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EPILOGUE

As far as the chronological order of books in the Bible,
the Book of Ruth comes after the book of Judges, but
historically Ruth does not follow Judges. Ruth 1:1, “Now it
came about in the days when the judges governed...” Ruth is
right in the middle of Judges. Judges 17:6, “In those days there
was no king in Israel, and every man did what was right in his
own eyes.” Judges is the story of a moral deterioration. It is
almost depressing to read about some of the sins in these
chapters; immorality, darkness, murders, rapes, homosexuality,
and idolatry. If any book can be called a moral desert, it is the
book of Judges.
It is important to understand that Ruth took place in
those days because unless you knew that, you would never
guess it, because the Book of Ruth is such a breath of fresh air.
Ruth is a wonderful illustration of an oasis in a desert. I think
Ruth would be a wonderful book anyplace in the Bible, but it is
a more wonderful book because of its setting in the days of the
Judges. You see, the question that we need to ask, and that the
book raises, “Is it possible to have an oasis in a moral desert?”
God does want to create out of us corporately and individually,
an oasis in the desert. You do not have to be a scholar to know
that this world is a desert, and everyone is doing what is right
in their own eyes, and there is no king in the land.
Here is the great truth of the Book of Ruth. In every
moral desert where Jesus Christ is known in reality, there is an
oasis in that desert. I do not care how bad it gets. No matter
how dark, no matter how dismal the environment, God intends
that there be an oasis of refreshment, of life, of abundance and
of fruit. One thing I love about the Book of Ruth is that it
sweeps away all the excuses that men give for their lives.
“What can you expect from so and so? He was not loved by his
parents. He was abused as a child, and he had to grow up in
that environment.” “What can you expect from someone who

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