A Thorn Between the Roses: Esther, Jonah, and Ruth

Queen. Preacher. Pagan. As characters with Biblical biographies, these three - Esther, Jonah, and Ruth - stand alone. Although many other lives are narrated throughout the Bible, only the life stories of these three are recounted in books named for them. Esther became a queen because she was beautiful. After the pagan king "fired" the previous queen, he went looking for a replacement. Physical beauty was the sole criterion, and Esther the Jewess was selected. Her story of humility, fear, prayer, courage, and obedience never mentions the name of God. Jonah, a Jewish prophet, experienced an ongoing tug-of-war with God. His angry, whining, argumentative personality overshadows the Ninevites' acceptance of the God he eventually introduced them to. Ruth was not Jewish. She was a Moabite. But Naomi's son had married her, and after they were both widowed and Naomi decided to return to her home in Bethlehem, Ruth insisted on accompanying her. Ruth adapted to Jewish laws and customs, believed in the God of Naomi, and worked diligently to keep them both alive. God uses us also, in spite of our gifts and our foibles, our looks and our dispositions, our fears and our circumstances, to accomplish His sovereign will.