordinary people in ordinary people in ordinary circumstances. It is a story of hardship and heartache, of love and fidelity, of determination and the sovereignty of God, governing the affairs of human existence.
The main purpose of this book is not to describe love and friendship, nor to illustrate Old Testament laws of marriage and heritage … though the details of this story does both. The primary, immediate purpose of the book of Ruth is to display the invisible hand of God, at work in the darkest of times, in the most ordinary of circumstances, to bring about the good of God's people.
The ultimate purpose of Ruth is to shine a spotlight on the eternal glory of Christ. What happens in this story is part of the chain of events which will lead to the birth of Jesus, from the tribe of Judah and in the royal line of King David. God weaves it all together in a tapestry of pain and pleasure, heartbreak and hope. The Almighty is the main character in the book of Ruth.