24 Days to Reflect on God's Heart for Redemptionনমুনা

Ruth: Redeemed through personal loss and grief

The story of Ruth and Boaz in the book of Ruth was shaped by the law found in Deuteronomy 24:19-22 regarding the practice of gleaning. In Deuteronomy, Moses is speaking to the children of slaves. His audience represents the next generation poised to move into the land they learned about as children. Keep in mind, Moses led a whole generation of slaves out of Egypt, across the Red Sea, into the desert, gave them the law, and now pauses, just this side of the Jordan River, as the next generation prepares to cross into prosperity and blessing.

He issues a call to justice, a call to generosity, and a call to redemption.

Ruth, a Moabite woman, could be considered an orphan since she wasn’t with her family. She was a widow and was an alien in a foreign land. Her mother-in-law, Naomi, suffered the loss of her husband; then Ruth and Orpha both suffered the loss of their husbands while living in Moab. Naomi decided to move back to Bethlehem, and Ruth went with her.

While back in Bethlehem, Naomi instructs Ruth to glean wheat in the fields. She realizes later she’s gleaning in the fields belonging to Boaz, a man of high standing in the community. Boaz instructs his workers to leave part of the field unharvested and allows Ruth to glean from the fields for survival. Ruth later marries Boaz and is brought into the story of redemption. Boaz becomes her “kinsman redeemer.”

He buys the land belonging to Naomi and Ruth and provides for Ruth. Boaz and Ruth become the parents of Obed, who became the father of Jesse, the father of King David, a true son of Judah and an ancestor to Joseph, the father of Jesus. You never know who you’re helping in God’s redemptive work.

Who hasn’t known the loss of a loved one through death? We’re all impacted by the loss of life, whether sudden or gradual. The story of Ruth reminds us that even in our loss, God is working out a way to redeem our experiences and our lives for his purposes.

If we perceive our loss only through human eyes, it may appear God isn’t anywhere to be found. Your loss may have been intended for harm, but God intends it for God.

Reflection questions:

• How has God’s redemptive work been hidden in your life?
• How has it been revealed?