#168: Ruth and the Gospel (Part 2)

By Dawn - July 11, 2021

My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? Why art thou so far from helping me and from the words of my roaring?

O my God, I cry in the daytime; but thou hearest not, and in the night season, and am not silent. Psalm 22:1&2

Today we continue looking at the book of Ruth, but we focus on Naomi. The book of Ruth opens by telling us that this was in the days of the Judges. We understand that those were hard times in the history of Israel. And in this particular era, there was a famine that was so severe that it seemed wiser to sojourn to the land of the Midianites - a sworn enemy of Israel to find food than remain in the promised land (meant to be flowing in milk and honey). Just like Naomi and her family, very often we pass through hard times; in such times it is important to ask: is God on holiday?

As I meditate on the verses in Psalm 22, I think of the agony of Jesus on the cross when he yelled on the cross. And just like Jesus and the psalmist, Naomi voiced out her pain:

And she said to them, "call me not Naomi; call me Mara; for the Almighty hath dealt very bitterly with me." Ruth 1:20

And from everything our eyes could see, Naomi was right; this was a hearty confession and resolve, and so was the Psalmist. But Jesus (who is our gospel) was not crying in despair unlike Naomi and the Psalmist. Because He knew and was assured of a God who works in ways we cannot see. That is why moments later the gospel record tells us that

And when Jesus had cried with a loud voice, he said, Father, into Thy hands I commend my spirit" And having said thus, He gave up the ghost. Luke 23:46

We see that Jesus was drawing our attention to the 22nd Psalm. Because when we reach vs 24, 27 and 28 of this beautiful psalm, we read:

For He hath not despised nor abhorred the affliction of the afflicted; neither hath He hid His face from him; but when he cried unto Him, He heard.

All the ends of the world shall remember and turn to the LORD, and all the families of the nations shall worship before You. For the kingdom is the LORD's. And He rules over the nations.

And that is why with the same breath that Jesus cried: "My Father my Father, why have You forsaken me?" He knew He was not forsaken nor abandoned; but heard - so He was bold enough to proclaim with confidence: "Into Your hands, I commit my spirit."

So when we come to the end of Ruth, this is what we find:

And the women said to Naomi, "Blessed be the LORD which hath not left thee this day without a kinsman, that his name may be famous in Israel. And he shall be a restorer of thy life, and a nourished of thine old age; for thy daughter in law, which loveth thee, which is better to thee than seven sons, hath born him." Ruth 4:14&15

So, even though God was silent throughout the narrative of Ruth; even though He seemed distant and Naomi felt forsaken, God was working in divine providence His perfect will. On the larger scope, God was even working out something beyond Naomi and Ruth; because:

...Boaz begat Obed, and Obed begat Jesse, and Jesse begat David. Ruth 4:21&22

And the gospel begins with these words:

The book of the generation of Jesus the Messiah, the son of David, the son of Abraham. Matthew 1:1

O that we delight in the providence of God; indeed, how marvellous are His ways - for they are unsearchable and beyond understanding (Romans 11:33).

Action Point: The truth that God governs over everything He has made is gloriously true; and when we see it and embrace it as true and glorious, this doctrine can make a very deep and definite impact on how we live our lives. Binge God's providence.