The book of Ruth provides an intimate glimpse into the private lives of a faithful family during the period of the judges.
Ruth and her mother-in-law, Naomi, were widows. Naomi was childless through the deaths of her sons, including the husband of Ruth. Ruth met Boaz, a relative of Naomi while gleaning grain in Boaz's field. Boaz proposed to marry Ruth and redeem both Ruth and Naomi. Redemption was an Israelite custom that provided security to a relative's widow and carried on the deceased relative's line.
In the story's final act, Ruth and Boaz were married. As the curtain closes, we learn that Obed, the couple's new son, will become the great-grandfather of King David, from whom will come the Messiah of Israel and the Savior of the entire world.
What does it say?
The author of this book focuses on Ruth's unswerving and selfless devotion to her desolate mother-in-law, Naomi, who has suffered the death of husband and sons, including the husband of Ruth.
Ruth is a Moabite girl who had married into this Israelite family while the family was living in Moab. When Naomi returns to Israel, Ruth comes with her, choosing to adopt Israel and Yahweh as her own, rather than remain in the land that she knew.
Chapter one reveals Ruth's loyalty to Naomi and to Yahweh, the God of Israel, as she moves with Naomi to Israel. Chapter two takes Ruth to the grain fields of Boaz, a relative of Naomi, to glean food for the table of Naomi and Ruth. There Boaz shows great kindness to Ruth and in chapter three promises redemption for Ruth and Naomi. He will marry Ruth and provide full care and security for Naomi as well. Chapter four records the redemption ceremony, as Boaz goes to the town gate to carry out the business of becoming a kinsman-redeemer. As the story closes, we learn that the marriage of Ruth and Boaz has produced a son, Obed, who will become the grandfather of David, the greatest king of Israel and the head of the family from which the Messiah would one day come.
Faces & Places
This little book opens with an Israelite family living in Moab outside the borders of their own nation. Moab is southeast of Israel and across the Dead Sea. Though the story takes place during the period of the judges, there apparently was relative peace between Israel and Moab at this time.
Ruth is the primary character, with Naomi and Boaz playing large supporting roles. Ruth is a Moabite girl who has married into an Israelite family. Naomi is her mother-in-law, while Boaz is a relative of Naomi's deceased husband. Naomi's husband, Elimelech, and two sons, Mahlon and Kilion, are briefly mentioned in the opening verses. Orpah, Naomi's other daughter-in-law, chooses to remain behind in Moab and has no continuing role in the story. As the curtain closes, one last character is introduced: Obed, the newborn son of Ruth and Boaz, and the grandfather of King David.
Key Verses & Themes
Redemption:
The Hebrew word in its various forms occurs 23 times. One example is Ruth 4:14, "The women said to Naomi: 'Praise the Lord, who this day has not left you without a kinsman-redeemer."
Devotion and Loyalty:
Ruth 1:16, 17 "But Ruth replied, 'Don't urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God. Where you die I will die, and there I will be buried. May the Lord deal with me, be it ever so severely, if anything but death separates you and me."
So what?
It is difficult to read the story of Ruth and Naomi without asking yourself about the meaning of true loyalty and devotion. How often do we really see it? How often do we really exercise it? How often do we really give up ourselves for love of another, over the long haul, not just in a passing moment or for a special event? Carefully consider passages like 1:16-17; 2:11-12; and 3:10.
We find at the close of this book that Ruth becomes the great grandmother of King David. And do you remember that Ruth is a foreigner, a Moabitess by blood and birth? Yet God blesses her and brings the line of Israel's Messiah through her womb. God is concerned with faithfulness to him and not where we came from.
It is also striking to realize that the story of Ruth takes place during the period of the Judges, a time of persistent war and strife. The very fact that the inspired record of this little story of love was given by God to us reminds us of God's intimate concern in the humble affairs of our life. While the world is falling apart around us, God cares about our personal details.
