Reclaiming the Truth
13 “So Boaz took Ruth and she became his wife. When he made love to her, the Lord enabled her to conceive, and she gave birth to a son. 14 The women said to Naomi: “Praise be to the Lord, who this day has not left you without a guardian-redeemer. May he become famous throughout Israel! 15 He will renew your life and sustain you in your old age. For your daughter-in-law, who loves you and who is better to you than seven sons, has given him birth.”16 Then Naomi took the child in her arms and cared for him. 17 The women living there said, “Naomi has a son!” And they named him Obed. He was the father of Jesse, the father of David.” Ruth 4:13-17
Redeeming the Time
The glory of this story goes beyond a baby that is found in Obed. This baby points to David, who then points to Jesus, who points to the resurrection of our bodies when (Romans 8.23) “death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away” (Revelation 21.4). As we read of a woman meeting an honorable man who both are walking in faithful obedience, we might think, “the best is yet to come.” But we may be tempted to read a story like this and give way to, “that just doesn’t happen to me.” “Ruth was fortunate” or “God doesn’t see me as He saw Ruth.”
We may not even see the harvest as Naomi and Ruth did, however that is not the goal. Greater is the invitation to trust that God is at work in the darkest of days for our good and His glory. We are called to be faithful to our God, to believe when it seems unbelievable and to hope when it all seems hopeless. Our God can be trusted.
Reflection
- What does remaining in a posture of trust of God look like today?
- Where do you see God being faithful to you right now?
Resting in His Redemption
Rest and receive the truth of Psalm 131.
“Lord, my heart is not proud;
My eyes are not haughty.
I don’t concern myself with matters too great
Or too awesome for me to grasp.
Instead, I have calmed and quieted myself,
Like a weaned child who no longer cries for its mother’s milk
Yes, like a weaned child is my soul within me.
O Israel, put your hope in the Lord-
Now and always.”
