The story of Ruth is set in the times of the Judges. These were dark times for Israel as they repeatedly fell into idolatry and general moral decay. When a Judge was raised up and leading them, they would come to repentance and receive restoration along with God’s blessing. However as soon as the Judge died, they would promptly fall back into their sinful ways. The record of Ruth’s story is a bright spot in these times of darkness. Here we learn that God honors honorable behavior.
Words: 3140 / Time to read: 17 minutes
Ruth lived in Moab which was located east of the Dead Sea. Moabites were remotely related to Israelites through the incestuous relationship of Lot and his daughter after they escaped the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 19:30-38). The son of Lot’s eldest daughter was named Moab and his descendants became known as Moabites. They were known for worship of the god Chemosh. Not much is known about this false god but the rituals were similar to the worship of Baal and included things like child sacrifice. So Ruth came from a Gentile background and Moab was not that good of a place for Israelites to flee, famine or not. Since God had withheld rain in the farming community of Bethlehem, a famine helped set the scene for this incredible story of God’s providence and restoration.
After Elimelek and his sons died in Moab, Ruth accompanied her mother-in-law Naomi back to Israel. They were poor and had little hope for their future. On the way, Naomi encouraged Ruth to go back to Moab and find someone to remarry and live out her life in that idolatrous land. Ruth resolutely declined and announced she had changed her faith. She had decided to stay with Naomi to care for her as she aged. Ruth was a living example of the teaching we received generations later from James who said “Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world (James 1:27).” Ruth had decided to leave her country, her family and her false god behind and instead committed herself to Israel, Naomi and Yahweh, the true and living God of Israel. She shocked Naomi with her eloquent proclamation and when they made it to Bethlehem, news of her commitment spread throughout the community. As the story unfolds, we see Ruth sticking to her pledge by following the instructions of Naomi in their new environment. Ruth ended up gleaning in the field of Boaz and was observed to be a hard worker. Boaz was a man of noble character and was generous to Ruth and by extension, to Naomi. Ruth had proven to be a woman of noble character and they ended up marrying and having a son named Obed. The story closes with a brief genealogy which leads up to King David. The author of the book is undisclosed but chances are it was the Prophet Samuel who may have intended to clarify the genealogy of King David shortly after he was anointed by Samuel as the King of Israel. So Ruth, a Gentile, is included in the genealogy of Christ since Christ was a descendant of David. Naomi and the property owned by her deceased husband Elimelek were redeemed via the birth of Obed, the son of Boaz and Ruth. This picture of redemption foreshadows the redemption the world would receive through the death and resurrection of Christ. Mankind was in an equally hopeless situation before Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law (Galatians 3:13). The providence of God is a common theme throughout this short story and begins with a famine, is followed by the tragic death of the three males in Naomi’s family but takes a turn for the better beginning with Ruth’s great proclamation:
“But Ruth replied, ‘Don’t urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God. Where you die I will die, and there I will be buried. May the Lord deal with me, be it ever so severely, if even death separates you and me.’ When Naomi realized that Ruth was determined to go with her, she stopped urging her.”
Ruth 1:16-18
God’s providence continued as Ruth was gleaning in what probably seemed to her to be a random field. The fact is that it was the field of Boaz, a kinsman-redeemer to the family of Elimelek. When they decided to marry, God’s providence showed itself once again as the closer relative declined to commit to the redemption leaving the door open for Boaz to complete the commitment which led to the birth of Obed. The descendants of Obed eventually led to the birth of Christ. Christ became the Savior of the world. What an incredible turn of events for Ruth and Naomi who went from being poor and hopeless to being included in God’s great redemption plan for all mankind! The next time you read the story of Ruth, notice especially how God was working his plan in the events of her life and consider how he may be working in yours! Ponder how the events of your life may impact future generations. And thank God for the lives of those who led to your redemption. What we experience in time is just the unfolding of God’s preordained plan. Ruth’s story reminds us to give thanks for the good things and even the seemingly bad things. God’s providence should never be doubted.
“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.”
Romans 8:28-29
Additional Background Notes
Gleaning
The practice of allowing the poor to collect the leftovers in a field or vineyard was common in many ancient cultures. However, for Israel it was specified in the law of Moses to make provision for the poor and resident foreigners (see Leviticus 19:9-10; 23:22). The Lord declared that the land belonged to him and they were merely allowed to use it, similar to a lease. Gleaning was God’s way of providing for all who lived in the land. However, it wasn’t a payment merely given to them, the poor had to go out and work for it just like hired workers had to earn their living.
“When you are harvesting in your field and you overlook a sheaf, do not go back to get it. Leave it for the foreigner, the fatherless and the widow, so that the Lord your God may bless you in all the work of your hands. When you beat the olives from your trees, do not go over the branches a second time. Leave what remains for the foreigner, the fatherless and the widow. When you harvest the grapes in your vineyard, do not go over the vines again. Leave what remains for the foreigner, the fatherless and the widow.”
Deuteronomy 24:19-21
Kinsman-Redeemer
The Law of Moses specified land for each tribe of Israel. This was further divided by families within that tribe. The tribe or family did not own the land, the Lord owned the land (see Leviticus 25). Even if they could not afford to keep the land and ended up selling it, they would get it back in the year of jubilee which occurred every 50 years. So if they did have to “sell” the land because of a financial hardship, it was more of a sublease for the remaining years until it would revert back to the original family. Slaves were supposed to be released and all debts wiped clean in the year of jubilee. While this was clearly prescribed in the Law, there is no record in the Bible that it was ever widely observed. At best, there was probably some spotty compliance. This failure to keep the Sabbath observances and the practice of idolatry angered the Lord and led to their captivities in Assyria and Babylon for punishment. The year of jubilee was supposed to occur following seven sabbath years (49 years). The year after the 49th year was to be the year of jubilee.
In the event that a family sold some land or sold themselves into slavery, a relative with the means was supposed to redeem them. The responsibility to redeem started with the nearest relative and extended from there. Additionally if the husband died before he and his wife bore a son, the responsibility of a brother-in-law was to marry his deceased brother’s wife in order to conceive a son. That son would become a legal heir to the deceased brother’s estate. Redemption was an important aspect of the law of Moses and it was supposed to revolve around the year of jubilee. From the Biblical record, it seems there was clear knowledge of the redemption laws but infrequent practice of them.
In the story of Ruth, the husband of Naomi died and their two sons also died. Apparently Elimelek had no brothers. So the possibility for a levirate marriage was not available. The law of Moses clearly stated that this was the responsibility of a brother-in-law and only if they lived together working the family land.
“If brothers are living together and one of them dies without a son, his widow must not marry outside the family. Her husband’s brother shall take her and marry her and fulfill the duty of a brother-in-law to her. The first son she bears shall carry on the name of the dead brother so that his name will not be blotted out from Israel.
“However, if a man does not want to marry his brother’s wife, she shall go to the elders at the town gate and say, ‘My husband’s brother refuses to carry on his brother’s name in Israel. He will not fulfill the duty of a brother-in-law to me.’ Then the elders of his town shall summon him and talk to him. If he persists in saying, ‘I do not want to marry her,’ his brother’s widow shall go up to him in the presence of the elders, take off one of his sandals, spit in his face and say, ‘This is what is done to the man who will not build up his brother’s family line.’ That man’s line shall be known in Israel as The Family of the Unsandaled.”
Deuteronomy 25:5-10
Boaz was not a brother-in-law to Naomi or Ruth. The nearer relative probably wasn’t either or it would have been stated as such. So the default law of redemption was applied to establish the order of responsibility to redeem. The closer relative declined and Boaz accepted. He not only redeemed the land but also Ruth and by extension, Naomi. He chose to marry Ruth because she was young enough to bear a son. Obed would inherit the land and continue to provide for his mother Ruth (after the death of Boaz who was apparently much older than Ruth) and her former mother-in-law Naomi for as long as she lived. Obed would presumably marry and his son would continue to keep the family name and estate in effect. You may say that they stretched both ends of the law to accomplish this gesture. Technically Naomi didn’t have a brother-in-law to marry and Boaz wasn’t required to marry Naomi or Ruth, maybe just merely redeem the land (Leviticus 25:25-28). But they complied with the spirit of the law and the end result was that the family line would continue. The land would stay with the “son of Elimelek” and the elders of the town gave their approval. If the news of Ruth’s great statement of commitment hadn’t been a factor, this redemption plan which included an ineligible foreigner probably would have never been expected or approved. Her faith opened the door to a huge blessing. And don’t forget that she made this statement long before any possibility of redemption was even considered. We can be sure that the honorable reputation and good standing of Boaz went a long way in securing approval for this redemption maneuver.
More on the Levirate Marriage
In the Synoptic Gospels the Sadduccess posed a hypothetical question to Christ using the premise of a levirate marriage (Matthew 16; Mark 12; Luke 20). Christ didn’t directly answer their question but he did affirm that there is no marriage in heaven. Once we cross over to eternity, we will not maintain our marital relationships or reproduce. We will be like angels in the sense that we will never die and there will be no need to propagate our race.
The only other levirate marriage mentioned in the Bible has something in common with Ruth in that Tamar is also included in the genealogy of Christ (Matthew 1). It also has a perverse incident which compares to the incest incident with Lot and his daughters. The story of Judah and Tamar can be found in Genesis 38. Basically, Tamar tricks her father-in-law into impregnating her so she could bear a son. This was not a levirate marriage but it followed failed attempts from her husband’s brothers which did fall under the levirate arrangement. The son from this union was named Perez. This is the same Perez included in the brief genealogical line listed in Ruth.
“This, then, is the family line of Perez:
Perez was the father of Hezron,
Hezron the father of Ram,
Ram the father of Amminadab,
Amminadab the father of Nahshon,
Nahshon the father of Salmon,
Salmon the father of Boaz,
Boaz the father of Obed,
Obed the father of Jesse,
and Jesse the father of David.”
Ruth 4:18-22
It is noteworthy to mention another one of the unlikely people which are included in the genealogy of Christ. Rahab’s story can be reviewed in Joshua 2-6. She was a prostitute in Jericho and after she helped the Israelite spies, she married an Israelite named Salmon and became the mother of Boaz. So she too is included in the genealogy of Christ (Matthew 1). She went from being a Gentile prostitute who committed treason against her nation city of Jericho to becoming a hero of our faith when she offered assistance and advice to the spies and converted to Judaism.
That makes three unlikely people in the genealogy of Christ. Rahab the prostitute who committed treason. Tamar, the deceiving widow who posed as a prostitute and had sex with her father-in-law. And finally Ruth, a Moabite widow. But God sent Christ to be the Redeemer of the world which is full of sinners. He is not exclusively the God of Israel or only interested in saving “good” people (John 12:47). Christ was crucified and rose again to purchase for God “persons from every tribe and language and people and nation (Revelation 5:9).” He is indeed a friend of sinners.
More on Moab
Moabites have a tainted history in the Bible. As mentioned briefly, Moab was a son of Lot’s incestuous relationship with his daughter. After escaping the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, Lot’s daughters must have thought they were the last people alive on earth.
Apparently in a scheme to repopulate the earth, they got their father drunk and had sexual relations with him in order to become pregnant. The eldest daughter bore a son named Moab who was the progenitior of the Moabites. The younger daughter bore a son named Ben-Ammi who became the progenitor of the Ammonites. Both these people groups were enemies of Israel but they were not considered Canaanites so intermarraige was not forbidden (Deuteronomy 7:1-6) Much later in time, when the Israelites were on their way to the Promised Land, King Balak of Moab hired Balaam, a sorcerer, to curse the Israelites. When he was prevented from pronouncing a curse, he advised King Balak to entice the Israelite soldiers to engage in sexual relations with the Moabite women and eventually to lure them into idolatrous worship of false gods as part of their sexual escapades. This ruse was successful and God punished Israel because of their unfaithfulness (Numbers 22-25). Ultimately Moses recorded the Word of the Lord that Moabites were not to be allowed in the assembly of Israel (Deuteronomy 23:3). An interesting footnote is that Moses ended up dying in the land of Moab. Also King David sent his parents to Moab for protection during the period before King Saul died (1 Samuel 22:3-4). Apparently the parents died in Moab since no mention was made of them after that. Additionally, Solomon married many wives of foreign nations including one from Moab. He ended up building a shrine to Chemosh, the false god of the Moabites (1 Kings 11:7). You might say the only good thing about Moab was Ruth who converted to Judaism and became a woman of noble character (Ruth 3:11). Knowing her background makes this gem shine all the more beautifully!
Closing Thoughts
In the eyes of Naomi, Ruth appeared to be of little worth. She was a foreigner and a widow and Naomi was ready to discard her former daughter-in-law from her life. She overlooked her true value. That should make us wonder how many times we have made that mistake in our lives. As it turned out, Ruth was more valuable than seven sons.
“He will renew your life and sustain you in your old age. For your daughter-in-law, who loves you and who is better to you than seven sons, has given him birth.”
Ruth 4:15
There is a point in the story when Boaz prayed for Ruth. He ended up being the answer to his own prayer. That should make us mindful the next time we pray for someone in need. God may use us and our assets to meet the need we just prayed for.
“At this, she bowed down with her face to the ground. She asked him, ‘Why have I found such favor in your eyes that you notice me—a foreigner?’
“Boaz replied, ‘I’ve been told all about what you have done for your mother-in-law since the death of your husband—how you left your father and mother and your homeland and came to live with a people you did not know before. May the Lord repay you for what you have done. May you be richly rewarded by the Lord, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge.’”
Ruth 2:10-12
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