The Book of Ruth relates that Ruth and Orpah, two women of Moab, had married two sons of Elimelech and Naomi, Judeans who had settled in Moab to escape a famine in Judah. The husbands of all three women die; Naomi plans to return to her native Bethlehem and urges her daughters-in-law to return to their families. Orpah does so, but Ruth refuses to leave Naomi, declaring (Ruth 1:16–17), “Where you go, I will go; where you lodge, I will lodge; your people shall be my people, and your God my God. Where you die, I will die—there will I be buried.” Ruth accompanies Naomi to Bethlehem and later marries Boaz, a distant relative of her late father-in-law. She is a symbol of abiding loyalty and devotion.
The Book of Ruth shows how the actions and commitments of ordinary and even unexpected people such as foreigners and widows can change the course of history for the better. The book helps the reader to redefine family, to appreciate the significant role of the righteous foreigner, and to look at the importance of living up to the spirit rather than the letter of the law. God works through the actions of a widow, a foreigner, and a wealthy farmer to bring about the birth of the grandfather of King David, which ultimately leads to the birth of Jesus.
Ruth is the 8th book of the Bible. It follows Judges–no doubt because it identifies itself as falling in the same period–and comes before 1 Samuel. The Book of Ruth ends with David’s genealogy, so it provides a transition between Judges and the historical books of the Old Testament. In Jewish tradition, the Book of Ruth follows the book of Proverbs.
The author might have been a village priest, an elder, a teacher, or a wise woman who told ancestral stories to edify and to inspire the people.
Ruth is an independent narrative that might have been written any time from David’s reign to postexilic times. Some suggest that the emphasis on the righteous foreign woman (Ruth) was specifically intended to counter the attitude toward foreign women found in the postexilic period of Ezra and Nehemiah (Ezra 10:1-5; Nehemiah 13:1-3).
The Book of Ruth tells the story of how a widow, Naomi; her daughter-in-law from Moab, Ruth; and a wealthy farmer from Bethlehem, Boaz, make possible the birth of Obed, the grandfather of King David.
Ruth adored her mother-in-law and had great sympathy for her, witnessing that she lost her husband and both of her sons. Ruth could not endure to part from Naomi or from the God of Israel that she had come to know. Ruth and Naomi made the voyage back to Judah to the city of Bethlehem. Ruth’s testimony spread, and Boaz heard of her faith, as noted in Ruth 2:11-12: But Boaz answered her, "All that you have done for your mother-in-law since the death of your husband has been fully told to me, and how you left your father and mother and your native land and came to a people that you did not know before. The LORD repay you for what you have done, and a full reward be given you by the LORD, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge!"
Like the Canaanite woman in Matthew 15:21-28, Ruth acknowledges that she does not deserve Boaz's favour because she is a stranger. Like Christ, Boaz blesses her with his favour and protection. Ruth is rewarded for her dedication by an invitation to eat with Boaz.
The story of Ruth in the Bible illustrates a theme of redemption, a word that occurs 23 times in the book of Ruth. Boaz acts as a redeemer by buying back Naomi's land, marrying Ruth, a Moabite, and fathering a son to keep the family line alive. Such a "kinsman-redeemer" is symbolic of the mediating work of Christ. Ruth's position as a Gentile in the ancestry of David (and thence of Christ) signifies that all nations will be represented in the Kingdom of God.
As a Moabitess, Ruth was a descendant of Lot. Twice does Scripture record that Moab, situated east of the Dead Sea, and Israel warred against each other. During a time of famine in Israel, Naomi and her Israelite family moved to Moab as a matter of survival. After the death of her husband and with the famine past, she and Naomi return to Israel, to the city of Bethlehem, later to become the city of David.
Ruth showed remarkable faith for such a young believer. Faith that there was still a purpose for her ahead. Faith to believe that God was who He said He was. And faith to believe that God would provide for her and Naomi.
If you’re in an unsure place, start with faith. Hebrews 11:1 defines faith as, “the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.”
You might not be able to see what God is doing, but trust that He is moving.
Against all odds redemption is always possible. Ruth had no reason to believe she had earned anything but believed God was everything she needed. Ruth believed God would provide and in that place of faith God did a miraculous work to redeem Ruth.
He took a poor, hurting outcast and healed her, provided for her, and brought her a great love with Boaz.
Redemption is possible in your life. No matter where you come from or what you've been through, God has a plan for you that far surpasses all of that.
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