I love family weddings. They bring relatives and friends together from far away. I also love hearing the infamous childhood stories that family events inevitably reveal. At a recent family wedding, one story in particular stood out. We’ll call him Uncle Bob. At the age of thirteen, he had an insatiable desire to create rocket propellant. One day, he decided to experiment at his mom’s kitchen table. His experiment proved successful, as he blew up his mother’s Pyrex bowl. In a panic, he quickly disposed of all the evidence. Mom never asked what had happened to her Pyrex bowl, but surely, she knew something suspicious had occurred. Perhaps she decided not to dampen Bob’s ingenuity. Providentially, Bob spent his career as an aerospace engineer.
Decisions. We make hundreds of them every day and millions over a lifetime. Some, like Bob’s, are made before our prefrontal cortex fully develops (praise God, he preserves us through our teens). Some decisions take time; others are impulsive. Still others are made for us, outside our control. Regardless of how they arise, decisions have consequences, which can profoundly shape the course of our lives, often in ways we cannot foresee.
As I reflected on Bob’s story, I thought about how it related to my recent study of the book of Ruth. The characters make decision after decision–some wise, some questionable. Conventional wisdom says that the book’s eventual, positive outcome is improbable. However, in four chapters, God weaves all the decisions together, and we get a picture of God’s sovereignty, redeeming a family and eventually the human race. The book reassures us that God’s providential care covers all of us.
One Famine, Three Funerals (Ruth 1:1–5)
The story begins when the patriarch, Elimelech, leaves Bethlehem and takes his family to Moab, a pagan nation and enemy of Israel. He exchanges one famine for three funerals. Elimelech and his two sons pass away, leaving his wife, Naomi, and their two Moabite daughters-in-law widowed.
Forward in Faith (Ruth 1:6–22)
Wisely, Naomi decides to return to Bethlehem. One daughter-in-law chooses to stay in Moab, while the other, Ruth, makes a decision that, on the surface, seems unwise. She decides to leave her land, her people, and her pagan religion to follow the God of Israel. As a Moabitess, Ruth knows she will be a widow, without children, a foreigner living in a foreign land.
A Foreigner’s Fortitude (Ruth 2)
Upon returning to Bethlehem, their widowed status makes Naomi and Ruth vulnerable in their society. Without land or support, they must fend for themselves. Despite her defenselessness, Ruth, with great fortitude and at significant risk, decides to glean in Boaz’s fields, to gather food for herself and Naomi.
Trusting to Follow (Ruth 3)
Naomi presents Ruth with some risky instructions. She tells her to approach Boaz in the dead of night to ask him to be her kinsman-redeemer, one who would buy back her family’s property and marry her. On the surface, a dangerous maneuver, if you think about her approaching a man alone in the middle of the night. In faith, Ruth does as Naomi asks.
To be Fair (Ruth 4:1–7)
Boaz accepts the challenge. First, he checks with an unnamed, closer relative with the right of first refusal. Boaz wants to ensure the relative does not want to marry Ruth. Integrity and a devotion to the Law characterize Boaz’s actions. At the city gate, surrounded by town elders, Boaz presents the situation, allowing Mr. No-Name Relative the opportunity to fulfill his duty as kinsman-redeemer by marrying Ruth.
A Fulfilling Conclusion (Ruth 4:8–22)
We know how this familiar story ends. Mr. No-Name takes a pass, allowing Boaz to marry Ruth, thus restoring the family line of Elimelech and Naomi. God adds a remarkable Gentile presence to the Messiah’s lineage through Boaz, the son of Rahab the Canaanite (Matthew 1:5), and Ruth. Ruth bears a son named Obed, the father of Jesse, the father of David (Ruth 4:17, HCSB).
Of all of the decisions made in the book of Ruth, none had a sure or predictable outcome. They led to suffering, anxiety, and incurred risk, but the characters acted in faith and displayed remarkable courage, especially when they all had a lot to lose. This fractured family had no idea what the Lord had in store for their future. Despite the twists and turns of their lives, God’s unseen hand remained present, redeeming and guiding their decisions; ultimately, Jesus Christ was brought into the world through their family.
God’s unseen hand is a promise we can claim. Even when our decisions are filled with uncertainty, regret, and unforeseen consequences, we can remember his faithfulness. Embracing this truth helps us face challenging decisions and know that they can also lead to unexpected blessings. I remember the words of Solomon, “In their hearts humans plan their course, but the LORD establishes their steps” (Proverbs 16:9, NIV).
Shirley Ralston (MACE, 2008) is the Global Marketplace Missions Training Manager for The Upstream Collective. She is a writer and pastor’s research team member at Houston’s First Baptist Church (HFBC). Additionally, she is a founding member of the HFBC Missionary Care Team. Shirley and her husband, Jeff, reside in Houston after several years of serving as marketplace global workers in the Middle East and the South Pacific.