The Book of Ruth: A Summary
The book of Ruth is named after one of its main characters, a young woman of Moab. It is set in the time of the judges, before any official monarchy is established in Israel. According to the book of Judges, “everyone did as he saw fit” during that time. It is a period of religious and moral degeneracy, national disunity and frequent foreign oppression.
The story begins with a famine in the land. As a result, a man brings his wife, Naomi, and his two sons to live in the country of Moab. Subsequently, the man died and Naomi is left with her two sons. They each marry a Moabite woman, one of whom is named Ruth. After ten years, the two sons also died and leave the three widows by themselves. They decide to return back to Naomi’s hometown. During the journey, Naomi asks her two daughters-in-law to go back to their mother’s home so that they can remarry and set up another family of their own. One of them complies but Ruth, instead, chooses to stay by Naomi’s side. When prompted to change her decision, she demonstrates her strong determination by replying,
"Don't urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God. Where you die I will die, and there I will be buried. May the LORD deal with me, be it ever so severely, if anything but death separates you and me."
With that, they proceed on and arrive in their hometown. For a living, Ruth volunteers to go down to the fields and collect the leftover grain behind the harvesters. Coincidentally, the field she works in actually belongs to Boaz, a relative of Naomi’s husband. When Boaz gets to know of Ruth and her filial piety, he begins to extend much kindness to her throughout her labor in his field.
Now, there is a law in Israel that requires the nearest relative of a poor countryman to redeem the sold property so that the land will not be permanently sold to outsiders. And there is another law that commands a fellow kinsman to marry the childless widow in the family and stated that the first child must carry the name of the deceased. Knowing these, Naomi devises a plan so that Ruth can approach Boaz, their kinsman-redeemer, to fulfill the redemption.
In response, Boaz points out that there is another kinsman-redeemer nearer than him who has the first right of refusal. Subsequently, the man forsakes the redemption right for fear of endangering his inheritance. And Boaz, therefore, keeps his promise and redeems the property belonging to Naomi’s husband and sons, and marries Ruth as his wife. The story ends with a genealogy that referred to them as the great-grandparents of David, the second king of Israel.
The Book of Ruth: Pastoral Contribution
The Unseen Hand of God
Though there is no explicit mention of God’s intervention in Ruth, there are four ways that reveal his presence in the story. His unseen hand can be recognized through the unpredictable natural events (1:1,6,22), the apparent chance events (2:3), the risky human schemes (3:1-14), and even during the impartial legal process (4:1-10). Barber affirms God’s presence in the book, arguing that everything was orchestrated to accomplish his ultimate plan for the ancestry of Christ.
Often, Christians tend to overlook the unseen hand of God and as a result, create doubts in his love for them. This is more apparent during the period of crisis. Like Naomi, they might complain that God does not render timely help to them; instead, he causes them to suffer unbearable misery. A few more such setbacks and they will resign to their fate, concluding that God is not going to answer their prayers.
The book of Ruth, however, tells of the unseen hand of God, which is always at work to accomplish “his good, pleasing and perfect will” (Rom 12:2b), and “all for the good of those who love him” (Romans 8:28a). In a drastic manner, God turns the course of Naomi’s life from experiencing great calamities into a great celebration by controlling the natural events, by allowing “coincidences” to happen, by working through humans’ plans, and by determining the outcome of complex processes. Surely, God’s unseen hand can do much more to help those in distress who call on his name by a true faith.
True Faith
The heart of God for his people is not only to respond to his love, but also to show mercy and compassion for one another. This is illustrated through some of the Mosaic laws, which the Israelites are commanded to abide, in the story. For a start, Ruth, a Moabitess, is accepted into the Israelites community; then she is allowed to pick the leftover crops behind the harvesters; at the same time, Boaz ordered his men not to embarrass [or oppress] her; and finally, Boaz, their kinsman-redeemer, agrees to redeem her family and marry her. These are the practical application of God’s laws, giving glory to him and grace to his people.
For modern readers, these are what people of true faith should do, that is, to obey God and show concern for the welfare of others. Indeed, faith must be accompanied by corresponding deed; otherwise it is as good as dead (cf. James 2:17). Therefore, Christians should not develop disillusioned faith, but they must practice true faith so that the living hope they have in Christ can be revealed.
Living Hope
In chapter 1, Naomi sees only God’s power without his pity, sovereignty without sympathy and justice without grace. In her disappointment with God, however, she does not lose hope in him. Instead, she continues to place her trust in God. This can be seen from her return to her hometown when she heard that God has provided food to his people (1:6); from her permission to allow Ruth to glean at the fields, knowing that God’s people will show kindness to them (2:20); from her scheme to ask Boaz, their kinsman-redeemer, to redeem them in accordance to God’s laws (3:1-4); and from her anticipation of the divine will of God to be fulfilled, believing that their lives will be changed for the better (3:18).
As Barber has put it, one must always have hope, for without it there is only increasing discouragement and eventual despair. In life, things can go very wrong, but Christians should never give up hope in the living God. By entrusting their lives to God, they can be confident that God will deliver them in his appointed time, just like the case for Naomi. With hope, Christians can have the courage to take a step forward in anticipation of God’s providence, then later many more steps until they begin to see the entire picture of God’s ultimate plan in their lives.
References
Barber, Cyril J. Ruth: A Story of God's grace. Eugene, OR: Wipf & Stock Publishers, 2003.
Block, Daniel Isaac. Judges, Ruth. Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman, 1999.
Phillips, W. Gary. Judges, Ruth. Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 2004.
(End)
