OVERVIEW:
Elimelech and Naomi and their two sons sojourn into Moab during a time of famine; Elimelech’s death; the marriage of Naomi’s two sons to Orpah and Ruth; the death of Naomi’s sons; Naomi’s decision to return to Bethlehem and Ruth’s decision to go with her; Ruth goes to glean in the field of Boaz in Bethlehem; Boaz’s kindness to Ruth; Naomi informs Ruth that Boaz can fulfill the role of kinsman-redeemer; Ruth approaches Boaz at the threshingfloor; Boaz fulfills the role of Ruth’s kinsman-redeemer, taking her to wife; Ruth gives birth to Obed, King David’s grandfather.
HIGHLIGHTS & INSIGHTS: The book of Ruth is the record of one of the greatest love stories of all time. For those of us living in the church age, it is one of the most important stories in the entire Old Testament. Pay close attention to the details of her story.
Ruth was born into this world a Gentile, as a member of a cursed race. She was a Moabitess. We learn from Deuteronomy 23:3, the Moabites were a race of people cursed by God due to sin.
As the story unfolds, Ruth finds herself in a time of famine (1:1), and yet, it is in the midst of this famine that one day, someone shared with her good news from a far land: the fact that the Lord had visited His people in Bethlehem, in giving them bread! (1:6) Upon hearing that good news, she left her father and mother, and the gods she served in her homeland, and went to partake of the Lord’s provision of bread in Bethlehem. (1:15–18)
When she arrived in Bethlehem, chapter 2 and verse 3 tells us that she “just happened” to go to work, gleaning in the harvest field of the only man on earth who would carry out for her the Old Testament provision of the kinsman-redeemer. (Leviticus 25:23-28) His name was Boaz, a mighty man of wealth, a Jew, from the city of Bethlehem. (2:1-2) Boaz takes one look at her in his field, falls head-over-heels in love with her (2:5), and takes her out of his harvest field to be his bride (4:9-10). “And,” as the old saying goes, “they lived happily ever after.”
The reason Ruth’s story is, for us, one of the most important in the entire Bible, is because Ruth’s story is actually our story! Like Ruth, we too, were born into a race of people that had been cursed by God due to sin. (Romans 5:12; 6:23a) We call it the “human” race.
But, one day, someone shared with us “good news” from a far land: the fact that God had visited His people in Bethlehem (Luke 2:4,7), as the Bread of Life (John 6:35), and could feed the famine sin had left in our soul. Upon hearing that “good news” (“gospel” – 1st Corinthians 15:1–4), once again, like Ruth, we, too, left our father and mother (Matthew 10:37) and the “gods” we once served in our homeland (1st Thessalonians 1:9), and we became a partaker of God’s provision on our behalf. (Ephesians 3:6)
Now, we have gone to work, gleaning in the harvest field (Matthew 13:38) of our Jewish Kinsman-Redeemer, the mighty man of wealth (the “God-man”) from the city of Bethlehem, until He calls us out of His harvest field (1st Thessalonians 4:16) to make us His bride (Revelation 19:7; 21:9), and so shall we ever be with the Lord (1st Thessalonians 4:17), living happily ever after (Revelation 21:4)!
Hallelujah! The Bible is indeed a supernatural book!
CHRIST IS REVEALED:
Through BOAZ, the mighty and wealthy Jewish kinsman-redeemer from the city of Bethlehem who took a Gentile bride out of his harvest field – Ruth 2–4 (Isaiah 9:6; Hebrews 4:15; Luke 2:4–7: Revelation 19:7; Matthew 13:38)