I like Ruth

Actually I love Ruth (the abuelita of the family I live with). And I love Ana Ruth too (my Honduran "sister" here). And I'm pretty sure I have a cousin once removed that is also named Ruth. I love her as well.
But I'm acually referring to the Ruth of the Bible here. I read Ruth this morning (it's only 4 brief chapters) and was again amazed at the richness of this little book. It is cross cultural, prophetic, romantic, and all about redemption. Really, it's a good story even if you don't know squat about the Bible.
If we read the Old Testament with New Testament lenses (which is how I believe we should, in accordance with Dr. T. David Gordon professor of my dear GCC and New Englander extraordinaire-a brilliant short bow-tie wearing cancer surviving theologian of our day) we see prohphecies and connections all over the place. Verse one mentions Bethlehem of Judah. Hmm, where was Jesus born? Bethlehem of Judah. So, this clearly has to do with His earthly "ancestors." And it really does-the end of the book connects the family line of Ruth and her new husband Boaz to David, one of the more obvious predecessors of Jesus.
Before going on, here's the story in brief if you're not familiar with it. Naomi and her family went to live in Moab because there was a famine in Judah. While in Moab, Naomi's 2 sons got married, and then her husband and sons both died. Once the famine ended, Naomi headed back to Judah and told her daughters in law to stay in Moab and find new husbands. One did so, but Ruth vowed to not leave Naomi. So, when Ruth and Naomi got back to Judah, Ruth went to glean in the fields (that's what poor people in Bible times did) and ended up doing so in Boaz's fields. Boaz was a relative of Naomi's and treated Ruth really really well. He ended up "redeeming" Naomi's husband's land so it would stay in the family and got Ruth as part of the deal. Then God opened Ruth's womb and she had a son. And they all lived happily ever after.
If Ruth had had a son beforehand, there would be no book of Ruth because there wouldn't have been anything to tell. But instead, God used her-a foreigner-as a picture of redemption. She was redeemed, and saved from a life of shame and difficulty (foreigners have never had it easy anywhere, period. But she was also a widow. And widows had it tough too) and placed into the most important family in the Bible-the family of Jesus. There she was given a life, and progeny. She went from being a total failure to being a total success. God's good at doing that. :-) It's what He did for us on the cross and it's what He does as He extends His grace to us each day.
It's good to be a foreigner.