a study in the Book of Ruth
By: MW Rivers
The book of Ruth is the 8th book of the Old Testament and is a story in itself,
but one that also has a much deeper meaning. Follow along with me as we
unravel the pages of this book and seek to understand what it's meaning is
to me..."and to you".
So, let us first look at the story:
There was a famine in the land of Bethlehem-judah in the days when the judges ruled
in the country of Israel. A man by the name of Elimelech lived there with his family.
Due to the famine, he decided to leave with his wife, Naomi, and their 2 sons,
Mahlon and Chilion, all Israelites, and journey to the country of Moab so that they
could find food. Once there, they decided to stay and made Moab their home.
Unfortunately though, Elimelich died and Naomi was left in this foreign land with just
her 2 sons. The young men eventually married women of Moab whose names were
Orpah and Ruth and they lived in Moab for about 10 more years or so. Again
though, tragedy would strike Naomi's family and she lost both her sons in death as
well.
Sometime following, Naomi heard, after the deaths of her sons, that the Lord was
again visiting his people back in her home land with bread (ie...food---the famine was
over!) and decided to return. Her 2 daughter-in-laws chose to accompany her as
well. Along the way, Naomi conversed with the two women and tried to convince
them to return to their mothers. After all, she had no more sons to offer them and
was too old to bare any more children. She shared with them that even if she had a
husband and could produce a son, it would be years before he would be of age to
marry either woman. (It was a custom in Israel that if a man died, one of his brothers (or
near kin) could then marry his brother's widow to preserve the lineage of the family if he
chose to do so.) At first, neither daughter-in-law wanted to leave Naomi, and they
cried stating that they wanted to go with her, but Naomi persisted and again urged
them to return to their own people and unto their gods. Still they cried; for they both
loved Naomi. At some point though, Orpah did decide to take Naomi's advice and
return to her land kissing her mother-in- law goodbye as she turned back. But this
was not the case with Ruth. She clung to Naomi urging her to not ask her to go
again declaring to her that wherever she went, she would go also; and wherever she
lived, she would live there too. She further stated that Naomi's people and Naomi's
God would become her people and her God and even told her that where ever she
died, there she would die also and be buried. Naomi knew that her daughter-in-law
truly loved her for she wished that nothing but death should separate them. Ruth was
truly a brave woman, willing to give up her life of familiarity and security with her own
family, in her own land, and trust such an uncertain future with no hopes of being
redeemed to another according to the custom of Israel because knowing all this, still
she wanted to continue on with her mother-in-law. Noami finally stopped trying to
convince her to leave and so the two continued on their journey until they came to
Bethlehem.
Now when they finally arrived, all the city was in a buzz. People gathered around
asking, "Is this Naomi, my, my, could it be her?" It's like they were asking in
disbelief. After all, Naomi had been gone for many years and now, well...here she
was. Naomi speaking up told them not to call her by her name, Naomi, anymore, but
rather to call her "Mara", which meant forsaken; for Naomi felt that the Lord had
dealt very bitterly with her. She reminded them that when she had left Bethlehem
that she had a husband and 2 sons and she was now returning with none of them.
Naomi, no doubt, was grieved and still very sad, but thank God she and Ruth had
somewhere to go upon their arrival for it seemed that a parcel of land there in the
city still belonged to them.
After settling in to their new dwelling, Ruth knowing that they needed food, asked
Naomi if it would be all right with her if she went to the fields and gleaned some corn
as it was the time of the barley harvest. (Gleaning is gathering up what has been
dropped by the reapers as they are gathering the harvest. It was customary in Israel to
allow the poor, the widow and the stranger to do so.) She hoped that she would find
favor amongst one of the land owners that would allow her to work in their field.
Naomi, of course, gave her permission. So, off she went and she happened to end
up in a part of a field belonging to a man named, Boaz. Now it just so happened that
Naomi had a kinsman (ie...a relative, probably a cousin) who was a very wealthy man
of the same family as her husband, Elimelech, who just so happened to be this man
whose part of the field Ruth ended up in. (Imagine that!) And it also just so happened
that this day, Boaz decided to visit his field. There he saw Naomi's daughter-in-law,
Ruth, and wondered who she was and to whom she belonged as he had not seen
her there before. His reapers then answered him saying, "Ah, Boaz, this is the
Moabitish woman that came back with Naomi from the country of Moab." They
explained to him that she had come that morning and asked if she could glean in the
field and that they had given her their permission. Upon hearing this, Boaz went
over and spoke to Ruth, referring to her as his daughter, (He called her daughter
because although Ruth did not know him, he knew he was kin to her by marriage through
Naomi's deceased son.) and told her not to go to any other field to work but his and to
stick close to his maids. He also told her that he was giving his protection over her
lest anyone should try to harm her. (Wow!) Ruth was so grateful that she fell on her
face and bowed to the ground in reverence asking him why she had found such
grace (favor) in his eyes as she was but a stranger to him. Then Boaz tells her that
he has heard all about her; (Well!) how she has taken care of her mother-in-law and
that she has left all to come to this land and these people which she had never
known. He then prays that the Lord will reward Ruth for all her hard work because he
understood that she was trusting God to provide for her. Ruth then asks that she
would find favor in his sight because he was so kind towards her even though she
was not like any of his other maids. (ie...She was not an Israelite) Boaz was so
impressed with her that he then invited her to have lunch with him, which she did. (All
this and it is just her first day in the field!) After their lunch, Ruth returned to the fields to
continue her gleaning. Boaz then, behind the scenes, begins helping her by
commanding his men to let her glean even among the sheaves (this is grain that has
already been bundled) and to actually pull out some handfuls for her on purpose and
drop it so that she can glean among that also. (This was definitely not a standard
practice among the harvesters.) At the end of the day, Ruth took what she had
gathered and beat it on the threshing floor. When she had gathered it up she had
quite a bit of grain to take home.
Upon her arrival back at the house, Naomi was so amazed at the quantity of grain
that Ruth brought with her, she exclaimed, "Where on earth did you do your gleaning
today?" Ruth told her the story of her day and of the man that had been so kind to
her named Boaz. Naomi then began praising God telling Ruth that this man, Boaz,
was a close relative of her deceased husband. Now I imagine Ruth understood why
Boaz had been so gracious to her. Naomi then tells Ruth that it would be good for
her to continue working in his field and to keep close to his maidens. Ruth did as
her mother-in-law advised and not only remained in Boaz's field throughout the
barley harvest, but through the wheat harvest as well.
Then, one night, Naomi spoke with Ruth sharing her concern for her
daughter-in-law's future. She reminded her that Boaz was a near kinsman to them
and seemingly explains the customs of Israel concerning a kinsman redeemer. (In
other words, she is going to attempt to hook Ruth up with a new husband!) She then tells
Ruth to wash herself and go to the threshing floor where she knows Boaz will be this
particular evening but to not let him see her. ( Hmmm..., a plan is in the making here!)
Then she tells Ruth to watch where he lays down and when he is asleep to go and
uncover his feet. She further instructs her to lay down beside him, wait for him to
awake and that he will then tell her what to do. In Jewish custom, these actions that
were to be performed by Ruth were actually a proposal of marriage and Ruth, being
an obedient daughter-in-law, did exactly as her mother-in-law instructed her. Around
midnight or so, Boaz awakened startled, not knowing who laid at his feet as he did
not recognize her. He then asked her who she was and she disclosed to him that
she was Ruth. Well,...it seems Boaz was honored that Ruth had come to him
because she was younger than he and had chosen him over all the younger men she
had encountered. He then tells her that he will do ALL that she required of him. (In
other words, he understood that she was proposing marriage to him and he wanted her to
know that he was more than willing to accept that proposal.) He then informed her that
there was one other relative that was a nearer kinsman than himself and he would
have to be given the opportunity to redeem (marry) her first. He then asked her to
leave the floor and to tell no one that she had been there giving her 6 measures of
barley for her to take back to her mother-in-law. When she got home, she told
Naomi everything that happened between her and Boaz. Naomi then instructed
Ruth to sit tight and wait as Boaz would not rest until this matter was finished and by
that evening it would all be settled.
Now, Boaz, not wasting any time, went up that very day to the temple and sat at one
of the gates waiting for the other relative to come by. When he saw him, he called
him over to speak with him and then called for ten other men, who were elders, to
come so that they could witness their conversation.
To be continued...
