The Book of Ruth

Questions for Thought

1. Do wives always get along with their mother-in-law?
2. If a husband dies, how should the daughter-in-law and mother-in-law treat each other?
3. What would married live be like if all daughters-in-law treated their mother-in-laws like Ruth treated Naomi?

According to Ruth 1:1, the events of this book happened during the time the judges ruled Israel. There was a famine in the land and Elimelech, his wife Naomi, and his two sons Mahlon and Chilion left Bethlehem and went to live in the land of Moab. Elimelech died and the two sons married two women of Moab, Orpah and Ruth. Then the two sons died leaving Naomi with her two daughters-in-law. When the famine was over in Bethlehem, Naomi decided to return to her home. She told the two girls to go back to their own mother’s homes and find husbands.

At first both girls said they would return with Naomi to her home and unto her people. Naomi again encouraged them to go back to their own families and find husbands. Orpah kissed Naomi and left her, but Ruth, on the other hand asked Naomi not to ask her to leave. In Ruth 1:16-17 we find the words of Ruth so beautiful, they need to be quoted here. “Intreat me not to leave thee, or to return from following after thee: for whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge: thy people shall be my people, and they God my God; Where thou diest, will I die, and there will I be buried: the Lord do so to me, and more also, if ought but death part thee and me.” When Naomi realized how serious Ruth was, she quit trying to get her to leave and the two of them arrived in Bethlehem at the beginning of the barley harvest.

The people of the city were excited to see Naomi. But in Ruth 1:20-21, she told them not to call her Naomi which meant pleasant, because the Lord had dealt bitterly with her. Now they were to call her Mara, meaning bitter. One can see how Naomi would have become bitter. She had left Bethlehem with her husband and two sons and now she was returning with only a daughter-in-law.

To better understand what happened when Naomi and Ruth returned to Bethlehem, we need to know a little about the history and customs during the Old Testament times. In Bethlehem, lived Boaz, a very rich man who was kin to Naomi’s husband. Now in that land and in that time period, if a man died, his nearest of kin had the first chance to purchase the land that was left by the dead man which is referred to as redeeming the land, and in addition, there was a need to raise up children in the name of the dead man. In other words, whoever redeemed the dead person’s land had to also become husband to the widow of the dead man. If the nearest of kin chose not to redeem the possessions of the dead, then another kin person could do so. Another law of God for His people was when they harvested their field, they had to leave some for the poor whose gathering of the harvest was called gleaning. Keep these facts in mind as we go through the rest of the account concerning Ruth.

Once Naomi and Ruth were in Bethlehem, Ruth offered to go into the fields to glean for herself and her mother-in-law. Naomi agreed so Ruth went into the fields and ended up in the field of Boaz. When Boaz came to the field and saw Ruth gleaning, he asked his reapers who she was. When he found out it was Ruth, he gave her special privileges. He told her to reap alongside his maidens. He told his young men to leave her alone and to let her glean among the crop and to leave some of the grain for her. He also told her to eat with his workers. When Ruth asked Boaz why he was being so good to her, he told her he had heard about her and how she had treated her mother-in-law. He said Ruth had come to trust the Lord God of Israel and God was repaying her for the good she had done to Naomi.

When Ruth went home to Naomi that night, she took her the harvest. Naomi asked Ruth where she had gleaned and when she found it it was in the field of Boaz, she was pleased. Naomi told Ruth that Boaz was a near kin person and for her to go out with his maidens and glean. Ruth continued to work in the field until the harvest was complete. On the night when Boaz was to separate the barley grain from the husks, Naomi told Ruth to wash herself and get dressed up and go to the threshing floor where he would be working. When he went to lie down, Ruth was to uncover his feet and lay down. Then when he awoke and saw her, he would tell her what to do.

When Boaz awoke at midnight and found Ruth at his feet, he blessed her for not following the young men and for showing more kindness in the end than in the beginning. He told her while he was a near kin person, there was one who was closer and he would have to give him the first option to redeem the property and to marry Ruth. Ruth stayed there at Boaz’s feet until just before daylight and then she went back to Naomi and told her what had happened. Naomi assured Ruth that Boaz would not rest until he had finished the matter that very day.

Sure enough, Boaz went to the next of kin and told him about the property to be redeemed. At first the next of kin said he would redeem it, but when Boaz told him about the need to raise up children with Ruth whose husband would have been the heir had he not died, the next of kin said he could not do that. So Boaz was free to redeem the land and to marry Ruth. The people of the city blessed the couple and asked the Lord to make them fruitful in children.

Boaz and Ruth were married and had a son they named Obed. They gave him to Naomi to raise and he was the grandfather of another very well known Bible character, David. This means Boaz and Ruth were ancestors of our Savior, Jesus Christ.

Can you imagine how Naomi must have felt when she held the new baby after all the heart aches she had gone through in losing her husband and her sons? Can you also imagine how those who loved Naomi must have felt toward Ruth? What kindness Ruth showed and what faith in the God of Naomi she must have had in order to do what she did.

Next time, we will go back and finish the account of the judges and begin the period where God allowed kings to reign over His people.