I shared some reflections a few weeks ago. Although I've been a Bible learner and disciple of Christ for many years, I do not yet have this walk figured out. It's filled with missteps and mistakes, and even when I re-read some of my prior posts, I can see how I could have represented the truth more fully and adequately. It is humbling to know that God still brings truth even in our tiny bit of understanding.
Today, we start a Bible study I've refused to write for months. It is a chapter out of my dark soul and a testament to the bright communion God showed me over a long, swarthy night. I know I need to sit still and get some of the messy, messy work God has graciously done down on paper. I dread it and welcome it all in one.
We’ve reached our final redemptive chapter of this book. When we first met Ruth, she was a poor widow who was fresh to the faith (representative of a Gentile new believer). Since then, she has gleaned handfuls of purpose in Boaz’s field, been covered by his goodness, and now approaches a wedding day. Though not all stories have endings this romantic and buttoned-up, may it serve as a deep-seated reminder that our Savior always writes the final chapter.
We’re going to learn in Ruth 1 how Ruth’s decision was a picture of God’s grace. Ruth was a Gentile (non-Jewish) woman who didn’t know the Lord; yet, despite her difficult trials and heartache she clung to Naomi and was determined to accompany her (verse 18). Ruth’s loyalty to Naomi is a parallel picture of how we are to respond to Christ by saying, “I will not leave you, Lord. Wherever you go, I will go.”
