Why Does God Remain Hidden in the Book of Ruth?
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Ruth is one of the great heroines of the Bible. Her story of faithfulness to Naomi, during unimaginable loss, is both courageous and inspiring. Ruth ventures off into an unknown land, and crafts for herself a new life. Ruth marries Boaz and begins a new family. Scripture then follows Ruth’s story through her son Obed, grandson Jesse, and great grandson David.
Through it all, however, God appears absent. The book of Ruth is unique within Scripture because, unlike other Biblical books, Yahweh appears to have no role or voice. We never read the words “and God said to Ruth,” nor do we read about any manifestation of the divine presence. For all intents and purposes, God appears glaringly absent. Because of this, one might assume that the book of Ruth has nothing to say about God’s presence in our lives; It is merely an inspiring tale of human resilience and fortitude.
We would, of course, be wrong. God is present, although hidden. This hiddenness is incredibly important as it testifies to the constancy of God’s presence, and the assurance of God’s plan. Through Ruth’s own life, God subtly weaves the furtherance of the divine will. God is, in fact, incredibly active throughout the narrative.
The book of Ruth, therefore, provides a great encouragement for our faith lives today. Although we may not see God at work, He remains active in our lives. God’s hiddenness does not deny God’s presence or activity.
God’s Presence Is Seen in Faith
From the first chapter, Ruth is depicted as a woman of profound faith. Despite being a Moabite woman, raised to worship the god Chemosh, Ruth commits herself to Yahweh. With the death of her husband, Ruth would have been expected to return to her family and seek a new husband from among her own people. Ruth, however, clings to Naomi, Israel, and Yahweh. In an expression of faithfulness Ruth says, “Where you go, I will go, and where you stay, I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God. Where you die, I will die, and there I will be buried. May the Lord deal with me, be it ever so severely, if even death separates you and me” (Ruth 1:16-17). While this statement undoubtedly conveys her care and love toward Naomi, it also conveys Ruth’s passionate devotion to God.
More than a mere desire to follow Naomi, Ruth also desires to walk in the way of the Lord. Through faith, she accepts God’s presence and activity as a fact of her life. Thus, this short response makes clear that Ruth has an active and ongoing relationship with Yahweh. In pronouncing “May the Lord deal with me…” Ruth acknowledges the ongoing presence of God in her life. Ruth’s ultimate desire is to live out God’s will.
This small but important scene is a testimony to how God often works in our lives. Many people feel that God is absent due to the lack of visible manifestation. Even people of faith can fall into this trap. We can inadvertently believe that the presence of God only shows up in the miraculous or the glorious. If we think this way, we potentially fail to recognize God’s presence as it is revealed in the ordinary places of our lives.
God’s activity is discerned through faith. The fact is, we don’t always experience fiery pillars or burning bushes. Yet God is still with us. An active relationship with God calls us to the unyielding belief that God is present in our lives, despite what we may see or not see. We live our lives through faith not sight (2 Corinthians 5:7).
The Lord of Happenstance
Despite appearing absent, God is present throughout the entirety of the book. Not only is God present, but God is also active. This divine activity, however, is hidden. Rather than taking center stage, God works behind the scenes.
The clearest example of this is found in the second chapter. At this point, Ruth has journeyed to Judah with Naomi. With an almost spur-of-the-moment impulse, Ruth decides to glean some of the reaping of grain in a nearby field. Scripture records, “So she went. She came and gleaned in the field behind the reapers. As it happened, she came to the part of the field belonging to Boaz, who was of the family of Elimelech” (Ruth 2:3). Boaz has already been named as a relative of Naomi (Ruth 2:1). At first glance, this appears to be an amazing stroke of luck.
God’s presence can be easily missed here, as it is reduced to three simple words: “As it happened.” Yet this phrase conveys nothing less than the full weight of God’s activity. God weaves together his own purpose and will through the lives of Naomi, Ruth, and Boaz.
Ruth’s presence in Boaz’s field is not brought about by coincidence or happenstance, but by the mighty activity of God. God’s hand was working in Ruth to bring her to the precise field, on the precise day, and at the precise time in order to meet her future husband. If Ruth had been delayed a few hours the encounter would have been missed. Not only did Boaz happen to be in the field at the given time, but he also happens to be the individual with the right to redeem Ruth and make her his wife.
God often works in the background of our lives. A common quip states “a coincidence is when God chooses to remain anonymous.” There is some biblical truth to this sentiment. God subtly shapes the course of our lives, nudging us in certain directions and bringing people in and out of our lives. All these things take place to further God’s purposes for us. Of course, we may never be fully aware of how, or why, such things occur; they remain hidden, in the background of our lives. Still, what we may consider random or coincidental may, in fact, testify to the intricacy of God’s plan and the movement of His hand.
The God of Salvation
Having been redeemed by Boaz and made his wife, Ruth bears a son and names him Obed. Again, this event isn’t mere happenstance, but the intricate working of God. In fact, it is here where God’s activity is fully revealed. We read that “The Lord made her conceive, and she bore a son.” This phrase should not be passed by; it declares a glorious truth. The birth of Obed is linked explicitly to the activity of God in Ruth’s life. God actively opens Ruth’s womb and causes her to bear a son.
By mentioning the activity of God in this explicit way, God’s purpose for Ruth’s life is revealed. In each step of Ruth’s life, God was working the reality of his will. God does not bless Ruth with a child merely for her own benefit, but to move Israel along the pathway of salvation. Of course, this truth is fully revealed in the gift of Jesus. Not only is Ruth the great-grandmother of King David, but she also plays an important part in Jesus’ own genealogy (Matthew 1:5).
The book of Ruth testifies that all of God’s activity, overt or subtle, ultimately points to the salvation revealed in Jesus. Even here, generations before David rises to power, God was actively working toward the future of Israel, and the redemption of the world. Even here, God’s eye was on the incarnation. Even here, the plan of salvation was set. Let us not, therefore, dismiss the hidden activity of God, for it is in these places where God does some of his most mighty work.
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