It struck me just now as I wrote the title for this post, that this is indeed a very complete love story. I was going to write about just Ruth and Boaz, but that's not entirely enough.
I remember the first time Donnie ever spoke for the youth group at our church in Indiana. It was in February, so why not teach a lesson on love! What he taught them that weekend was so memorable to them, that they were still talking about it four years later when our time there was over. Love isn't just between a man and a woman...it's so much more than that.
Phileo is the love between friends and family members, and the story of Ruth gives us a perfect example of that. Ruth cared so deeply for Naomi that she would give up her home, her safety, and her future (as far as she could see it) to devote her life to her friend.
Of course the love that all of us know is Eros. That's the romantic, man and wife, kind of love. Ruth is also a beautiful example of that, for obvious reasons...but something that I had never realized until this time through was that there is so much detail about Boaz's character. He was upright and respectful of Ruth. He was affectionate and determined to be a blessing to her. So often, girls expect to compromise their values in order to get the husband they desire. All Ruth had to do was let him know she was interested, and Boaz went to work to win her hand. Every girl wants to be someone's prize. Boaz and Ruth got this right.
Agape is the third kind of love in this story. It is the unconditional love of God toward His people. Although we can find this kind of love in almost every line of Scripture, I think this story showcases it in a wonderful way. Stepping back and viewing the story as one piece, we can see that God sent Naomi to get Ruth from her country. He chose her and guided her to Himself. He made a direct path that her life would follow, and gently led her along it...straight to her redeemer. Ruth's story of Agape love is the same as each of ours. God chose us for His own, and he used others to guide us to our Redeemer, Jesus Christ.
Ruth is such a beautiful, complete story of love. Thank you, Lord!
Next time: I Samuel 1-2
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