By Thandolwethu Ntshebe

Everytime I’ve heard people talk about Ruth it’s always spoken about it like it’s just this sweet love story—“Just wait for your Boaz!” – and yeah, sure, Boaz was great. But today I realised that’s probably not even the main point.

First off, Boaz wasn’t just some random good guy. He was the grandson of Rahab. Rahab, the Canaanite woman, who used to be a prostitute, the one who hid Israel’s spies and got her whole family saved. An “outsider” who got grafted into God’s people.

Then there’s Ruth. A Moabite. The Israelites weren’t even supposed to marry Moabites (Deut. 23:3). In fact had there not been a famine Naomi’s family wouldn’t have gone to Moab, her sons wouldn’t have married Moabite women etc

But she doesn’t just follow Naomi out of loyalty—she says, “Your God will be my God.” She chooses Yahweh. And in the original Hebrew she uses the word “Yahweh” thus showing relationship, she’d fallen in love with God and had her own relationship with Him.

And then… these two outsiders – one from a line that shouldn’t have been in Israel, and another who wasn’t even supposed to be there – end up becoming the great-grandparents of King David. And, ultimately, ancestors of Jesus.

Meanwhile, Naomi is so deep in her grief she says, “Call me Mara (bitter), because God has dealt bitterly with me.” She can’t see it, but while she’s sitting there in her pain, God is literally setting up *the family line of the Messiah through her.

So here’s what I’m sitting with:

•⁠ ⁠God uses outsiders. Rahab. Ruth. You.
•⁠ ⁠Your “Mara” season isn’t the end. Naomi thought it was over. It wasn’t.

•⁠ ⁠Your past, your pain, your “but I shouldn’t even be here” doesn’t disqualify you. It might just be the setup for something way bigger than you see right now.
•⁠ ⁠My Bible tells me that God has a plan for our lives, it also tells me that He will leave the 99 for the 1… So totally random possibly wild – I hope not heretical thought but is it possible that God sent Naomi and her husband to Moab just for Ruth? We already he sent the spies to Rahab on purpose…

And if He did it for them… Well God is Immutable (means He never changes, same forever) So… He could definitely do it for you or people you pray for…

I don’t know who needs this, but if you’ve ever felt like you don’t belong, or like your story is too messy for God to use… Ruth and Rahab are proof He’s not done with you yet…