In Ruth 1, we meet three men and three women, who suddenly separate, leaving all in apparently impossible situations. By the end of the first chapter, there is a ray of hope for the women but none for the men. Even so, one of the women remains convinced that God is against her, since her life has taken tragic turns. As we face suffering in our own lives, we also can conclude that God is against us, unless we consider what he did by sending his own Son.
God is free to define Israel, to show mercy or wrath, and to add to Israel from the nations.
From all of eternity God held a secret, which he finally revealed through his church to all the heavenly beings.
As the number of non-Jewish believers in Jesus began to overwhelm the original Jewish Christians, some wanted to make it harder for non-Jews to...