God\'s Sovereignty and \"Chance\"

God’s Sovereignty and “Chance.”

Read Ruth 2
 “So she departed and went and gleaned in the fields after the reapers; and she happened to come to the portion of the field belonging to Boaz, who was of the family of Elimelech.” (2:3)

How often do we say, “That was sure lucky?”  How often do we reflect on our lives and the significant, life-altering events that seemed to be the product of blinked chance and luck? We were just at the right place at the right time (or, in some cases, the wrong place at the wrong time). God does not leave life to chance. Instead, his sovereignty stands behind these events to shape our lives and move us in his plan.

In the Old Testament law provisions were made for the poor. In a world without social programs, God sought to protect the poor by providing them the opportunity to go into the fields after the harvesters and gather the grain overlooked or trampled underfoot. Furthermore, the landowners were to leave a small portion of the crop for the poor and the foreigners who would otherwise be at risk (Leviticus 19:9; 23:22). Therefore, it is not surprising that Naomi could instruct Ruth to go out into the fields to gather grain. They certainly qualified for being able to do so.

The narrator wants to make it clear that Ruth had no forethought about where she should go. It was utterly a “chance” event. The Hebrew reads, “by chance she chanced to come.”   The narrator wants us to sit up and ask, “How did Ruth, by chance, pick a righteous man who had compassion for the poor and was a potential ‘kinsman redeemer’ (more about that in tomorrow’s devotional)?” If that was blind luck, it was sure lucking indeed, for she could not have picked a better field. Of all the landowners she could have selected that day, it happened to be one who understood the plight of foreigners and would be caring for someone who was not a Jew. Boaz was more sensitive to the struggles of a foreign woman being accepted by people. He also understood what it was like to be an outcast and the difficulty of gaining reception from others. Of all people, he would be the most likely to have a favorable view of Ruth, for his mother was also a foreign proselyte. His mother was none other than Rahab. By using the words “chance,” the narrator invites us to shout, “That cannot be by chance; that could only be the hand of God.”  To such a response, the narrator would  only smile and respond with, “Ah, you get the point!”

Ruth’s great, great grandson, perhaps reflecting on his family lineage and story, would write, “the lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the Lord” (Proverbs 16:33). This descendent, who knew the story well, was Solomon, the King of Israel (see Ruth 4:21-22). He recognized that chance is not arbitrary with God. When we look back and see events that shaped us that were purely “accidental,” they are not the product of our blind luck but the unseen hand of God. God moves and shapes our lives through seemingly arbitrary circumstances to sovereignly direct our lives to accomplish his desires for us. He is the divine orchestrator of life. Take a few moments, reflect on these “chance events” that altered your life, and thank God for orchestrating them for his purpose and our good. Then, when life does not go as planned, and the events unfold in ways you did not anticipate, recognize that God is at work shaping your life for the best outcome for our ultimate good and his glory.