Dear Diary,
Who would have known that a famine in another country would change my life the way it did? A famine that the LORD sent on his own people for their disobedience caused an Israelite family to seek refuge in my homeland, the country of Moab. We are descendants of Abraham’s nephew, Lot.
Who would have known that they would be humble, faithful people who followed the ways of the LORD God who had performed might deeds that were known by all the nations of our little part of the world. There was that amazing rescue from the mighty Egyptians when he opened the waters of the Red Sea so they could cross on dry ground...and then 40 years later it happened again as the people walked through the flooded Jordan River so they could enter the land of the Canaanites and Hivites and Jebusites. Then we heard how the walls of Jericho collapsed with no more than just the shouts of the people. Water from rocks? Manna from heaven? Victory after victory against armies bigger and stronger than them? We all knew what their God did for them.
I followed the god of my people. Chemosh was his name. He never did those things for us. I even watched people sacrifice their children to him on the altar with the hope that he would shower them with blessings. My in-laws - Naomi and Elimelek - were so humble. And so was my husband, Mahlon. It was risky for him to marry a foreigner, but he did, and he taught me the love of his God.
So when bitterness settled into the family - the death of Mahlon’s father, then his brother, and then Mahlon himself - I understood his mother’s pain. I could see why she thought her God was treating her badly. But she did not give up hope. And when it came time for her to return to her homeland, it was an easy decision for me to go with her, even though she strongly objected at first. “Do not urge me to abandon you or to turn back from following you. Because wherever you go, I will go, and wherever you make your home, I will make my home. Your people will be my people, and your God will be my God. Wherever you die, I will die, and there I will be buried. May the Lord punish me severely and double it if anything but death separates me from you.”
Would an Israelite man want to marry me, a Moabite women, if I returned with Naomi? Would I truly have a better chance of survival by leaving my family, my homeland and the gods of my youth? It didn’t matter. All I knew was that the God of the Israelites was a mighty and powerful God. He brought much pain to my new family, but he never deserted them. This is now the God in whom I put my trust. So onward to Bethlehem we go. 50 miles of danger for two women, but our God is with us. Enough writing for now, diary....
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Dear Diary,
Sometimes God uses people in grand, spectacular ways. I heard a story about a judge named Gideon, who conquered over 20,000 Midianites with nothing more than a jug and ram’s horn in the hands of only 300 soldiers. But I’ve come to know that the LORD works amazing wonders for me that are just as spectacular.
When Naomi and I returned to the property that belonged to her husband, Elimelek, during the harvest season, I knew that I would have to work if we were to survive. The LORD had taught his people to care for the poor and the widows. He said... When you harvest the crops in your field and you forget a bundle in the field, do not return to get it. It will be for the benefit of the resident alien, the fatherless, and the widow, so that the Lord your God may bless you in everything your hands do. Deuteronomy 24:19
I didn’t know the customs of the Israelites. I didn’t know what they would think of a Moabite walking in their fields. But the LORD guided me to the field of Elimelek’s relative, Boaz. He was so kind to his workers. And more than that, he was so very kind to me. When he learned who I was, and how I had left my people to become a follower of the LORD and his people, he treated me like one of his workers. And then he treated me to a special meal! Then, at the end of the day, he gave me enough grain to make at least 30 loaves of bread! My days in the fields have been long and hard, but his kindness makes each day go by so quickly. I know that the LORD is providing for us each day. Daily bread...just like he gave to my adopted ancestors in the desert their daily manna. I am so grateful that his hand guides and provides for us each day. Enough for now...
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Dear Diary,
Naomi knows that Boaz is a faithful man of God. She believes he’ll do the right thing. When harvest time is done, Naomi is going to put the land up for sale. We need to do something... Don’t let this get out to anyone...but she wants me to meet him privately so that I can propose to him. So last night was very nerve-racking and very exciting at the same time. I went to the threshing floor where he camped out to protect his crops. After he laid down for the night, I uncovered his feet so the cold air would startle him. Then I laid down beside him. I’m glad no one was awake to see what was happening! When he woke up and asked who I was, I told him, Spread your wings over your servant, for you are a redeemer (3:9 - ESV). It’s a funny way to say, marry me, but I knew he would get the picture. When he first met me, he said, May the Lord reward your work, and may you be paid in full by the Lord, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to seek refuge! - Ruth 2:12. Gentleman that he is, he accepted my proposal, even though he is older than me, and he knew that I was wanting a child who would care for Naomi and reclaim her father’s land. But he has one task to do before we can be married and he spreads his wings over me, so I’ll wait for his signal.
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Dear diary,
There is a relative who had first rights to Naomi’s land. But Boaz found out today that he does not want to fulfill his obligations as the closest kinsman redeemer. He was concerned that it may cost him financial hardship. So Boaz closed the deal with the elders of Bethlehem. He now will buy Naomi’s land. We will marry. If the LORD blesses us with a son, he will be Naomi’s redeemer and rescuer. The land that the LORD parceled out to my father-in-law will stay in his family for generations to come. The LORD has taken my mother-in-law from a life of poverty and pain to a life of praise and protection. I understand better why we sing Moses’ song: The Lord is my strength and song. He has become my salvation. This is my God, and I will praise him; my father’s God, and I will exalt him - Exodus 15:1-2.
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Dear diary,
The LORD has heard my prayers. He has given me a son. His name is Obed, the son who serves. I was humbled to hear the women of Bethlehem say to Naomi: Blessed is the Lord, who has not left you without a redeemer today. May his name be proclaimed in Israel! He will restore your life and care for you in your old age, because your daughter-in-law, who loves you, has given birth to him. She is better for you than seven sons!
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Dear Ruth,
Allow us to add a final entry into your dairy. How could you know that the faith that the LORD poured into your heart would be so richly rewarded! Your name is forever remembered. When generation after generation reads the holy, inspired Word of the Living God, they read about your sacrificial love. They learn a lesson about simple, child-like trust, about what it means to walk by faith and not by sight, and about not being afraid of doing what is right in God’s eyes rather than living for yourself. Parents can and have often prayed, May our daughters be like Ruth.
But God’s grace goes even beyond what he worked in you. It’s about what he has done through you. Your grandson, born to Obed, is Jesse. Your great-grandson is David. That means that you are a mother of Jesus, the promised Son of God, the fulfillment of the LORD whom you served.
All those sacrifices your family offered to the LORD at the tabernacle were finished by Jesus. He is the perfect lamb without blemish and defect. What the blood of your bulls and goats and lambs couldn’t do at the tabernacle - pay the full and perfect price for sin - is what your offspring did for you and for all people of all time. Look, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. Only God can forgive sin, and the LORD used you to bring the Savior from sin into the world.
And remember how Moses told his people, The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your brother Israelites. Listen to him - Deuteronomy 18:15. Your offspring is the word made flesh. He brings the word of truth to this fallen world, so that all who listen to his word and believe in him has eternal life. You dreamed of his advent into this fallen world. We have heard him and believe in him. We know that eternal life is ours because he promised it to us, and rose from the dead to assure us that he keeps his promises.
Your great-grandson, David, was a mighty king. But his and your offspring, Jesus, is the King of kings and Lord of lords. How he guided you through life is the way that he cares for all who put their trust in him. We call ourselves on giant family - the Church. We know that you must have fretted and worried and doubted many days of your life - we do too. The journey through life isn’t easy. You probably faced discrimination in a foreign land; our fallen world does the same to us. But our King knows how to keep us one step ahead of evil. He knows how to make evil serve his purposes, and how to make it work for our good. He’s a perfect king.
The LORD preserved his chosen people so that his Son could be born a Jew. But there’s foreign blood in his blood line - your Moabite blood. Because he’s a Savior for all people, it shouldn’t surprise us that his blood isn’t restricted to one nation. So this Advent season we thank God for you and the lessons we learn through you. We believe that, just as the LORD used you to accomplish his great purposes, he will use us to do the same. Just as he used you to bring blessing to this world, he will use our witness, our prayers, our offerings to bring Jesus’ blessing to the world today. To your offspring, Jesus Christ, we offer our praise. And, like you, we live for him and his glory. Amen.