Ruth - Short, strange and significant.

One of you recently noted that the Book of Ruth is not included in the reading guide we are following.

That was intentional.

Not because Ruth is unimportant—far from it—but because it is a short book. Most believers, even those who have never sat down to read it carefully, already know the general story. Ruth is one of those books you can comfortably read within a day. So, in trying to make the guide fit within a year without dragging us deep into December and January while still pretending we are “almost done,” I removed a few books from the schedule. Among them were: the Book of Job, the book of Ruth and some sections from books like Psalms and Proverbs.

But the fact that Ruth was omitted from the guide should never make us think it is insignificant. In fact, Ruth is strategically placed in the Bible timeline. Very strategically.

Both the Book of Judges and the book of Ruth are traditionally connected to Samuel. And one thing we need to understand about prophets is this: Their work was not only to announce future events. Sometimes prophets were sent to remind people what God had already said in the past. - KS. That means a prophet can either:

- proclaim a new message,

- or echo an old one people have forgotten.

I believe that is exactly what is happening with Ruth. The book does not appear aimlessly between Judges and 1 Samuel like a random commercial break. No. It acts as a transition and a correction. Almost like God saying: “Before we continue, let me redirect your attention because you people start looking the wrong way.” To understand this, we need to revisit the ending of Judges.

The Disturbing Ending of Judges.

If you have read Judges chapter 19 to 21 carefully, then you already know things become extremely dark. The story begins with a Levite from the hill country of Ephraim. Now, as you study these books, always try to keep a map nearby. Geography matters more than many people realize.

This Levite is from Ephraim, which is north of the tribe of Benjamin. His concubine—or wife, depending on the translation—had left him and returned to her father’s house in Bethlehem in Judah. So the Levite travels south from Ephraim, through Benjamin, all the way to Bethlehem in Judah to bring her back. God wanted to use this woman from Bethlehem in my judgement. Her leaving the levitical home was a no no for God and so he helped The Levite to get her back, and after a long stay with her family—because apparently ancient fathers-in-law also believed visitors should never leave on time—he finally begins the journey back north with her.

But night falls while they are near Benjamin territory and here is where the story turns ugly.

They struggle to find accommodation until an old man invites them into his house. Take note who this man is and where he is from. He's not a Benjamite. This matters because God had instructed Israel to care for strangers and travelers. Hospitality was not optional. Honestly, if we are being truthful, God introduced the first version of Airbnb long before Silicon Valley existed. “Bed, breakfast, and donkey parking included.”

But during the night, men from the city surround the house demanding that the Levite be brought out so they could sexually abuse him and immediately, if you know your Bible, alarms should begin ringing in your head. Because this is not the first time such a thing has happened and it's happening around the same area it happened in the past!

Back in the days of Lot and the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, a very similar event took place and the Israelites would have known this story very well. This makes the situation even more horrifying. Because Israel—the nation that was supposed to be different(holy) —was now behaving like the very cities God once judged with fire.

The story becomes tragic beyond words.

The woman is abused throughout the night and dies by morning and the writer describes it in one of the saddest images in Scripture: “her hand was on the threshold of the door.”

As though she almost made it. She was raped a whole night. Not by one man but by several. She was sodomized to the point of death. The Levite(her husband) discovers her body in the morning, cuts her body into twelve pieces, and sends them throughout Israel as a national outrage signal and civil war erupts.

The Two Prayers.

The tribes gather against Benjamin, and here is something very important that many readers miss: There are two prayers in this story. The first prayer receives a direct answer from God. The Israelites ask whether they should go to battle, and God answers: “Judah shall go first.” God has okeyed the mission and given a battle plan.

There is instruction.

There is direction.

There is response.

Benjamin is attacked, thousands die, cities burn and the women, children, livestock—everything is devastated. But after the war, the Israelites suddenly realize: “Wait… we are about to lose an entire tribe.” That was the plan of God and this people didn't know, and so they pray again. But this time, something changes. God is silent.

Let's pause kidogo and understand something very significant: Silence is also a response. Many people confuse answers with responses. This two are different. An answer is what you expected, but a response is feedback whether you wanted it or not.

• Teachers expect answers.
• Examiners demand answers.
• Marking schemes require answers.

But God responds and sometimes His response is silence. In simple terms, the silence here almost feels like God saying: “What has happened has happened.”

Now here is where things become very interesting. The Israelites refuse to let Benjamin disappear. They create complicated plans to preserve the tribe after already making vows not to intermarry with them and by saving Benjamin, something unexpected happens: Benjamin becomes emotionally significant to the nation. People now have ties and connections there and this matters later.

Because eventually Israel will ask for a king and when humans choose leaders, they often look at outward appearance.

• Who looks strong?
• Who looks tall?
• Who looks impressive?
• Who has the votes?

Historically, the Benjamites stood out physically among the tribes. Which explains why the first king, Saul, comes from Benjamin.

• Tall.
• Impressive.
• Leader-looking.

Exactly the kind of king humans would naturally choose. But God had another plan all along. The king He intended to establish permanently would come from Judah not Benjamin and this is where Ruth becomes incredibly important. Though not an Israelite, she'll get married to someone from Israel and more specifically one from the tribe of Judah, from Bethlehem.

The book of Ruth quietly shifts our eyes away from Benjamin and back toward Bethlehem in Judah. That is not accidental. We are introduced to Elimelech and Naomi from Bethlehem. Yes, Elimelech leaves during famine and goes to Moab—a move that creates disaster for the family—but eventually Naomi returns.

• Broken.
• Empty.
• Hopeless.

She even says: “Do not call me Naomi… call me Mara.” Yet while she thinks her story is ending, God is positioning redemption. Because through Ruth comes the lineage of David and through David comes the lineage leading to Jesus Christ.

So while Israel’s attention drifted toward Benjamin, God kept redirecting attention back toward Bethlehem, back toward Judah and back toward His original plan.

What fascinates me most is how subtle this redirection is. God does not scream. He tells the story and through the story He quietly says: “Stop looking where I did not tell you to look.”

We still do this today. Human beings are naturally attracted to what looks impressive.

• We look for “king energy.”
• We look for charisma.
• We look for height, influence, appearance, confidence.

Meanwhile God quietly works through places and people others overlook. Bethlehem was not impressive. But that was where the promise was and maybe that is part of the lesson Ruth teaches us before we enter Samuel and Kings: If we are not careful, we can become emotionally attached to directions God never intended us to follow.

So as we continue reading through Scripture, let us pay attention not only to what God says—but also to where He keeps pointing our eyes. I think it's back to Him and His plan.

Huratiti!

I'm realizing that this is actually what happens in the New Testament. 12 disciples, one goes off the rails just like the Benjamites, the people try to save his spot(elect Mathias), but God says no to that plan(though he lets them do it) and appoints Saul...also think Ruth, from outside the ranks.