Ruth is a Moabite woman and you might remember that often Israel is at odds with the Moabites. But this woman is very faithful and loyal to her mother-in-law, who has lost everything and has no one to care for her in her old age. Naomi tries to get Ruth and her other daughter-in-law to stay in Moab, but Ruth is insistent that she remain with Naomi.
They go back to Naomi’s home town of Bethlehem (yep – same place Jesus is born, and you should have figured it out by the end of the story why this is significant). There is a law in place for those who are poor that they can glean a field after it has been harvested, which basically means they gather the left overs in a field for their use. It is a way of providing for the needy. Ruth finds a field that belongs to a relative where she can work in and is noticed by the landowner, Boaz. Now come this wonderful love story.
Boaz makes arrangements for the workers to leave a lot of grain to make it easier for Ruth to glean. He also offers her his protection. I think the people in that town recognized that Ruth’s true beauty was not on the outside, but on the inside. Her dedication and care of her mother-in-law did not go unnoticed. I think she won over the hearts of many of the people there, especially Boaz.
There is just one thing now that is in the way of Boaz marrying Ruth. A closer kinsman who actually is the one responsible Ruth and Naomi. Boaz gets him to release his rights to Ruth and he marries her and I think they live a good life together. Naomi gets to hold a grandchild and if you follow the genealogy, Ruth and Boaz have a son named Obed, Obed has a son named Jesse and Jesse has a son named David. Yep the child who will become King David.
Remember I said at the beginning of today, that Bethlehem is significant? This is the town that David was born in and the reason why Mary and Joseph must go there to have Jesus. To fulfill the prophecy regarding the birthplace of the Messiah.
Don’t you just love how God’s story is woven all together. This is why it is so important for us to know and understand the Old Testament as well as the New Testament. It is God’s love story for His people.
Singing and praising God today! I hope you are too!
Pastor Kathy