Finding Safety in God's Care, the Story of RuthShembull

The bigger picture

“They named him [Ruth’s child] Obed. He was the father of Jesse, the father of David.” (Ruth 4:17)

If the book of Ruth were only about the lives of Naomi and Ruth, we could have finished our reading plan yesterday. Ruth is married and has a child, so the story has a happy ending! But this story is part of a bigger picture. That's why it closes with a genealogy. The writer mentions Boaz's ancestors and also shows how the family history continues: the son of Boaz and Ruth becomes the grandfather of King David! This King David is the most famous Israelite king who ever lived. Boaz, Ruth, and Naomi obviously had no idea about this yet...

So Ruth's life story does not stand on its own. It is intertwined with the history of Israel as a people. You too do not live isolated on an island in time. You are part of a family, of a people, of an era. You yourself may not see how your actions affect other people, but Ruth's example shows that even a very “ordinary” life is part of the larger picture of history that God designs, sometimes in unexpected ways. Moreover, every Christian is part of the global church of all times and places, connected to millions of brothers and sisters in the faith. Do you see how that applies to you too?