The story of Ruth and Naomi is one of the best-loved stories in the Bible. It tells of a relationship between two women–Naomi, the senior of the two, and her daughter-in-law Ruth. While the two women have several things in common, they are different in some respects. For example, both belong to the same sex but from different cultures and nations: Naomi was a Judean, while Ruth belonged to the Moabite tribe. Both lost husbands, but while Naomi remained a widow, Ruth took a second husband, Boaz.
How Does the Story of Ruth and Naomi Start?
The Book of Ruth in the Bible starts by describing a famine in the land, which caused Elimelech to seek refuge in a foreign country (namely Moab) with his wife Naomi and their two sons, Mahlon and Chilion. As time passed, Elimelech died, and Naomi was left a widow. Her two sons took Moabites as wives. After a while, they died, and their wives, Orpah and Ruth, became widows. It was sometime after the death of Naomi’s two sons that she learned “the Lord had visited His people (in Judah) in giving them bread” (Ruth 1:6 KJV). Life was difficult for Naomi in Moab, so she decided to return to Judah, where she would have a better chance of surviving.
As she set off on the long journey home, her two daughters-in-law decided to go with her. The name Naomi means “sweet,” and it might be because of the sweetness in her character that Orpah and Ruth decided to go with her.
As Naomi arrived in Bethlehem, Judah, we see that Naomi begged the people to call her “Mara,” saying, “That the Almighty hath dealt very bitterly with me” (Ruth 1:20 KJV). Ruth’s name means “pleasantness,” and it may be the humility and pleasantness that Boaz saw in her why he went out of his way to make her his wife. One could safely say both women had a mix of sweet-pleasantness running in their veins. Their sweet-pleasant character traits were pleasing to God and beneficial to those they came into contact with.
Ruth’s Commitment to Naomi
On the road to Judah, Naomi told her two daughters-in-law to return to their mothers and home country. Orpah decided to return home. Ruth did no such thing. Instead, she begged to continue with Naomi. Ruth did not even know if where she was heading with Naomi was better or worse than the place she was leaving. It seems all she could think of was not leaving Naomi to go through life alone. Ruth’s action leaves no doubt in one’s mind about her commitment to her mother-in-law. In the end, her faithful allegiance paid off when she met the love of her life, and the two of them married.
Ruth’s Touching Words to Naomi
Ruth’s steadfastness can be seen and felt in the story when she told Naomi, “Entreat me not to leave thee, or to return from following after thee: for whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge: thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God. Where thou diest, will I die; and there will I be buried; the Lord do so to me, and more also if I ought but death part thee and me.” (Ruth 1:16-17 KJV). Ruth’s devotion to Naomi was unquestionable. It was not the mere company of Ruth Naomi wanted on her long journey back home that made her refuse to scold the young lady and roughly order her to turn back. Rather, it was the genuineness that Naomi heard in Ruth’s words and the younger woman’s action toward her that made her allow Ruth to continue the journey with her straight to Judah.
The Relationship Between Ruth and Naomi
The writer of the Book of Ruth gives a picture of the relationship between the two women. Based on the story’s context, it is obvious the two women had a healthy relationship. There was love and understanding; Naomi is seen playing the leading role of mentor, and Ruth remains humble and accepts the position of Naomi’s caregiver.
Naomi was older and wiser and hence took on the task of decision-maker (as seen when she decided to return to Judah and gave instructions to Ruth concerning Boaz). Nowhere in the story have we seen Naomi taking advantage of Ruth due to her age, becoming burdensome to Ruth, or being jealous of Ruth’s catch of wealthy Boaz. Naomi was indeed the mother-in-law who meant well for her daughters-in-law, and this can be seen in the first chapter when she told them, “Go, return each to your mother’s house” (Ruth 1:8 KJV).
Ruth was never seen to be the carefree or rebellious type. Instead, she is depicted as one who loves and cares for her mother-in-law and listens to sound instructions. Because she was humble enough to submit herself to Naomi’s council, she ultimately married one of the wealthiest men in Bethlehem. This union placed Ruth into the genealogy of Jesus Christ, who was later to become the Savior of the entire human race.
Boaz, a Blessing to Ruth and Naomi
While in Bethlehem, Naomi and Ruth realized the need for sustenance, and the only way they could survive was to find work. Ruth went out to look for work and decided to work on the property of a well-off man known as Boaz, who was a wealthy relative of Elimelech, Naomi’s deceased husband. She intended to find grace and favor in his sight.
The plan paid off dividends. When Boaz returned home, he glimpsed the young woman gleaning on his property and inquired of his workers who she was. He was told that Ruth was the daughter-in-law of Naomi to whom he had family ties.
It was maybe love at first sight on the part of Boaz when he saw Ruth for the first time, and so he placed the damsel in a privileged position on his property where she could eat at his table, rest in his quarters and glean as much as she could carry back home. Eventually, Boaz could not resist this beautiful young woman who had graced his life with such pleasantries; therefore, he went to the high court for her hand in marriage. He was successful in his bid and thus won the right to marry her.
The marriage between Boaz and Ruth changed the two women’s lives completely. Ruth enjoyed a privileged position in Judah as the wife of one of the wealthiest men in the city. Naomi could now live out her years in financial security, knowing she would never lack food or shelter. Both Ruth and Naomi’s lives turned out for the better.
As for Boaz, he ended up with a loving and caring wife who would look out for his every need. Through Ruth, he could now bear offspring that would carry on his name and take over the family business.
The union resulted in a win-win for all involved.
What We Can Learn From Ruth and Naomi
1. God Never Forgets Us. God will never forget us. Regardless of our situation, His loving kindness and faithfulness will always be towards us. Many times after Elimelech’s death, while Naomi was living in Moab, she must have wondered if life would ever get any better. Yet, God never forgot her. Although far away from Him and in a foreign country, His commitment to Naomi stood strong because He is a covenant-keeping God.
As we glean from the story of Ruth and Naomi, we too must be assured that God is ever faithful to attend to our needs. Even when it seems a daunting task for us to get through the overwhelming situations that seem to overcrowd our lives, we can be sure He is faithful and will never leave or forsake us. He will lead us to greener pastures as we follow the promptings of the witness of His Holy Spirit that abides in us.
2. We Must Help Others in Need. As an elderly person, Naomi could not do much physical work. What’s more, she was grief-stricken over the death of her husband. Ruth took it on her shoulders to help and care for her aging mother-in-law. If Ruth wanted to, she could have left Naomi to fend for herself. However, she did not take that course of action but remained with Naomi and was a companion and helper throughout the remainder of the older woman’s life.
We can never be too busy getting on with our own lives that we cannot reach out and help others in need. Love has no boundaries. If we help others going through difficult times, God will cause others to help us in our own time of need. It is as we give that we receive.
3. Live a Life of Expectancy. As Naomi and Ruth continued living in the city, Ruth decided to become the family's breadwinner. Therefore, she went to the farm of Boaz to glean. At this point, Ruth did not know that Boaz was a wealthy relative of Naomi. One could safely say that Ruth followed the leading of the Lord and ended up on Boaz’s property. When Boaz returned to his farm and saw Ruth gleaning, he wanted to know whose damsel she was. Boaz took careful note of her and even wanted to know more about her.
The situations we face are never too great that God cannot penetrate. He knows exactly what we are going through and will intervene on our behalf in time. Living in expectancy means we must expect God to come through for us anytime. While we might be tempted to give up in life, God is using the problem to mold and refine us into the vessel that He wants us to become. Therefore, we should stop complaining and let the Master Potter have His way with us. As we submit to the process, we must live in expectancy, knowing that God will come through and meet our pressing needs, even when we least expect Him to.
4. We Will be Rewarded for Our Good Works. As Boaz enquired from his workers about whom Ruth was and learned she was Naomi’s daughter-in-law and helper. This made him happy, and he wanted to help her; thus, Ruth was shown favor by him.
We can only be rewarded for the good work we do. While others might not see us and what we do for others’ welfare, God is still watching and seeing everything we do, and He will reward us in due time.
Some of us may not receive our reward in this life but in the afterlife. As we serve and help others, God is storing our rewards in heaven and, in due time, we will reap those rewards when we go to our heavenly home. We can be sure that God will give us what is due because He is a promise-keeping God who stands by His word that says, “Rejoice in that day, and leap for joy, for behold, your reward is great in heaven” (Luke 6:23 KJV).
The story of Naomi and Ruth reminds of God's faithfulness. God never lets down His people, even when things seem hopeless. We must always remember that we have a caring God who will put us back on the path of blessing, even when we stray from that path.
Photo Credit: ©Getty Images/BibleArtLibrary
Lancelot Tucker is a book author and freelance writer who writes on a vast amount of topics. In addition, he serves as an associate pastor in his hometown, Spanish Town. Lancelot loves to do research and write, and is an avid reader of other authors' works. When not writing or reading, he spends his time reaching out to the less fortunate residing in his community.
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