Grace Evangelical Society

P.O. Box 1308, Denton, TX 76202
  • About
    • Home
    • Beliefs
    • Staff
    • Board of Directors
  • Resources
    • Grace in Focus Blog
    • Grace in Focus International Blogs
    • Grace in Focus Radio
    • Grace in Focus Magazine
    • Free eBooks
    • Journal of the GES
    • Book Reviews
    • Partners in Grace Newsletter
    • Audio Messages
    • Videos
    • Email Subscription
    • Bookstore
    • Online Tracts
  • Store
    • Main Page
    • On Sale
    • Return Policy
    • Your Cart
    • Your Account
  • Events
  • Connect
    • Contact Us
    • Free Grace Church and Bible Study Tracker
    • Free Grace Jobs
    • Ministry Links
  • Donate
    • One Time Donation
    • Monthly Donation
    • Your Account
  • Search
Home
→
Blog
→
Who Is in Charge? — Ruth 1:1-2; Ruth 4:16-17

Who Is in Charge? — Ruth 1:1-2; Ruth 4:16-17

March 16, 2018 by Shawn Lazar in Blog

Who’s in charge?

When the world is falling apart, who’s in charge? When the government is hopelessly corrupt, the religious leaders are little more than hypocrites, and the kids are running wild, who’s in charge?

Who’s in charge when tragedy strikes? When a child dies? When you lose everything you own to the loan sharks? When the rains have stopped, and the food has run out, and you begin to starve?

Who’s in charge? God?

It sure doesn’t seem that way, does it?

Those are the kinds of questions you should ask as you read the book of Ruth.

Set during a very troubled time in Israel’s history, Israel lacked godly leadership. As a result, she experienced what one commentator called “generation degeneration.” The book of Judges says,

In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes (Judges 21:25).

Who’s in charge?

Humanly speaking, no one. There was no king in Israel. No leader like Moses or Joshua. No one. They even rejected God as king:

“Listen to the voice of the people in regard to all that they say to you, for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected Me from being king over them” (1 Sam 8:7).

When you reject God, you also reject everything He makes possible, such as absolute truth and morality. Consequently, you are left with utter relativisim. Instead of doing what is right, you do what is right in your own eyes, which, for Israel, included religious prostitution (Judges 16:1), idolatry (Judges 2:13), gang rape, and dismemberment (Judges 19).

That’s the setting of Ruth—a time of moral chaos.

Who’s in charge?

No one. At least, that’s how it looked. And isn’t that how it looks today? Like no one is in charge?

But Ruth tells a different story. We get the barest hint in v 2:

…a certain man of Bethlehem in Judah went to sojourn in the land of Moab…The name of the man was Elimelech (Ruth 1:1-2).

Elimelech is a very significant name. It means “my God is king.”

Who’s in charge? God! The Lord is king, whether you accept Him as such, or not; whether you see it, or not; whether it looks like it, or not.

Who’s in charge? God. That’s the lesson of Ruth. When the world seems out of control and working against you, God is still at work, working in you, and around you, and through you, and for you, whether you see it happen, or not. Lord, please give us tongues to confess, even in times of tragedy, “My God is king!”

Subscribe by Email

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Pinterest
  • LinkedIn
Shawn_L

by Shawn Lazar

Shawn Lazar (BTh, McGill; MA, VU Amsterdam) was the Editor of Grace in Focus magazine and Director of Publications for Grace Evangelical Society from May 2012 through June 2022. He and his wife Abby have three children. He has written several books including: Beyond Doubt: How to Be Sure of Your Salvation and Chosen to Serve: Why Divine Election Is to Service, Not to Eternal Life.

If you wish to ask a question about a given blog, email us your question at ges@faithalone.org.

Cart

Recently Added

January 27, 2023

Who Are the Elect in 1 Peter 1:1-2 and in Romans 8:28-30? Are We to Understand the “Elect” in 1 Peter the Same as the “Predestined” in Romans 8?

Welcome to Grace in Focus radio. Today, Bob Wilkin and Ken Yates take up a question about election and predestination. What does the Bible say...
January 27, 2023

A Novel Argument Against Inerrancy 

Kathryn Wright shared with me an interesting argument against inerrancy: I heard something today and thought it might make a good blog topic for you....
January 26, 2023

Will There Be Poor People in Heaven?

Welcome to Grace in Focus radio. Today, Ken Yates and Bob Wilkin answer an interesting question about our status in Heaven or the quality of...

Grace in Focus Radio

All Episodes

Listen to Stitcher

Listen on Spotify

Grace In Focus Magazine

Grace In Focus is sent to subscribers in the United States free of charge.

Subscribe for Free

The primary source of Grace Evangelical Society's funding is through charitable contributions. GES uses all contributions and proceeds from the sales of our resources to further the gospel of grace in the United States and abroad.

Donate

Bookstore Specials

  • Here Walks My Enemy: The Story of Luis (Hardcover) $13.95 $5.00
  • Grudem Against Grace: A Defense of Free Grace Theology $15.00 $10.00
  • Confident in Christ, 2nd Edition $22.00 $5.00
  • Inerrancy for Dummies $7.95 $5.00
  • The Journey of Faith $15.00 $9.00
Grace Evangelical Society

(940) 270-8827 / ges@faithalone.org

4851 S I-35E Suite 203, Corinth, TX 76210
P.O. Box 1308, Denton, TX 76202

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • YouTube