Ruth

This is a short book. But it has great importance. It is a study about God and religious beliefs. Its history is important too.

Ruth became a book for the public to read. There was a possible reason for this. It was a time of danger for the Jews. They had a wrong attitude to Gentiles. (A Gentile is anyone who is not a Jew.) The Jews were becoming very selfish. They thought that they were special. They thought that nobody else could be like them. So they were against Gentiles. They thought that Gentiles could not be special too.

This book is like the book of Jonah. They both record the same truth. It is the truth that God loves Gentiles. He provides for them too. But the book of Ruth has something extra. The book's main person is special. Ruth was great-grandmother to David. The book is a dramatic play about salvation.

There are four chapters. And they divide the play into four parts. The story shows something wonderful. We see God's generous love. And we see this love in three ways. There is his love for people who do not have a home. We see his love for hungry people. And there is his love for lonely people.

Ruth did not have a proper home. She did not have enough food. And she did not have a companion that she could trust. Then she found a home in Bethlehem. And someone cared for her. His name was Boaz. The word means ‘strength’. He was her relative. And he became her Go’el. This meant a relative that helped or redeemed. To ‘redeem’ means to ‘buy back’. Often, the poor relatives would be slaves. The Go’el would buy them back. He would make them free. He was their Redeemer.

This story has lessons for all of us. They are spiritual lessons. We are all lonely. We are hungry. We have no home. All these things are true about us in a spiritual way. But our Redeemer finds us. His name is Jesus.

A Holy Decision (Chapter 1)

The first part of the dramatic play was in Moab. This place was far away from the Jews’ land. Naomi decided to leave Moab. She wanted to return to her own country, Judah. She had left Judah many years before. At that time, there was no food because of lack of rain. But there was plenty of food in Judah now. So there was no reason to stay in Moab. But, it was a difficult decision. She was a widow. And both of her sons were dead. She only had their wives. They were Orpah and Ruth. Orpah could mean ‘refusing to change’. Ruth could mean ‘friend’. Later, the Rabbis (Jewish teachers) believed that these names had special spiritual meanings.

It was time to say ‘Goodbye’. Orpah returned to her home. She would be with her own people. Their idols would be there too (1:14-15). But Ruth's decision was different. Her decision:

Said that she was loyal (1:16). It was a decision of love. She refused to leave Naomi. Ruth remembered Naomi's kindness during many past years.

Demanded her faith. (Faith means trust and confidence in God.) The journey could be dangerous. The territory was unknown. And her faith was new. This was a difficult test. But Ruth said, ‘Your God will be my God’ (1:16). These words had a particular meaning. Ruth did not use the name ‘Elohim’ for ‘God’. Foreigners would often use this word. (Read 1 Kings 19:2; 20:10.) Ruth said ‘Yahweh’. This was the name for Israel's God.

[Note: Elohim and Yahweh are words in the Hebrew language. Hebrew is the language of the Jews.]

Showed her hope. Ruth spoke about the future in a bold way. She spoke about the end of her life. She said, ‘Where you die, I will die’ (1:17). There was a custom in that part of the ancient world. At that time, every nation had a belief. They believed that each nation had its own special place in Sheol. (This was their name for the place where dead people went.) Therefore, Ruth's decision was final. She could not change it. It had meaning for her life after death.

Prepared for her reward. Ruth and Naomi arrived in the town of Bethlehem. It was the beginning of the grain harvest (1:22). Ruth knew nothing about what might happen. She was in an unknown country. However, God had called her. And he cared for her. Ruth was loyal to Naomi. She was loyal to Naomi's God too. And she would receive a reward for this. The two poor women arrived in Bethlehem. It was at a very good time. The people were harvesting their grain.

A Heavenly Provision (Chapter 2)

[Note: Heavenly means ‘from heaven’]

This chapter is about ‘provision’. The book introduced the subject in 1:22. But Ruth did not seem to know about it. It was a practice of the Jews if a woman became a widow. They would appoint a Go’el. This was a ‘relative-redeemer’. The appointment was by law. He must be a male relative. He could be her husband's brother. He must provide for her family. And he could do this in two ways. He could redeem (buy back) her property (Leviticus 25:25). Or he could marry her. The Go’el had special responsibility for his family. He must care for those that most needed help.

This is a wonderful story. Ruth did not know this law. But she went into a field. Workers were busy with the harvest. But they left some grain or they dropped it. And Ruth picked it up. There was something amazing. Boaz owned this particular field. And he was a relative of her dead husband.

We, too, must obey God. Then he will guide us. We may not always realize the importance of things that we do. They may not have any special meaning to us. Yet, we are obeying him. So he is guiding us.

Ruth was in the field that belonged to Boaz. There she received much sympathy. Notice that she worked hard. She worked ‘without resting even for a moment’ (2:7). The Lord provides for us too. Yet he expects us to do what we can!

The Lord's provision was:

• immediate. Ruth entered the field. The opportunity was there. And she started to pick up grain. It is the same for us too. God gives us everything that we need. (Read Philippians 4:19.)
• not because she deserved it (2:10). Ruth accepted this loving provision. But she was very humble. She did not think that she deserved it. We, too, do not deserve God's provision.
• generous (2:9,14-16). There is plenty in God's store. Remember Luke 15:17.
• a promise. Ruth had freedom to pick up grain. This was because of a law of God. (Read Deuteronomy 24:19-21.) But there would often only be a small amount to pick up. (Compare Isaiah 17:5-6.) Boaz gave much more than the Law demanded.

A Humble Request (Chapter 3)

Naomi advised Ruth. That night, Ruth followed her advice. She went to the grain store. Boaz was sleeping there. He was guarding the grain. This was an important duty. Ruth's belief in God was new. But notice the attractive qualities about her:

• She obeyed completely (3:5-6. Compare John 2:5).
• She was humble and gentle (3:7-8).
• She gave herself. ‘I am Ruth, your servant girl’ (3:9). [Note: The Hebrew word means a female slave.]
• She chose to trust completely. (‘Spread your cover over me. You are my Go’el (‘relative-redeemer’ 3:9.) The word ‘cover’ is the same as ‘wings’. Before that time, Boaz used the same word. He was speaking to Ruth. And he was talking about God. He said, ‘You have come under his wings for safety’ (2:12). It seemed that Boaz intended to use this word. It was as if Ruth was under God's ‘wings’. This was a spiritual fact. The word was about God's care. But she was also in the care of Boaz. And this showed that spiritual fact in a practical way.
• She lived a good life (3:11). Both Ruth and Boaz were eager to avoid anything that seemed evil (3:14. Compare 1 Thessalonians 5:22.) And there was a result for Ruth:
• She received a great reward (3:15). We, too, can have these attractive qualities. Then we will receive the same rewards. Someone will care for us. And we will be able to help other people too (3:17).

A Happy End (Chapter 4)

This is a lovely story. And it ended happily. The last chapter is of great interest. It describes a legal process. It is about the Go’el (‘relative-redeemer’). Read the book's last sentence. It is important. It probably gives the book's main purpose.

It became a book for the public to read. This happened after the Jews returned to their land. There was a probable reason for it. The Jews did not like the Gentiles. They refused to think that God would bless Gentiles. So maybe this book was to show the truth to Jews. They needed to know that God does bless Gentiles.

[Note: A Gentile is anybody who is not a Jew.]
Chapter 4:7 suggests something. The author wrote long after the events. It must have been after David's rule (4:22). And the writer may have wanted to remind the Jews about a fact. It was this. The Lord God loved Ruth. And she was not a Jew. She was from Moab. She was a Gentile. But she was now following the God of the Jews. They might think about the law in Deuteronomy 23:3. Yet, the writer was saying something to them. They should still be eager for Gentiles to come to God. This was because David was their great king. And their King David had a Gentile in his family. Her name was Ruth.