More Than a Good Story by Graham Hooper

Now Elimelek, Naomi’s husband, died, and she was left with her two sons. They married Moabite women, one named Orpah and the other Ruth. After they had lived there about ten years, both Mahlon and Kilion also died, and Naomi was left without her two sons and her husband.

Ruth 1:3-5
The book of Ruth has been described as the ‘romcom’ or the ‘Mills and Boon’ of the Bible. It has travel, adventure, tragedy, hardship, uncertainty, romance, a sniff of danger, a legal complication, and then finally a happy ending with a wedding and the birth of a son. The young, penniless widow from a foreign land meets and marries a well-respected older farmer. What a great ‘feel good’ story!

It’s strikingly different from so many other books in the Old Testament. It records no wars, no apostasy or idolatry. There are no obvious miracles, no prophecy, no laws (although the law is certainly strongly implicit), and no direct word from God. So why is it in the Bible? What is it that God wants us to hear and understand today from this book of just four chapters which show and tell the struggles of ordinary people in a rural community in the Middle East over 3000 years ago?

From a wide-angle lens perspective, with the whole of the Bible in sight, we see how these events fit into God’s big plan for his people. We discover that Ruth was the great-grandmother of King David and is one of only four women mentioned in tracing the human ancestry of Jesus from Abraham to Mary (Matthew 1:1-17). She is a significant figure in Bible history.

Another way of looking at this book is from a zoom-lens perspective, to look closely at the three main characters in the story – Naomi, Ruth and Boaz. Like us, they have to devise plans, make difficult decisions and take risks. Their faith in God is tested through having to deal with adverse circumstances and unforeseen events with very uncertain outcomes.

Whether from a wide-angle or a zoom-lens perspective, God himself is the lead actor in the story. He is the sovereign God working out his purpose. He also reveals more of his character, his grace, and his faithfulness to his covenant promises.

As we read this great story of Ruth, let’s ask God to speak into our daily lives through the faith struggles of these characters. Let’s learn to trust God with all our plans and decisions. As we do, we will – like Ruth, Naomi and Boaz – come to know God more closely in the process.

Graham Hooper
Graham Hooper is a consultant, speaker, writer and former senior executive with a global infrastructure company. Currently based in Australia, Graham’s career has taken him to some twenty countries. He is the author of Undivided: Closing the Faith-Life Gap (IVP), which explores how to bridge the gap between the discipleship we long for and the reality of our everyday lives.