Seven Mile Road, what a feast for the soul the book of Ruth has been! Having finished our sermon series, I’m convinced there are so many treasures still to be mined and uncovered from these four chapters. Here are twenty thoughts coming out reflecting on this wonderful short story.

1. God is at work even in the darkest of times (Ruth 1:1).
2. A thousand human things have to happen for food to end up on your plate. But ultimately, it comes from the Lord (Ruth 1:6).
3. There are people whose kindness we can never repay; so we can ask God to repay our debt to them for us (Ruth 1:8; 2:12).
4. We can pray that the Lord would bring spouses in the lives of singles we care about (Ruth 1:9).
5. We cannot have a commitment towards God that does not include a commitment to His people (Ruth 1:16).
6. When life is hard, we have permission to tell God that life is hard (Ruth 1:13; 20-21).
7. Hesed drives us to show loving-kindness even if we are not recognized or thanked for it (Ruth 1:18).
8. Things don’t happen because of chance, or happenstance, or coincidence, but providence (Ruth 1:22; 2:3; 4:1).
9. Saying “God bless you” doesn’t have to be empty formality. We can really mean it (Ruth 2:4, 20).
10. The letter of the law says give this much. The spirit of the law says be generous. The godly live by the latter (Ruth 2:8-9, 14-16; 3:15).
11. Good men protect the lives, reputation, and purity of women (Ruth 2:9; 3:14).
12. Hesed invites and includes those who are left out (Ruth 2:14).
13. Good giving is done in secret (Ruth 2:15-16).
14. Praying for God to act doesn’t mean that we don’t act as well (Ruth 1:9 & 3:1).
15. God is often pleased to call on us to be the answer to our own prayer (Ruth 2:12 & 3:9).
16. Hesed takes initiative and risks for the good of another (Ruth 3:9-10).
17. Hesed is costly (Ruth 4:6, 9-10).
18. God loves reversal. The cursed, barren, outsider can become a blessed, fruitful, insider (Ruth 4:11-12).
19. A thousand human things have to happen for a child to be born. But ultimately, children come from the Lord (Ruth 4:13).
20. All our stories, however seemingly small, ordinary, and insignificant, are being swept up into God’s great big happy story (Ruth 4:22).

Now it’s your turn. What has God been showing you through the book of Ruth?

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