Asking "Who is the heroine of the book of Ruth?" may sound like
1. NAOMI: STRENGTH
Asking "Who is the heroine of the book of Ruth?" may sound like the same kind of question as "Who is buried in General Grant's tomb?" But it is actually a very valid question. While it is easy to presume that Ruth herself is the central figure of the book that traditionally bears her name, consider the following facts.
In reality, the book of Ruth tells us far more about Naomi than it does about Ruth. The book begins and ends with Naomi, and this is not simply what scholars of literature call a "framing device"; because when we look carefully we find that the narrative revolves around Naomi throughout most of the story – every event leads back to her. We can see how central Naomi is to the story when we realize that of the words spoken by all the characters in the book 120 words are spoken by Ruth, while 225 – almost twice as many – are spoken by Naomi!
It might be hard to find another story in which the supposed heroine speaks half as much as one of the supporting characters, and the more we ponder the story the clearer it becomes that Naomi is really the leading figure of the book of Ruth. Saying this is not to diminish the importance of Ruth's character or role at all, but rather that Naomi is of far greater importance in this story than we often realize.
At the beginning of the story, a famine causes Naomi and her husband and sons to leave their home in Judea and to travel to the land of Moab. While they are there, Naomi's husband, Elimelech, dies – as well as their two sons Mahlon (similar to the Hebrew word "sick") and Chilion (similar to the Hebrew word "wasting"). Bereft of her husband and sons, Naomi hears that there is food again in Israel and she determines to return to her hometown of Bethlehem.
But if she is driven by hope to return, Naomi is also deeply discouraged. When she and her daughter-in-law Ruth arrive in
Bethlehem the people do not ask "Who is this woman with Naomi?" but "Can this be Naomi?" – showing that the years of difficulty and sorrow had doubtless had a visible effect on the returning woman. This is clearly seen when Naomi replies to the women of Bethlehem:
"Don't call me Naomi [meaning "pleasant"]," she told them. "Call me Mara [meaning "bitter"], because the Almighty has made my life very bitter. I went away full, but the Lord has brought me back empty. Why call me Naomi? The Lord has afflicted me; the Almighty has brought misfortune upon me." (Ruth 1:20-21). This is a vital point in the story for it reveals to us that Naomi is, in fact, presented as a kind of female Job – a "Job for Every Woman." Her situation is reminiscent of that of the suffering Job, and her words here are almost identical to those spoken by Job: "… the Almighty, who has made my life bitter" (Job 27:2). The parallels with the earlier book are many, in fact. Even the women of Bethlehem function in the Ruth narrative almost like the friends of Job. Although these stories differ in detail, the women of Bethlehem pose questions and make statements to the suffering Naomi (Ruth 1:19; 4:14, 17) in a similar role to that played by Job's friends. Like Job, the strength of Naomi is seen in the difficulties she endures. In fact, strength is the single most notable characteristic of Naomi and is seen throughout the story in situations such as that in which she urges her two daughters-in-law to return to their homes as she sets out on the trip back to Bethlehem.
Considering the lawless and dangerous times in which she lived, Naomi's desire for the good of the two younger women shows great strength, as sending them back meant she would have to make the long journey alone, going into a totally uncertain future. We see Naomi's strength again when she urges Ruth to seek a husband (Ruth 3:1) – knowing that this might leave Naomi herself alone and without help in her old age.
Above all, we see this woman's strength in her continuing faith despite all the misfortune that has occurred in her life. Like Job, Naomi never folds under the discouragement of her situation and that makes the outcome of the story possible. Naomi's situation shapes much of the narrative; but it is her strength and persistence that bring the story to its positive ending.
It is sometimes said that Naomi is shown as an embittered woman who simply tries to work things out through her own scheming when God fails her. But this is a sad misreading of the book. Throughout the middle section of the story, Naomi demonstrates her underlying trust in God's goodness as when she hears of the kindness Boaz has shown to Ruth and specifically exclaims "The Lord bless him!" (Ruth 2:20). This is hardly the attitude of someone who does not believe that God blesses though sometimes also allows misfortune.
Certainly, Naomi's wise counsel and guidance are directly involved in the circumstances that lead to the story's positive resolution, but that does not mean the book does not see a providential hand behind the way things work out (Ruth 4:13). So it is that the book begins with an account of Naomi's troubles and ends with an account of her blessing.
Although the son born to Ruth and Boaz was, of course, a blessing given to them, the centrality of Naomi in the story is seen in that we are told: "Then Naomi took the child in her arms and cared for him. The women living there said, 'Naomi has a son!' (Ruth 4:16-17). The son, Obed, is the heir of Ruth and Boaz, but he is also ascribed to Naomi whose own sons were replaced indirectly, by this child through the "kinsman redeemer" (Leviticus 27:9–25, 25:47–55). So, like Job whose family is also replaced, the book of Ruth concludes with the same happy ending. Like Job, Naomi is presented as a memorable example of the fact that if we continue to honor God – even when we do not understand his actions in our lives – he will work things out.
But unlike Job, which is written as an epic story on a cosmic scale with heavenly councils, whirlwinds and the voice of God himself, Naomi's story is painted with less dramatic yet still powerful brushstrokes. It is the story of the same kind of persistent trust, but it is written on a smaller scale to show the difficulties and losses that occur in the lives of most people.
The story of Naomi is as compelling as it is because it is so easy to see that it is one that applies directly to all of us.