Ruth: Redemption, Provision, and a Love I Didn’t See Coming

In this week’s episode of The Edwards Table, I’m continuing to share some of my favorite stories from the Bible and how they’ve shaped my healing journey—and today, we’re diving into the book of Ruth.

Ruth is a story that starts in loss but unfolds into something incredibly beautiful: redemption, provision, and unexpected love. As I reflect on her story, I can’t help but see a deeper picture of who Jesus is—our Redeemer, our provider, and the one who never wastes our pain.

This story feels especially personal to me. In so many ways, I’ve seen God move in my own life just like He did in Ruth’s—steadily, faithfully, and often in ways I didn’t expect. And yes… that includes bringing John into my life as my husband.

If you’ve ever wondered if God is still working in your story, or if He can bring something good out of seasons of loss, this episode is for you. Ruth reminds us that even in the quiet, God is always writing something beautiful.

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Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:00

Hi, I'm Amy Edwards and welcome to the Edwards Table. This podcast is all about real conversations, the kind that come from life, love, family, friendship, and all the messy, beautiful parts in between. I started this show because I believe in redemption stories and in sitting down together to talk about the things that shape us, heal us, and sometimes just make us laugh. So grab a seat, take a breath, and join me. Because there's always room for you here at the Edwards Table. Well, hey y'all, and welcome to this week's episode of the Edwards Table. My name is Amy Edwards, and I am so thankful for each of you coming today to sit and listen as we chat through some things. During this month of April, I have, excuse me, we kicked off the month with a little Q ⁇ A with me. So it was kind of fun learning some things about me that maybe you didn't know. And then last week talking about just a piece of my story and a passage of scripture that just meant meant a whole, or well, I shouldn't say meant, it means a whole lot to me, right? And so throughout this month, it's just kind of what I'm doing is kind of diving into the Bible and and talking more about why certain passages mean so much to me and how they impact my story. So if you're not a believer, please don't feel intimidated by this at all. Um, I am a work in progress. I jokingly will tell people, I think God will keep me on this planet a minimum of 1,000 years because your girl has a lot of work that she's got to get done before he's gonna be like, okay, you've learned, you've learned what I need you to learn. And I think you're you've learned your stuff, you know. Um, no, but all joking aside, I have a very messy story, one that um I would love for you to go back and listen to if you haven't already in season one. That is all I do is sit down at my kitchen table with my daughter and tell her my story. Um highlights only, and it's 12 episodes, if that gives you any inkling as to what kind of a story it is. Um I am a survivor of abuse. I um have overcome some just crazy, insane things in my life at the hands of family, and it has been definitely a healing journey in my adult years, um, older adult years, I should say. Started um going and doing like therapy and things of that nature uh in my very late 20s, early 30s. And as of today, I've taken 51 trips around the sun. So I've done a good bit of healing. I did therapy for about 11 years, and um for me it was integral. It was very helpful for me to grow and to stretch and to heal and to learn what I needed to in order to be a better version of myself as not only a woman but also as a wife and a mom. So thinking about that and just the why behind kind of how I am as a human and why I'm wired the way I'm wired. So if you're not familiar, there is this personality test you can take. It's called the Myers Briggs, and it gives you four letters of two options each of um different personality traits, if you will. And um, so I am an INFJ. And not to get into all of that, but the J stands for justice, and there's a very beautiful long explanation if you want to Google it and and learn more. Uh, it definitely is an incredible tool to get to know yourself maybe a little bit better if you're not familiar with yourself. Um, but it is so strong in me, the J is, and it is also very strong in my husband John. We are both very strong Jay people. Actually, my whole family, both of our kids are as well. So justice for us, um, not just the Myers Briggs justice, which if you read about it, you'll understand more, but justice in general. Uh we are exceptionally loyal human beings, the Edwards clan, and um we we want justice for people. We want the the unloved, the unwanted, the hopeless, helpless people. We want to draw them in. And each of us does it in a different facet, in a different way, but we all do it, like all of us do it. So, with that in mind, today I'm super excited to talk about this because um it truly is my absolute favorite, and that is the book in the Babel. It's called Ruth. And Ruth is a wee little book, it's one of the shortest, um, it's only five chapters long, and I'm not gonna read it, so you don't have to worry. But I had the absolute pleasure of getting to read it. So um John and I, well, today I read it. So John and I made a commitment a year or two ago that we were gonna read through the Bible in a year. And there are all kinds of plans out there that you can read the Bible in a year and whatever, but the one we picked is one that I had done before and was telling him about, and I love it because it's chronological. I very much am type A, so I like things to be very clear. I like bulleted lists, especially like a checkbox list. That just brings me so much joy. Um, but I I like things neat and tidy in a package. I also joke around on my podcast often and tell everyone that um I tend to take my trauma and I package it in a Tiffany box. Because I'm sorry, but who doesn't love Tiffany blue with that gorgeous white satin ribbon? And if you're gonna put something nasty and gross like trauma away, well, let's package it beautiful. I mean, come on, you know? So, in any case, um very much, very much love that. Uh, but so we've been reading chronologically, and um it just so happens today was the day that we read the book of Ruth in our reading this morning, which just makes me so happy because I love this story. I love this story, and I will say, in my mind, it's a bit fairy tale-ish, and that is why I'm drawn to a good rom-com fairy tale kind of a situation. Uh not that everything ends up just perfect. I'm also a fan of Wuthering Heights, and if you don't know, go Google it, you'll understand. Um, I don't mind reality. Like I am, um, when describing myself, I also am an optimistic realist. So I have a positive outlook, but I'm also realistic in in just how far I'm gonna take that. I'm not like a Pollyanna, everything's perfect, it's all smiles and giggles, but I'm also not an Eeyore where everything is just sad and won w. You know, I'm not that either. So I tend to be an optimistic realist. I think why I am drawn so fiercely, and I am really drawn to the book of Ruth, is multifaceted. So let me tell you the quick of what the book of Ruth is all about. So once upon a time, there was a mom, and her name is Naomi, and she and her husband were married, and they had two sons, and those sons, one married um Orpha and the other married Ruth. Well, over the course of time, Naomi, the mom's husband, died. And then, unfortunately, a short while later, both of her sons died. Now, let's take pause. Back in biblical times when this was happening, so thousands of years ago, women did not have rights to property and ownership of things. So if their husband died, it was their son's responsibility to then take care of their mom. If their sons died and they had no male relatives, they were either destitute or they had someone who was their kinsman redeemer. So beautiful in Jewish culture, like oh, so beautiful. So this kinsman redeemer, if you will, um this man would take as a wife the the the widow of his brother, if you will. And so the mom of the patriarch of this family, right? So mom and two daughters-in-law, told both of her daughters-in-law, you go back to the home of your of your parents, like leave me and go back to to your your families, and prayerfully something will work out where a man will marry you and um or your dad and brothers can take care of you. But please. So this is huge in that um making the decision to eat to leave Naomi and go back to their families was the wise choice. I mean, this made the most sense because then they would know that they had a roof over their heads, they would have food to eat, and they would be cared for the rest of their days. Um, with the hope that they would get married again, right? And and have a husband to take care of them from a physical standpoint. So Orfa said devastated. And I mean, it talks about the women are weeping and they're hugging and kissing each other goodbye, and and she and she went on her way. But Ruth stayed behind with Naomi, and she told her, she said, I'm I'm not leaving. Where you go, I go, where you stay, I stay. Your God is my God, and so your people are my people. So, like Ruth was was very loyal to Naomi. So the two women travel back to where Naomi comes from. And excuse me, Naomi knows that there is a kinsman redeemer in her family. Actually, there were more than one, um, but depending on you know, birth order and all of this other stuff, who was related to whom and all that, and please don't ever ask me that stuff. I can never tell you like who's your first, second, third cousin, twice removed, all the stop it. Just no, unless I have it on a piece of paper, forget about it. I don't, I don't clog my brain with that stuff, so I wouldn't know that you know, I would definitely have to lean. If I were Ruth, I'd definitely have to have Naomi telling me, girl, go talk to this person. So, in any case, so they travel back. And again, these are two single women um going to a land that albeit they have relatives, this isn't like our day and age, y'all. This isn't where they are on social media seeing each other's faces day in, day out, or that they see each other and jump on an airplane and fly over to see one another across the world on a regular basis. You know, so like when you leave, you leave to go uh to a faraway land, which is what happened with Naomi when she first married, they're not traveling back and forth regularly seeing these people. So just kind of picture that, right? So they come back and um know where her relatives are and whatnot. And so Naomi sends Ruth out to go get them some food. And again, there is no grocery store, and albeit there is a market, but these women don't have money, they don't have anything to give in order to receive. So uh Ruth goes and she does as Naomi instructs her, goes to where she tells her to go, and um meets this fella named Boaz. And Boaz is described in the book as he is um an upstanding man. He's a good guy. He's a good egg, y'all. He's a good egg. He's an older guy, a little bit of an age discrepancy. Um she goes, gathers wheat, and then takes it to the the threshing floor, which is where they separate, you know, the parts of the wheat so you get the actual wheat berry and then you separate that out so you can actually grind flour and all the fun things. So um she goes and does this, and he instructs the people in his fields to take care of her, make sure that she's fed, make sure that she's safe. Um, because again, back in the day, if you don't belong here, you know, it was not uncommon for women to get harassed and for very unsavory things to happen without going into graphic detail. So he was very protective to make sure that she was taken care of. And I won't get into all of this because it I think will trip some of you all up if you're not familiar with the story. Um, but given culturally where they were and what they were doing, it makes sense. But all this to say, Ruth went back to Naomi, showed her, here, look at I got this whole container of flour today, so we can I can feed you, and I got leftovers from lunch, I can feed you. Um and so over the course of time, you know, and working back and forth in the field and whatnot, Naomi instructs Ruth, like, you know, get yourself cleaned up and put pretty clothes on and go see Boaz and ask if he will be your your redeemer. And so she does as she's instructed, and um he very much a gentleman tells her, you know, yes, I will do that. However, I know there's someone ahead of me in line. So I will go to the town elders tomorrow morning, I will put that out for him. And if I can't, if if he says yes, I'll allow it, and if he says no, then I'll do it. And so um he's even so precious. He is very adamant about when she's allowed to leave for the because it's in the nighttime that she goes of when she's to leave so that she doesn't get harassed or you know, something else doesn't happen to her on her way back to or excuse me, Naomi. So she goes back in the morning, he goes out and goes to the elders and brings this this other gentleman who is the next in line to be her redeemer, and says, you know, in order to continue this line of lineage, her family, right? Um, her husband's family, you know, I'm showing you and telling you like this is all the land that comes with this family, and the guy says, Oh yeah, okay, great, I'll do that. And he says, and oh, by the way, also part of the package of this deal is not only did he die, but he left behind a wife, and so you'll need to redeem her. And um, the guy says that he can't do that, and so um Boaz makes the deal that he will, and so there are sandals swapped, and it's a whole ritual thing that they do or whatever. Um, but the beautiful part in how this all winds down and wraps up in this story is that there's so many good things, but so Boaz and Ruth get married, and they wind up having a son, Obed. And Obed happens to be Jesse's dad, and Jesse happens to be King David's dad. So if you're familiar with that pretty famous Bible story about the wee little lad, uh David, who has the sling and five stones and slings the stone and takes out the Philistine giant Goliath, um Boaz and Ruth are his great-grandparents. So I think what is so beautiful to me about this story, it doesn't, I mean, first of all, y'all, doesn't that just feel kind of fairy tale-ish? I'm sorry. If you don't think that it does, well, poo on you, because I think it sounds very fairy tale-ish. And especially if you listen to like what the actual fairy tale stories are about. I mean, come on, like Cinderella, in and of herself, um, she didn't need rescuing. Hello? Anyone who can hang with that wicked stepmother and those nasty sisters of or stepsisters of hers, ew, for years being their servant. Um, and then the beautiful part of meeting the prince. I mean, I just, I don't know. To me, it's fairy tale-esque. And it's very much my optimistic realism, right? Like being a realistic optimist is that real life is real life. Like how horrible that Ruth lost her husband, and clearly was very much, very much loved by, respected by her mother-in-law Naomi. And she was very much left her mother-in-law, so much so that she was willing to stay with her, no matter what the outcome was. And yet how God wove these different stories together and lives crossed and paths joined, and this amazing man who was, he was just a good egg. He was just a good egg. And he could see so much good that Ruth possessed in her character as a woman, and wanted to protect that, but also wanted to honor her by giving her to the next in line to be able to allow her that opportunity to be redeemed so that she did not have to be destitute out there going behind all of his um workers in the field and just getting the scraps of what was left behind, right? I would highly recommend to go into the Bible and read the book of Ruth. And I like the NIV version. That's the version I'm pointing because my Bible's right here. Sorry. Um, but I use the NIV, New International Version. Uh, it tends to be written like in the language of what we would read, maybe in the New York Times. It's very simple language, very straightforward, and whatever else. Uh, there are many other versions. ESV, English Standard Version is one that I know a lot of people that I love and respect use as well. Um, but just Google that if you don't have a Bible and read the book of Ruth. It's it's short. Like you can sit down and probably knock it out in under 30 minutes. Um but just to listen to what is being spoken in that story is so beautiful to me. Um I think because of what I come from in my past, right? So if you're not familiar with my story, um I am a survivor of abuse. My father um sexually molested me, um, had verbal abuse along the way. There was all kinds of abuse in my life. And um men in general were not uh good in my life. So starting with my father, and then my mom had two other husbands after him that neither were prize choice um fellas. Second one was very abusive to her, third one was a womanizer and tried desperately to teach me to be um pretty much, I don't know how else to say this, so I apologize for harsh language, but just a slut. Uh, to dress promiscuously, um, to have sex with boys or let them, you know, touch and do things to me free will, uh, because he would always say that's what guys wanted. And uh in order to get guys, that's what you needed to do. If you listened early on this season, you heard John kind of talk about that interaction he had with him as well. And so um the only one in my life who truly stood up for me truly was my mom's father, my grandfather. Um, and unfortunately, he passed away when I was a freshman in college. And so when my grandfather died, uh the one man who I knew would protect me was gone. And the man who was around me, who was telling me to throw myself into guys' laps and let them do with me as they pleased in order to, quote, feel loved, uh, was the one that I was left with. For me, the book of Ruth is so beautiful and so meaningful because it truly is a picture of who Jesus is to me and what God does for me. Um that he sees me doing the best that I know how, right? So just trying to figure out how to be the best version of me uh as his daughter. Um he provides for me just as Boaz did for Ruth. Not only did he allow her to take leftovers in his field, but he also fed her alongside of his staff and then sent her home with leftovers and extra. It's totally what God does for me. Um he presents me as uh a perfect um gal to God. Like because Jesus went and made the sacrifice of his own life on the cross and rose from the dead, I am perfect in God's eyes, just like you are too. And so I think that um also the the way that the whole book comes together at the end with there being um a marriage, a son, a carrying on of the lineage. And oh, by the way, I didn't say this earlier, but y'all know that King David his line of ancestry, right? So as he had children, his children had children, and they had children, oh by the way. Mary and Joseph ring a bell. Joseph is part of that lineage. So Jesus comes from the line of David. And so I just look at that. And again, that's what God does with my life. He takes the broken and the messy. He takes my bad decisions. He takes all that is wrong with me, all that I've done wrong in my life. And he redeems it. He restores it. He takes it and makes it so beautiful only because of the death of his son. Like only because Jesus died on the cross am I presented before him as a beautiful, whole human. And that is why I am so much in love with the book of Ruth. That story speaks to me in so many ways on so many levels, on so many days when I might get tripped up and in my head about, you know, I'm I'm fluffy right now because y'all, I'm 51, so perimenopause to the rescue, right? Um it's like the the expected 10 pounds a year and the hormonal craziness that my body's going through and whatever else. Um I will be honest, in the past two years especially, it's been very difficult for me struggling with depression. And it's not something that is um like clinical depression that I know some of you struggle with, and and it requires a lot more than what I require. Uh, but but the depression I suffer from, it's more of blue days, and those blue days will get me stuck. And um it's something that God and I work together diligently uh through and on, but only in the very recent past has it come to light in my life that um thankfully it's a season that I've been in. Thankfully, it's been a time period, it's not forever, and God has restored that in my heart again, and I'm very thankful because that's not me. Typically, I'm very much a bubbly person. It's that effervescence, if you will, like the bubbly carbonated um beauty of Topu Chico. Ugh, one of my favorites. Mineral water, if you don't know about it, Topu Chico with a little twist of lime is amazing. Um, but just that bubbling out of me. And for the past few years, that it kind of it was there, but it was like it got a little flat. It's like I'd taken the metal spoon and stirred in my Topo Chico and kind of flattened it out. Um, but because God is who he is, which is perfect and amazing and wonderful and loving and caring and tender and gentle and oh oh oh so very patient with me. He has begun restoring that effervescent bubble in me again, where I'm excited to tell my story, excited to do this podcast, elated that he's showing me new things that are coming of my story, that there are people out there like you that are listening, and he is speaking to you because of my story. And that is such such a powerful gift that he's given me. And because of that gift, it it gives that newness in my spirit again where I feel excited to get up and happy to be alive and able and willing. It's just it's amazing. And so that that book of Ruth in the Bible, it it may sound silly to some of you, but for me, it's just getting to relive that story through her and to see, you know, her time of loving Naomi's first son was was not in vain. And it wasn't without purpose that she didn't have a son with her first husband. Um, she couldn't have had a son with him and carried on the lineage like she did, because her son would have been the one, and then that wouldn't have been David King David's grandparents. It's so amazing, right, when you look at that. Um and so I just wanted to pop on for this week's episode and and share with you the book of Ruth. I hope you'll go and read it, because I'm telling you, you will not be disappointed. And then I hope that you can maybe relate a little bit to someone in that story. I hope it's Ruth or Naomi, because Naomi, God bless her, she was a miserable, sad soul at the beginning of that book. And what God did to restore her and bring her joy and bring her life back to life was so gorgeous through Ruth, sticking it out with her and trusting that where Naomi was taking her was definitely something that God had a hand in. Um so very beautiful, such a beautiful story. And I'm very thankful that I have a similar one. I have a fella named John who was willing to jump into the messy end of the pool with me and stick it out in this marriage that we have been working on and through for 29 years, and you know, God willing, another 29 or more. Um, because God knew very much what I needed in my fella, and he knew that John being as loyal as he is, and that justice is so strong in him, um, that was the beautiful part of my story, is that when I met John, I was very messy. And um I had a lot of healing to do and a lot of learning and stretching and growing. And he was willing to do that. He was willing to stand in that gap uh and and bring me close to him and teach me that some men don't leave. They may not be perfect, and he's not, he'd be the first to tell you, but he is definitely someone who God was very clear was meant to be in my life and was meant to be my husband. Um, ironically, both of us thought we were marrying other people the year before we met. Um, and as life would have it, that came to be known that it would not be. We were marrying each other indeed. So by our third date, John and I knew we knew we were gonna marry each other. Um and even through the hardest of times, and y'all, if you want to hear about him, I'm telling you, go listen to season one. That man has walked to the gates of the thresholds of hell with me multiple times, and we have come out of those situations uh scarred and wounded and beat up, uh kicked down, but but not not defeated, not defeated, and so God redeemed. He redeemed my childhood, he redeemed all of the messiness of the men in my life by giving me a husband who literally will lay his life down for me and who literally will protect me at whatever the cost, who um, you know, even now sees me when I am starting to get into one of those blue days, and he knows how to help pull me back out of that, you know, like to walk alongside of me and to just give me a hug when I need it, or to give me a swift kick in the pants when I need it. And so it's a beautiful part of my story, mine and John's relationship. And like I said before, it's very messy, it's not a perfect, you know, kind of a thing, but it is a very good one. And so I've said in so a lot. I need to go back and edit that, I think. All this to say, hmm, there you go, there's a new phrase. I am so very thankful for this right here, God's word. I'm so very thankful for the ability to be able to talk to God and pray to him whenever I need to. If ever you pull up next to me, if I'm not belting out whatever music I'm listening to at the time, I'm typically having a conversation with him, unless I'm returning uh text messages and voicemails, but very common for me to pray to God in the car because I'm, you know, eyes wide open. Don't worry, I'm not bowing my head and close my eyes in the car. Uh, but but just to be able to carry on conversation with him. And, you know, on my days where I'm really just mad at the world for whatever reason, who even knows, y'all. I can't even explain my anger sometimes. I just get in a twit over something. And um God as he is so perfect, he just meets me in that place, allows me to have my fever fit for a few minutes, and then very graciously and very tenderly opens usually my heart to remembering, oh yeah, I'm not perfect. Oh, it might be a little me in that situation. Man, maybe if I were just a little more gentle or a little more receptive or a little less intense or a little less sassy, maybe I wouldn't be feeling those feelings in that moment. So I hope for your sake and sanity, if you're not a believer, um, you're here with a purpose. Because personally, I don't believe in accidents and I don't believe in coincidence. I believe in God and I know that he has a purpose for each one of us. I know that before he created the planet, he knew that you and I were gonna live in this day and this age. And with that, he can use us in mighty and powerful ways. My prayer and my hope is that he will take my story and use it for your your growth, um, that he will show up and show out in your life like he does in mine. And in the meantime, just always remember that there is a seat right here for you at this Edwards table. And I hope you'll join me next week as we dive into one more um time of this fun thing that we're doing this month. Um, and talk more about some of the stories of the Bible and and how they mean so much to me and why, because of this crazy thing I call life here on this planet, y'all. So, in the meantime, have a great rest of your day. Sweet dreams if you're going to bed, amazing rest of your day if you're just starting off. And uh, we'll catch up next time. See you next Wednesday, y'all. Bye.