We Know

The apostle Paul declares that there is something that believers know.  He wrote it to the Romans, and it still carries authority.  Amid encouragement to withstand suffering, immediately before pronouncing victory for those who remain in faith, Paul writes:

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.  (Rom. 8:28)

Wishing, hoping, or creating our own definitions does not lead to true knowledge about God.  Rather, believers should stand on truths from the Bible that define His unchanging character.  The story of Ruth and Naomi provides evidence that leads us beyond wishing and hoping to knowing that in all things, God is at work for our good.

The short book of Ruth tells us about a family that experienced famine, tragedy, despair, uncertainty, and hopelessness. And yet, it is clear that God orchestrated this story, revealing His work not only for the temporal good of Naomi and Ruth but also for God’s eternal redemptive purpose that works for the good of humanity. The main characters in the book of Ruth endured difficulty, disappointment, and isolation—things that were in no way good—but they also experienced divine redemption, wherein God caused “not good” things to work for ultimate good.

During a famine in Bethlehem, Elimelech, Naomi, and their two sons, Mahlon and Chilion, moved to Moab. While they lived there, Elimelech, Mahlon, and Chilion all died, leaving Naomi alone with her two Moabite daughters-in-law, Ruth and Orpah. When Naomi heard that the famine in Bethlehem had ended, she decided to return home. Her daughter-in-law, Orpah, returned to her Moabite family, but Ruth would not be persuaded to leave Naomi.

Ruth shared Naomi’s sorrow and had sorrow of her own. The Bible account does not indicate how long she and Mahlon were married, but she was now a young widow. Perhaps she struggled with barrenness, for she had no children. Her options were to return to her family and her Moabite Gods, or go with Naomi and leave everyone and everything else behind. She chose to go, choosing poverty, uncertainty, and Israel’s God and people over her own.

These two women arrived in Bethlehem vulnerable and desperate. Were it not for Ruth’s willingness and diligence to glean in the barley fields, they would have had no apparent means for survival. The grief they had experienced and the hardship they now faced were not good. It appeared that the famine the family tried to escape when they moved to Moab would now be their lifelong condition.

The story begins to turn for these women upon hearing about Boaz. Through a series of “coincidences,” God’s behind-the-scenes work is uncovered. The Lord’s hand was controlling their circumstances, and none of these characters could predict how God would work on their behalf or how far the good would reach. It is the privilege of the reader to appreciate God’s hand, not of affliction, but of blessing, continually at work on their behalf.

Naomi endured immense grief over the loss of her husband and sons. However, the Lord did not leave her alone, but worked good out of tragedy. “The women said to Naomi: ‘Praise be to the Lord, who this day has not left you without a guardian-redeemer … For your daughter-in-law, who loves you and who is better to you than seven sons, has given him birth’” (Ruth 4:14-15). That Ruth is referred to as better than seven sons implies that she was the most perfect and complete child Naomi could ever have. For Ruth, God worked through her loss to provide a homeland and a family of her own. No longer widowed or barren, she became the mother of Obed, the great-grandmother of King David, and was divinely inserted into the lineage of Jesus. Through Jesus, the good that God worked through this family reaches all the way to us. God’s work brought good from Naomi and Ruth’s story. Because of God’s unchanging character, we have proof—it is how we know—that God is working in our stories.

People all around me are experiencing the trouble that Jesus promised would be part of our earthly experience. We must remember that Jesus also said, “But take heart! I have overcome the world” (John 16:33). Jesus has overcome the world and its pain. He has conquered death and hell and is continually working on our behalf—taking the things that are not good and causing them to work for good. His hands are strong enough to hold our deepest pain and worst failure, and His power is strong enough to cause it to work for the good of those who love Him.