God's Plan In Plain View | What Has He Been Up To?

What has been alluded to is now stated openly with joy! God has been sovereignly caring and guiding these events. In chapters one through three, we were able to glimpse the Lord’s actions through the use of happenstance, but now God’s plan for Naomi, Ruth, Boaz, and Obed is in plain sight! God has reversed the state of Naomi’s soul. She left Bethlehem full and returned ‘empty,’ she said. But the Lord, through Boaz the kinsman redeemer, Ruth returns to Naomi full! He reversed Ruth’s state of Moabite darkness and the barrens of widowhood. She now serves Israel’s God and is going to be restored by Boaz the redeemer! In his great kindness, mercy, generosity, and exalted status, Boaz pictures for us what it means for us Gentiles to find salvation in the God of Israel. Returning to Bethlehem for Naomi was, as we say, bittersweet. She was finally home. She was once again with family, old friends, and her familiar customs, but these gave her little consolation because Elimelech and her sons were here with her. Every face, building, and moment brought back their beloved memory. She felt empty without them. Humble faith in God’s Word and plan witnesses God’s providence in action. The Book of Ruth shows us what it was like to live during the days of the Judges. It reveals the presence of a believing remnant in apostate Israel. This family may not have been perfect, but they were believers in Yahweh. Lastly, the Book of Ruth shows us what it means to believe in God and His Word for the common believer in everyday life.