Ruth

Book Outhne

Key theme: God providentially guides and blesses all who trust Him

Key verse:

I. Sorrow: Ruth Weeping ()

A. Naomi tries to run from her problems ()

B. Naomi tries to cover up her mistakes ()

C. Naomi gets bitter against God ()

II. Service: Ruth Working ()

A. A new beginning—faith ()

B. A new friend—love ()

C. A new attitude—hope ()

III. Submission: Ruth Waiting ()

A. Ruth presents herself to Boaz ()

B. Ruth is accepted by Boaz ()

C. Ruth waits for Boaz to act ()

IV. Satisfaction: Ruth Wedding ()

A. Boaz redeems Ruth ()

B. The people bless Ruth ()

C. God gives Boaz and Ruth a son ()

Book Overview

Because God gives us freedom of choice, we can ignore the will of God, argue with it, disobey it, and even fight against it. But in the end, the will of God shall prevail, because “the counsel of the Lord stands forever” () and “he does according to His will in the army of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth” ().

The patriarch Job asked, “Who has hardened himself against Him and prospered?” (). Job knew the answer, and so do we: nobody. If we obey God’s will, everything in life holds together; but if we disobey, everything starts to fall apart. Nowhere in the Bible is this truth better illustrated than in the experiences of Elimelech and his wife Naomi.

We see in chapter three mistakes that we must avoid as we deal with the problems and trials of life: unbelief—trying to run from our problems (vv. ); deception—trying to hide our mistakes (vv. ); and bitterness—blaming God for our trials (vv. ).

Before God changes our circumstances, he wants to change our hearts. If our circumstances change for the better but we remain the same, then we will become worse. God’s purpose in providence is not to make us comfortable but to make us conformable, to change us “to be conformed to the image of His Son” (). Christhke character is the divine goal for each of His children.

Naomi was bitter against God, but Ruth was willing for God to have His way in her life, so God began His gracious work with Ruth. Ruth would influence Naomi, and then God would bring to pass a wonderful work that would eventually bring the Son of God into the world. Ruth and Naomi had no idea they were part of an eternal plan that would fulfill God’s promise to Abraham for his seed to bring blessing to the whole world (). Ruth’s story begins with the death of a husband, but it will end with the birth of a baby. Her tears will be turned into triumph.

If we want God to work in our lives and circumstances and accomplish His gracious purposes, then we must meet certain conditions. These conditions are illustrated in Ruth’s experiences recorded in this book.

“Be Transformed”

Ruth is a love story about a man seeking a bride. It’s a redemption story about a wealthy man willingly paying the price to purchase his beloved bride and make her his very own. It’s a harvest story about the Lord of the harvest bringing in the sheaves. The Book of Ruth reminds us that God is at work in our world, seeking a bride and reaping a harvest, and we must find our place in His program of winning the lost.

The events in the Book of Ruth occurred during the period of the judges, a time not much different from our own day. If you focus only on the evils of today, you’ll become pessimistic and cynical. But if you ask God what field He wants you to work in and faithfully serve Him, you’ll experience His grace, love, and joy.

Meanwhile, even though we must live in an evil time like the age of the judges when Israel had no king, we can still seek first the kingdom of God and be loyal subjects of the King of kings (). If, like Israel without a king, we feel the entire world seems to be falling apart, we can have a King in our lives, reigning in our hearts.

It was Ruth’s commitment that made the difference in her life and in the lives of the people she loved. Have you put yourself at the feet of the Lord of the harvest? Until you do, God can never be to you all that He wants to be.

Elimelech’s Family Goes to Moab

Now it came to pass, in the days when the judges ruled, that there was a famine in the land. And a certain man of Bethlehem, Judah, went to dwell in the country of Moab, he and his wife and his two sons.

2The name of the man was Elimelech, the name of his wife was Naomi, and the names of his two sons were Mahlon and Chilion—Ephrathites of Bethlehem, Judah. And they went to the country of Moab and remained there.

Then Elimelech, Naomi’s husband, died; and she was left, and her two sons.

4Now they took wives of the women of Moab: the name of the one was Orpah, and the name of the other Ruth. And they dwelt there about ten years.

5Then both Mahlon and Chilion also died; so the woman survived her two sons and her husband.

Naomi Returns with Ruth

Then she arose with her daughters-in-law that she might return from the country of Moab, for she had heard in the country of Moab that the LORD had visited His people by giving them bread.

Therefore she went out from the place where she was, and her two daughters-in-law with her; and they went on the way to return to the land of Judah.

And Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law, “Go, return each to her mother’s house. The LORD deal kindly with you, as you have dealt with the dead and with me.

9“The LORD grant that you may find rest, each in the house of her husband.” So she kissed them, and they lifted up their voices and wept.

10And they said to her, “Surely we will return with you to your people.”

11But Naomi said, “Turn back, my daughters; why will you go with me? Are there still sons in my womb, that they may be your husbands?

12“Turn back, my daughters, go—for I am too old to have a husband. If I should say I have hope, if I should have a husband tonight and should also bear sons,

13“would you wait for them till they were grown? Would you restrain yourselves from having husbands? No, my daughters; for it grieves me very much for your sakes that the hand of the LORD has gone out against me!”

14Then they lifted up their voices and wept again; and Orpah kissed her mother-in-law, but Ruth clung to her.

And she said, “Look, your sister-in-law has gone back to her people and to her gods; return after your sister-in-law.”

But Ruth said:

“Entreat me not to leave you,

Or to turn back from following after you;

For wherever you go, I will go;

And wherever you lodge, I will lodge;

Your people shall be my people,

And your God, my God.

17Where you die, I will die,

And there will I be buried.

The LORD do so to me, and more also,

If anything but death parts you and me.”

18When she saw that she was determined to go with her, she stopped speaking to her.

Now the two of them went until they came to Bethlehem. And it happened, when they had come to Bethlehem, that all the city was excited because of them; and the women said, “Is this Naomi?”

20But she said to them, “Do not call me Naomi; call me Mara, for the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me.

21“I went out full, and the LORD has brought me home again empty. Why do you call me Naomi, since the LORD has testified against me, and the Almighty has afflicted me?”

So Naomi returned, and Ruth the Moabitess her daughter-in-law with her, who returned from the country of Moab. Now they came to Bethlehem at the beginning of barley harvest.

Ruth Meets Boaz

1There was a relative of Naomi’s husband, a man of great wealth, of the family of Elimelech. His name was Boaz.

So Ruth the Moabitess said to Naomi, “Please let me go to the field, and glean heads of grain after him in whose sight I may find favor.” And she said to her, “Go, my daughter.”

Then she left, and went and gleaned in the field after the reapers. And she happened to come to the part of the field belonging to Boaz, who was of the family of Elimelech.

Now behold, Boaz came from Bethlehem, and said to the reapers, “The LORD be with you!” And they answered him, “The LORD bless you!”

5Then Boaz said to his servant who was in charge of the reapers, “Whose young woman is this?”

6So the servant who was in charge of the reapers answered and said, “It is the young Moabite woman who came back with Naomi from the country of Moab.

7“And she said, ‘Please let me glean and gather after the reapers among the sheaves.’ So she came and has continued from morning until now, though she rested a little in the house.”

8Then Boaz said to Ruth, “You will listen, my daughter, will you not? Do not go to glean in another field, nor go from here, but stay close by my young women.

9“Let your eyes be on the field which they reap, and go after them. Have I not commanded the young men not to touch you? And when you are thirsty, go to the vessels and drink from what the young men have drawn.”

10So she fell on her face, bowed down to the ground, and said to him, “Why have I found favor in your eyes, that you should take notice of me, since I am a foreigner?”

And Boaz answered and said to her, “It has been fully reported to me, all that you have done for your mother-in-law since the death of your husband, and how you have left your father and your mother and the land of your birth, and have come to a people whom you did not know before.

12“The LORD repay your work, and a full reward be given you by the LORD God of Israel, under whose wings you have come for refuge.”

13Then she said, “Let me find favor in your sight, my lord; for you have comforted me, and have spoken kindly to your maidservant, though I am not like one of your maidservants.”

14Now Boaz said to her at mealtime, “Come here, and eat of the bread, and dip your piece of bread in the vinegar.” So she sat beside the reapers, and he passed parched grain to her; and she ate and was satisfied, and kept some back.

15And when she rose up to glean, Boaz commanded his young men, saying, “Let her glean even among the sheaves, and do not reproach her.

16“Also let grain from the bundles fall purposely for her; leave it that she may glean, and do not rebuke her.”

So she gleaned in the field until evening, and beat out what she had gleaned, and it was about an ephah of barley.

18Then she took it up and went into the city, and her mother-in-law saw what she had gleaned. So she brought out and gave to her what she had kept back after she had been satisfied.

19And her mother-in-law said to her, “Where have you gleaned today? And where did you work? Blessed be the one who took notice of you.” So she told her mother-in-law with whom she had worked, and said, “The man’s name with whom I worked today is Boaz.”

Then Naomi said to her daughter-in-law, “Blessed be he of the LORD, who has not forsaken His kindness to the living and the dead!” And Naomi said to her, “This man is a relation of ours, one of our close relatives.”

Ruth the Moabitess said, “He also said to me, ‘You shall stay close by my young men until they have finished all my harvest.’ ”

And Naomi said to Ruth her daughter-in-law, “It is good, my daughter, that you go out with his young women, and that people do not meet you in any other field.”

So she stayed close by the young women of Boaz, to glean until the end of barley harvest and wheat harvest; and she dwelt with her mother-in-law.

Ruth’s Redemption Assured

Then Naomi her mother-in-law said to her, “My daughter, shall I not seek security for you, that it may be well with you?

“Now Boaz, whose young women you were with, is he not our relative? In fact, he is winnowing barley tonight at the threshing floor.

“Therefore wash yourself and anoint yourself, put on your best garment and go down to the threshing floor; but do not make yourself known to the man until he has finished eating and drinking.

“Then it shall be, when he lies down, that you shall notice the place where he lies; and you shall go in, uncover his feet, and lie down; and he will tell you what you should do.”

And she said to her, “All that you say to me I will do.”

6So she went down to the threshing floor and did according to all that her mother-in-law instructed her.

7And after Boaz had eaten and drunk, and his heart was cheerful, he went to lie down at the end of the heap of grain; and she came softly, uncovered his feet, and lay down.

8Now it happened at midnight that the man was startled, and turned himself; and there, a woman was lying at his feet.

And he said, “Who are you?” So she answered, “I am Ruth, your maidservant. Take your maidservant under your wing, for you are a close relative.”

10Then he said, “Blessed are you of the LORD, my daughter! For you have shown more kindness at the end than at the beginning, in that you did not go after young men, whether poor or rich.

“And now, my daughter, do not fear. I will do for you all that you request, for all the people of my town know that you are a virtuous woman.

“Now it is true that I am a close relative; however, there is a relative closer than I.

13“Stay this night, and in the morning it shall be that if he will perform the duty of a close relative for you—good; let him do it. But if he does not want to perform the duty for you, then I will perform the duty for you, as the LORD lives! Lie down until morning.”

14So she lay at his feet until morning, and she arose before one could recognize another. Then he said, “Do not let it be known that the woman came to the threshing floor.”

Also he said, “Bring the shawl that is on you and hold it.” And when she held it, he measured six ephahs of barley, and laid it on her. Then she went into the city.

16When she came to her mother-in-law, she said, “Is that you, my daughter?” Then she told her all that the man had done for her.

And she said, “These six ephahs of barley he gave me; for he said to me, ‘Do not go empty-handed to your mother-in-law.’ ”

Then she said, “Sit still, my daughter, until you know how the matter will turn out; for the man will not rest until he has concluded the matter this day.”

Boaz Redeems Ruth

Now Boaz went up to the gate and sat down there; and behold, the close relative of whom Boaz had spoken came by. So Boaz said, “Come aside, friend, sit down here.” So he came aside and sat down.

2And he took ten men of the elders of the city, and said, “Sit down here.” So they sat down.

3Then he said to the close relative, “Naomi, who has come back from the country of Moab, sold the piece of land which belonged to our brother Elimelech.

4“And I thought to inform you, saying, ‘Buy it back in the presence of the inhabitants and the elders of my people. If you will redeem it, redeem it; but if you will not redeem it, then tell me, that I may know; for there is no one but you to redeem it, and I am next after you.’ ” And he said, “I will redeem it.”

Then Boaz said, “On the day you buy the field from the hand of Naomi, you must also buy it from Ruth the Moabitess, the wife of the dead, to perpetuate the name of the dead through his inheritance.”

And the close relative said, “I cannot redeem it for myself, lest I ruin my own inheritance. You redeem my right of redemption for yourself, for I cannot redeem it.”

Now this was the custom in former times in Israel concerning redeeming and exchanging, to confirm anything: one man took off his sandal and gave it to the other, and this was a confirmation in Israel.

8Therefore the close relative said to Boaz, “Buy it for yourself.” So he took off his sandal.

9And Boaz said to the elders and all the people, “You are witnesses this day that I have bought all that was Elimelech’s, and all that was Chilion’s and Mahlon’s, from the hand of Naomi.

“Moreover, Ruth the Moabitess, the widow of Mahlon, I have acquired as my wife, to perpetuate the name of the dead through his inheritance, that the name of the dead may not be cut off from among his brethren and from his position at the gate. You are witnesses this day.”

And all the people who were at the gate, and the elders, said, “We are witnesses. The LORD make the woman who is coming to your house like Rachel and Leah, the two who built the house of Israel; and may you prosper in Ephrathah and be famous in Bethlehem.

“May your house be like the house of Perez, whom Tamar bore to Judah, because of the offspring which the LORD will give you from this young woman.”

Descendants of Boaz and Ruth

So Boaz took Ruth and she became his wife; and when he went in to her, the LORD gave her conception, and she bore a son.

14Then the women said to Naomi, “Blessed be the LORD, who has not left you this day without a close relative; and may his name be famous in Israel!

“And may he be to you a restorer of life and a nourisher of your old age; for your daughter-in-law, who loves you, who is better to you than seven sons, has borne him.”

Then Naomi took the child and laid him on her bosom, and became a nurse to him.

Also the neighbor women gave him a name, saying, “There is a son born to Naomi.” And they called his name Obed. He is the father of Jesse, the father of David.

18Now this is the genealogy of Perez: Perez begot Hezron;

19Hezron begot Ram, and Ram begot Amminadab;

20Amminadab begot Nahshon, and Nahshon begot Salmon;

21Salmon begot Boaz, and Boaz begot Obed;

22Obed begot Jesse, and Jesse begot David.

Annotations for Ruth

Life was not easy in those days; for during the period of the judges, “there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes” (; and see ; ; ). The Book of Judges tells the story of Israel at one of its lowest points in history—it’s a record of division, cruelty, apostasy, civil war, and national disgrace. Spiritually, our lives resemble elements of what we read in Judges. Today we experience national and international perplexities, moral decay, and difficulties of every kind; yet God loves this lost world and is seeking a bride. In spite of alarms in the headlines and dangers on the streets, we can be sure that God still loves the world and wants to save lost sinners.

How strange that a famine should hit Bethlehem, a town whose name means “house of bread.” In the Old Testament, a famine was often an evidence of God’s discipline because His people had sinned against Him (; , , ). During the time of the judges, Israel repeatedly turned from God and worshiped the idols of the heathen nations around them, and God had to discipline them (). The godly had to suffer because of the ungodly, even in Bethlehem.

Catalyst

Elimelech walked by sight and not by faith. Abraham had made the same mistake when he encountered a famine in the land of promise (.). Instead of waiting for God to tell him what to do next, Abraham fled to Egypt and got into trouble. No matter how difficult our circumstances may be, the safest and best place is in the will of God. By claiming the promises of God and obeying the Word of God, despite what we see, how we feel, or what may happen, we are committing ourselves to the Lord and relying wholly on Him to meet the need. When we live by faith, we glorify God, witness to a lost world, and build Christian character into our lives.

Elimelech majored on the physical and not the spiritual. A husband and father certainly wants to provide for his wife and family, but he must not do it at the expense of losing the blessing of God. When Satan met Jesus in the wilderness, his first temptation was to suggest that Jesus satisfy His hunger rather than please His Father (; see ).

Elimelech honored the enemy and not the Lord. By going fifty miles to the neighboring land of Moab, Elimelech and his family abandoned God’s land and God’s people for the land and people of the enemy. The Moabites were descendants of Lot, from his incestuous union with his firstborn daughter (), and they were the Israelites’ enemies, because of the way they had treated Israel during their pilgrim journey from Egypt to Canaan (; ).

The name Elimelech means “my God is king.” But the Lord was not king in Elimelech’s life, for he left God completely out of his decisions. He made a decision out of God’s will when he went to Moab, and this led to another bad decision when his two sons married women of Moab.

Go to the

Elimelech and his family had fled Judah to escape death, but the three men met death just the same. The family had planned only to sojourn temporarily in Moab, but they remained for ten years (v. ). At the end of that decade of disobedience, all that remained were three lonely widows and three Israelite graves in a heathen land. Everything else was gone (v. ). Such is the sad consequence of unbelief. We can’t run away from our problems. We can’t avoid taking with us the basic cause of most of our problems, which is an unbelieving and disobedient heart.

God visited His faithful people in Bethlehem but not his disobedient daughter in Moab. Naomi heard the report that the famine had ended, and when she heard the good news, she decided to return home. You will always find “bread enough and to spare” when you are in the Father’s will (). How sad it is when people only hear about God’s blessing but never experience it because they are not in the place where God can bless them.

Whenever we have disobeyed the Lord and departed from His will, we must confess our sin and return to the place of blessing. Abraham had to leave Egypt and go back to the altar he had abandoned (), and Jacob had to go back to Bethel (). The repeated plea of the prophets to God’s people was that they turn from their sins and return to the Lord.

Naomi’s decision was right, but her motive was wrong. She was still interested primarily in food, not in fellowship with God. You don’t hear her confessing her sins to God and asking Him to forgive her. She was returning to her land but not to her Lord.

Perhaps Naomi didn’t want to take Orpah and Ruth to Bethlehem because they were living proof that she and her husband had permitted their two sons to marry women from outside the covenant nation. In other words, Naomi was trying to cover up her disobedience. If she returned to Bethlehem alone, nobody would know that the family had broken the Law of Moses. When we try to cover our sins, we’re showing that we really haven’t faced them honestly and judged them according to God’s Word. True repentance involves honest confession and a brokenness within. “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, a broken and a contrite heart—these, O God, You will not despise” ().

Naomi was trying to cover up, Orpah had given up, but Ruth was prepared to stand up! She refused to listen to her mother-in-law’s pleas or follow her sister-in-law’s bad example. Why? Because she had come to trust in the God of Israel ().

Ruth’s conversion is evidence of the sovereign grace of God, for the only way sinners can be saved is by grace (). Everything within her and around her presented obstacles to her faith, yet she trusted the God of Israel. Ruth’s circumstances were against her and could have made her bitter against the God of Israel. First, her father-in-law died, and then her husband and her brother-in-law, and she was left as a widow without any support. She could have wondered, “If this is the way Jehovah God treats His people, why follow Him?”

, Ruth’s statement is one of the most magnificent confessions found anywhere in Scripture. First, she confessed her love for Naomi and her desire to stay with her mother-in-law even unto death. Then she confessed her faith in the true and living God and her decision to worship Him alone. She was willing to forsake father and mother () in order to cleave to Naomi and the God of her people.

A divine law said, “An Ammonite or Moabite shall not enter the assembly of the LORD; even to the tenth generation none of his descendants shall enter the assembly of the LORD forever” (). This meant permanent exclusion. How then could Ruth enter into the congregation of the Lord? By trusting God’s grace and throwing herself completely on His mercy. Law excludes us from God’s family, but grace includes us if we put our faith in Christ.

The genealogy of Jesus Christ in includes five women, four of whom have very questionable credentials: Tamar committed incest with her father-in-law (); Rahab was a Gentile harlot (); Ruth was an outcast Gentile Moabitess (); and “the wife of Uriah” was an adulteress (). How did they ever become a part of the family of the Messiah? Through the sovereign grace and mercy of God!

The two widows arrived in Bethlehem during barley harvest, a time when the community expressed joy and praise to God for His goodness. Spring had arrived, a time of new life and new beginning. Naomi was about to make a new beginning, for with God, it’s never too late to start over again.

Catalyst

The life of Boaz presents an Old Testament testimony of God’s grace. We can trace this message in the following actions of Boaz:

(1) Boaz took the initiative (). Grace means that God makes the first move to come to our aid, not, because we deserve anything, but, because He loves us and wants us for Himself. “We love Him, because He first loved us” (). God took the initiative in salvation when we were spiritually dead (), without strength (), sinners (), and His enemies (). Salvation was not an afterthought of God but that which He planned from eternity. We have every reason to believe Boaz loved Ruth and therefore took the first steps to meet her needs.

(2) Boaz spoke to Ruth (). It was he who first spoke to her, for she would not have dared to speak to a man, especially one who was a stranger and “the lord of the harvest.” What right did a widow and an alien have to address a great man like Boaz? Yet he interrupted his conversation with his foreman to speak to a poor stranger gleaning in his field. In spite of all that a world of sinners has done to the Lord, He still speaks to us in His grace. He not only speaks the word of salvation, but He also gives us the guidance we need for everyday life.

(3) Boaz promised to protect Ruth and provide for her needs (, ). Boaz called Ruth “my daughter,” because she was younger than he (see ), but it was also a term of endearment. He would treat her like a member of his family. This is what David did for Mephibosheth (see ). The master became like the servants that he might show his love to a foreigner. Jesus Christ came to this earth as a servant () that He might save us and make us a part of His family.

(4) Boaz encouraged Ruth (). Ruth’s response to Boaz was one of humility and gratitude. She acknowledged her own unworthiness and accepted his grace. She believed his promises and rejoiced in them. Ruth need not worry, for the wealthy lord of the harvest would care for her and Naomi. How did she know he would care for her? He gave her his promise, and she knew he could be trusted.

(5) Boaz saw to it that she was satisfied (, ). All of this happened to Ruth because of her faith in the God of Israel. The Word of God and the Son of God can fully satisfy the heart of the believer. When we seek for satisfaction anywhere else, we will find ourselves disobedient and dissatisfied. The lost world labors for that which doesn’t satisfy (), but the believer has full satisfaction because of the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Go to the

The existence of the gleaning law was proof of God’s concern for the poor among His people. The nation was instructed to treat the poor with equity (, ; ; , ) and with generosity (, ). God was also concerned for the widows, many of whom were poor, and He told the people to care for them (; , ). Ruth was not only a poor widow, but she was also an alien; therefore, she had every right to look to God for His help and provision.

Ruth’s going out to gather grain was completely an act of faith because, being a stranger, she didn’t know who owned the various parcels of ground that made up the fields. Each parcel had boundary markers then, but no fences or family name signs as seen on our farms today. Furthermore, as a woman and an outsider, she was especially vulnerable, and she had to be careful where she went.

By the providence of God, Ruth gleaned in the portion of the field that belonged to Boaz. Boaz’s name means “in Him is strength.” The record says Ruth “happened” to come to this portion of the field, but this was no accident—her steps were guided by the Lord. As Abraham’s servant reported, “the LORD led me to the house of my master’s brethren” ().

God’s providential working in our lives is both a delight and a mystery. God is constantly working with us (), in us (, ), and for us () and accomplishing His gracious purposes. We pray, we seek His will, and we make decisions (and sometimes make mistakes), but God orders events and guides His willing children.

God led Ruth to the field of Boaz and then led Boaz to visit his field while Ruth was there. When Boaz arrived, Ruth could have been resting in the shelter house that Boaz provided for his workers, or she could have grown weary and gone home to Naomi. But she was working hard in the field where he noticed her. When we commit our lives to the Lord, what happens to us happens by way of appointment and not by accident. Ruth was still a poor widow and an alien, but God was about to create a new relationship that would completely alter her circumstances.

Grace is favor bestowed on someone who doesn’t deserve it and can’t earn it. As a woman, a poor widow, and an alien, Ruth could have no claims on anyone. She was at the lowest rung of the social ladder. The channel of that grace was Boaz. How good it is to know that God has good people living in bad times!

We can see in Boaz a picture of our Lord Jesus Christ in His relationship to His bride, the church. Like Ruth, the lost sinner is outside the covenant family of God, bankrupt, with no claim on God’s mercy. But God took the initiative and provided a way for us to enter His family through faith in Jesus Christ. (See .)

The word translated “answered” in this verse is literally “raised his voice.” Boaz was getting excited! He wanted everybody to hear what he thought about Ruth, and he wasn’t ashamed to be identified with her. She had trusted Jehovah, and she had proved her faith by cleaving to her mother-in-law and becoming a part of the people of Israel in Bethlehem.

, Ruth had food when she was hungry, drink when she was thirsty, and a place of rest when she became weary. The grain she gleaned amounted to about half a bushel, enough food for the two women for nearly a week. She also had some food left over from her lunch. Ruth was not only a diligent worker, but she was also careful not to waste anything God had given her.

Now we hear a new word from Naomi’s lips, “blessed.” She not only blessed Ruth’s benefactor, but she also blessed the Lord! She has moved from bitterness to blessedness. When Naomi saw the grain, she blessed the man who allowed Ruth to work in his field, and when she heard that the man was Boaz, Naomi blessed the Lord. What a change had taken place in the heart of this grieving widow!

Naomi had hope because of who Boaz was—a family redeemer who was wealthy and influential. Should not we who believe in Jesus Christ rejoice in hope? When you consider who He is, what He has done for us, and what He says to us in His Word, we have no reason to feel hopeless. Jesus Christ is the Son of God. He has died for us, and now He intercedes for us in heaven. In His Word, He has given us “great and precious promises” () that can never fail. No matter how you may feel today, no matter how difficult your circumstances may be, you can rejoice in hope if you will focus your faith on Jesus Christ.

As we shall see, a family redeemer could rescue relatives from poverty and give them a new beginning (). That Boaz insisted on Ruth staying close to his servants and in his field was proof to Naomi that her husband’s relative was making plans that included her and her daughter-in-law.

God used Ruth to turn Naomi’s bitterness into gratitude, her unbelief into faith, and her despair into hope. One person, trusting the Lord and obeying His will, can change a situation from defeat to victory.

Ruth’s faith in God’s Word led her to the field of Boaz. The love of Boaz for Ruth compelled him to pour out his grace upon her and meet her every need. (Grace is love that pays the price to help the undeserving one.) Ruth’s experience of grace gave her new hope as she anticipated what her family redeemer would do.

For the Christian believer, hope is not a shallow “hope-so feeling” generated by optimistic fantasies. Hope is an inner sense of joyful assurance and confidence as we trust God’s promises and face the future with His help. This hope is God’s gift to His children through the Holy Spirit, who reminds us of God’s promises found in His Word (). Jesus Christ is our hope (; ; ). Through faith in Christ, we have been born again into “a living hope” (), and because it is a living hope, it grows stronger each day and produces fruit. The hopes that the world clings to are dead hopes, but ours is a living hope because it is rooted in the living Christ.

There were other men who would gladly have married Ruth (v. ), but they could not have redeemed her. Only a relative could do that, and Boaz was that relative. Since Naomi knew that Boaz would be using the threshing floor that night and staying there to guard his grain, she instructed Ruth to prepare herself to meet him. Ruth made careful preparations before she presented herself to Boaz.

The threshing floor was usually a raised platform outside the village and often on a hill where it could catch the evening breeze. Once the grain was harvested, the workers would throw the grain into the air, and the breeze would carry the chaff away while the grain fell to the floor. The men often worked in the evening when the breeze was up, and they slept at the threshing floor to protect the harvest.

With regard to the Israelites, the Law of Moses required ceremonial washings, and taking a bath and changing clothes usually preceded a special event (). If we want to enter into a deeper relationship with our Lord, we must “cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God” (). Whenever we sin, we must pray, “Wash me” (, ), but sometimes God says to us, “Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean” (). We must separate ourselves from whatever defiles us and grieves the Father (; , ).

Eastern peoples used fragrant oils to protect and heal their bodies and to make themselves pleasant to others. A bride would especially take care to wear fragrant perfume that would make her “nice to be near” (see , ; ). Anointing oil speaks of the presence and the working of the Holy Spirit in our lives. If the spotless Son of God needed the Spirit’s power, how much more do we! Do we dare pray in the energy of the flesh when the Spirit is present to assist us (; )?

Ruth’s third act of preparation was to change clothes. She was to put off the garments of a sorrowing widow and dress for a wedding (see ). Ruth probably didn’t have a large wardrobe, but she would have one special garment for festive occasions. Naomi had the faith to believe that Ruth would soon be going to a wedding! Salvation is pictured as a change of clothes (; see also ), and Christian living means taking off the “grave clothes” of the old life and putting on the “grace clothes” of the new life (; see ). We can’t come into God’s presence in our own righteousness, for “all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags” (). We can only come in the righteousness of Jesus Christ (), “by which He made us accepted in the Beloved” ().

Ruth prepared herself to meet Boaz by learning how to present herself to him. Nothing was improper about this procedure, for it was the only way Ruth could offer herself to her family redeemer. She had to put herself at the feet of the lord of the harvest, and He would do the rest. The Old Testament priests knew how to approach God because He gave them their instructions in the law. New Testament Christians know how to approach God because in the Word He has told us what is required. Whether in our private communion with the Lord or in public worship, we have no right to alter the principles of approach that God has laid down.

Ruth promised to obey Naomi’s wise plan. She was not only a hearer of the Word, but she was a doer. A willingness to obey the Lord is the secret of knowing what He wants us to do and being blessed when we do it.

When he asked who she was, Ruth replied that she was Ruth, but she did not call herself “the Moabitess.” Now she was the “maidservant” of Boaz. She was making a new beginning. You find Ruth named twelve times in this little book, and in five of these references she is identified with Moab (; , ; , ).

To spread the mantle of your covering over a person meant to claim that person for yourself (; ), particularly in marriage. The word translated “mantle” also means “wing.” Ruth had come under the wings of Jehovah God (), and now she would be under the wings of Boaz, her beloved husband. What a beautiful picture of marriage!

Not only did Boaz calm Ruth’s fears, but he also made a promise to her concerning the future: “I will do for you all that you request.” Whatever God starts, He finishes; and what He does, He does well (; ). Ruth was not obliged to do for herself what only Boaz could do.

The great concern of Boaz was the redemption of Ruth, even if another family redeemer had to do it. When you see this as a picture of our redemption in Jesus Christ, we see that no other “family member” could redeem a lost world. “Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved” ().

Boaz filled her cloak with “six ephahs of barley,” which would be more than two weeks’ supply. Boaz not only calmed Ruth’s fears and gave her assurance for the future, but he also met her present needs in a gracious and generous way. She had not asked him for anything, but he gave the grain to her because he loved her. He was about to marry her, and he didn’t want his prospective bride gleaning in the fields like a poor laborer.

Naomi could no longer say that her hands were empty (). Now they were full because of the grace of the family redeemer. Ruth’s faith and obedience had brought about a complete transformation in their lives, and now they were living by grace.

Through faith and patience we inherit God’s promises (; ). Since Naomi and Ruth believed that Boaz would accomplish what he said he would do, they waited patiently until they received the good news that Ruth would be a bride. “Commit your way to the LORD, trust also in Him, and He shall bring it to pass” (). “Sit still” was Naomi’s counsel to Ruth, and wise counsel it was. Our human nature gets nervous and wants to help God out; and when we try, we only make matters worse.

The key theme of this chapter is redemption. The words “redeem,” “buy,” and “purchase” are used at least fifteen times. No redemption comes without paying a price. From our point of view, “whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved” (), but from God’s point of view, redemption is very costly.

The law of the family redeemer is given in , and the law governing levirate marriage is found in . The purpose of these laws was to preserve the name and protect the property of families in Israel. God owned the land and didn’t want it exploited by rich people who would take advantage of poor people and widows.

Catalyst

In Old Testament times, not everybody could perform the duties of a family redeemer. To begin with, he had to be a near kinsman (). When you see this as a type of Jesus Christ, it reminds you that He had to become related to us before He could redeem us. He became flesh and blood so He could die for us on the cross (, ).

The family redeemer also had to be able to pay the redemption price. Ruth and Naomi were too poor to redeem themselves, but Boaz had all the resources necessary to set them free. In the case of the redemption of sinners, nobody but Jesus Christ is rich enough to pay the price. Indeed, the payment of money can never set sinners free; the shedding of the precious blood of Christ has accomplished redemption.

The family redeemer had to be willing to redeem. As we shall see in Boaz’s negotiations, since the nearer kinsman was not willing to redeem Ruth, Boaz was free to purchase both the property and a wife. We have redemption through Christ’s blood (), because He gave Himself for us () and purchased eternal redemption for us ().

Go to the

, As a near relative, Boaz could redeem the family property that Elimelech had mortgaged when he took his family to Moab. Naomi wasn’t wealthy enough to redeem it, but Boaz could buy it back and keep it in the family. The wife of the deceased went with the property; therefore, the family redeemer had to marry her and bring up children bearing the name of the deceased. They would then inherit the property, and the family name and family possessions would continue to be theirs.

The word redeem means “to set free by paying a price.” In the case of Ruth and Naomi, Elimelech’s property had either been sold or was under some kind of mortgage. This explains why Ruth was also involved in the transaction. When it comes to spiritual redemption, all people are in bondage to sin and Satan (, ; ) and are unable to set themselves free. Jesus Christ gave His life as a ransom for sinners (; , ), and faith in Him sets the captive free.

We should note that the nearer kinsman tried to protect his name and inheritance, but we don’t even know what his name was or what happened to his family! Boaz took the risk of love and obedience, and his name is written down in Scripture and held in honor. “He who does the will of God abides forever” (). This also explains why Orpah’s name is missing in , .

The custom of taking off the sandal probably relates to the divine commandment to walk on the land and take possession (; ; ). In years to come, the ten witnesses would be able to testify that the transaction had been completed because they saw the kinsman hand his sandal to Boaz. It symbolized the kinsman’s forfeiture of his right to possess the land. Boaz now had the land—and Ruth!

Boaz is a picture of Jesus Christ, our Family Redeemer; and this scene is no exception to that. Like Boaz, Jesus wasn’t concerned about jeopardizing his own inheritance; instead, He made us a part of His inheritance (, ). Like Boaz, Jesus made His plans privately, but He paid the price publicly. And like Boaz, Jesus did what He did because of His love for His bride.

The use of the word “Ephrathah” is significant, for the Hebrew word means “fruitful.” The people wanted Ruth to be fruitful and famous and bring honor to their little town. It was the place where Rachel was buried (), but more importantly, it would be known as the place where Jesus Christ was born.

The neighbors also wanted the house of Boaz to be like that of Perez (; see ). The family of Perez had settled in Bethlehem (, ), and Boaz was a descendant of Perez (). Tamar, the mother of Perez, was not a godly woman, but her name is found in our Lord’s genealogy ().

It’s glorious when the covenant community sincerely rejoices with the bride and groom because what they are doing is in the will of God. This sacred union includes God and God’s people, and every bride and groom should want the blessing of God and God’s people on their marriage.

What wonderful changes came into Ruth’s life because she trusted Boaz and let him work on her behalf! She went from loneliness to love, from toil to rest, from poverty to wealth, from worry to assurance, and from despair to hope. She was no longer “Ruth the Moabitess,” for the past was gone, and she was making a new beginning. She was now “Ruth the wife of Boaz,” a name she was proud to bear.

Obed was a “restorer of life” to Naomi. The best way to get a new lease on life is to start investing yourself in the younger generation. Every baby that is born into this world is a vote for the future, and grandparents need to focus on the future and not on the past. When you’re holding a baby, you’re holding the future in your arms. In addition, this baby would one day care for the family that brought him into the world, including his grandmother Naomi. Boaz had redeemed the family inheritance; now Obed would continue the family line, protect the inheritance, and use it to sustain Naomi. He would live up to his name and be a “servant” to Naomi, his “foster mother.”

Obed would bring blessing to Israel. Obed was the grandfather of King David, one of Israel’s greatest rulers. David did commit a great sin, but he was also a great man of faith whom God used to build the kingdom of Israel. He led the people in overcoming their enemies, expanding their inheritance and, most of all, worshiping their God. Remember that the next time you behold a baby or a child—that little one might be one for whom God has planned a great future.

Ruth 1

1:1

1:1 ;

1:1

1:2

1:6 ;

1:6

1:8

1:9

1:11

1:13

1:14 []

1:15

1:16 , ,

1:16 ,

1:17

1:18

1:19

1:20 Literally Pleasant

1:20 Literally Bitter

1:21

1:22

Ruth 2

2:1 ,

2:1

2:2 , ;

2:4

2:4 ,

2:6

2:10

2:11

2:12

2:13

2:14

2:17

2:18

2:19 []

2:20

2:20 ; ,

Ruth 3

3:1

3:2 ,

3:3

3:7 , ,

3:9

3:9 ;

3:9 Or Spread the corner of your garment over your maidservant

3:10

3:11 ;

3:12

3:13

3:13 ;

3:14 []

3:15 Many Hebrew manuscripts, Syriac, and Vulgate read she; Masoretic Text, Septuagint, and Targum read he.

3:18 [, ]

Ruth 4

4:1

4:1 Hebrew peloni almoni; literally so and so

4:2

4:3

4:4 ,

4:4

4:4 Following many Hebrew manuscripts, Septuagint, Syriac, Targum, and Vulgate; Masoretic Text reads he.

4:5

4:5 Literally raise up

4:6 ,

4:7

4:10

4:10 Probably his civic office

4:11 ;

4:11

4:12

4:13

4:13 ;

4:14

4:15

4:17

4:18 ,

4:20

4:20 Hebrew Salmah

4:22

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