When the World is on Fire: Finding Hope in Ruth

S: Judges 19-Ruth 2

O: The end of Judges tells us one horrible thing after another.

It starts with the Levite and his concubine avoiding “pagan Jebus” (Jerusalem) to stay in the seemingly safer Gibeah of Benjamin. Yet, these “believing Benjamites” commit the very sin God condemned Sodom and Gomorrah for. In fact, it is even worse, because they actually rape the poor girl to death

The “good” old man offers his daughter and the concubine to the mob—as a father of two daughters, I can’t imagine what kind of father would do that! Then the Levite pushes his concubine out the door, and the mob gang-rapes her to death!

Consider the Levite’s callous “Get up, and let’s get going!” in the morning. Then his outrage, calling the rest of Israel together to attack Benjamin.

They massacre all of Benjamin—men, women, and children—leaving only the 600 men who managed to escape to the rock of Rimmon. At first glance, Yahweh appears to endorse it, saying, “Go up against him.” But did He endorse the way they did it?

God can, in justice, authorise battle against a tribe that has collectively chosen to uphold such horror. However, the way Israel carries it out becomes wildly excessive and soaked in rage, not in holy, measured obedience. They ignored the Law of Moses, which says you only punish the person who committed the crime, not their relatives (Deuteronomy 24:16).

Then comes their remorse at having destroyed a tribe of Israel... and their “solution” is to kill everyone in Jabesh-Gilead to provide brides for the survivors! 🤦🏽‍♂️ They try to “fix” one sinful disaster by committing another atrocity. This shows a spiral: when people won’t break their foolish oaths or humble themselves, they will break God’s clear commands instead. Nothing about the Jabesh-Gilead plan looks like the wise, holy justice God later reveals in Jesus. It looks like panicked politicians trying to protect their own honour, no matter who else dies.

“In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did that which was right in his own eyes.”

Then, a sharp scene change. We go straight into Ruth – traditionally thought to have also been written by Samuel.

This takes place around the same time, but suddenly we go from horrible sin, national unfaithfulness and tragedy, to zooming in on one family, and not just any family – a hybrid Israelite-Moabite family.

We go from 100 km/h speeding toward destruction to a sudden halt—a walking pace of 5 km/h. Wait a minute! In the midst of all this Israelite unfaithfulness, we see one Moabite woman who converted and is faithful to Yahweh, and one Israelite man who is faithful to Yahweh, and the compassion he shows to her.

There is still faithfulness. There is still love. And that love eventually results in King David, and ultimately, Jesus our Saviour.

A: The world today often feels like the end of Judges. The Russian invasion of Ukraine. The Israel-Palestine war. The Sudan civil war, and the horrible RSF atrocities there. The Burmese junta and civil war, bombing of civilians. Thailand vs Cambodia. The gang violence in Haiti.

It is easy to despair and feel helpless. However, Ruth and Boaz show us that even in the midst of national or international chaos, individual faithfulness matters. God is often working quietly in the background while the headlines scream disaster.

Even amid overwhelming chaos, our actions matter. Small faithfulness can ripple outward in ways we may never see.

This hits close to home. As Malaysians, we often ignore or look down on foreign workers or refugees, much like Ruth—a Moabite woman—might have been overlooked or despised in her society. Yet, Boaz noticed her and protected her. Let us be like Boaz. Let us stop ignoring the “strangers” in our midst and instead show them dignity, kindness, and compassion.

P: Father, as we live in this broken world, may we shine Your light. When the world feels like Judges, help us to live like Ruth and Boaz—witnesses of Your goodness in the everyday moments.

Open our eyes to those around us whom society overlooks. Give us the grace to treat the foreign workers and refugees in our nation with the same compassion Boaz showed Ruth. May our small acts of faithfulness ripple out for Your glory. In Jesus’ name, Amen.