Have you ever wept and leapt so many times in just four chapters? Oh, was that just me? Maybe you are drying the tears from your eyes right now, too, or maybe not so much, but as you know by now, this book just touches me from head to toe. Tinglezzz, for real. And there are so many takeaways from each chapter, I can’t even. More emotion. But by the end, as you can see, we get to the real point and the ultimate beauty of this unlikely love story: Ruth, a Moabite, a foreigner, an outsider, makes possible the eventual birth and rise of King David. And although we don’t get the full picture here, we will see this ancestral line pass all the way to Jesus. Isn’t Jesus the most gorgeous picture of humanity ever? He comes from a whole mess of people. Remember Tamar, mother of Perez, mentioned in verses 12 and 18? She posed as a prostitute to get her father-in-law to sleep with her. There’s all kinda wrong with that story, but lo and behold, a savior will be born. Knowing these facts about Jesus and his lineage can help us to give ourselves a little grace, or at least it should. I used to get a little embarrassed about my parents’ professions (cemetery sexton and beautician). They were just everyday folks. I grew up thinking you had to work in an office and put a suit on everyday to have “made it” in the world. I don’t even know why I thought that, either. Clearly I had two superb examples around me to show me that ideas like that were total garbage. I guess understanding that is part of my story, just like understanding a little more about Boaz and Ruth is part of Jesus’ story.
Writing prompt: Boaz + Ruth
What did you get out of the Book of Ruth? Summarize a few key points from each chapter, put them together and create a new story from your findings. Please share, and let us know how you liked this awesome book.
jugglingfire.com 