"Now it came to pass, in the days when the judges ruled, that there was a famine in the land. And a certain man of Bethlehem, Judah, went to dwell in the country of Moab, he and his wife and his two sons" (Ruth 1:1).
It's not a very exciting beginning... but I promise you there's way more than meets the eye, even here.
The Book of Ruth is short. You could sit down and read it in 15 or 20 minutes.
If you did that what you would find is a love story set in ancient times. And even though the customs of those ancient days seem really strange to us, the love between the main characters shines through.
And I might as well introduce the 3 main characters:
NAOMI. The Mom. She's the main character in the beginning of the story. Sadly she becomes a widow and loses her husband... utterly heartbreaking. As if that's not enough, Naomi also loses both of her sons. So it's a tragedy right from the beginning. But Naomi is the mom.
RUTH. The Daughter-in-law. She becomes the main character toward the middle and end of the story. Sadly, she also is a widow... another story of heartbreak and tragedy.
BOAZ. The New Guy. He comes in and shows tremendous generosity to Naomi and Ruth, so a lot of readers see him as the hero of the story. He is given a traditional title called "The Kinsman Redeemer," and that title actually turns out to be a gigantic mistake. Even so when the story ends, Ruth and Boaz get married. They have a son. Everyone lives happily ever after.
It is short and sweet. A simple love story. On the surface, you see a damsel in distress and her "kinsman redeemer" in shining armor. Some see Ruth as an allegory for the love of God or as a moral fable on generosity and grace. There's not much to look at, really, just four short chapters with a message of love.
We need to think again.
There's something here under the surface that once you see it you can't unsee it.
Once you see it you make a discovery:
The gospel of Ruth can set a person free. Its message can birth hope in a troubled world. On a deeper level, Ruth is a spiritual jolt of energy. It will encourage you. It will make you grateful. A journey into Ruth will dramatically deepen your respect for the literary craftsmanship of Scripture.
Most of all...
Ruth is designed to heal damaged emotions and repair the broken places in your heart by applying the healing power of Divine love to the wounds and damage caused by the Giant Pain Machine.
This humble love story called Ruth is packed with spiritual dynamite... and a lot of us need it to blow up a lot of hard, dark, soul-sucking garbage piles in our souls.
So let me outline 3 ways that what we are talking about is not what you think it is.
The STORY is not what you think it is.
The story of Ruth is not what you think it is.
It is not just a simple love story... it is on the surface, but if you really look at it deeply, Ruth is a strategic weapon for human flourishing disguised as a literary masterpiece.
Ruth is not a damsel in distress, she's a world-class, epic hero. The story is not what you think it is.
Ruth did not actually do the ancient practice of gleaning, when you look carefully, she did something else. The story is not what you think it is.
Boaz is not the knight in shining armor. He's a great guy but the whole kinsman redeemer translation and interpretation actually wrecks the story. It's not what you think it is.
Boaz isn't even the hero. Neither is Ruth. Neither is Naomi. That story is not what you think it is. I'll bet you can't even guess who the hero is. And don't say God.
What I'm saying is there's a deeper structure to things than first meets the eye.
And so it is with your life. The story is not what you think it is. Look at this completely counterintuitive, counter-cultural statement from Scripture:
"But as it is written: Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love him..."
(1 Corinthians 2:9).