The Sovereignty of God

It is rather paradoxical that a book so rich in the works of God makes so little mention of God. There are instances where it seems the writer avoids attributing to God the credit for actions (cf. 2:3) or inquiring of God for wisdom (3:18). But the work of God is evident throughout this entire book. Indeed the manner of writing seems to emphasis the hidden hand of God continually at work on behalf of Naomi and Ruth even in those circumstances we might consider coincidental. God is working all things out in this world for his own glory and the believer’s good even what seems to us to be against the will of God (Romans 8:28).

The key thought concerning God in this little book is His sovereignty in salvation. When Ruth’s husband died in Moab she could never have imagined the blessings that the Lord was going to raise up out of death. Amid the cruel twists and turn of this changeful life God in his providence showed His grace to Ruth and Naomi. The inclusion of Ruth in this divine plan underlines the inclusiveness of redemption. Ruth is among a number of Gentiles in the Old Testament to be brought into the blessing of Israel promised to Abraham in Genesis 12:3. The grace of God is not only seen in relation to redemption but in provision for his people. The book begins in famine and death and end with plenty and new life.