Hope in the Margins: The Redemptive Role of Boaz in the Story of Ruth
We are continuing our study into this fantastic book of the Bible that we call Ruth. Last week, our story left us in a place with seemingly no resolution. A family moved from Bethlehem to Moab due to a famine in the land and, shortly after, all three males died. Naomi and Ruth have returned to Bethlehem as widows in a bad spot. In fact, their situation is so dire that Naomi has changed her name to Mara. No longer wanting to be called “Pleasant,” she is now just “Bitter.” In the ancient world, there were not many prospects for widowed women to improve their lot in life. However, one such way they could at least get by was through the provision given in the Law of Moses to let widows and orphans pick the fallen crops from the edge of a field. But it was not uncommon for unruly men to take advantage of these least of these by robbing and assaulting them. Ruth is taking an even greater risk by picking from the fields by being a Moabite woman without a husband. It’s a way to get by, but not one that offers a lot of promise. Yet, God is not finished with these women as a man named Boaz enters into the picture as kinsman-redeemer to Naomi’s family to ease their burden. There is more to the story to tell, but the parallels to our own lives are easy to spot. Even when it seems life is nothing but pain and suffering, we know God is not done with us yet. And even when it seems like there is no hope for redemption, we know that Jesus has stepped in to lift us up.
–Caleb McCaughan
Hope in the Margins: The Redemptive Role of Boaz in the Story of Ruth from the series, Ruth, A Biblical Drama
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