The more things change, the more they remain the same. And so it was for Naomi and Ruth. Notwithstanding a change of address from Moab to Bethlehem, the same old problems and uncertainties continued to plague the lives of these two widows. Their plight was a desperate one. In a cruel irony, though they now lived in the “house of bread” (the meaning of the name Bethlehem), they were stalked by hunger, overwhelmed by loneliness, uncertain of their acceptance by the Israelite community, convinced that their situation was due to divine judgment (Ruth 1:20-21), facing the extinction of their family line, and perhaps on the verge of just giving up.

Such was the plight of widows in ancient Israel, and it parallels the predicament of many who are part of our congregations today: widows and widowers, the recently divorced, loyal employees who have been laid off, parents or spouses diagnosed with a serious, possibly fatal, disease. We are the Ruths and Naomis of today.

The very message that Ruth 2 proclaims, namely that God is actively working on behalf of his children, bring us courage and hope. The Almighty has not forgotten or abandoned us, but is already arranging events and circumstances so as to bring about a glorious renewal.

The first verse of Ruth 2 hints at the coming restoration by introducing the person through whom it will later be accomplished, Naomi’s wealthy relative, Boaz. Now at this point in the narrative, Naomi and Ruth are not thinking of Boaz as a candidate to extricate them from the pit into which they have fallen. However, he is already in place and possesses resources which will be used to bring about a reversal of their fortunes. There is a redeemer, as Boaz will later be designated, waiting in the wings (in Ruth 2:20; 3:9,12, the participle form of ga)al, denotes Boaz; the NIV translates this as “kinsman-redeemer”). Perhaps we need to add the phrase “prevenient providence” to our theological lexicon. Some are already acquainted with the concept of prevenient grace. It refers to the divine grace that is already working on a person’s heart prior to that person’s turning to God. Though I have never heard of the term prevenient providence, the book of Ruth establishes the validity of the concept.

But what should Ruth and Naomi do in the meantime? In accordance with the stipulation permitting the poor to gather the grain left by the harvesters (see Lev 19:9-10; 23:22; Deut 24:19-22), Ruth proposed finding a field in which she would be allowed to glean. So she headed out, and “as it happened” (2:3), she came to the field of Boaz. “As it happened” (qarah). What is the meaning of this phrase? Is the author suggesting that Ruth’s encounter with Boaz, an event which takes on enormous significance as the plot of the book unfolds, is simply a coincidence? Not at all! Though it may appear to the reader that Ruth stumbled on the field of Boaz by accident, this “labeling of Ruth’s meeting with Boaz as ‘chance’ is nothing more than the author’s way of saying that no human intent was involved. For Ruth and Boaz it was an accident, but not for God” (Ronald M. Hals, The Theology of the Book of Ruth [Philadelphia: Fortress, 1969] 12). A study of the Hebrew verbal root used here (qarah) buttresses this point, for “Yahweh often lurks in contexts where qrh occurs” (Robert L. Hubbard, Jr., The Book of Ruth, NICOT [Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1988] 141, n. 7).

Herein the author is attempting to make a point about divine providence. Providence in the book of Ruth is not of the spectacular, miraculous, “fireworks in the sky,” variety. To the contrary, much of God’s activity “is very much that of one in the shadows, the one whose manifestation is not by intervention but by a lightly exercised providential control” (Edward R. Campbell, Jr., Ruth, AB [Garden City: Doubleday, 1975] 29). But the events that occur subsequent to Ruth’s encounter with Boaz all have the feel of being part of the divine plan to redeem and restore Ruth and Naomi.

Dare we not also affirm God’s providential leading of his children today and his involvement in our own lives? The Ruths and Naomis of today need desperately to hear the message that the same God who knows when a sparrow falls (Matt 10:29) cares deeply about them, that he is interested and involved in their lives. They need to be reminded of the gift of redemption, the ultimate restoration, and especially of the great redeemer par excellence, the one whom Boaz foreshadowed, Jesus Christ. Redemption and restoration are on the march and ultimately will be visible.

Something more should be said about Ruth. Her Moabite ancestry would seem to preclude her acceptance by the people of God. It is worth noting that throughout the book, the author delights in calling attention to the fact that Ruth is a foreigner. Some of the references, such as the dual one in 2:6, are clearly superfluous. Every opportunity is taken to remind the reader of her Moabite heritage (1:4, 22; 2:2, 6, 21; 4:5, 10). In light of this alien status, Ruth considers herself as undeserving of any kindness (2:10).

However, this emphasis on her foreignness serves only to highlight and dramatize the effect when Ruth’s status as an outsider is reversed. This reversal comes to a climax in the last chapter of the book where Ruth is portrayed as blessed by the Lord and honored in Israel (4: 11-22). This foreigner, whose Moabite ancestry would seem to place her outside the orbit of such blessings, is revealed as the great-grandmother of David, the Israelite par excellence, and the one through whose line Jesus Christ would later come (Matt 1:1-17).

“God does not show favoritism but accepts men from every nation who fear him and do what is right” (Acts 10:34, 35). This truth needs to be proclaimed loudly and often in our day when sadly, ugly terms such as “ethnic cleansing” have made a strong comeback and are alive and well. The fact that redemption and restoration are bestowed on this seeming outsider serves to highlight for us the equal status and value of all people in God’s eyes. The riches of the divine kingdom are available to all who call upon the Lord’s name (Rom 10:9).