Why Start with Death?

Tunji, my Nigerian classmate, asked my Old Testament teacher concerning the Book of Ruth in the Bible. Good question. Within the first 5 verses of the Book of Ruth, the reader would have encountered a famine and 3 deaths. The next book, 1 Samuel, by no coincidence, started with barrenness, and hopelessness too. Why? Please allow me to attempt to give a response to this question.

It is interesting to note that for the Jewish people, their each new day starts at sunset, in darkness (not at 12 midnight). Hence, their day ends 'the next day' just before sunset, in light. Starts with darkness and ends in light. How well that depicts our spiritual life! Since the day Adam and Eve sinned, and Satan became the god of this world, each baby has literally been born into a world of spiritual darkness and gloom. Hopelessness.

But the true light, Jesus, that gives light to every person came into the world (John 1:9). Thus whoever receive Jesus into their hearts and lives are born again, spiritually this time round, into the world of Jesus - the world of light and hope, the world of joy and peace, the world of faith and love. Nonetheless, it is just the beginning of knowing Jesus personally.

We may infer from Paul's words in Philippians 3:10-11 that to know Jesus deeply takes one to first share in Jesus' sufferings, becoming like Him in His death, and so somehow (miraculously and mysteriously in that process), to attain to the resurrection from the dead. We each need to go through (not around) our personal 'Garden of Gethsemane' and 'crucifixion' before we may personally experience the power of the resurrection (revival).

Nancy DeMoss wrote in Brokenness: The Heart God Revives that revival often comes through times of brokenness. Philip Vancey in his book Disappointment With God highlighted from Hebrews 5:7-10 that even Jesus, the Son of God Himself, learned obedience from what He suffered before He was exalted high-up. Philippians 2:5-11 describes Jesus in the same way too.

Larry Crabb in Shattered Dreams: God's Unexpected Pathway to Joy explained that Naomi, in the Book of Ruth, was most probably, according to their culture then, just following her deceased husband's decision in leaving Judah for Moab. She ended up suffering the huge loss of her husband and both her sons. She didn't ask for it.

In her bitterness against God, Naomi was gracious enough to release her 2 daughters-in-law to go back to their parents' homes and remarry. This implied she was willing to suffer alone. And in receiving Ruth's loving-kindness in pledging to follow her and her God till death, Naomi let Ruth have Boaz as her husband when she herself could very well be the one to marry him since he was first her kinsman-redeemer, before Ruth.

The story ended with Naomi, an old widow, laying the son of Boaz and Ruth on her own lap and caring for him - a picture of celebrating over the blessings of others with contentment. Amazing! It could have been her own son. But the boy in her hands was really not her son in any way. And she could have been more bitter than ever. But she was at peace, celebrating over him and giving care to him! What a miraculous and mysterious transformation and revival! Through pain and sufferings. What a story! A story of death and life. A story of pain and healing. A story of loving-kindness and truth.

Larry Crabb then helped us see that in life, Jesus is the groom and we are the best friend. We get to celebrate with Him over all the glory that is due Him. Hallelujah! It is well with my soul.