Lesson 3 - Return of the Heart

Have you ever wondered what was behind the smile of the Mona Lisa? A lot of mystery surrounds this famous painting – from her identity to her facial expression. In fact, the woman in this masterful portrait was made famous largely to the ambiguity of smile. What was she thinking at the time of the painting? What was she feeling? Joy? Contentment? Amusement? Bitterness? Sarcasm? We don’t know. The painter, Leonardo DaVinci masterfully captured an enigma in the portrait of this woman.

Well, in Scene 2 of Ruth, we are going to look at the portrait of two more women – Naomi and Ruth. And although Scene 1 only provided us with the facts surrounding these women’s lives (events and circumstances), we are going to discover that the artist reveals many more details concerning these women in Scene 2. The master artist of Ruth adds color, texture, and shading to fill in his portrait of these two women. And these details reveal the true nature of their hearts.
The portrait of Naomi reveals a bitter woman beaten down by life’s adversities.

The portrait of Ruth reveals a virtuous woman gracefully enduring life’s adversities.

And in this portrait in Scene 2 (Ruth 1:6-22), we see that the artist has cleverly contrasted these two women by narrating:

• their response to life’s adversities and
• their beliefs concerning life’s adversities

Scripture tells us our behavior (responses), words, and emotions originate out of the wellspring of our hearts, they reveal what we REALLY believe. Not just what we SAY we believe. Often our true beliefs about God, life, and ourselves are deeply buried in the most secretive recesses of our hearts. And it is only when adversities come our way that they well up out of hearts like a tsunami.

Ladies, the story of Ruth is a story regarding the loyalty of the heart. In fact, throughout the story, the biblical artists will repeatedly use the same word – ‘return’ or ‘turn back’ – to convey the importance of a return of the heart. Read through Scene 2 and count the number of times, the author uses these terms (although it is the same term in the Hebrew). And just as we will be given a portrait of the loyalty of the hearts of Ruth and Orpah, the biblical author is begging you to consider the state of your own heart – is it a heart turned toward God, “clinging” to His Word?
God’s heart is to demonstrate His hesed – his lovingkindess - toward his people.

Definition of Hesed: Often translated “lovingkindness” or “faithfulness,” hesed is best understood through the totality of God’s attributes including His: love, mercy, grace, kindness, goodness, benevolence, loyalty, and faithfulness.[1]

Significance: Hesed is an extraordinary demonstration of grace performed in deed, disposition or word that is offered without thought to benefit or gain. [2]

Scene 2 of Ruth (1:6-22) is framed by the hesed of God demonstrated toward these women by moving them from barrenness to joy and infertility to fertility. In the top layer (Ruth 1:6-7), Yahweh is asked to repay or match the hesed that Ruth and Orpah have demonstrated toward Naomi and her family. In the bottom layer of the scene (Ruth 1:22), Yahweh’s hesed "hand" guides the women to return to Bethlehem at a very providential time - the beginning of the barley harvest. His provision for His people cannot be missed, because throughout the book of Ruth the author has repeatedly set the reader up to anticipation the resolution of the lack of food and the lack of a son.

In the next two inner layers of Scene 2, the biblical artist provides us with the details of loyalty of Naomi’s heart. And the words and actions of Naomi reveal what she truly believes about God and God’s providence over her circumstances. In 1:8-13, Naomi lists several practical reasons why her two daughters-in-law should ‘return’ to the land of Moab instead of remaining with her. But the most telling reason for bidding these women to return to their homeland is an accusation Naomi levels against God in verse 13b. Naomi says: “No, my daughters; for it grieves me very much for your sakes that the hand of the LORD has gone out against me!” Naomi is accusing Yahweh of attacking her unjustly; Naomi is interpreting God’s providence in her life as unmerited punishment.

Notice what underlying beliefs Naomi is revealing in her words:

• God controls her circumstances: TRUE.
• God is not good: FALSE.
• God does not have her best interests at heart: FALSE.

Naomi’s incorrect assessment of her circumstances reveals the true nature of her heart – a heart turned from its rightful direction (toward Yahweh) to a wrong direction (toward self). And as the scene progresses, we see that Naomi’s narcissism intensifies as she changes her name from Naomi (my delight) to Mara (bitterness) in 1:19-21. This bitter old woman believes she deserves something better from the good, loving God.

Yet, in the greatest of ironies, the book of Ruth makes a case for the love of God demonstrated toward His people. We will discover that it is God’s goodness that compels Him to have our good at the center of His heart. And it is by God’s hesed “hand” that He orchestrates the events of these women’s life to bring them the greatest good and the greatest glory to Himself.

In contrast to Naomi, the biblical artist also provides us with a portrait of another heart – the loyal heart of Ruth. And the two central layers of Scene 2 record an extraordinary demonstration of hesed – love and grace by this virtuous woman.

Ruth’s decision to “return” with Naomi to Bethlehem is no small decision. She is giving up any real chance of rest in Moab (1:7) for a life of restlessness in Bethlehem. In 1:14-18, the biblical artist provides us with three details concerning the loyalty of Ruth’s heart.

• Ruth does the unexpected (1:16a): Ruth sacrificially honors her marital commitment to the family of Elimelech even though her husband has died! The narrator is building up Ruth to be a woman who repeatedly goes above and beyond obligation. She does the unexpected – not because it is surprising – but because no one is expected to show such a high measure of hesed.


• Ruth does the unreasonable (1:16b): Ruth sacrificially commits to the kind of lifestyle Naomi will endure as a widow in the ancient near east. This verse conveys more than just travel plans and accommodations once they reach their final destinations. Ruth promises to bear life’s burdens alongside her mother-in-law. As a widow, some of these would include homelessness, hunger, fear, and poverty. It would be more reasonable for Ruth to seek out a life of rest and security in her homeland, but instead, Ruth unreasonably sacrifices hope for rest for restless in Bethlehem.


• Ruth does the unthinkable (1:16c-17): Ruth sacrificially commits herself to Naomi’s identity. She claims herself as an Israelite, and by default, and a follower of the Israelite God. This is truly unthinkable. History reveals a thick hatred between these two countries. Yet, here we see the intensification of Ruth’s commitment – so much so that she would do the unthinkable. Although the biblical author doesn’t provide us with a complete commentary on the level of Ruth’s faith, her actions and words reveal much of her heart’s content. And because faith often calls us to act when we think it shouldn’t be expected of us, when we think it isn’t very rational, or even when it seems a little unreasonable, we see some measure of faith demonstrated in Ruth’s words and actions. Her heart is turning toward the covenant God of Israel.

In demonstrating sacrificial hesed toward her mother-in-law, Ruth becomes a woman after God’s own heart. We’ll see this sacrificial pattern emerge from Ruth over and over again. The writer is clearly laying a foundation to break the stereotypical image of a Moabite by Ruth’s gracious lovingkindness. She is a woman who goes above and beyond. She lives a lifestyle according to the ‘spirit of the law’ rather than by the ‘letter of the law.’ What a worthy ancestress of our Lord!

After reading Scene 2, one cannot help but evaluate his/her own heart. What does your heart look like? What do your words, actions, and thoughts reveal about the REAL you? What do you they reveal about your REAL beliefs about God and his providence in your life? Not just what you SAY you believe. But what you truly believe in the innermost recesses of your heart?

• Do you have a Naomi heart? A POISONOUS HEART - Do you refuse God’s grace in suffering? Do you believe God is unfairly punishing you? Do you believe you deserve better from God? Do you refuse to believe any good can come of your current life situation?
  
• Do you have a Ruth heart? A HESED HEART – Do you trust God’s providence in the midst of suffering? Do you seek God’s refuge and grace during life difficulties? Do you try to demonstrate hesed toward others in the same measure that has been demonstrated to you?

Think about the loyalty of your hearts this week – it is turned toward God or turned toward self? The next time we meet (Feb. 7), we will come face to face with God’s loyalty (his hesed) toward these two women in the portrait. We are going to see that, contra Naomi, our good God has good things in store for these two weary, hungry travelers. And Feb. 7, we’ll begin to unravel some of those good things!

Under the Shadow of His Wings,
Melissa

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[1] Daniel Block, The New American Commentary: Judges, Ruth (Nashville: Broadman & Holman, 1999), 633.
[2] Ibid, 633-634. See also, 605.

Lesson 2 - Once Upon a Time

When you look at a diamond, what do you see? A dazzling stone, right? You see a glittering, sparkling stone that has been cleaned, cut, and carefully placed in setting specifically designed to reflect its natural beauty.

But did you know that every diamond starts out as an ugly, messy, dirty piece of coal? You probably wouldn’t go into a jewelry store and ask to see the ugliest piece of coal in the store. When jewelry shopping, we don’t concern ourselves with the diamond’s formation process – we only value the end product. Yet, that piece of coal has undergone a long and intense process having been hidden away under the earth’s surface for hundreds of years. That piece of coal has endured extreme heat and extreme pressure that has transformed it into a priceless gemstone.

I borrowed that illustration from my oldest sis Heather, who writes a blog for minister’s wives called the daily kick. She writes: “Without God using a process to form our character we will never posses the end-product!”

Yet, we commonly make one of two mistakes:

• We only focus on the end-product and forget that God often uses our suffering as a means to bring out His good plan for our lives OR


• We only focus on the process and become overwhelmed by the pain and suffering in life and forget that suffering has meaning.

This is the key: our life circumstances are a part of the process God uses to forge our character into a glittering mirror of His character (the end-product). Everything we experience ultimately God uses for our eternal benefit. That means each quiet hurt, every monumental loss, every unfulfilled dream, are not considered meaningless for those who know the Lord (Rom. 8).

It helps to have a big picture mentality when facing difficult circumstances. And one thing we’ll discover as we study the book of Ruth is that God’s providence presumes the existence of a plan. God doesn’t just rule over His creation, he is actively guiding it toward a predetermined end – a good end.

Yesterday in class we began the first scene of Ruth (Ruth 1: 1-5). And we discovered that each of the six scenes is constructed in a mini-chiasm. This type of device is like a mirror, wherein the layers of the passage reflect, contrast, or mirror each other until you get to the middle layer. And this middle layer is the most important layer. And in Scene 1, we see that the chiasm meets in verse 3 where Naomi is widowed. By positioning this terrible circumstance as the centerpiece of the text, the author is begging the reader to view Naomi’s circumstances in light of God’s providence.

And although God is not a central character in the book of Ruth, He is constantly at work behind the scenes of these people’s lives. Here are some ways we noted God’s providence at play in Scene 1:

God’s providence guides the timing & setting of the book of Ruth (Ruth 1:1).

• The author provides us with subtle language to demonstrate that what appears as coincidence is not coincidence at all! (“And it came to pass”)


• The author tells us the story of Ruth occurred “during the time of the judges” – a time of spiritual darkness for the entire nation of Israel. But in Ruth, we have a marked contrast between the integrity shown in lives the characters of Ruth and the infidelity demonstrated in the rest of the nation.

God’s providence guides the circumstances of the story of Ruth (1:1, 3, 4).

• Naomi’s family temporarily sojourns to Moab because Bethlehem (the ‘house of bread’) is no longer plentiful.


• Naomi’s husband dies rendering her a widow without means for provision or protection.


• Naomi’s two sons die without producing an heir to the family name and lands, rendering Naomi homeless and without a place in the Promised Land.

And so, Scene 1 of Ruth ends on a depressing note, but you and I know the ending to this story. Our dismal circumstances cannot outdo a magnificent God! In fact, God is often at work behind our circumstances. Now, I’m not ready to say God caused the death of all the male members of Elimelech’s household. But I will say that evil and death cannot stay God’s hand in our lives. God is not the author of evil. He is not the author of trouble – the life of Job proves that. However, His hand often moves our circumstances for our good and His glory. History is not just a collection of events, but a divinely guided timetable through which God is working to bring about the total and complete restoration of His Kingdom – His throne. And we know this is definitely the endgame in the book of Ruth.

But we also know that God is not just interested in the ‘end product’ of our lives. God is interested in the process as well. So, we see that Naomi’s suffering was not meaningless. And if you have a relationship with the Providential God, your suffering is not without meaning either.

What meaning could Naomi’s suffering have? What kind of meaning can you find in your own suffering? I think Paul gives us a clue in Romans 8.

18 I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.

22 We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time.

23 Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.

26 In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express.

27 And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God's will.

28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him,[j] who[k] have been called according to his purpose.

29 For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.

30 And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.

This process of being conformed to the ‘likeness’ of the Son is difficult and often painful (vs. 28). But it is most often in the most ugly of circumstances that that Christ’s image in us is showcased the most beautifully. A proper view of suffering must understand how painful circumstances are being used for eternal benefit. Yet, on this side of eternity the value of such sufferings are hidden by ugly circumstances, death, and pain. But on the flip side, when Christ comes again to complete our restoration from sin, we will see nothing but beauty – Christ’s beauty as we will finally look like him! (1 John 3).

Looking forward to next week as we God providentiall gives Naomi a gem in her daughter-in-law Ruth!

Under the Shadow of His Wings,

Melissa

Lesson 1 - Introduction to Ruth

Ensuring you are really getting what you pay for in the jewelry business can be difficult. Sometimes characteristics that can impact the jewelry’s value are hidden from the naked eye. So to adequately assess the quality of a precious stone, sometimes a deeper, closer look is needed.

Take diamonds for instance. We’re all familiar with the 4 C’s right? Cut, Color, Clarity, and Carat. Yet, not all of these characteristics are readily transparent. A powerful tool – like a magnifying glass – is needed. And when you hold that magnifying glass up to that precious stone and against the light, certain hidden characteristics suddenly become illuminated. Certain qualities that you couldn’t have seen otherwise are suddenly very clear.

Ladies, that’s how we’re going to approach the book of Ruth – like it is a precious gem. I know most of us are familiar with the story of Ruth. It is easy to get pulled into the love story between Ruth and Boaz. But, I want to ask you to reconsider how you’ve understood the book of Ruth in the past. Because we know there is more to biblical narratives than mere plot and characters. I hope you take a deeper look at this literary masterpiece - looking for hidden qualities that could possibly impact the meaning of the book and your interpretation of it. Just like jewelers who use a special tool through which to evaluate the quality of a jewel, we are going to hold this true story up to the light and ask the Holy Spirit to illumine this precious book for us.

I’ve named this study “Providential Love” for a very good reason reason. Truly, it is a love story between a man and woman. But it is also full of seemingly meaningless suffering, "chance" encounters, plot twists, and it even has a surprise ending. However, for those us who have a relationship with the King of the Universe, we know those events or circumstances that seem meaningless, coincidental, and surprising are, in fact, not at all. God’s hand is always at work on our behalf, providentially arranging our lives for our good and his glory. I believe the author’s intent in writing the book of Ruth is to make a case for the providence of God. Specifically, we’ll see that God’s providence:

• not only saves two women from destitute circumstances;
• not only brings together a man and woman in marriage;
• and not only restores Elimelech’s family lands and family name;
• but God’s providence is at work for a much greater reason.

And so, yes, we study Ruth to find out how God moved at a specific place and time (in the life of Ruth/ in the days of the judges), but also so that we might superimpose the significance of the book into our lives.

I can think of three very good reasons to give the book of Ruth a closer look:

1. The Scriptures are centered around the Messiah – the “seed” of David.

Even though the Bible is comprised of 66 books written by over 40 different authors, Scripture is one, unified, coherent story. So when we read the Scriptures, we must take into account the big picture of God’s redemptive plan for all creation. And when we are conscientious to follow that big picture, we see that the entire biblical story traces the coming Messiah through the promised “seed.” The book of Ruth is no exception to the big picture of redemption. We will discover that the union of Ruth and Boaz will serve as a key link in the line of this “promised seed.” It is through the seemingly meaningless circumstances of Ruth and Naomi, that God providentially preserves the line of Christ! And so today, you and I must constantly center and organize our lives around the Messiah.

2. The standard feature of God’s relationship with His People: His Providential Care

In studying Ruth, we’re also going to discover that in accomplishing the big task of Scripture (preserving the line of Christ), God also meticulously cares for our needs as well today. Next week we will begin to look at the biblical text, and we will come face to face with some difficult circumstances. Circumstances that I venture some of us already have or will be faced with one day. And so, we need to know:

• that God’s providence gives meaning to those circumstances and


• how to trust God’s providence in the midst of those circumstances.

We must constantly learn to trust God’s care for our lives in His time, His protection, and His provision.

3. The story of biblical characters who demonstrate how to reflect the lovingkindness (hesed) of God regardless of time and culture.

And lastly, there is a model to emulate in the book of Ruth. We will see that the book’s main characters will become living, breathing examples of God’s gracious, lovingkindness (hesed)toward all men. Ruth and Boaz will repeatedly go above and beyond what is expected of them to show favor to others. Ruth and Boaz will repeatedly demonstrate obedience to the spirit of the law as well as the letter of the law. Ruth and Boaz will repeatedly act, not in their own self interests, but for the benefit of others. And so we will see that just as the book of Ruth showcases God pouring out his hesed on his people through his providential activity, so the main characters will becoming organic embodiments of this biblical principle. Today, you and I must constantly strive toward the renewal of God’s image in us through the perfect image and hesed of Christ.

Ladies, I really look forward to digging into the biblical text with you. Ruth is a fairytale indeed. One of Scripture’s precious gems waiting for us to take a closer look and examine its riches.

It was such an honor to have 42 of you in class yesterday! I will be praying for you by name during this week. If you have any questions or comments, leave me a comment here on the blog. Next week we will look at Ruth 1:1-5, so there is still time to invite your friends, neighbors, and coworkers to join us! Everyone is welcome.

Under the Shadow of His Wings,

Melissa