As one of only two women with books of the
Bible to their name and just five women to be mentioned in the lineage of
Christ (Matthew 1:1-17), it’s clear that Ruth plays an important role in the
Bible. Reading her story, that’s not surprising – there are numerous messages
we can take from her life and character.
Loyalty
When we’re first introduced to Ruth, she’s
just lost her husband, father-in-law and brother-in-law in quick succession,
and is left with her sister-in-law and mother-in-law – Orpah and Naomi. With no further brothers to take over the
role of their husband – as was the custom at the time – both young women were
free to return to their own family and re-marry, and were encouraged to do so
by their mother-in-law.
But, instead, Ruth decided to go with Naomi
to her home town, far from everyone she had ever known. They were left with
nothing, and as the younger, more able of the two it fell to Ruth to find work
to provide for them. She resorted to gathering the grains which the harvesters
left behind, yet she never complained. Such
was her devotion to her
mother-in-law!
Authenticity
Ruth was a widow and a field-worker: the
lowest of the low! Yet Boaz – a wealthy land-owner and highly respected member of
the community – treated her with respect and recognition. ‘May you be richly rewarded by the Lord… under whose wings
you have come to take refuge’ (Ruth 2:12). News of her sacrifice
preceded her, and her loyalty,
selflessness and humility gained her favour with her boss to the extent
that he offered her food and drink and instructed his workers to treat her
well.
Ruth wasn’t ashamed of who she was, and
this is what drew Boaz to her initially. She had suffered enormous loss, and
been reduced to a mere servant, yet she never moaned about or regretted her
place in the world.
Obedience
Upon realising that, as a male relative of
Ruth’s husband, Boaz was qualified to marry Ruth in order to continue the
family line, Naomi instructed Ruth to lie at his feet while he was sleeping and
present herself to him as a deserving wife. Though this was a risky plan, Ruth’s
response – ‘I will do whatever you say’ (Ruth
3:5) – reflects her total trust in, and submission to, the authority and wisdom
of her mother-in-law.
As Christians trying to live the life God
wants for us, it’s vital that we are covered by authority and have spiritual
leaders for guidance (Banning Liebscher explains this really well in his book
‘Jesus Culture’). Though she was afraid and uncertain, Ruth followed Naomi’s
advice boldly and with complete obedience, and received great blessings as a
result. Boaz showed her immense love and kindness, and fulfilled his duty as
her family redeemer.
Redemption
The redemption Ruth received from Boaz is much like the redemption we
receive from Christ. Ruth and Boaz had very different social statuses, but Boaz
acknowledged her human dignity in the same way as Jesus did when he chose to
associate with prostitutes, beggars and lepers. He interacted with her, shared
his food with her and treated her as his own family… just as Jesus did!
“Why have I found such
favour in your eyes?” (Ruth 2:10). How often do we feel unseen, or worse – unworthy to be
seen? Boaz saw her as Jesus saw the
women He encountered. And that’s how
Jesus sees you, too. He doesn’t care where you’re from, who your family
are, what career you have, or even what’s happened in your past. He sees you
for the beautifully unique person you are. You
are seen.
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Through Ruth’s example, we learn that
loyalty and obedience to (right) authority should take priority over our own
desires. If we submit to our spiritual mothers and fathers, and trust in their
wisdom, we will be blessed for our faithfulness.
Most importantly, sometimes following God means taking a risk, but He will
never abandon us! He sees us, knows us and loves us wherever we are in life. He rewards the deserving and blesses the
undeserving.
Look out for a follow-up post on Naomi!
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