Book Review: The Gospel of Ruth

I recently just read a, well in my opinion, fantastic book called The Gospel of Ruth: Loving God enough to break the rules by Carolyn Custis James.  This book is an expose of Ruth, which can is in the Old Testament of the Christian Bible. 

I have read the book of Ruth before and heard many stories about her, Boaz and Naomi but have never really fully understood the meaning of the book until now. I always read it as a love story between Ruth and Boaz, which in a way it is, but there is way more to it than that.

The main person in the story is not Ruth herself, but her mother in law Naomi. Everything Ruth does is for Naomi and not for herself. Her love for Naomi is beyond remarkable and not usual between daughter in law and mother in law. But they have both loved and lost, Naomi more than Ruth.

Naomi lost her husband and two sons while Ruth lost her husband, but was barren so was childless, which in those days was something to be ashamed off. This also meant no heir for Naomi’s family – no one to carry the name on.

Naomi decided to leave Moab and go back to Bethlehem which was her home place.  Ruth decided to go with her and in doing so ‘discards cultural protocol, her own hopes of happiness and even plain reason when she embraces Naomi’s terrifying God and binds herself for life to her mother in law”.

Basically Ruth is a “shaft of light across the empty blackness of a broken life -a woman’s radical faith that refuses to say, so much for your God”. Her faith in God is grounded.

Naomi is likened to Job as they both suffered and both remind us that we all struggle in life, but in these struggles we need to cling to God, because even when there is nothing left, but rubble, God is mysteriously at work in the mess.

I can testify to this as in my struggles.  In my mess God has been there working even though at the time it did not feel like it.  And it is an amazing feeling to know God is working for you, so if he is for us who can be against us.

When in Bethlehem, the home of Naomi, Ruth goes to glean in the fields where she meets Boaz.  It is Naomi’s mission to get Ruth and Boaz to marry as it would make Ruth happy but it would also be an advantageous for Naomi herself. As it turns out that Boaz is part of Naomi’s clan and is second in line for the land which belonged to them.  God had nudged Ruth in the direction of Boaz’s field because he meant for them to meet. God does this all the time, again something that has happened to me as I have friends who God definitely put in my path and meant for us to meet.

Ruth is a rule breaker, she didn’t want to pick up left over scraps of barley for Naomi, she asked to ‘glean and gather among the sheaves behind the harvesters” (Ruth 2 v 7) – to go where gleaners were not permitted.

This intrigued Boaz as did her remarkable sacrifice of leaving her home to go with Naomi.  Boaz lets Ruth glean where she wants too and makes sure she is protected, as it says is Ruth 2 v 9 “I have told the men not to touch you”. This action left Ruth feeling overwhelmed by the kindness of Boaz.

After more rule breaking on Ruth’s part, Boaz and Ruth get married and they end up of having a child (she was not barren after all as she thought she was). However the child is not brought up by his parents, he is brought up by Naomi, his grandmother, which again was all part of God’s plan.  As it turns out Naomi raised a child who just happened to be the grandfather of the future King of Israel, King David.

Naomi’s ‘son’ was Obed. God used Naomi’s suffering for his greater good, like he does with us as well. He always has our interests in heart.

In this book, these three lives - Boaz, Naomi and Ruth – are all intersecting in what is truly a historic moment for God’s Kingdom: a wounded soldier (Naomi), a fresh recruit (Ruth) and a man of valour (Boaz), coming together as part of God’s plan.

This book also shows that woman are important in God’s eyes and he uses them in bringing about his plans. He takes women seriously and is so ‘intensely interested in the cry of a woman’s heart’

So as well as being a love story showing the love between daughter in law and mother in law as well as the love between a man and a woman, Ruth has other themes:

• Naomi’s sufferings
• Ruth’s radical sacrifices
• Boaz’s advocacy
• And God’s large vision for his everyone

The birth of Obed is a picture of the gospel – suffering and sacrifice, the joy of renewed life and hope for the future all mingled together. This is the gospel of Ruth.