This week's lesson gives us a bit of a respite from the fast-paced and action-packed story of Israel that we have been following for several weeks now. As we come to week nine, we come to the story of Ruth. Set during the time period of the Judges, Ruth gives us a glimpse into the daily lives of the Israelites as they struggled to eke out an existence in the midst of national turmoil. What strikes me immediately about the book of Ruth is that it made it into the canon at all. Rather than it being a story of a great and powerful leader of Israel, the story is rather a domestic tale of a woman, her two daughters-in-law and their commitment to one another. Naomi and her husband, rather than staying in the Land of Promise, choose to move to Moab... a rather despicable country probably still angry with Israel over their past humiliating defeat. In Moab, not only does Naomi's husband die, but also her two sons... leaving her with only two daughters-in-law who are actually Moabites, not Israelites. Naomi makes the difficult decision to leave and return to her home in Canaan, which may have been made rather easy since she would have had no way to support herself in Moab. Rather than returning to their families, however, Ruth decides to return with her... thus she becomes a "foreign woman" living in the land of Israel.
The remarkable thing about Ruth is that this story really isn't even about her. It's about God, even though He plays a relatively minor role in the narrative. Through their family struggles, it is God who works through a man named Boaz to redeem Naomi's family. Without giving away too much- in case you haven't read it yet- the redemption of this family becomes vitally important to the Story of God... as it is through Ruth that David is born. David, of course, becomes not only the greatest King Israel ever had, but also a precursor to the Messiah.
It's all really intriguing and I'm looking forward to diving into this great story on Sunday! Invite a friend to join us.
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