"Ruth’s Redemption: Finding God's Grace in Bitterness and Brokenness"
In a time of famine and spiritual darkness, the story of Ruth shines as a powerful reminder of God’s redemptive love. This meditation explores how a foreign widow’s faith, loyalty, and courage led her into the lineage of the Messiah. Journey with Ruth from Moab’s ashes to Bethlehem’s promise, and discover how God still writes beautiful stories through our brokenness.
Shalom~
With renewed strength, I am starting once again the meditations I had postponed for so long.
For someone as inadequate as me, posting a meditation feels like climbing a towering mountain.
Once the rhythm breaks, it’s so hard to restart.
Sometimes, accusations and discouragements within me even lead me to delete writings I’ve already completed.
But I realize this comes from my own self-righteousness and pride, and so I must go through the labor of birthing yet another piece,
a labor that I can only endure through the help of the Holy Spirit.
And when I do, I find that the mountain that seemed immovable becomes level ground in an instant. Hallelujah!
For this new beginning, I have chosen to meditate on the Book of Ruth.
Ruth, to me, represents a bride who overcomes the unseen inner battles—the countless voices within—and silences them one by one.
What were these many inner conflicts that Ruth faced? And how did she overcome them?
As I look into her spirit, I too quietly long for the path of the bride.
“In the days when the judges ruled, there was a famine in the land.”
A man from Bethlehem in Judah, together with his wife and two sons, went to live for a while in the country of Moab. (Ruth 1:1)
The Book of Ruth begins by stating that the events occurred during the time of the judges.
"The land" refers to the Promised Land, Canaan, given by God.
When God first gave Canaan, He said it was a land flowing with milk and honey.
It was a place of abundance—yet now, there was famine.
Surely, this happened under God's providence and for a reason.
“Be careful that you do not forget the LORD your God, failing to observe his commands, his laws and his decrees…
If you ever forget the LORD your God and follow other gods and worship and bow down to them,
I testify against you today that you will surely be destroyed…” (Deuteronomy 8:11–20)
Throughout the Book of Judges, the Israelites repeatedly forget God, turn to other gods, and fall into idolatry.
Yet God, in His faithfulness, continually disciplines and restores them.
Even in the Book of Ruth, God is working in the midst of such times.
When famine strikes the land, God begins to shine His light on a man from Bethlehem in Judah.
“And this he said about Judah:
‘Hear, LORD, the cry of Judah; bring him to his people.
With his own hands he defends his cause. Oh, be his help against his foes!’” (Deuteronomy 33:7)
This was Moses’ final blessing.
Judah is the tribe through whom the royal lineage of the Messiah would come.
Yet the Bible records several times when Judah left his brothers.
“At that time, Judah left his brothers and went down to stay with a man of Adullam named Hirah.
There Judah met the daughter of a Canaanite man named Shua. He married her and made love to her.” (Genesis 38:1–2)
Judah, who had conspired to sell Joseph, leaves his family, mingles with Gentiles, and even marries a Gentile woman.
Even this was permitted by God, though it defies our understanding.
From Judah’s union with Tamar—his own daughter-in-law—came Perez and Zerah, a scandalous incident.
But through Perez’s lineage came Boaz, Ruth’s redeemer.
God’s work is truly mysterious and marvelous.
God chose to weave the Messiah's lineage through those deemed “outsiders” by the Jews.
It’s as if God intentionally created what some would call a "mongrel genealogy."
Why would He do such things?
“I do not want you to be ignorant of this mystery, brothers and sisters…
Israel has experienced a hardening in part until the full number of the Gentiles has come in,
and in this way all Israel will be saved.” (Romans 11:25–27)
“The Redeemer will come to Zion, to those in Jacob who repent of their sins,” declares the LORD. (Isaiah 59:20)
“For God has bound everyone over to disobedience so that he may have mercy on them all.” (Romans 11:32)
God is a God of mercy.
Even when people rebel, God waits—to show them grace.
“Yet the LORD longs to be gracious to you; therefore he will rise up to show you compassion.
For the LORD is a God of justice. Blessed are all who wait for him!” (Isaiah 30:18)
“Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many;
and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.” (Hebrews 9:28)
From the beginning, God purposed to love us.
He sees not our sins, but views us as the objects of His mercy and love.
As proof, He sent His only begotten Son, Jesus, to this world.
Whether our sins are heavy or light, Jesus bore them all on the cross.
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son,
that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world,
but to save the world through him.” (John 3:16–17)
Such a profound truth.
Just by believing in Jesus, we are given eternal life.
But do all who claim to be believers truly receive salvation and eternal life?
This is not to judge anyone—for I include myself in that question.
That’s why I work out my salvation with fear and trembling,
seeking to partake in the resurrection of my Lord Jesus Christ.
Returning to Ruth—
Why does the Bible introduce a man named Elimelek from Bethlehem Ephrathah?
Let’s look at the original Hebrew:
- Bethlehem = Beth (house) + Lehem (bread) = House of Bread
- Ephrathah = Fruitfulness
- Elimelek = El (God) + Melek (King) = God is King
Elimelek was of the tribe of Judah—the royal lineage from which the Messiah would come.
Bethlehem, the “house of bread,” is where Jesus, our Bread and Wine, would be born.
Elimelek was not supposed to leave that land.
The Bible says they left in fullness but returned empty.
“I went away full, but the LORD has brought me back empty.
Why call me Naomi? The LORD has afflicted me; the Almighty has brought misfortune upon me.” (Ruth 1:21)
It was Elimelek, his two sons, and Naomi who left—but only Naomi and her daughter-in-law returned.
Why?
In Israel, women were not even counted in the census—how much more a Moabite woman!
Just before entering Canaan, Israel was seduced by Moabite women to worship Baal,
leading to a plague that killed 24,000.
God judged Elimelek for abandoning his people during the famine,
and He extinguished his family line—leaving only two widows.
They had no one to rely on but God alone.
Naomi said not to call her Naomi anymore:
- Naomi = "my delight"
- Mara = "bitter"
Mara was the bitter water the Israelites encountered after three days in the wilderness.
Though they left Egypt with gold and silver, it was useless in the desert.
Without water, they would die.
But when a branch (a symbol of the Cross) was thrown into the bitter water, it became sweet.
Naomi, once delight, had become bitterness—but even that was God’s mercy at work.
Among her daughters-in-law, Orpah left, but Ruth clung to her.
"But Ruth replied, ‘Don’t urge me to leave you or to turn back from you.
Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay.
Your people will be my people and your God my God.
Where you die I will die, and there I will be buried.
May the LORD deal with me, be it ever so severely, if even death separates you and me.’” (Ruth 1:16–17)
Could I have done what Ruth did?
Am I like Orpah—or like Ruth?
Thus, these two widows returned to Bethlehem as the barley harvest was beginning.