Ruth

- by Simone Butt, July 2005

There are many biblical characters whose lives and adventures are told in detail. As a woman, I get excited by and take great encouragement from characters such as Hannah and Mary, but Ruth is so special, she has her own Bible book dedicated to her story. I thought it’d be interesting to take a closer look at Ruth’s adventure.

The book of Ruth begins by with a snapshot summary of her past. After the death of her husband, Mahlon, his mother, Naomi, decides to return to the family’s hometown of Bethlehem in Judea. Mahlon’s family had made the move to Moab when faced with a famine, but the men have all now died and only Naomi and two Moabite wives, Ruth and Orpah, are left. Believing that the women would be better off staying in their homeland of Moab and remarrying, Naomi prepares to depart. At this point, the adventure begins as Ruth makes a commitment to her mother-in-law and goes with her, whilst Orpah receives a blessing from Naomi and stays in Moab.

Mara

Though welcomed home in Bethlehem, Naomi continues to grieve the loss of her family and expresses that in changing her name to Mara, meaning ‘bitterness’. She has lost everything and feels God has turned His back on her. Despite being in a foreign land, Ruth remains strong and sets about providing for herself and Naomi, taking the opportunity to gather grain in the fields of a rich and important local man. As was the custom, the field workers left the scraps of the harvest for the poor to collect as they followed on behind.

Ruth doesn’t go unnoticed in Boaz’ fields and he approaches her with reassurance, warmth and generosity, quietly telling his workers to leave extra scraps and to make provision for her from their water supply. Not only that, but Ruth soon finds herself eating with Boaz and experiencing even more of his generosity. As the story is relayed back to Naomi, Ruth discovers that Boaz is her uncle-in-law and the two women live together under his provision for the rest of the season. Seizing on the opportunity, Naomi gives instructions to Ruth so as to discreetly communicate Ruth’s availability for marriage, despite the fact that it was the man’s responsibility to take the lead. Sneaking in and placing herself at Boaz’ feet whilst he sleeps, the extent of Ruth’s commitment to Naomi is fully seen and Boaz, recognising this, attends to the details and they marry. Their son, Obed, continues the family line and through Jesse, and David (the famous Israelite king), the royal line is established which ultimately leads to Jesus.

Bravery

The thing that really stands out as I read about Ruth, even before her adventure starts, is her character. Moving to a new land might seem scary, but her decision speaks of bravery in herself, commitment to Naomi, and trust and faithfulness before God. There may well have been all kinds of religions and gods in Ruth’s homeland of Moab, but recognising and committing to her new, Israelite family, she leaves those behind, spiritually, as well as geographically.

“I will go where you go, I will live where you live; your people will be my people, your God will be my God. I will die where you die and be buried beside you. May the LORD punish me if we are ever separated, even by death!”
Ruth embarks on a soul-adventure, and as I read, I feel her sensing the thing of God and pursuing it as best.

When Tim and I got married, making decisions together didn’t come easy for me. I couldn’t help thinking what my parents would have said, or what they would have done. I gradually learnt that my opinion mattered as much as my mum’s and Tim’s opinion was as valid as my dad’s. Not only that, but I started to hear God’s voice more clearly for myself and found that my character grew as I worked to obediently apply it. Amongst all the voices, God’s voice needs to be clearest. Obeying Him requires trust in Him.

God was new to Ruth when she married Mahlon. Entering a new family she’s introduced to Him. As I read I recognise what God was doing in me when I got married. As I was getting to know God more and was letting Him teach me, I found that He changed my character too. I started to recognise God’s voice more clearly and, trusting in Him, obeyed Him more. So I see Ruth coming to know God, recognising His voice and learning to trust Him. Her character has grown. She wants to obey God and she trusts Him for this new adventure with Naomi.

‘Daughter’

God blesses Ruth’s faithful and trusting heart. When they arrive in Bethlehem, Naomi calls her ‘daughter’. This is huge! My own experience of my mother-in-law was very special and significant as well. I saw a godly character in her that I wanted so much for myself. Her faith affected her whole life; the decisions she made and the things she said. When Tim’s mum called me her ‘daughter’ it meant more to me than just a family link. She saw godly character in me. She recognised in me the thing I longed for that I had seen in her! The vow Ruth had made when she decided to go with Naomi was now fully recognised by her mother.

God honours Ruth when she meets Boaz and He blesses her with a new family. God saw and loved Ruth’s loving heart. Her love for Naomi was selfless and sacrificial; the kind of love God meant for us to have for each other. God loved her faithful heart; Ruth’s faithfulness to Naomi shows something of God’s faithfulness to us. Through all the tough times – grieving her husband, leaving her home – God is faithful to Ruth. He blesses her and protects her. She had no idea what her commitment would result in, she didn’t know that out of her family-line would come Jesus.

The reason Ruth’s adventure is especially exciting is because of what God was able to do in her. Her character was godly and this enable God to have His way. The decisions she made were inspired by a desire to follow God and have His Spirit lead her.

Our choices and decisions in life show our character. If our character is godly, our decisions will also be godly. As we read the Bible and invite and allow the Holy Spirit to change us, we will grow in godly character. We will hear and recognise His voice. We will trust Him more and so be more obedient. And in our own adventures our lives will be pleasing to Him.