Ruth: Chapters 1 & 2
The initial chapters of Ruth bring understanding that obedience to biblical principles leads to blessing to the obedient one and also to those descended from that servant of the Lord.
This book is a continuance of the study of the book of Judges with a beautiful story of the devotion of a widow who has much to teach us.
It is generally accepted that Samuel is the writer of the book of Judges as well of the man who penned the book of Ruth. We know that Ruth was written after 1011 B.C. when David ruled from Hebron, as he is mentioned in the last chapter.
Our first lesson is that God cares for faithful people, even in faithless times.
Moses received the law in 1490 B.C. Joshua died in 1443 B.C.
For the next 450 years, the time of the judges was evident in Israel when there was no king and Israel consistently and willfully lived in national disobedience to the Lord.
Samuel was born in 1155 B.C., and in 1055 B.C. David became king of Israel.
The reason we begin our study this way is to clearly show how God had prepared the way for Ruth many hundreds of years before she was born. In His glorious sovereign will, God knew exactly what was needed to be arranged for the life of Ruth centuries later, and He created those arrangements perfectly.
To understand and glimpse the mind of God in these matters, we must begin in scripture far before our study book.
We begin in the book of the law that is Deuteronomy in chapter 1, verse 5:
“On this side Jordan, in the land of Moab, began Moses to declare the law…”.
Next we move to Deuteronomy chapter 2, verse 9:
“And the Lord said unto me (Moses speaking), distress not the Moabites, neither contend with them in battle; for I will not give thee of their land for a possession; because I have given Ar unto the children of Lot for a possession.”
Ar was the capital city of Moab.
The beginning of the law was first seen in Moab. The entire land of Moab was protected by the Lord from His chosen people, and they were not allowed to distress it or attack it or destroy it.
Why was this command given by God?
It was because Ruth was a Moabite. In order for Ruth to have a land to be born in and live in, God arranged this land to be secured hundreds of years before Ruth was born.
Had God commanded the destruction of Moab just as He did every other land in Canaan, there would have been no Ruth.
The title of the book is named after the woman Ruth, and is one of the only two books of the Bible named after a woman, the other being Esther.
Ruth was not Jewish, but despite this fact, she was the great grandmother of David and will forever rest in the family line of the Lord in Matthew 1:5.
In that first section of the family line of Jesus, we see three of the four women listed by name in His line, and all three are Gentiles,
(Tamar – Rahab – Ruth).
In the original Jewish Bible, Judges and Ruth were combined into one book.
Ruth is given to us for three purposes:
It supplies a critical link in the ancestry of David and his greater son, Jesus.
It speaks directly on the sovereignty and providence of God.
It is a commentary on the subject of the kinsman redeemer.
Our book of study is a love story without using the word love.
Ruth, being a Moabite, furthers understanding that Gentiles are to be saved and are considered equal to Jews in the Gospel acceptance of those who will enter the kingdom.
The book is a drama from Moab to Bethlehem to forever after. It is almost a “made for TV drama.
Naomi was married to Elimelech (whose name means “my God is king”), and they had two sons, Mahlon and Chilion, who are married to Ruth and Orpah.
Elimelech dies leaving Naomi a widow and both sons die, leaving Ruth and her sister-in-law Orpah widows as well. Naomi decides to return to her own land in Judah where a current famine was ended. Bethlehem’s name actually means “house of bread”.
Naomi advises both younger women to return to their father’s houses since they are widows. Finally after much weeping, Orpah does so. Ruth promises to follow Naomi on her journey back to Judah.
Naomi was convincing in her advice, saying she cannot again produce sons to be husbands, and even if she could do so, the young women could not wait until her sons grew up to be old enough to be husbands. Orpah decides to leave and Ruth decides to stay.
Ruth’s intention when she finally speaks is remembered as among the most beautiful words ever spoken about love and devotion.
Verses 1:6-7 display the steadfast decision of Ruth as she asks Naomi not to persuade her to leave or to stop her from following. She says she will follow Naomi back to her people, and their God will be her God. She will die where Naomi dies, and there will be buried, and only death will separate them.
She is willing to be an outcast and to join in the poverty that will come upon the life of Naomi. Naomi realizes how serious Ruth is in her decision and she and Ruth travel to Bethlehem where Naomi is recognized. Naomi asks to be called Mara, which means “God has dealt bitterly with me”. She says she has gone away full and returned empty.
God has afflicted her, and she and Ruth have returned at the beginning of the barley harvest.
In their poverty, Ruth begins to glean in the fields to at least provide a way for both women to be able to sustain themselves with meager food.
Chapter two introduces the hero of this story of these two widows, with verse one explaining that Naomi had a kinsman who was a man of wealth of the family of Elimelech. His name is Boaz.
Here begins to unfold for us the work of the hand of God as He chooses outside of the Jewish nation, as He had before, to bring the line of Jesus Christ alive.
His hand and His will unfolds for each life He has chosen, and He guides the lives of Naomi and Ruth toward better days, for Ruth has repented and accepted the God of Naomi.
These two women were totally without visible resources, driven to poverty, owning only what they carried with them, but God is their protector and Boaz will be their redeemer.
Ruth simply has to go to work in the fields of Boaz gleaning.
Her devotion and hard work came to the attention of others, and from that moment onward, blessings began to flow to Ruth, and through her, to Naomi.
Prosperity and a new life began as Ruth worked and waited upon the Lord.
23 of the 85 verses in the book of Ruth specifically mention God.
The book of Esther, another book concerning God’s providence, never once mentions God.
The ultimate message here is a reminder that even in the darkest times, God is hard at work in the hearts of those who are faithful and obedient.
Naomi showed some weaker faith in verses 1:20-21, but Ruth grows in faith from that moment onward.
Ruth had no promise directly from the Lord as she started a new life on a large act of faith. Without husband, without money, without a job, without means to support herself and Naomi, she works in a culture ruled by men.
In Exodus 19, God had commanded the chosen people as His priests to bring other peoples to God. Ruth has now begun to live out that command as she commits to Yahweh, Israel, and Naomi for the rest of her life.
It is God who directs her to glean in the fields of Boaz, and he notices her, and asks who she is. Her gleaning obeys the original command of God in Deuteronomy 24 where God instructs some grain to be left for others during the harvest.
Under God’s hand, Ruth is able to feed herself and Naomi by her hard work.
Boaz begins to order more grain be left for Ruth, and importantly, orders no man to touch her. He invites Ruth to stay among his own maidens ands to eat their food and drink their water, which he provides for his workers.
Here Ruth falls at the feet of Boaz, asking him why he would treat her so kindly.
Boaz is a type of the Lord and tells her he has come to know she supports her mother-in-law, works hard, and asks for no handouts, and being a widow, has come into a land of strangers to make her way.
In 2:10, Ruth uses a most interesting phrase in her questions to Boaz, saying she has found grace in his eyes. Here is the beginning of her redemption, as God uses Boaz to begin the building up the life of Ruth from poverty and difficulty to a better life.
Boaz now instructs his workers to leave even more grain for Ruth to gather, and she is invited to take meals with Boaz and his family. As Ruth explains to Naomi how kind Boaz has been to her, Naomi advises Ruth to remain close to Boaz, and his workers, and his family.
Naomi blesses Boaz with her words, as she recognizes his heart has been moved by God to act kindly toward Ruth.
God has even better plans for Ruth as we will see in the final two chapters. But already we see the work of the Lord in her life.
She has been guided to a place of opportunity and reward after she placed her faith in the promised land, it’s people, and it’s Lord.
While the time of Judges was a moral and ethical wasteland for the chosen people, the story of Ruth gives a small narrative that is a pearl of wisdom in the middle of all the confusion and evil. The darkness of the times will not last forever.
At the end of the book will come a preview of the great leader David, who will rule the people under the will of God.
For now, we see that Ruth has come under the wing of Boaz, who is protecting her and assuring her of reward for her hard work.
Boaz implements the first anti-sexual harassment policy in the Bible, allowing no man to trouble Ruth.
Verse 2:12 teaches us that Ruth was trusting God, and her trust had become known.
While Boaz treated her generously, his care and generosity did not overcome her need to work.
She continued to glean.
Her allowance to gather and to stay close with the maid servants did not allow her to stop work.
Boaz preserved Ruth’s dignity by allowing her to work in better conditions. And by his generosity, made her load a little lighter. In verse 2:21, Ruth rejoices that while she must continue to work hard, her work is now assured of some reward and is done in safety until the end of the harvest.
Chapter two marks God’s initial blessing to Ruth for her faith in the Lord.
She received blessing, and through her, Naomi was also blessed by the provision of food and safety.
These blessings came through Boaz, the channel used by God to bless her, because of his faith in God and his love for God’s people.
Greater and more abundant blessings are to come.
Our message is that blessings from God arrive through our faith, and patience that God’s will is unfolding for each of us who believe.
Ruth allows us a glimpse into the working of the Lord, and how He provides for those who both profess faith and live it.
Just as the Lord punishes those who know His will and choose not to follow it, He also rewards those who seek His will and devote themselves to it, as Ruth surely did.
We begin to find clues of the interest of Boaz personally towards Ruth in chapter two. In verse 8, he tells Ruth not to glean in other fields nor to go away from his land, but to abide closely by with his maidens. In verse 9, he tells Ruth that he has instructed them to provide water for her from their water.
Ruth here bows before him asking why he does these things.
In verses 11 & 12, Boaz reveals he has gathered information on Ruth and knows of her situation and her willingness to remain with and provide for Naomi.
Boaz is clearly leaning his heart to Ruth as he asks God to reward her work, and she has come under the wings of God’s providence by her trust in the Lord.
Naomi further explains that Boaz has extended his kindness and that he is near of kin and one of their own kinsmen. (verse 20)
In the explanation of Naomi, we see a picture of the type of the kinsman redeemer, and that is why in the New Testament the word used many times in redemption rather than atonement.
Atonement covered up sins in the Old Testament by means of animal sacrifice, but redemption means to pay a price so that the one redeemed may go free.
The only Biblical example of a kinsman redeemer is that of Boaz, which reveals the love side of redemption.
We will see that there is actually one who is closer kin to Naomi, but he turned down the opportunity to be her kinsman redeemer, as he did not wish to marry Ruth while Boaz is already demonstrating his love for her.
Our last two chapters will complete this love redemption, as we see how the long-arranged plan of God for Ruth is completed exactly as God intended.