Women of the Word: Ruth

Scripture References:
 the book of Ruth, Matthew 1:5

Name Meaning:
There are those who disagree with what the name Ruth means. Two different interpretations have been accepted:

1. ‘reuth’ the word for “the act of seeing” or “something worth seeing”
2. ‘reu’ for the word friendship

Introduction:
There are only two books in the Bible named after women. One is Esther and the other is Ruth. Both books are viewed as highly esteemed books of value. There is much we can learn from these women of faith.

This study will be a basic introduction into who Ruth is and what we can learn from her life. It is my hope that God would be glorified in the process of learning from Ruth.

Lesson:
We are first introduced to Ruth as she traveled with her mother-in-law Naomi. Famine had driven Naomi’s family to foreign Moab. Naomi’s husband died there, his son’s took Moabite women as wives, and then they, too, died, leaving all three women as widows.

We meet Ruth and learn a lot about her character in the beginning of the book. Naomi urged her daughters-in-law to return to their native homes. Orpah decided to go back but Ruth pledged her love and loyalty to Naomi, claiming Naomi’s people as her own and Naomi’s God as her God. Ruth’s friendship and love for her mother-in-law was so strong that she left her home to move to  foreign lands. Such dedication is truly admirable.

A side note… Ruth’s heritage came from Moab. She was a Gentile from a land despised by the Jews. She came from a culture that worshiped idols. We do not know when God touched her heart and she turned to Him, but we saw her claiming Naomi’s people as her own and trusting God to provide for all of their needs. It is interesting to note that Jesus came for Jew and Gentile alike and in his ancestral line is the blood of a Gentile woman. Ruth was one of the ancestresses mentioned in the royal genealogy outlined in the book of Matthew.

Upon arriving in Bethlehem, Ruth joined the ranks of gleaners in the fields. Naomi was unable to work and Ruth’s love and devotion were demonstrated by her unselfishness as she worked to provide for their needs.

Levirate law provided for the needs of the poor:

Leviticus 19:9-10 Now when you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not reap to the very corner of your field, nor shall you gather the gleanings of your harvest. Nor shall you glean your vineyard, nor shall you gather the fallen fruit of your vineyard; you shall leave them for the needy and for the stranger. I am the LORD your God.

Gleaning was a humble and hard task. The poor and needy people gleaned in the fields from sunrise to sunset. Then they had to beat the grain from the stalks and gather it up before heading home. This was an all day process resulting in just enough to feed them for a short time. It was extremely tiring and was not the safest, for there were dishonest and crude, untrustworthy men working in the fields alongside the gleaners.

Ruth gleaned with these people. God brought her to the field of Boaz though. Her reputation preceded her, and Boaz, being a kind and generous man who circulated through his fields as he supervised, was impressed by her work ethic. As a result, he invited her to glean only in his fields. He instructed her to stay with the women and instructed the men to leave Ruth alone as well as to drop extra sheaths for her to pick up.

Reputation can have a major impact on our lives. Ruth’s integrity and drive, her compassion and devotion spoke volumes about her character. Think about your own life, the reputation it has. Does it glorify God? How do others view you?

Hearing that Boaz was kind to Ruth, Naomi developed a plan to provide for them and  to make Ruth happy. Boaz was a kinsman of her deceased husband Elimelech, thus he could be a kinsman redeemer. He had the right and responsibility to marry Ruth if no closer kinsman redeemer was available. Naomi instructed Ruth on how to proceed next in claiming the benefits of kinsmen.

But before we get to that we must discuss the family unit. To maintain a family name and estate there had to be an heir. The oldest son took over the family property and provided for the women. Levirate law required that if the heir were to die the next oldest brother or next nearest relative was to marry the widow. The first born son would become the heir of the deceased man. This man was called the ‘goel’ which means redeemer.

Boaz was a distant relative of Elimelech. Naomi knew this and instructed Ruth on how to approach him to ask him to be their kinsman redeemer.

Ruth approached Boaz at night, uncovered his feet, and lay there awaiting his response. This is not an attempt at seduction, but a Middle Eastern custom that is symbolic. The meaning behind the act was to ask Boaz to take her as a wife, redeeming them. Boaz acknowledged Ruth’s request and allowed her to stay there and rest under his protection. He also protected her reputation by waking her early enough to return to Naomi before being noticed by others.

Boaz was aware of another closer kinsman and approached him on Ruth’s behalf. The man was not able to redeem Ruth due to financial reasons. Boaz, before witnesses, became the kinsman redeemer, taking Ruth as his wife. A son was born from the union, named Obed, which means “a servant who worships.” Obed then had Jesse, who was the father of David, and thus Ruth became a part of the royal line leading to Jesus.

Conclusion

There is so much to learn from Ruth’s life and character. We see true friendship in her actions. We see a woman who is strong and dedicated. We see integrity. We see a woman whose reputation had preceded her. We see a woman whose faith in God sustained her and carried her and her loved ones through tough times. We see a woman who followed the counsel of older women. Take lessons from Ruth’s life. She is truly a remarkable woman of God.

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