The Story of Ruth

Summary

Ruth 1:1-5 “In the days when the judges ruled there was a famine in the land, and a man of Bethlehem in Judah went to sojourn in the country of Moab, he and his wife and his two sons. The name of the man was Elimelech and the name of his wife Naomi, and the names of his two sons were Mahlon and Chilion. They were Ephrathites from Bethlehem in Judah. They went into the country of Moab and remained there. But Elimelech, the husband of Naomi, died, and she was left with her two sons. These took Moabite wives; the name of the one was Orpah and the name of the other Ruth. They lived there about ten years, and both Mahlon and Chilion died, so that the woman was left without her two sons and her husband.”

The story of Ruth begins with tragedy, Ruth, her sister-in-law and mother in law both lose everything.

At this time in history, marriage was a very important cultural ritual, and in fact having children was a primary reason for marriage. Within the culture at the time, men were the ones who were to have the inheritance, since Ruth and Naomi didn’t have any children before their husbands died, this means that they do not have any inheritance from anyone. Almost like they were outcasts.

So this was a tragic event for these women.

Ruth 1:6-8 “Then she arose with her daughters-in-law to return from the country of Moab, for she had heard in the fields of Moab that the Lord had visited his people and given them food. So she set out from the place where she was with her two daughters-in-law, and they went on the way to return to the land of Judah. But Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law, “Go, return each of you to her mother’s house. May the Lord deal kindly with you, as you have dealt with the dead and with me.”

After the tragic event Naomi heres of God’s compassion and provision that He has shown people during the time of this drought they were in and decides to go back to her home country and serve God. Before she leaves she tells Ruth and Orpah to go to their mother home and to live there.

However Ruth and Orpah say they will not leave her, but will stay with her.

Upon hearing this Naomi begins explaining to them once again that she doesn’t have any sons for them to marry so it is pointless for them to stay. After she explains this Orpah decides to leave but Ruth makes her famous vow to stay:

Ruth 1:16-17 “But Ruth said, “Do not urge me to leave you or to return from following you. For where you go I will go, and where you lodge I will lodge. Your people shall be my people, and your God my God. Where you die I will die, and there will I be buried. May the Lord do so to me and more also if anything but death parts me from you.””

Ruth vowing to serve God was a very pivotal moment in her life, You see Ruth was a Moabite and the Moabites did not serve the same God that we serve, they served a false God named Chemosh.

So for Ruth to make this vow she is actually turning away from her old ways and turning to God, much like we do to this day.

Ruth 2:1 “Now Naomi had a relative of her husband’s, a worthy man of the clan of Elimelech, whose name was Boaz.”

8-13 “Then Boaz said to Ruth, “Now, listen, my daughter, do not go to glean in another field or leave this one, but keep close to my young women. Let your eyes be on the field that they are reaping, and go after them. Have I not charged the young men not to touch you? And when you are thirsty, go to the vessels and drink what the young men have drawn.” Then she fell on her face, bowing 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?” 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!”

Once they arrive in Bethlehem, Naomi’s hometown, they are in desperate need of food and a place to stay. After all Ruth was a foreigner, who would care for her? In a way of showing His love and mercy for her God plants Boaz in her place to protect her and give her food, but it is more than food and protection that God wants to restore to Ruth.

Ruth 3:1-6 “Then Naomi her mother-in-law said to her, “My daughter, should I not seek rest for you, that it may be well with you? Is not Boaz our relative, with whose young women you were? See, he is winnowing barley tonight at the threshing floor. Wash therefore and anoint yourself, and put on your cloak and go down to the threshing floor, but do not make yourself known to the man until he has finished eating and drinking. But when he lies down, observe the place where he lies. Then go and uncover his feet and lie down, and he will tell you what to do.” And she replied, “All that you say I will do.” So she went down to the threshing floor and did just as her mother-in-law had commanded her.”

Convinced by her mother in law Naomi sets out to find favor in the sight of Boaz because he has the political power to redeem people in the land.

The Idea of Redeemer:

In the culture at this time there was this law of redeeming in place where certain people had the power to restore the rights and possessions of certain people if they chose to. In the case of Ruth and Naomi, they were at the time living in poverty and the rights that Naomi had with her deceased husband did not belong to her since he had died, in order for his inheritance to be restored to her Naomi had to be “redeemed” by a “redeemer”. This was what Ruth was asking Boaz to do.

Ruth 3:8-13 “At midnight the man was startled and turned over, and behold, a woman lay at his feet! He said, “Who are you?” And she answered, “I am Ruth, your servant. Spread your wings over your servant, for you are a redeemer.” And he said, “May you be blessed by the Lord, my daughter. You have made this last kindness greater than the first in that you have not gone after young men, whether poor or rich. And now, my daughter, do not fear. I will do for you all that you ask, for all my fellow townsmen know that you are a worthy woman. And now it is true that I am a redeemer. Yet there is a redeemer nearer than I. Remain tonight, and in the morning, if he will redeem you, good; let him do it. But if he is not willing to redeem you, then, as the Lord lives, I will redeem you. Lie down until the morning.””

Being the godly man that he was Boaz kindly accepts Ruth’s plea to be redeemed, he says he knows someone who is more capable of redeeming than him, but if this someone doesn’t wish to then Boaz vows that he himself will make sure that it gets done.

Ruth 4:1-6 “Now Boaz had gone up to the gate and sat down there. And behold, the redeemer, of whom Boaz had spoken, came by. So Boaz said, “Turn aside, friend; sit down here.” And he turned aside and sat down. And he took ten men of the elders of the city and said, “Sit down here.” So they sat down. Then he said to the redeemer, “Naomi, who has come back from the country of Moab, is selling the parcel of land that belonged to our relative Elimelech. So I thought I would tell you of it and say, ‘Buy it in the presence of those sitting here and in the presence of the elders of my people.’ If you will redeem it, redeem it. But if you will not, tell me, that I may know, for there is no one besides you to redeem it, and I come after you.” And he said, “I will redeem it.” Then Boaz said, “The day you buy the field from the hand of Naomi, you also acquire Ruth the Moabite, the widow of the dead, in order to perpetuate the name of the dead in his inheritance.” Then the redeemer said, “I cannot redeem it for myself, lest I impair my own inheritance. Take my right of redemption yourself for I cannot redeem it.”

Just as he said Boaz meets with the redeemer and pleads Ruth’s case with the man. The man was more than fine with redeeming the land rights for Naomi, but he got hung up with the fact that he would receive Ruth as his wife, by taking another wife, his own family’s inheritance could be divided up, so to keep that from happening he kindly gives Boaz the offer.

Ruth 4:13-15 “So Boaz took Ruth, and she became his wife. And he went in to her, and the Lord gave her conception, and she bore a son. Then the women said to Naomi, “Blessed be the Lord, who has not left you this day without a redeemer, and may his name be renowned in Israel! He shall be to you a restorer of life and a nourisher of your old age, for your daughter-in-law who loves you, who is more to you than seven sons, has given birth to him.””

God used one man to bring a broken and lost family back to life. Through one man he restored everything that was lost to them. Their livelihoods, their children, and their inheritance. Through this one act God also preserved Jesus’s life because Ruth is in the lineage of Jesus, in fact she ended up being the grandmother of King David. Without Boaz marrying Ruth, Jesus wouldn’t have come through the lineage that He was promised to come through, so God was also protecting His promise to humanity.

What does this story mean for you?

Much like the way that God restored Ruth and Naomi’s life, He also wants to restore your life. You see you all have an inheritance that is rightfully yours as well. A heavenly inheritance that God Himself has established for you, and God wants to redeem you in a similar way that he did Ruth and Naomi.

Just like God placed one man in their lives to restore their inheritance, God has placed one man in your lives to restore you. His name is Jesus.

You were made with a heavenly inheritance, you were made to be children of God. If you find yourself feeling like Ruth, that you are a foreigner and nobody cares for you I mean truly cares for you, you have a Heavenly Father in Heaven who does and He has done everything He could to redeem you.

If you feel like Ruth, and you need someone to save you, you have a savior waiting anxiously to save you.

Your entire life was made for this one purpose: to be a child of God and to know Him. And sin has separated us from that, but through Jesus being the perfect sacrifice for our sin, sin no longer can separate us from God. That is how Jesus is your redeemer, He has set you free from the consequence of sin.

Just like Ruth humbly went to Boaz and asked for Him to redeem her, that is all that God asks of each one of you to do.