"Now it came to pass in the days when the judges ruled, that there was a famine in the land. And a certain man of Beth-lehem-judah went to sojourn in the country of Moab, he, and his wife, and his two sons.
And the name of the man was Elimelech, and the name of his wife Naomi, and the name of his two sons Mahlon and Chilion, Ephrathites of Beth-lehem-judah. And they came into the country of Moab, and continued there.
And Elimelech Naomi’s husband died; and she was left, and her two sons.
And they took them wives of the women of Moab; the name of the one was Orpah, and the name of the other Ruth: and they dwelled there about ten years.
And Mahlon and Chilion died also both of them; and the woman was left of her two sons and her husband."
Ruth 1:1-5
This part doesn't get much into the story of Ruth, but what it made me think of today is how God designs our lives for good. Naomi's life up to this point is severely truncated. We don't know the joys and the sorrows of moving to a different country to escape the famine, or the courtship and joy of the sons and their marriages. In a way though, the lack of detail helps us to see the overall design a little bit better. This is a story partly about the genealogy of Christ, but also about virtue and faith, and adoption and conversion into the gospel. This chapter of Naomi's life seemed bitter to her because she lost her loved ones. But it had meaning and purpose still, which she and Ruth find later. It's a good reminder that even when things seem bleak, God is still ordering all things for our good, leading us towards the happy ending that he still, and always, promises, for those who keep working and don't give up on the story. :)
