Overview of Day 90: Day 90 — Ruth and Boaz (Ascension / Bible in a Year)
Host Father Mike Schmitz (Ascension) reads and comments on Judges 4–5, Ruth 2, and Psalm 134. The episode narrates the military deliverance under Deborah and Barak (and the violent but decisive role of Jael), celebrates the Song of Deborah, follows Ruth’s first day gleaning in Boaz’s field (establishing Boaz’s kindness and protection), and offers a short prayer and pastoral reflection about faithfulness, hope, and God’s providence. Father Mike also notes the violent character of Judges and connects the episodes to the larger biblical promise of redemption.
Key passages covered
Judges 4 — Deborah, Barak, Sisera
- Israel again falls into evil; King Jabin of Canaan and his commander Sisera oppress Israel with 900 iron chariots for 20 years.
- Deborah (a prophetess and judge) summons Barak to gather 10,000 men from Naphtali and Zebulun at Mount Tabor; God promises to give Sisera into their hands.
- Barak insists Deborah go with him; Deborah agrees but prophesies that the honor will go to a woman.
- God routs Sisera’s forces. Sisera flees to Jael (wife of Heber the Kenite), who receives him into her tent and then kills him by driving a tent peg through his temple while he sleeps.
- Israel defeats Jabin; the oppression ends.
Judges 5 — The Song of Deborah
- A poetic victory hymn sung by Deborah and Barak celebrating God’s deliverance.
- Commends the leaders and tribes who fought (notably Zebulun and Naphtali) and rebukes those who stayed back.
- Praises Jael as “most blessed of women” for her act against Sisera.
- Concludes: the land had rest for forty years.
Ruth 2 — Ruth Meets Boaz
- Naomi and Ruth are in Bethlehem; Ruth volunteers to glean in the fields for food.
- Ruth happens to glean in Boaz’s field (a relative of Naomi). Boaz notices her, instructs his workers to protect and favor her, and provides food.
- Boaz praises Ruth’s loyalty to Naomi and prays God’s blessing upon her.
- Ruth gleans through the harvests and lives with Naomi.
Psalm 134
- A brief “Song of Ascents” calling temple servants to bless the Lord by night and asking for God’s blessing from Zion.
Main takeaways and themes
- Faithfulness in small acts: Ruth’s loyalty to Naomi — “where you go I will go” — exemplifies steadfast devotion that God notices and blesses, even when blessing seems long delayed.
- Providence and timing: Father Mike emphasizes that Boaz’s kindness is a pivotal glimmer of hope in a life otherwise marked by loss; small moments can be the start of a larger turn toward restoration.
- Violence and deliverance: Judges contains harsh, violent scenes (e.g., Jael killing Sisera). The host warns listeners and frames these events as part of Israel’s cyclical history of sin and deliverance.
- Foreshadowing of redemption: Father Mike links Jael’s “crushing the head” of Sisera to Genesis 3:15 and sees it as a typological foreshadowing of the ultimate defeat of evil in Christ.
- Community responsibility: Deborah’s song lauds tribes that rose to the occasion and reproves those who stayed back — a call to active participation in God’s work.
Notable quotes from the episode
- From Scripture: “I will surely go with you; nevertheless the road on which you are going will not lead to your