Ruth 2

The story of Ruth just gets better and better… if you count the number of times that “chance” comes into the picture, then Ruth is kinda like the “queen of TOTO” :p

First off, Ruth 2:3… “So she set out and went and gleaned in the field after the reapers, and she happened to come to the part of the field belonging to Boaz,”. “…happened to come…”?? Come on! In all the fields of Israel, Ruth just happened to stumble by accident into the field of Boaz?? *eyes rolling*

Secondly, Ruth 2:3b… “… belonging to Boaz, who was the clan of Elimelech”. Wow, this Boaz, whose field Ruth “happened to stumble into”, was a relative of Elimelech, Ruth’s Father-in-law. Absolutely amazing…

Thirdly, Ruth 2: 4a… “And behold, Boaz came from Bethlehem…” This kinda gives you the impression of a magic trick of sorts… ‘And behold, I shall now make this rabbit disappear!” Similarly, “And behold, Boaz came from Bethlehem”. Come on… Boaz just so happened to come back from a trip to Bethlehem on the exact same day that Ruth “accidentally” happened to stumble upon his field?

With “luck” like that, Ruth should really have just bought TOTO, won $10mil and lived happily ever after with Naomi.

All these coincidences finally got through to Naomi and she finally understood what was going on. This was her response after Ruth told her of the day’s events…“And Naomi said to her daughter-in-law, "May he be blessed by the LORD, whose kindness has not forsaken the living or the dead!" [Ruth 2:20] Contrast this with the Naomi of Chapter 1. Naomi finally looked past her past and saw instead the goodness of her God, Yahweh. Not to say that God’s goodness comes only in the positive things in life, but I think Naomi better realized the sovereignty of God and his providence to all His people.

This is the same sovereignty that permeates to every nook and cranny of my life. The sovereignty that chose me to be His child and knows the day and hour of my final breath. Also, this is the same providence that not only works at the level of the miraculous, but also in the very mundance routines of life. A "veiled" providence so to speak.

The response that comes from knowing such a God? Total and Absolute worship. A God whom we should run to, that we might take refuge under His wings. Hallelujah :)