I never knew the book of Ruth was a book about social justice.
I’ve been reading it recently with a small group Bible study, though, and we realized this past week that Ruth represents a certain group of people who really matter to God. Biblical scholars call them “the quartet of the vulnerable”: the poor, widows, orphans, and immigrants. Ruth fits all these categories.
So the first cool thing is noticing the way that God does look out for Ruth.
But the second cool thing is that at the end of the book Ruth is blessed as one of the “builders of the house of Israel.” She is not a charity case. She—an outsider, foreigner, poor, Moabite woman—is essential to God’s plans and purposes. She is the great-grandmother of King David. She shows up in the genealogy of Jesus.
God looks out for the vulnerable not only because they deserve love and justice.
God also looks out for the vulnerable because God has a purpose for each of our lives.
The book of Ruth gives us a glimpse of what it all might look like in the midst of ordinary people living ordinary lives.
Learn more with Amy Julia:
- The Quartet of the Vulnerable and Justice
- Why I Need to Follow Black Jesus
- S4 E10 | Why Christians Should Welcome Immigrants with Briana Stensrud
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