Bethlehem

 August 20, 2021

The Biblical book of Judges is the record of a dreadful time of anarchy, social, and cultural confusion in Israel. It is best summed up by its own words: “In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes” (17:68 & 21:25). The decadence of those times is seen acutely in the last chapters which record events that strangely enough, are centered around Bethlehem, a millennium later to be the birthplace of our Lord.

It was a time much like our own—chaotic, violent, dissolute, and corrupt. The rule of law had pretty well collapsed. Religion was for sale to the highest bidder, immorality was the norm, human life, especially for women, was hard, often degrading, and always dangerous.

But in the midst of such a tragic time, we have the story of Ruth—“in the days when the judges ruled” lived a man named Boaz; honest honorable, kind, and merciful. Instead of following the crowd and customs that abused the weak and vulnerable, he protected the young widow Ruth, and eventually married her, saving her from a life of destitution and perhaps prostitution.

The future of the nation didn’t lie with the prevailing culture. The depravity of the day eventually gave way before the patient, quiet, and unobtrusive work of God in an honorable man and a loyal woman. It didn’t happen overnight, and there would yet be much trouble and suffering, but from the chaos of those times, God set in motion his plan which ultimately led to the birth of the Savior of the world. The times we live in will not dictate nor determine the will and work of God, so whenever I look around me despairingly, I will also look again at Boaz and Ruth, and know that though the final chapter has yet to be written, it will be written by the God who gave us his Son for our salvation, healing, and cleansing, and will bring blessing and peace to this troubled and wretched world.