Redeemed Girl
To see the Book of Ruth as a simple love story or an interesting chronicle is to miss its much grander story of redemption. This remarkable narrative goes far beyond the personal ventures of Ruth, Noami, and Boaz, and if we don’t grasp this we miss the most miraculous part of the story: the foreshadowing of our own redemption through Jesus Christ. He is our ultimate Kinsman-Redeemer, the One who came to save us from our own versions of Moab. Who came to save us from our sin.
The idea of being a sinner or in need of a Savior can seem antiquated and offensive, especially in our culture. But acknowledging our lostness before God is surprisingly liberating, first because its offer an explanation for the extreme brokenness we so often feel with God, with one another, and even with creation. Thankfully, this acknowledgement gives us far more than an explanation; it opens up our hearts to a Savior. And because broken sinners are the treasure of His eye (“For the Son of Man [Jesus] came to seek and to save the lost.” Luck 19:10), suddenly we find ourselves in a surprisingly hopeful place.
Perhaps you have faired better than me, but I have made a terrible savior for myself. And when I have turned to other gods such as people, possessions, career paths, and entertainment, I have been miserably disappointed. I am freed by the truth that I cannot save myself and that there is no other God who can satisfy, because this is the entry point to experiencing the grace of Jesus. And because I just can’t think of anything more awful than being my own god. Jesus is the ONLY way to God.
This is one of the primary things that sets Christianity apart from other major religions. Salvation does not depend on our moral goodness. There is nothing we can do to earn it; instead, it is a gift attained for us through Christ. This is depicted beautifully in the Book of Ruth in the that Ruth had to no standing on her own. She couldn’t become and Israelite apart from Boaz’s redemption of her. Even in her “goodness,” she needed a redeemer to rescue her from the claims of Moab, invite her to his table, call her his own, restore her name, and give her a lasting legacy.
This is the beautiful offer Jesus extends to us that came at an infinite cost. He died on a cross, separated from God, so He could absorb the punishment that should have been ours. Someone had to bear the extreme destruction of our sins; and instead of us bearing it in endless separation from our Creator, the perfect Son of God stepped into our world and bore it for us. And after He died for our sin, He was raised from the dead so we could be saved by His life (Rom 5:10). Never had a Redeemer been closer.
If you have ever read, or are reading, or want to read the Book of Ruth, my prayer is that you will not just see a noble man adoring and rescuing a remarkable woman, but that you will see your own story scripted throughout its pages. That you will know in the deepest recesses of your heart that a Savior, infinitely greater than Boaz, has seen you, sought you, given you His very life for you, and invited you to His table. My hope is that you, will revel in the freeness that Jesus offers and that you will receive that invitation of eternal life, if you haven’t already, which is to know Jesus, the
The idea of being a sinner or in need of a Savior can seem antiquated and offensive, especially in our culture. But acknowledging our lostness before God is surprisingly liberating, first because its offer an explanation for the extreme brokenness we so often feel with God, with one another, and even with creation. Thankfully, this acknowledgement gives us far more than an explanation; it opens up our hearts to a Savior. And because broken sinners are the treasure of His eye (“For the Son of Man [Jesus] came to seek and to save the lost.” Luck 19:10), suddenly we find ourselves in a surprisingly hopeful place.
Perhaps you have faired better than me, but I have made a terrible savior for myself. And when I have turned to other gods such as people, possessions, career paths, and entertainment, I have been miserably disappointed. I am freed by the truth that I cannot save myself and that there is no other God who can satisfy, because this is the entry point to experiencing the grace of Jesus. And because I just can’t think of anything more awful than being my own god. Jesus is the ONLY way to God.
This is one of the primary things that sets Christianity apart from other major religions. Salvation does not depend on our moral goodness. There is nothing we can do to earn it; instead, it is a gift attained for us through Christ. This is depicted beautifully in the Book of Ruth in the that Ruth had to no standing on her own. She couldn’t become and Israelite apart from Boaz’s redemption of her. Even in her “goodness,” she needed a redeemer to rescue her from the claims of Moab, invite her to his table, call her his own, restore her name, and give her a lasting legacy.
This is the beautiful offer Jesus extends to us that came at an infinite cost. He died on a cross, separated from God, so He could absorb the punishment that should have been ours. Someone had to bear the extreme destruction of our sins; and instead of us bearing it in endless separation from our Creator, the perfect Son of God stepped into our world and bore it for us. And after He died for our sin, He was raised from the dead so we could be saved by His life (Rom 5:10). Never had a Redeemer been closer.
If you have ever read, or are reading, or want to read the Book of Ruth, my prayer is that you will not just see a noble man adoring and rescuing a remarkable woman, but that you will see your own story scripted throughout its pages. That you will know in the deepest recesses of your heart that a Savior, infinitely greater than Boaz, has seen you, sought you, given you His very life for you, and invited you to His table. My hope is that you, will revel in the freeness that Jesus offers and that you will receive that invitation of eternal life, if you haven’t already, which is to know Jesus, the
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