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Verse 1: Chapter 2 introduces the kinsman of Elimelech, Boaz, a man of great wealth and status among the people of Judah and Bethlehem. The term “kinsman” in this verse means that Boaz is a close relative of Elimelech, probably his brother, though the text doesn’t say so specifically. What is clear from the use of this term is that Boaz, per Mosaic Law, is eligible to redeem that which belonged to Elimelech – whether it be land, possessions, or the widow of his son. (Leviticus 25:25, Deuteronomy 25:5-6)
Verses 2-3: More of Ruth’s character is revealed here. Though she is a stranger in a strange land, she does not hesitate to go to work in order to provide for herself and Naomi. (v.2) Gleaning of the annual harvests was guaranteed by the Mosaic Law, and so Ruth arrives, by God’s providence, at the portion of the field belonging to Boaz. (v.3) (Leviticus 19:9-10, 23:22, Deuteronomy 24:19) The phrase “…after Him in Whose sight I shall find grace…” (v.2) is another expression of Ruth’s budding faith and belief in the God of Naomi and her people. Ruth has no doubt been instructed by Naomi on the Mosaic Law and the providence of God, hence her willingness to go glean in the harvest fields. Ruth demonstrates humility and obedience, both to God and her elder, Naomi, which are two key characteristics of a godly woman. Verses 4-17: Boaz, coming to inspect his field and the progress of the harvest, sees Ruth for the first time. The other workers fill him in on who she is and where she came from. (v.4-7) Boaz introduces himself to Ruth and instructs her not to go gleaning in any other field except his. (v.8) He tells her to stay with the other maidens, following his reapers until the end of the harvest. (v.9, 21) When she is thirsty she is free to drink of the water provided for the men and the other maidens. (v.9) Ruth’s response is another indicator of her godly character. (v.10) She marvels at Boaz’s grace and mercy, questioning why he would show such great favor to a stranger, especially one who is not even an Israelite. She is unaware of Boaz’s relation to her late husband, and that’s why she’s so surprised and humbled by Boaz’s kindness. Boaz’s kindness to Ruth, as well as his response to her in verses 10-11, reveal a godly character that perfectly complements Ruth’s. Boaz shows himself to be a true and obedient servant of the LORD, demonstrating both the letter and the spirit of the Mosaic Law. He is impressed with Ruth’s industriousness and willingness to help provide for Naomi, as well as her bravery in leaving her homeland to come dwell among an unfamiliar people. Verse 12 is a blessing, in which Boaz recognizes his own ability to give shelter and provision to someone in need, just as the LORD God of Israel has sheltered and provided for His chosen people. It’s also likely that Boaz is aware of his familial connection to Naomi and Ruth, and thus he’s even more inclined to show kindness and mercy to her in obeying the law of Moses. Ruth is again humbled and overwhelmed by Boaz’s kindness, and she emphasizes once more the fact that she’s “…not like unto one of thine handmaidens.” (v.13) Ruth is still amazed that Boaz would show such generosity to a stranger and foreigner. But Boaz goes even further by inviting her to dine with the other reapers, and he gives her more than just bread and water. (v.14) After the meal, when Ruth has returned to the field to continue gleaning, Boaz instructs the reapers to allow Ruth to take of the main harvest in addition to the usual gleaning of that which the reapers leave behind. (v.15) The term “sheaves” refers to the bulk of the harvest, the best of the crops that are gathered in the initial wave of reaping. And, just to make sure there’s plenty for Ruth to harvest, Boaz tells his men to purposely leave behind some of the crops as they continue reaping the field. (v.16) Ruth gleans until the evening, gathering enough grain to make an ephah of barley, more than enough to sustain her and Naomi for several days. (v.17) In just a few verses, we see that Boaz encapsulates the ideal godly man, a man who is diligent in all his ways and setting a right, godly example for all of his household and community. He does not abuse his power or authority, instead using his position, wealth, and authority to provide generously for the needy and the poor, as well as for his own workers and household. Boaz is an example of the truly masculine, godly man that all men should strive to be. Verses 18-23: When Ruth shows Naomi the result of her day’s work, Naomi is amazed at the amount of barley Ruth has obtained. (v.18-19) When Ruth explains about Boaz and his generosity to her, Naomi immediately recognizes the hand of God at work and praises Him for His kindness and providence. (v.20) She explains to her daughter-in-law who Boaz is and his connection to their family, and that it was by God’s design that Ruth chose that particular field in which to glean. (v.22) Ruth obeys both Naomi and Boaz by continuing to glean in his field alongside the other maidens for the remainder of the harvest season. (v.23) There’s no such thing as coincidences in the lives of God’s children, especially those who are truly humble and surrendered completely to His sovereign will. The meeting of Ruth and Boaz was prearranged and ordained by God because He knew beforehand what choices they would each make in their lives prior to meeting that day during the harvest. Because this story is told only from the perspective of Ruth and Naomi, we are left to wonder about Boaz’s past and why a man of his age, wealth, and social status is still unmarried at the time he and Ruth first meet. But, ultimately, it doesn’t matter. What is important is that, by God’s design and providence, Boaz met Ruth at just the right time. And because he is kinsman to Elimelech he’s in the right position to be for Ruth and Naomi the kinsman redeemer. It’s also a logical assumption from the kindness that Boaz shows to Ruth at their first meeting that he finds her beautiful and desirable. The love between a man and a woman is also of God, and it’s clear from this passage that Ruth has definitely caught Boaz’s eye. There’s something different about her that he is drawn to, but, as we’ll see in chapter 3, Boaz will need some nudging and encouragement from Ruth, under the guidance of Naomi, to jump start this new romance.
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While the story of Ruth and Naomi takes place during the era of the Judges, it is set apart from that book for good reason. The book of Judges was about the apostasy and disobedience of Israel as a nation. While there were a few exceptional individuals who displayed faith in God and obeyed Him, the majority of the people were backslidden, doing “…that which was right in his own eyes.” (Judges 21:25) Here, in the story of Ruth, we are given an example of strong faith, of an unwavering obedience to God and a willingness to wait on Him for His timing and orchestration of events beyond one’s control.
Ruth is a story of redemption, of God’s mercy in the form of a kinsman redeemer who symbolizes the coming Messiah that would eventually redeem not only Israel but all mankind. In spite of Israel’s sin and betrayal of the covenant made between their fathers and God at Mount Sinai, the LORD continues to show mercy and forgiveness to those individuals who are willing to forsake all and cleave to Him alone. Israel has forgotten God, but He has not forgotten His chosen people. The LORD continues to be faithful even when Israel is not, and He works in the lives of willing and obedient individuals like Naomi, Ruth, and Boaz. Through them and their story, God demonstrates His goodness, His kindness, His mercy, and His everlasting love for all who are willing to forsake the world and follow Him. Through the line of Ruth comes Obed, the father of Jesse who will be the father of David, the future king of Israel and the seed that will bear Christ, the prophesied Messiah. Verses 1-5: Anytime there’s a famine in the promised land it’s always a result of God’s judgment against His people for their sin. (v.1) The LORD had promised Israel that if they would obey Him and serve Him alone, He would bless their fields and the work of their hands. They would never hunger or thirst, and their livestock would be abundant. (Deuteronomy 28:2-5) Both Moses and Joshua had warned the nation multiple times that only by honoring that covenant would God bless them. If, however, the people failed to obey and instead turned to idols and forsook the Law of God by committing sexual immorality, child sacrifice, and all the other sins that accompany rebellion and apostasy, God would punish them in various ways, including famine. Such is the case here, during the era of the Judges. During this famine, a man from Bethlehem of Judah named Elimelech (v.2) takes his wife and two sons and leaves the promised land for the heathen country of Moab. In doing so, Elimelech sins against God. The same was true for Abraham when there was a famine, and he decided to leave the land where God had brought him and sojourn in Egypt for a time. (Genesis 12:10) God had not told him to go, yet Abraham went anyway, and that sin led to additional sins of lying and deceit that got Abraham and his family in trouble with the pharaoh. So it is here with Elimelech. This passage doesn’t say that God told him to take his family out of Bethlehem into a foreign country whose people are enemies of God. Thus we can logically infer that the death of Elimelech is judgement from God for his sin of disobedience. (v.3) Instead of returning to Bethlehem with their mother, Elimelech’s sons, Mahlon and Chilion, sin against God by marrying Moabite women. God had explicitly commanded the Israelites not to intermarry with any of the Canaanites. (Deuteronomy 7:1-3) Even though Ruth will eventually become a believer and follower of the God of Israel, the ends can never justify the means. God rewards Ruth for her belief and her faith later on, but He still judges her and Orpah’s husbands for their sin. It’s in this context that we must view the death of Elimelech’s sons, and this leaves Ruth and Orpah as widows while still quite young. (v.5) Verses 6-18: When Naomi learns that the famine in Israel is over, she determines to return home to Judah, her two daughters-in-law in tow. (v.6-7) This is the first expression of Naomi’s faith, indicating her recognition of her husband’s sin by leaving Bethlehem in the first place. With the death of her husband and sons, Naomi is left as the head of her family by default, and she proceeds to test the faith of Ruth and Orpah before they embark on their journey. Naomi starts by telling her daughters-in-law to return to their respective families. (v.8) She has nothing to more to offer them, and she wishes them a blessing from the Lord for whatever future He has planned for them. (v.9) At first, both women refuse, insisting they will come with her to the home of her people in Judah. (v.10) But Naomi refuses a second time, pointing out that she is too old to remarry. By Mosaic Law, when a woman’s husband dies, his brother has the responsibility of marrying her in order to continue the family line. But Naomi is too old to bear any more sons for her daughters-in-law. (v.11) In verses 12-13, Naomi is saying, in essence, “Even if I were to marry today, would you still wait many years until my sons are of age to marry you?” The phrase in verse 13, “…the hand of the Lord has gone out against me…” indicates Naomi’s recognition of God’s punishment against Elimelech for his initial sin of taking his family out of the promised land against God’s will. Naomi is testing the faith of Ruth and Orpah by painting the bleakest and most discouraging picture possible of what life will be like if they remain with her. Jesus did the same for those who sought to follow Him. (Matthew 8:19-20) “Naomi’s three appeals are thus to be understood as carefully worded expressions of evangelistic warning, in which—contrary to the method often practiced today—she was seeking not to “smooth out” the hardships entailed by conversion, but in fact to highlight them in all of their potentially unappealing detail. (The Moody Bible Commentary) Ruth and Orpah are the perfect examples of the two different responses to the gospel in Jesus’ parable of the sower and the seed. (Mark 4:5-7) Orpah, believing that life will be easier in her home country among her own people, says goodbye to Ruth and Naomi and leaves them. (v.14) Her faith is weak, and she is unwilling to suffer the potential hardships that will be required if she remains with her mother-in-law. Ruth, however, refuses to be dissuaded. When Naomi encourages her one last time to go with Orpah (v.15), Ruth responds with one of the most recognizable and oft quoted verses in scripture: “And Ruth said, Intreat 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 ought but death part thee and me.” (v.16-17) (Mark 4:8) Like Rahab, Ruth recognizes the truth of the God of Israel, and she is willing to forsake all to accompany her mother-in-law to whatever future God will prepare for them. Ruth’s response is the expression of genuine, saving faith, the same faith that was expressed by Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Naomi acknowledges this and accepts Ruth’s vow and commitment. (v.18) Verses 19-22: Naomi’s response to the women of Bethlehem who welcome her back is another indication of her recognition of her sin in leaving Bethlehem in the first place. (v.21) “I went out full, and the LORD hath brought me home again empty…”. Elimelech’s decision was a choice on his part and not the will of God. However, Naomi acknowledges God’s sovereignty in not only judging and punishing Elimelech and his sons for their sin, but also in chastising her for going along with her husband’s sin. Naomi also recognizes God’s authority in her life, and that He has every right to do with her as he pleases. This is the same faith and belief expressed by Job. (Job 1:21) The mention of the barley harvest is key to the events which take place in the rest of the story. Chapter 1 serves as a prologue, setting the stage for the central plot which unfolds in the remaining chapters. The book is titled “Ruth”, but her story is as much about Naomi as it is her. God has brought Naomi back empty, but He is about to reward her great faith and her obedience to His leading in a mighty and bountiful way. |
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