3 Timeless Lessons from the Book of Ruth

The book of Ruth in the Bible is one of the shortest books in the Old Testament. It carries with it many different themes. Three of those show God’s faithfulness through ordinary people. First we see loyal love, which in Hebrew is hesed and refers to steadfast love, like that of Ruth for Naomi. Second is covenant love, like God’s love for His people. Finally, it carries the themes of redemption and hope. We see in Ruth how God uses ordinary people to accomplish His purposes.  Here are three lessons from the book of Ruth.

LESSON 1

Faithfulness in the Ordinary Opens the Door to God’s Extraordinary Plan

One of the first things we notice about Ruth is her faithfulness. Ruth was married to one of the sons of Naomi whose husband had died in the land of Moab where they lived. Naomi was left with the two sons, Mahlon and Chilion who took Moabite wives. Both of Naomi’s sons died.

Because Naomi was left without her husband or her sons to care for her, she decided to return to her homeland of Judah. She told her two daughters-in-law to return to their mothers’ houses. Orpah, one of the women, chose to do so. But Ruth refused to leave her mother-in-law. She said to Naomi, Where you go I will go, and where you lodge I will lodge. Your people shall be my people, and your God my God. Where you die I will die, and there will I be buried. May the LORD do so to me and more also if anything but death part me from you (Ruth 1:16-17 ESV).

There was a famine in the land at the time. Ruth had no way of knowing what lay ahead of her and Naomi. She only knew she was not going to leave this woman she had apparently come to deeply love. What is so unusual is that Ruth and Orpah were Moabites. The Moabites were enemies of the Israelites.

Naomi, while in the fields of Moab, had heard that the LORD had visited His people and given them food. So, they set out for Bethlehem. Would they find food there?

As the two women came into Bethlehem, it was the time of the barley harvest. Naomi had a relative of her husband’s there. His name was Boaz. Ruth told Naomi, Let me go to the field and glean among the ears of grain after him in whose sight I shall find favor (Ruth 2:2 ESV). Ruth just happened to go to the field of Boaz. Those two words, just happened, may make one think this was only happenstance. But her showing up at the field of Boaz was part of God’s plan for Ruth from the beginning.

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LESSON 2

God Can Redeem Even Our Greatest Losses

In this part of the story of Ruth, we find Naomi meeting some women of Bethlehem who greeted her by name. Naomi was filled with such bitterness over the loss of her husband and her two sons, she told them not to call her by Naomi, but to call her Mara which in Hebrew means bitter.

She tells them the LORD has testified against her and brought calamity to her.

But in the field of Boaz, he sees Ruth and wonders who she is. When he inquires about Ruth, the men tell him she is a Moabite woman who returned with Naomi.  Boaz approaches Ruth and tells her to glean in his field where the women there will watch out for her.  The he says he knows her story of caring for Naomi. He orders the men working his fields to leave some sheaves of barley for Ruth to gather. When Ruth tells Naomi in whose field she gathered barley, Naomi tells her he is one of her family’s redeemers.

In those days, there were within each family, men called kinsmen-redeemers. They were given under the Law, the right and responsibility to act on behalf of family members who had fallen into hardship. Naomi certainly qualified, and so did Ruth. This is important because without a redeemer, Naomi’s family line would disappear. Herein comes the idea of levirate marriage where a close relative could marry the widow so the deceased man’s family line could continue.

A redeemer had to be willing to step in and he also had to have money to paty the price of redemption. Boaz was a wealthy man. Here, I will tell you to go and read the book of Ruth to fully understand all that took place.

Suffice it to say that Boaz did, indeed, redeem Ruth. He paid the price, buying all that belonged to Elimelech, Naomi’s husband, and all that belonged to her two sons. He also paid the price for Ruth who would become his wife. It wasn’t easy but remember that God is the one in control. Not only of Ruth’s life, but ours as well. We need only be obedient to His call upon our lives.

LESSON 3

God’s Grace Welcomes Everyone Who Comes to Him

When we look at the events of Ruth’s life, we see great loss, but we also see a life renewed by love overcoming all her pain and loss. What were the odds that Ruth and Boaz would find one another? That he would be her redeemer?

Ruth wasn’t an Israelite. She was a Moabite. She was an outsider from the beginning. But she placed her faith in God, back in the first chapter of the book of Ruth when she told Naomi your God will be my God.

The book of Ruth reminds us that even when we can’t see it, God is always working in our lives. When we think all is lost, don’t lose faith. He is there interceding with the Father for us.

Can you see moments in your life where you didn’t know how you would get through a situation, but things worked out better than you could have ever hoped? I know I can.

Keep the faith my friends. He is able and He is working. God delights in bringing outsiders, the broken, the lost into His family. He is our Redeemer through His precious blood. He has already paid the price. If you do not know Christ as your Redeemer, go read the Gospel of John, then read the Book of Romans. Pay close attention to Romans 10:9. Oh, how He loves you and me!

Blessings, y’all!

I pray this blesses you. Feel free to sing along!