Ruth

In their culture, Ruth was the lowest class of all people: a foreign woman. Yet, Boaz sees how vulnerable she is, and he shows her special favour, by handing her his grain–effectively handing her a half-a-month’s salary from his wallet–until she has an abundance. This is the kind of love that God has for those who are vulnerable and far-off. Once, we were all foreigners to the household of God. But now, through the blood of Christ, God makes us one.

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When we are faced with suffering, it can be tempting to give in to bitterness, or cynicism. But in these verses, we return to Bethlehem with Naomi and Ruth, and we are reminded of two reasons not to give up: God has an unwavering love for his people (a small part of which we can see in Ruth). And with God, there is always hope around the corner.

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In this talk, we see Naomi confronted with hesed love: an unbreakable, covenantal love. And in the face of that love, she laments. Of the two women with her, Orpah kissed Naomi goodbye, “but Ruth clung to her.” In Ruth we can see deep, selfless love for her mourning mother-in-law. But more than that, we can catch a glimpse of the unbreakable, covenantal love that God has for his people in Christ.

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Sometimes when we are in the crucible of suffering, our first instinct is to run as far from it as possible. But in this talk, the first in our series on Ruth, Sam McGeown explores another way: that it’s in this crucible that God works most powerfully in us, and that when we are faced with suffering, our ego dies, and our capacity to love sacrificially grows.

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