The story of Ruth

The story of Ruth can be found in the Old Testament.

It is seen as one of the Bible’s greatest love stories.

There are several things which may seem unusual to modern readers in this story, which you can read more about further down.

There are several things in this story that it helps to put into context:

At the time the story was set, a widow was very vulnerable

• Without her husband Ruth had few opportunities for generating income and would be extremely poor.
• If a woman was widowed and had no child, the Old Testament book of Deuteronomy said that the dead man’s brother should marry the widow and have a child with her.
• This allowed the family name to continue and the woman to have a husband and child who could look after her.
• This seems very unusual today, but in a culture and time without government support for the poor this was a practical way of ensuring the widow’s survival.

What is a redeemer?

• In the story of Ruth, the nearest relative of Ruth’s dead husband was unwilling to marry her which allowed Boaz, a more distant relative to marry her instead.
• This unusual process is referred to as being a redeemer. This term means that someone is buying back someone or something for themselves. In this case Boaz was buying Ruth out of slavery. This did not mean that Ruth was a possession of Boaz, but it meant he was rescuing her from poverty.

1. It is a reminder that life brings challenges for both people who do and do not follow God

• Ruth and Naomi were not spared the difficult parts of life. However, God was with them in those challenging times.
• For Christians today, they can learn that God can be trusted to be with them in their ordinary, daily lives.
• It is also a reminder that there is hope, even in challenging times.

2. It is an example of how Christians should help those whose life is difficult

• The example of Boaz highlights that people should care for the poor and needy and give some of what is theirs to help others.
• Without Boaz generously leaving grain for Ruth, she would have gone hungry.

3. Ruth is a role model

• Rather than passively accepting the hardship she faced, Ruth chose to act in order to get through those hardships.
• She was also faithful to Naomi even though it made life hard for her. She could easily have returned to her own family but chose instead to stay with her mother-in-law.

4. It foreshadows what Jesus does

• The example of Boaz redeeming Ruth is often seen as foreshadowing what his descendent, Jesus, does for Christians.
• Ruth was trapped in poverty and Boaz chose to take action to rescue or redeem her from that poverty.
• In the same way, Christians look to the life of Jesus who came to rescue or redeem humanity who are trapped by sin.