The Gold in the Book of Ruth
Amber H. Jones is a Dive Collective member who joined us this summer for Dive: Ruth. She is a writer, speaker, and gold digger who loves finding God's gold in every story. At the conclusion of the study, she wrote a series of posts surrounding the truths she gleaned—they’re too good not to share with you here.
Read on to see the gold she found in the Book of Ruth.
Written by Amber Hogan Jones
Recently, I wrapped up a four week study of the Book of Ruth with Dive Collective and my heart is expanded.
I’ve read these four chapters many times throughout the years and I felt I knew about as much as I needed to: destitute but loyal women are rescued by a noble man, signifying God’s faithfulness and redemption for us all.
As it turns out, I knew nothing. A cautionary tale for those of us who’ve studied God’s word for a long time—there’s always fresh revelation for the taking and only laziness or pride can stand in our way of apprehending it.
I’m going to share some of that freshness here. These are the juicy fruits I plucked from this book, startled silly by their potency and relevance to my own life. Here’s hoping there may be something here for you too.
Cooperation
How often have I failed to cooperate with God?
That’s the question that echos through my mind as I read the Book of Ruth.
The story begins with Naomi, a woman who has lost everything of meaning—husband, children, home, provision and, most importantly, hope.
She’s not shy about assigning responsibility for her situation, either: “Shaddai has dealt great bitterness to me” (1:20).
Yet, from the beginning, Naomi is intent on finding where the Lord is working and going to that place: “She had heard that the Lord was providing for his people,” so she “went out from the place she had been… and went back to the land of Judah” (1:6).
She. Went. Back.
Ruth, too, was intent on going where the goodness of God dwelled. For her, that meant following Naomi and making a life with her, her people, and her God (1:16-18). Boldly, she walked ahead into the unknown, whispers of God’s goodness and activity enough for her. Things in her life had gone terribly wrong, but the possibility of tasting rightness again was too compelling.
She. Went. Forward.
Then there’s Boaz, who opened his hand to the Lord’s will and His provision of an unlikely wife, a foreigner who would mother his son and propel a royal lineage, eventually bringing forth the Rescuer of the World—Jesus. He knew none of that when he took Ruth as his bride. All he knew for sure was that he was being presented an opportunity, albeit one with complexities and unknowns. He was wise enough to see what I’ve missed so many times: God’s opportunities often look messy.
He. Opened. His. Hands.
Each chapter provides a picture of three people—Naomi, Ruth, and then Boaz—who cooperate with the story God is writing for them—and with them. Without their willingness to go back, to move forward, and to open their hands, there would be no story, no miracle, no redemption, no happy ending.
Can God write a great story without you and me? Of course He can.
Though the Book of Ruth makes one thing startlingly clear: He doesn’t want to.
What story is He offering to you? Are you ready to cooperate?
Agency
The Book of Ruth hinges on human agency, especially that of the two central female figures—Naomi and Ruth.
Agency is defined as “the capacity to act or exert power.” Within the first few lines of this action-packed book, we see women taking matters into their own hands, making choices, moving toward goals, strategizing, and enacting. Interestingly, they’re exercising agency in the context of an ancient Middle Eastern culture where women so often had no rights and very few options.
Though we have far more rights and options than at any other time in human history, our current culture still feeds a sense of learned helplessness in women, whether through spoon-feeding us a diet of “princess mentality” or shouting us down when we become too loud, pushy, or aggressive.
Too many of us sit when we should stand. Stay when we should leave. Keep quiet when we should speak up. We tolerate too much and fail to make moves too often. We do this, many times, for the sake of “waiting on God.” Perhaps we should wonder: Is God waiting on us?
Naomi and Ruth chose to act, to exert what power they had to change their circumstances. They followed the trail of God’s provision and apprehended the opportunities He presented. According to Ruth chapter 4, they followed in the footsteps of Leah, Rachel, and Tamar (look her up in Genesis 38 and prepare to have your jaw dropped and mind blown on her use of agency for the sake of justice).
When the time came to act, they didn’t shrink back and hide behind propriety, patriarchy, or problems.
They put one capable foot in front of the other and made their moves.
Identity
I once heard a minister say, “Only answer to the names God calls you.”
Read that statement again.
The Book of Ruth drives this point home. It’s replete with examples of how, when we step into the identity God offers, the impossible becomes possible.
Naomi’s name means something like “sweet one.” Within the first chapter, she refuses to answer to that name anymore; preferring, instead, to be called “Bitter” because of the suffering she has endured.
She got ahead of God’s story, forgetting that He was still working all things together for her good. She didn’t realize that, in due time, her joy would be restored and all her pain invested in a grand scheme she could never have conjured in her wildest imaginings. I’ve often wondered if she ever looked back with regret, understanding that, while she may not have believed she was still God’s Sweet One, her Heavenly Father never lost sight of that fact for a moment. He wasn’t going to allow her to trade her true name for a lie.
Conversely, Ruth began as “the outsider,” a foreigner without prospects or anything physical to offer. However, what she had—her noble character—she gave freely to all. The weight of her character began to outweigh her “foreign” status, causing all to note that this woman could not be squeezed into their small categories.
Interestingly, Ruth progresses from referring to herself as “nokri” (foreigner) to “amah” (a name for a noble and available Jewish woman).
When she embarked on her journey with Naomi, she left behind who she was before, declaring her identity change in some of the most beautiful lines ever written. Ruth was brave enough to accept her elevated name, to believe that God hadn’t relegated her to some second class citizenry. Yet, she never forgot where she came from, her “Moabite” designation always being a part of her true self.
She wasn’t ashamed of where she’d come from and allowed God to add nobility, honor, and beauty to her life and to her name.
Are you answering to any names other than the ones God calls you?
May His hope help us to accept and carry the good identities He has given us, never shrinking back or cowering down. As we stand in the fullness of who He says we are, may we have eyes to see the impossible becoming possible.
Hope
Hope is the confident expectation that God is who He claims to be and will do what He promises. Hope hides within every line of the Book of Ruth, until it jumps out to create a grand display at the end.
Naomi is a person standing in the midst of a wasteland. Her family is dead. Her provision is gone. Her heart is crushed.
The way she sees it, God has smashed her.
She’s a realist—there is a God and He didn’t protect her from the worst.
Yet, hope propels her forward—to the place she’s heard God is working. She’s a realist—since there is a God, it makes sense to be where He is.
What’s amazing is that God doesn’t rebuke Naomi’s infinitesimal hope.
He works with it.
God isn’t surprised by the fact that the harshness of this world constantly threatens to damage our hope. The Book of Ruth demonstrates the opposite. God is always working to provide signposts to reawaken our hope along the way, reminders that He is present and active. We’re never alone.
For Naomi, these signposts looked like a loyal and brave Ruth who refused to be turned away. They looked like a noble and kind Boaz who took notice. They looked like food and shelter and a simple place to call home.
At the end of the story, we see the theme emerge clearly.
Above the horrors of this world exists a high beauty.
Beneath the devastations runs a swift and strong current of hope.
We are enveloped, you and I, in an overarching story of great and good love.
When Naomi stood at the graves of her husband and children, she could never have known what joy awaited her. She couldn’t have imagined the role she had to play in God’s good story, how she would help bring forth the Savior of the world.
The beauty of it all is that she didn’t need to know. She didn’t need to have overflowing hope or indefatigable joy for God to work.
She just needed to be a realist.
There is a God and, if there’s any hope at all, it’s only going to be found where He is.
A small hope. That’s more than enough in the hands of our big God.
Boldness
Boldness is confident and courageous risk taking.
It differs from brashness or aggression, which are rude and confrontational.
Boldness is less kicking down a door than it is firmly turning the knob.
Though this sentiment is changing, we still don’t often associate boldness with femininity in our culture. The definition of femininity, in fact, is: “having qualities or an appearance traditionally associated with women, especially delicacy and prettiness.”
The same was true in the cultural context of the Book of Ruth. Women weren’t prized for being bold; rather, they were valued for being functionaries.
There’s nothing like desperation, however, to turn a formerly subservient person into an agent of change. There’s nothing like the selfless love of a mother and a daughter to spark and cultivate boldness when it becomes necessary.
Naomi made the bold choice to leave Moab, alone, and go find God’s provision. The journey would be long and perilous, but she refused to let that deter her from doing the only right thing.
Likewise, Ruth made the bold choice to leave her family and home and go with Naomi, even if it cost her everything. It was the right thing and so it must be done.
Both women were bold enough to believe God had a plan and to see that Boaz was an integral part of it.
Ruth could have hidden behind the excuses of convention, propriety, her past, gender roles and norms, and even personal taste (Boaz was old enough to feel very flattered that Ruth wanted him!). Yet, she turned the knob to the right door and boldly walked into the right room.
Ruth was bold enough to believe God had good things in store for her. Boaz was bold enough to see they would be good together. The community was bold enough to accept a swerve from their understanding of tradition, recognizing in this couple the enduring characteristics which are important to God—faith, hope, love.
Following God to the next door requires boldness.
Boldness to believe that what’s on the other side of the door is good.
Boldness to recognize we’re qualified to open the door simply because God says so.
Boldness to pair action with belief and turn the knob.
Boldness to see beyond the temporal, to the people and things that will endure.
Boldness to choose right, no matter the risk.
God provides these doors daily. The question is: will we have the boldness to turn the knob?
Kindness
Finally, we come to perhaps the most important theme in the Book of Ruth, the one writ large on practically every line—kindness.
The Hebrew word used to describe this special kindness is HESED. It is meant to describe “loving kindness toward those who have no claim on it.” It’s much more than “being nice” or “courteous” or “doing a good deed.”
HESED is self-giving and self-forgetting acts of love.
Every person in this story practices HESED toward one another.
Naomi’s willingness to walk alone into uncertainty so that her daughters-in-law may have futures is kindness.
Ruth’s selfless loyalty to Naomi, her hard work and determination to provide for her—kindness.
Boaz’s concern and protection for strangers, his gentle and eager response to Ruth’s proposal—kindness.
The community’s embrace of Ruth, their protection and blessing over this unconventional family unit—kindness.
Most importantly, God’s kindness is magnified as we watch Him weave unlikely characters from hard places together to craft a perfect love story.
The Book of Ruth highlights what is possible when God’s people receive divine kindness and then share it with one another and the world.
Naomi, Ruth, Boaz, and the community had eyes to see the heart of God—these opportunities for kindness and redemption, offered to them as gifts.
They could have questioned these gifts at each turn, they could have eyed one another in suspicion, they could have tallied up who deserved what, they could have examined every angle and wrung every last drop of miracle out of this story with coldness and lack of compassion.
So often, this is what we humans do.
Thankfully, beautifully, they chose the way of HESED.
With open hearts, curious minds, noble character, and bold action, they practiced HESED toward one another, realizing that God’s own HESED was coursing through every line of this unlikely story.
God is extending undeserved kindness to us every minute of every day. In the midst of darkness, suffering, and grief, kindness is being offered too.
Kindness often looks different than we’d have imagined. Will we have eyes to see it?
Once we’ve seen it, will we receive it, even though it will mean admitting our need?
One we’ve received it, will we share it indiscriminately, openly, and joyfully? Will we wring every last drop of miracle from His story in our lives or will we take our lead from Ruth and open ourselves up to all the possibility His kindness is offering?
About the Author
Amber Hogan Jones
Frederick, MD
Amber is a military spouse and mom to seven, writing from the outer D.C. area. Her passion is finding God's gold in every story, which she pursues through writing articles and Bible studies, as well as hosting the Gold Digger Show, a podcast focusing on spiritual formation. She's a doctoral candidate at George Fox's Portland Seminary.
You can find her on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter @amberhoganjones
To learn more about Amber, her Bible study, podcast and more, visit her website!
Recently, I wrapped up a four week study of the Book of Ruth with Dive Collective and my heart is expanded. I’m going to share some of that freshness here. These are the juicy fruits I plucked from this book, startled silly by their potency and relevance to my own life. Here’s hoping there may be something here for you too.