Limp Carrots, Hard-boiled Eggs, and Coffee

Ruth is a love story, one of the richest stories in all of Scripture. It takes place in the time of the Judges possibly under the Judge Gideon. The time of the Judges was a dark time in the pages of Israel’s history where they spiraled downward in their relationship to God. With each judge there was a time of renewal but then they would spiral farther down and away from God’s blessing. The book of Judges ends with the phrase, “In those days Israel had no king, everyone did as he saw fit.” But this book is like a pearl set in contrast on the dark pages of this history. It tells us that even in the worst of times there remains goodness, love, honor, and righteousness in some. Not only do we find Israelites acting in a godly manner here but Ruth herself, a foreigner, stands in contrast to her Moabite ancestry.