DRAWING NEAR
Ruth is a model of faithfulness in the Bible. Who is someone who has proven to be faithful to you? What impact has that person’s faithfulness had on your life?
THE CONTEXT
The people of Israel had been living in the Promised Land for several generations, during the time known as the period of the judges, when the land of Judah experienced a famine. No further details are known about this crisis, yet we do know it was severe enough for a man named Elimelech to move his family to the land of Moab, east of the Dead Sea.
The Moabites were descendants of Lot from an incestuous union with his oldest daughter (see Genesis 19). Their relations with Israel had not been good, and the Lord had forbidden the Moabites from entering the congregation. Yet Elimelech moved his wife and two sons there—and married his sons to Moabite women.
Many years later, after Elimelech’s death, his widow, Naomi, returned to Judah and arrived during the barley harvest. The harvest was a time of hard physical labor, involving cutting the grain by hand, binding it into sheaves, and threshing out the edible grain from the chaff. During this process, the poor were permitted to walk through harvested fields and pick up any bits of grain left behind by the harvesters.
The law of Moses required farmers to leave behind certain portions of grain for the sake of the poor who would come to glean. However, it did not require farmers to feed the gleaners or to pay them any special attention—to do that would be to go above and beyond the call of duty. It is in this setting that we meet Ruth and Boaz. The two were destined to be together—literally a match made in heaven. Through their descendants, God would bring about the human birth of His Son, Jesus Christ.
KEYS TO THE TEXT
Read Ruth 1:1–2:23, noting the key words and phrases indicated below.
TWO WEDDINGS AND THREE FUNERALS: A family moves to Moab to escape famine and the sons marry Moabite women. The men die, leaving three widows behind.
1:1. MOAB: The land of Moab was east of the Dead Sea (see the map in the Introduction). The passage does not tell us whether Elimelech was justified in moving to Moab, as he was effectively leaving the Promised Land to live with the Canaanites.
FAMINE IN THE LAND: Similar disasters occurred in the days of Abraham (see Genesis 12), Isaac (see Genesis 26), and Jacob (see Genesis 46). The text does not specify whether or not this famine was God’s judgment.
BETHLEHEM: Literally “house of bread.” This city was in the territory given to the tribe of Judah, about six miles south of Jerusalem, and would eventually receive the title “city of David.” Later, it would become the site where Mary delivered Christ and Herod slaughtered the infants.
2. ELIMELECH: His name means “my God is king,” signifying a devout commitment to the God of Israel. Most likely he was a prominent man in the community whose brothers might have included the unnamed close relative and Boaz (see Ruth 4:3).
NAOMI: Her name means “pleasant.”
MAHLON AND CHILION: Their names mean “sick” and “pining,” respectively.
EPHRATHITES: A title used for people who lived in the area more anciently known as Ephrath or Ephrathah, but later more prominently called Bethlehem.
4. THEY TOOK WIVES OF THE WOMEN OF MOAB: The Lord had expressly forbidden the Israelites from marrying Canaanites (see Deuteronomy 7:1–3), and the Moabites in particular were excluded from the congregation of Israel (see 23:3–6). These marriages were questionable at best, but nevertheless the Lord would bring great good out of one of them.
ORPAH: Her name means “stubborn.”
RUTH: Her name means “friendship.”
ABOUT TEN YEARS: This seems to include the entire time of Naomi’s residency in Moab.
5. THE WOMAN SURVIVED HER TWO SONS AND HER HUSBAND: This tragedy would have been grievous enough for anyone to endure, but Naomi’s sorrow was compounded by the fact she had no sons to carry on the family name.
6. THE LORD HAD VISITED HIS PEOPLE: The sovereignty of God is seen throughout this book, as the Lord worked to bring about a good end to these tragic events.
7. SHE WENT OUT: Naomi had friends, family, and prosperity awaiting her in Bethlehem.
PARTING COMPANY: Naomi urges her daughters-in-law to return to their own families and find husbands for themselves.
8. RETURN EACH TO HER MOTHER’S HOUSE: Orpah and Ruth were Moabites and therefore had no place in the congregation of Israel. It was only natural that they should return to their families and remain in the land of Moab. Naomi at this point looked forward only to returning to Judah as a lonely widow, bereft of any offspring. Her future was bleak.
11. TURN BACK, MY DAUGHTERS: Naomi was being selfless in urging her daughters-in-law to go home to Moab. It would have been a comfort to have their company on the return trip to Judah, but she was more concerned for their future and welfare. She wanted them to find husbands and have families to carry on their family heritage.
12. I AM TOO OLD: Naomi was probably over fifty.
13. THE HAND OF THE LORD HAS GONE OUT AGAINST ME: This is a figure of speech that describes the Lord’s work. We can understand the terrible grief Naomi must have been suffering at this time, yet her perspective was inaccurate. The Lord had not set His hand against her, as later events would make clear. Though unpleasant in the short-term, God uses suffering and trials to make His people more like Himself (see 1 Peter 1:6–7).
15. BACK TO HER PEOPLE AND HER GODS: At the second plea to return, Orpah turned back. Her decision to return to Moab probably seemed prudent at the time, as it was more likely she would find a husband and family there. But the bigger issue is that her return to Moab was also a return to Moab’s gods, and was thus a rejection of the God of Israel. The chief deity of Moab was Chemosh, whose worship included child sacrifice.
RUTH REMAINS: Orpah returns to her family in Moab, but Ruth refuses to leave the side of her mother-in-law. In her faithfulness, she is willing to abandon everything.
16. WHEREVER YOU GO, I WILL GO: Ruth’s words expressed a complete commitment to remain with Naomi regardless of her circumstances.
YOUR GOD, MY GOD: Ruth recognized her decision included a resolve to forsake the gods of Moab and instead embrace the God of Israel. This conversion had consequences for the entire human race, as her family line would ultimately lead to the person of Jesus.
19. THEY CAME TO BETHLEHEM: A trip from Moab (sixty to seventy-five miles) would have taken about seven to ten days. Having descended about 4,500 feet from Moab into the Jordan Valley, they then ascended 3,750 feet through the hills of Judea.
IS THIS NAOMI: This question most likely reflected the hard life of the last decade and the toll that it had taken on Naomi’s appearance.
20. CALL ME MARA: Naomi means “pleasant,” while Mara means “bitter.” On her return to Judah, Naomi expressed the bitterness in her soul—and in the process wrongly concluded that God was “testif[ying]” against her (verse 21). But God had not abandoned Naomi, no matter how overwhelming she found her trials to be.
AT THE BEGINNING OF BARLEY HARVEST: Normally the middle to the end of April.
BACK IN JUDAH: Naomi and Ruth arrive in Judah, and Ruth immediately sets to work gathering food for them both. Then God reveals His loving, sovereign hand.
2:1. RELATIVE OF NAOMI’S HUSBAND: This man was possibly as close as a brother of Elimelech, but if not, certainly within the tribe or clan.
A MAN OF GREAT WEALTH: Literally “a man of valor” who had unusual capacity to obtain and protect his property.
BOAZ: His name means “in him is strength.” He had never married or was a widower.
2. RUTH THE MOABITESS: The author used this phrase repeatedly to show Ruth was actually an outsider—one who had no right to be part of the congregation of Israel at all. It is a beautiful picture of God’s grace, as He reaches out to those who are outside of salvation—even to those who deserve His grace the least—and brings them into His kingdom.
GLEAN HEADS OF GRAIN: The Mosaic law stipulated that God’s people should deliberately leave behind certain portions of any harvest (see Leviticus 19:9–10). This allowed the needy to come through a harvested field and pick up leftover grain or grapes, a process called gleaning.
3. SHE HAPPENED TO COME: Here again we see the sovereignty of God at work. From a human perspective, Ruth coincidentally selected the field of Boaz, who coincidentally was Naomi’s relative—and coincidentally was rich. But there was no coincidence involved. The Lord was leading Ruth to Boaz, and His plan of blessing extended beyond Ruth’s immediate family.
4. BOAZ CAME FROM BETHLEHEM: Here is another detail that appears, from a human perspective, to be mere coincidence. Boaz evidently lived in Bethlehem, and he just happened to choose that particular day to travel to his field to check on the harvest. But once again, it was the Lord’s sovereign hand that deliberately orchestrated this historic meeting.
TWO GODLY CHARACTERS: Boaz and Ruth meet, and each immediately recognizes godly character in the other person.
7. SHEAVES: These were bundles of grain stalks tied together for transport to the threshing floor.
CONTINUED FROM MORNING UNTIL NOW: Ruth was a diligent worker, laboring tirelessly to provide for her mother-in-law.
THE HOUSE: Likely a temporary shelter built with branches by the side of the field.
8. MY DAUGHTER: Boaz was approximately the same age as Naomi, about forty-five to fifty-five years old. He would naturally see Ruth as a daughter, much like Naomi did.
STAY CLOSE BY MY YOUNG WOMEN: Boaz went above and beyond what was required of him by the Mosaic law. He was only required to permit Ruth to glean what was left behind when the harvest was complete, generally after his workers had left the field. But he urged her to glean while his employees harvested and pressed her to not move to anyone else’s field. Later, he would instruct his young men to deliberately drop extra grain for her to pick up (see verses 15–16). Boaz demonstrated the spirit of God’s law, being kind to strangers and caring for widows.
9. YOUNG MEN: The ones who cut the grain with hand sickles.
10. WHY HAVE I FOUND FAVOR IN YOUR EYES: Ruth remained humble, always remembering she was in Judah only by special accommodation. She did not have the attitude that the world owed her something, despite the fact she might have made a legitimate claim on Boaz’s generosity because she had married into his family.
I AM A FOREIGNER: Ruth remained ever mindful that she was an alien and as such must conduct herself humbly.
11. FULLY REPORTED TO ME: This indicates Naomi’s quickness to speak kindly of Ruth and Boaz’s network of influence in Bethlehem.
ALL THAT YOU HAVE DONE FOR YOUR MOTHER-IN-LAW: Ruth’s generous character and diligence had earned her a reputation among the Israelites.
12. UNDER WHOSE WINGS YOU HAVE COME FOR REFUGE: Boaz stood in sharp contrast to Naomi, as he recognized the true nature of God’s character. Naomi pictured God as a harsh judge, while Boaz recognized that God protects and cares for His children just as a mother hen covers her young with her wings—even to the point of sacrificing her own life on their behalf. This picture was perfectly fulfilled when God’s Son gave His own life on the cross for our sake.
14. VINEGAR: Sour wine mixed with a little oil was used to quench thirst.
17. EPHAH: This amounts to over one-half bushel, weighing about thirty to forty pounds.
20. HIS KINDNESS: Naomi began to understand God’s sovereignty, covenant loyalty, loving-kindness, and mercy toward her, because Ruth—without human direction—had found the near relative Boaz.
ONE OF OUR CLOSE RELATIVES. The great kinsman-redeemer theme of Ruth begins here. A close relative could redeem (1) a family member sold into slavery, (2) land that needed to be sold under economic hardship, and/or (3) the family name by virtue of a levirate marriage. This earthly custom pictures the reality of God the Redeemer doing a greater work by reclaiming those who needed to be spiritually redeemed out of slavery to sin.
22. DO NOT MEET YOU: Ruth the Moabitess would not be treated with such mercy and grace by strangers outside of the family.
23. THE END OF BARLEY HARVEST: Barley harvest usually began about mid-April, and wheat harvest extended to mid-June—a period of intense labor for about two months.
UNLEASHING THE TEXT
1) If you had been in Naomi’s position, how would you have responded when your husband and sons died in a foreign land?
[Your Response]
2) If you had been in Orpah and Ruth’s position, what would you have done when Naomi urged you to return to Moab?
[Your Response]
3) What character traits do you see in Ruth? In Boaz? In Naomi?
[Your Response]
4) Why did Boaz treat Ruth with so much kindness?
[Your Response]
EXPLORING THE MEANING
God works all things together for good in the lives of His children. Naomi endured much grief and suffering, fleeing her native land because of famine, moving to a strange place whose people worshiped false gods, and watching as her husband and two sons died there. From a human perspective, one can easily understand how she would be overcome with sorrow and would feel that the Lord had dealt harshly with her.
Yet the Lord had tremendous blessing in store for her that would outweigh her loss. Her daughter-in-law turned away from the pagan gods of Moab and embraced the true God of Israel. Ruth was providentially brought together with Boaz, a wealthy and influential man in Israel. As we shall see, this would bring blessings that extended far into the future.
God’s people are not exempt from sorrow and hardship, and all suffering seems grievous at the time. But we must remember that all things are under the sovereign control of God, and nothing can touch us that God Himself has not approved. He sends discipline and heartache into our lives to purify us and to make us more like Christ, but in the long run the blessings far outweigh the hardships. “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose” (Romans 8:28).
The Lord makes His salvation available to all people everywhere. The Moabites were descended from Lot’s incestuous relations with his daughters. Balak, a prince of Moab, had even attempted to put a curse on Israel by hiring Balaam (see Numbers 22–25). For these reasons and more, God had forbidden the Moabites from entering the congregation of Israel. In many ways, the people of Moab were outcasts in the eyes of God’s people.
But Ruth chose to forsake the gods of Moab and embrace the God of Israel, and in that moment she ceased to be an outcast and became a beloved child of God. She was welcomed into the land of Israel, where she discovered, to her joy, that the Lord had a breathtaking plan for her life and her descendants. He had all the details worked out in advance.
Ruth went from being an outsider with no hope of entering God’s presence to being included in the human line of Jesus. In the same way, any sinner who embraces God’s salvation through Christ is instantly transformed from despair into joy, from outcast to heir, from death into life. This incomparable grace is available to all, regardless of their background, sins, or past. God welcomes all who come to Him in sincere repentance.
God rewards our faithfulness. Orpah and Ruth were faced with a difficult decision: Should they follow Naomi to Judah or return to their families in Moab? Orpah followed what seemed to be the prudent course, returning to Moab in hopes of finding another husband and raising a family. Ruth, however, chose the more difficult path by opting to remain faithful to her mother-in-law. She was not obligated to do so, as her husband had died, yet she took seriously her marital commitment to remain part of her husband’s family.
Both Ruth and Boaz demonstrated faithfulness. Ruth was diligent to gather cast-off grain, a task that was lowly in that culture. Boaz fulfilled his duties to the law by permitting Ruth to glean in his field—and then went far beyond what was required in looking after her and Naomi. Both Ruth and Boaz proved faithful in their obedience to God’s Word and their loyalty to family.
This is the attitude God desires in all of His children: to serve others out of a heart of humility and sincerity. He calls His people to give with a cheerful heart, to serve one another with a selfless spirit, and to show love without hypocrisy. He Himself set the example by washing His disciples’ feet. “ ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind,’ ” He taught. “This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets” (Matthew 22:37–40).
REFLECTING ON THE TEXT
5) Skim through Ruth 1–2 and look for behind-the-scenes evidence of God’s sovereign hand. How did He work out all the details for Naomi and Ruth?
[Your Response]
6) What losses did Naomi suffer? What blessings did she gain?
[Your Response]
7) What sort of treatment should Ruth have expected when she moved to Judah? What did she experience instead? Why?
[Your Response]
8) Nothing further is known of Orpah. What does this suggest about her decision to stay in Moab? Why was this a poor decision?
[Your Response]
PERSONAL RESPONSE
9) When have you seen God’s sovereign hand working to bring blessings out of suffering? What areas of hardship are you experiencing now? What spiritual blessings might God be producing for the future?
[Your Response]
10) Is your life characterized by faithfulness to God? In what areas might the Lord want you to be more faithful?
[Your Response]