Why I Think Ruth's Love Story is an Example of God's Sovereign Election
I was doing some reading on the Bible today. I would want to do some slow reading or reading based on the verse of the day. I did some reading on Ruth some time ago for the nth time. I was thinking that perhaps the story of Ruth would show God's sovereign election. Ruth's story was how a Gentile girl from the evil empire of Moab beautifully fit into the family tree that would lead to the Messiah. Reading Jesus' genealogy in Matthew 1 would reveal that Ruth married Boaz and Boaz is the son of Salmon and Rahab. Yes, Rahab the former Canaanite harlot was the mother of Boaz. After a Canaanite woman, we have the beautiful redemption story of a Moabite woman. The Moabites were descendants of Lot. The story of the birth of Moab and Ammon was not a pretty one. Lot's two unnamed daughters thought that the destruction of Sodom was worldwide and ended up fornicating with their own father. Both Moab and Ammon are born out of father/daughter incest which made both of them the sons and grandsons of Lot at the same time. You can imagine the entangled mess. Later, Judah ended up impregnating Tamar his daughter-in-law after he refused to give Shelah his youngest son. You can see it's a very tangled family tree.
Now, we must consider the sovereignty of God in the move with Ruth. Remember how Elimelech, Naomi, and their two sons Mahlon and Chilion went to Moab. Both sons soon married Moabite women. Both sons were said to have died of malaria though the Bible is silent. A decade after the family left - Naomi was but left with her two daughters-in-law. One was Orphah and the other was Ruth. Naomi told them to return to Moab. Orphah returned back to her paganism while Ruth stayed behind. I find it puzzling at how Orphah would never come to the knowledge of the true and the living God while Ruth did. I would believe that the doctrine of sovereign election would be the reason why Ruth ended up believing in Yahweh the one true God of Israel while Orphah went back to her worship of Chemosh. Ruth ended up cleaving to her first mother-in-law. I would feel that Ruth was chosen by God and not Orphah. It was God's election of Ruth that got the latter to follow Naomi back to Israel. Just remember that Moab was also an enemy of Israel.
I think the sovereignty of God plays further when Ruth goes to the field. Boaz easily notices Ruth. I remembered Vernon McGee's commentary that says Ruth ought to have looked at herself in the mirror. McGee believes that Ruth must have been a very attractive girl. However, aren't there are lot of pretty women out there or pretty women working in his field so why did Boaz notice Ruth more than the others? I don't think Ruth was any more attractive than the other Jewish girls. Also, Boaz at that time only saw Ruth and hadn't known about her greater deal of inner beauty yet. Boaz was hesitant to move on Ruth and another person could've been the kinsman-redeemer. I believe Boaz was an old bachelor since he called Ruth as daughter suggesting a huge age gap. Some believe Boaz was 80 and Ruth was 40 though I doubt that was the case. Rather, I think Ruth would be in her 20s and Boaz in his 40s. Probably, Boaz was introduced to a lot of pretty Jewish girls. Boaz probably noticed a lot of attractive women gleaning or being introduced to him. Yet, Boaz ended up noticing Ruth a lot more and had a growing interest in her. I feel that God was slowly moving Boaz's heart while making the other possible kinsman-redeemer back off. It feels like God already chose Boaz to marry Ruth from eternity past. Ruth was elected out of the idolatry of Moab towards to the saving knowledge of the true and the living God. Ruth couldn't possibly be there without God taking the divine initiative to choose her out of the many in idolatrous Moab.
I think the sovereignty of God plays further when Ruth goes to the field. Boaz easily notices Ruth. I remembered Vernon McGee's commentary that says Ruth ought to have looked at herself in the mirror. McGee believes that Ruth must have been a very attractive girl. However, aren't there are lot of pretty women out there or pretty women working in his field so why did Boaz notice Ruth more than the others? I don't think Ruth was any more attractive than the other Jewish girls. Also, Boaz at that time only saw Ruth and hadn't known about her greater deal of inner beauty yet. Boaz was hesitant to move on Ruth and another person could've been the kinsman-redeemer. I believe Boaz was an old bachelor since he called Ruth as daughter suggesting a huge age gap. Some believe Boaz was 80 and Ruth was 40 though I doubt that was the case. Rather, I think Ruth would be in her 20s and Boaz in his 40s. Probably, Boaz was introduced to a lot of pretty Jewish girls. Boaz probably noticed a lot of attractive women gleaning or being introduced to him. Yet, Boaz ended up noticing Ruth a lot more and had a growing interest in her. I feel that God was slowly moving Boaz's heart while making the other possible kinsman-redeemer back off. It feels like God already chose Boaz to marry Ruth from eternity past. Ruth was elected out of the idolatry of Moab towards to the saving knowledge of the true and the living God. Ruth couldn't possibly be there without God taking the divine initiative to choose her out of the many in idolatrous Moab.
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