Some of you may already know this about me, but I am constantly reading through the Bible. My general pattern is to read from four different areas of Scripture at a time: Psalms, Proverbs, and Wisdom Literature, New Testament, Old Testament History, and Old Testament prophets. The reason for this pattern is so that I read a variety of different elements of the Bible each day. I find that preferable to simply reading through the Bible in order.

The other day I finished the book of Ruth and something interesting struck me about this. Ruth follows the book of Judges, which is a book that is very difficult for me to read through since it is dark and violent, and it describes both the spiritual and moral depravity of Israel in distinctive detail. But the Holy Spirit called one specific verse to my attention:

“In the days when the judges ruled, there was a famine in the land.”

Ruth 1:1a

Now this may seem like an odd quote to focus upon, but it is important to know that the story of Ruth is a beautiful tale of love, devotion, faithfulness, and redemption. It contains characters such as Naomi, Boaz, and of course, Ruth, who display wonderful character traits throughout this account. Consider, however, the quote above. This tale of faith and joy occurs DURING the time of the judges — that time of sin and depravity. In other words, God raised up and preserved people who truly followed him during this time, and love, devotion, and faithfulness could still be found even amidst this evil period.

Sometimes we as Christians worry about our current age — that the evils of spiritual and moral depravity that seem to be compounding in our society will overwhelm us. However, the story of Ruth reminds us that God is still alive and working even amidst great evil, and that He will continue to raise up His people to share joy and hope with one another. We CAN live with hope and joy! What a blessing to have God’s Word to remind us of this truth!