Ruth

"Chance" Meeting (2:1-3). Boaz was a relative of Elimelech. He was a man of importance and wealth who was able to act as Ruth's kinsman-redeemer.

According to Mosaic law, the poor could glean the corners of the fields. Ruth looked for work, and "as it turned out" she came to the field of Boaz.. The Hebrew text says literally "her chance chanced" to work in the fields of Boaz. This expression intentionally exaggerates the way the human eye saw her actions. The author did this to draw attention to the hidden reality of God's providential intervention. This was not accidental but the work of God veiled from Ruth's eyes.

Ruth's Commendation (2:4-18). Boaz invited Ruth to work exclusively in his fields. Ruth was surprised by Boaz's generosity, particularly since she was a Moabitess, a foreigner. Boaz explained that he had already heard a good report about her commitment to Naomi. He commended Ruth for her faithfulness and prayed that God might bless her.

Boaz acted on his prayer. He rewarded Ruth with roasted grain and instructed his laborers to leave stalks behind for her to glean. At the end of her work, Ruth had enough food for Naomi. As God had used Boaz and Ruth to feed Naomi, God would use them to give Naomi a son.

Ruth's Care (2:19-23). Naomi exulted in the Lord when she learned about Boaz because she knew that he was a kinsman-redeemer. She urged Ruth to follow Boaz's instructions because he would care for her safety.

Ruth's Obedience (3:1-6). Naomi instructed Ruth to prepare herself properly and approach Boaz during the night at the threshing floor. She obeyed Naomi's instructions carefully. Ironically, Naomi is the one who would find "a home" ("rest," 3:1) for Ruth and not a Moabite husband.

A threshing floor was a stone surface in the fields where the harvest husks were crushed and the grain sifted from the chaff.

Ruth's Trust (3:7-15). Ruth secretly approached Boaz. By lying at his feet, Ruth humbled herself as one of his servants. She trusted God to use Boaz to answer her needs and to protect her. Ruth startled Boaz since women were usually not with the men at night.

She made her request: "Spread the corner of your garment over me, since you are a kinsman-redeemer." By this expression Ruth was asking Boaz for marriage (see Ezek. 16:8). The Hebrew word translated "corner" can also be translated "wings." Boaz had prayed that Ruth might have refuge under the "wings" of God. He was used by God to provide the refuge for which Boaz himself had prayed.

Boaz commended Ruth for her righteous conduct because she chose him instead of a younger man. This was a greater act of loyalty ("kindness," 3:10) than even her initial faithfulness ("kindness") to the family.

Boaz told Ruth that there was another kinsman who had the first right to redeem her. If he declined, then Boaz promised to marry her. He gave Ruth a bounty of grain as an indication of his commitment.

Ruth's Patience (3:16-18). Ruth reported to Naomi about Boaz's promise, and she gave her the grain from Boaz. This was another sign that God was answering their prayers through the hand of Boaz. Naomi told Ruth that she must be patient until the man carried out his pledge that day.

Ruth's Redemption (4:1-12). Just as the widows had weighed their responsibility, the kinsmen of the Elimelech family discussed their roles. Boaz informed an unnamed kinsman that Naomi's fields were his to redeem. The kinsman agreed to buy the fields, but Boaz added that whoever bought the land ought to marry Ruth to "maintain the name of the dead with his property." The Mosaic law does not tie the role of purchasing property with the custom of kinsman marriage. Therefore the kinsman could have declined without embarrassment. The kinsman explained that marriage would jeopardize his own inheritance. Boaz happily announced that he would redeem the property and marry Ruth himself.

Both the nearer kinsman and Boaz were not required technically by law to help the family. Ruth and Boaz decided to go beyond the prescription of the law to fulfill the purposes of the covenant. Because of their actions, the redemption of the family could be completed. Through their action, God worked to redeem Israel by making possible the birth of David.

The contract was sealed when the nearer kinsman gave his sandal to Boaz. This symbolized the transfer of his right to redeem.

The elders witnessed it and offered a prayer of blessing. They asked God to give Boaz children as He did the wives of Jacob and the house of Judah through Tamar, who bore Perez. The wives of Jacob bore twelve sons, the progenitors of all Israel; and Tamar bore twin sons to Judah (Gen. 38:27-30).

The blessing implied two comparisons. First, Ruth was a Moabitess, whereas Leah and Rachel were the mothers of Israel. The comparison, however, was not offensive to the elders because Ruth had become integrated into the family of faith.

Second, Tamar and Ruth both were without children. Tamar achieved her ends through trickery, but Ruth received her son through righteous obedience. Judah tried to avoid his responsibility to perpetuate his own son's family line. Ruth and Boaz, the descendant of Judah, went beyond the letter of the levirate law and acted righteously before the Lord. Ironically, the righteousness of a Moabitess, a foreigner to Israel's covenant, brought salvation to Judah's family.

Ruth's Rest (4:13-22). God rewarded the couple by giving them the child Obed. The women of the city praised God and recognized that Obed would sustain Naomi and possess Elimelech's property. In this sense Naomi was regarded the mother of the child.

Ruth was more valuable to Naomi than seven sons. Naomi had lost two sons. Through Ruth, who continued the house of her husband and provided Israel with its greatest king, Naomi gained far more. This signals the completed reversal in the life of Naomi. She was no longer empty.

The genealogy linked David with the patriarchs through Perez, the son of Judah. Because of the faithfulness of Ruth and the faithfulness of God, the promises of the patriarchs could be realized through David and his greater Son, Jesus Christ: "A record of the genealogy of Jesus Christ the son of David, the son of Abraham" (Matt. 1:1).

Theological and Ethical Significance. The Book of Ruth shows God working behind the scenes in the lives of ordinary people, turning apparent tragedy into joy and peace. The Book of Ruth shows God as concerned not only for the welfare of one family—Naomi and Ruth—but for the welfare of all God's people who would be blessed by David and by David's Son, Jesus Christ. The participation of Ruth, the Moabitess, in the fufillment of God's promises indicates that God's salvation is for people of all nationalities.

By their faithfulness, integrity, and love, the characters of the Book of Ruth mirrored the character of God. They serve as reminders that the lives of godly people are a powerful witness to God's self-sacrificing love.

Atkinson, David. The Message of Ruth. Downers Grove: InterVarsity, 1983.

Cundall, Arthur E., and Leon Morris. Judges and Ruth. Downers Grove: InterVarsity, 1968.

Enns, Paul P. Ruth. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1982.