RUTH

From Bethlehem to Moab and Back

A famine drives an Israelite man named Elimelech, his wife Naomi, and their two sons from their home in Bethlehem to the pagan country of Moab. There, tragedy strikes repeatedly. Elimelech dies, and his two sons, who marry Moabite women named Orpah and Ruth, also die. After ten years, Naomi is left a widow, childless, and destitute in a foreign land. Hearing that the famine in Israel is over, she decides to return home.

Naomi urges her two daughters-in-law to return to their own families, releasing them from any obligation. Orpah, with tears, agrees and leaves. But Ruth clings to Naomi, making one of the most famous declarations of loyalty in all of literature.

This is a radical act of faith and love, known in Hebrew as *hesed*. Ruth is abandoning her country, her family, and her gods to follow her mother-in-law and embrace the God of Israel. When the two women arrive in Bethlehem, Naomi is filled with bitterness. "Don't call me Naomi (which means 'pleasant')," she tells the townspeople. "Call me Mara (which means 'bitter'), because the Almighty has made my life very bitter."

Gleaning in the Field of Boaz

To survive, Ruth goes to glean grain in the barley fields, a practice in Israelite law that allowed the poor to gather the leftovers from the harvest. The narrative simply says she "happened to be working in a field belonging to Boaz, who was from the clan of Elimelech" (Ruth 2:3). What seems like a coincidence is, in fact, the quiet hand of God's providence at work. Boaz, the owner of the field, is described as a man of great wealth and standing.

An Act of *Hesed* (Loyal Love)

Boaz notices Ruth and asks about her. When he learns of her incredible loyalty to Naomi, he is deeply impressed. He demonstrates his own *hesed* by showing her extraordinary kindness. He commands his workers to leave extra grain for her, allows her to drink from their water jars, and invites her to share their meal. He places her under his protection. Boaz's generosity goes far beyond what the law required, revealing a man of great integrity and kindness. Ruth returns to Naomi with an abundance of grain, and for the first time, a glimmer of hope enters Naomi's heart as she recognizes that Boaz is a "kinsman-redeemer," a relative who has the ability to rescue their family.

A Daring Proposal

Naomi, seeing an opportunity for redemption, devises a bold and culturally risky plan. She instructs Ruth to go to the threshing floor at night, where Boaz will be sleeping after the harvest celebration, and to uncover his feet and lie down. This symbolic act was a culturally understood way for a widow to propose marriage to a kinsman-redeemer, placing herself under his protection.

In the middle of the night, Boaz awakens, startled to find a woman at his feet. Ruth reveals who she is and makes her plea: "Spread the corner of your garment over me, since you are a kinsman-redeemer" (Ruth 3:9). Boaz is again moved by her character and her faithfulness. He praises her for seeking refuge not with a younger man, but with him, out of loyalty to her family line. He agrees to redeem her, but reveals there is one male relative who is closer in line and has the first right of redemption.

The Gate of the City

The next day, Boaz goes to the city gate, the place of legal transactions. He presents the case to the other relative. The other man is initially willing to redeem the land of Naomi's husband, but when he learns that this also requires marrying Ruth the Moabite, he declines, fearing it would endanger his own estate. With the first redeemer out of the way, Boaz publicly declares his intention to redeem the land and to take Ruth as his wife, to "maintain the name of the dead with his property." The elders of the city bless the union, praying that Ruth will be like Rachel and Leah, who built up the house of Israel.

The Birth of Obed

Boaz marries Ruth, and the Lord enables her to conceive. She gives birth to a son named Obed. The women of the town rejoice with Naomi, whose bitterness has now been turned to joy. They declare, "Praise be to the LORD, who this day has not left you without a kinsman-redeemer!" They place the child in Naomi's arms, and the woman who returned empty is now full. Her family line and inheritance are secure.

The book of Ruth could have ended there, as a heartwarming story of personal restoration. But the final verses reveal the stunning, historical significance of this seemingly small tale. The book concludes with a short genealogy: "Boaz the father of Obed, Obed the father of Jesse, and Jesse the father of David" (Ruth 4:21-22).

This is the climax of the story. Ruth, the foreign widow from a pagan land, becomes the great-grandmother of King David, Israel's greatest king. This places her directly in the lineage of Jesus Christ, the ultimate Kinsman-Redeemer, who came to redeem all of humanity—Jew and Gentile alike. The book of Ruth is a powerful reminder that God's plan of salvation has always included people from every nation, and that He is always at work, weaving together the ordinary lives of faithful people to accomplish His extraordinary, world-changing purposes.