Na’omi Evaluates the Encounter
3: 14-18

Na’omi evaluates the encounter DIG: If found together, who would likely be blamed: Na’omi, Ruth, or Bo’az? Does this story reflect some kind of romantic love, or a proper sense of duty to an ethical code of conduct? Why? What are some examples of how the LORD wants His people to sit still? How did Ruth foreshadow the Church? How did Bo’az foreshadow Messiah?

REFLECT: What are you willing to risk? And for what? What are you willing to risk for the sake of the gospel? What are you willing to die for? Anything? Anyone? How patient are you? Can you wait on God? Does He need your help? Why can’t we come into God’s presence clothed in our own righteousness? Is Jesus Christ your Redeemer?

Ruth foreshadows the Church in that she listened to Bo’az. So Ruth lay at the feet of Bo’az until morning; then, before [it was light enough that] people could recognize each other, she got up because Bo’az said: No one must know that a woman came to the threshing floor (3:14 CJB). Nothing immoral occurred, of course, and the Bible is clear about that. But Bo’az, being protective of Ruth’s virtue, awoke her and sent her home just before dawn.⁸³

Ruth foreshadows the Church in that she received gifts from Bo’az. He gave her a generous portion of grain as a gift for Na’omi. He also said: Bring me the shawl. you are wearing and hold it out. When she did so, he poured into it six measures of barley (or eighty pounds), lifted it up, and placed the bundle on her back so she could carry it home. Then [she] went back to town (3:15). Chapter 3 ends much the way that Chapter 2 had ended, with Ruth returning home to share with Na’omi news of her adventure.

The growing realization of Ruth’s value is underlined by Bo’az’s generous gift. He sends her back with a large bundle of barley so that she will not return to Na’omi empty, the same word that Na’omi used to describe herself in Chapter 1. She came back to Beit-Lechem empty, but ADONAI was fulfilling all of her needs through Ruth and Bo’az. She was not longer empty. God provided food for her hunger and a place for her to rest. Would YHVH now withhold from her the one other thing she lacked – descendants? No way! In light of that, Bo’az’s earlier comment: There is a redeemer closer than I, takes on a whole new light. At that time Bo’az was merely talking about some the unknown-kinsman. But all through the story there has been a Redeemer closer than Bo’az, a Redeemer for Na’omi and Ruth who has hovered behind the scenes of the narrative, behind all the human agents, reaching out to His beloved but wandering sheep and showing them grace upon on grace.⁸⁴

Na’omi, of course, had probably been up all night and was anxiously awaiting to see if her plan worked or not. When Ruth came to her mother-in-law, Na’omi said: How did it go, my daughter? Are you his wife or not! Then she told her everything Bo’az had done for her and added, “He gave me these six measures of barley, saying: Don’t go back to your mother-in-law empty-handed (3:16-17). The gift was a sign of good faith to carry out his promise (3:13). The emphasis is on not being empty-handed. In 1:13 Na’omi stated that she had returned to Judah empty-handed with no husband and no sons. But now the implication is that she will no longer be empty-handed. The aged widow could then rest assured that she would not be forgotten in the future. The gift of barley foreshadowed the fullness that was soon to come. This verse provides a transition of Ruth’s exit from the story. From now on, she is only a secondary character. In contrast to her, it puts Bo’az and Na’omi on the center stage.⁸⁵

Ruth foreshadows the Church in that she waited for Bo’az to act. Na’omi, who feminine intuition was impeccable, said: Sit still, my daughter, until you know how the matter will fall; for the man will not rest, he will do everything in his power to fulfill his promise, until he has finished the thing this day” (3:18). It is through faith and patience that we inherit the promises of God (Hebrews 6:12 and 10:36). Because Na’omi and Ruth trusted that Bo’az would accomplish what he said he would do, they waited patiently until they received the good news that Ruth was his bride. Being still is not an easy thing to do. Especially in today’s society, we want it done yesterday! Now Ruth could have followed Bo’az around Beit-Lechem but that wouldn’t have done any good. Our human nature gets nervous and wants to help God out, and when we do that, we only make things worse. Let’s look to the Bible and see what it has to say about this matter.

Stand still (Exodus 14:13) was the command of Moses to the people of Isra’el when the Egyptian army had them pinned in with no possible way of escape. There was no need to panic, for YHVH had the situation well in hand. When ADONAI commanded the people to go forward, He led them safely through the Sea of Reeds (see the commentary on Exodus, to see link click Ci – The Waters Were Divided and the Israelites Went Through the Sea on Dry Land). There is a time to stand still and a time to go forward, and we need to ask the LORD for the wisdom to know which is which.

Be still, and know that I am God (Psalm 46:10) is a wonderful cure for a restless spirit. The Hebrew word be still, yashab, means relax, take your hands off. It’s so easy for us to get impatient and start “helping” God when we should stop playing Holy Spirit. He is God and He can accomplish the impossible. Our hands may get in the way and make it worse.

Bo’az was busy working for Ruth, and Na’omi was confident that he wouldn’t rest until he had settled the matter. Being confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus (Philippians 1:6). It is encouraging for us to know that Messiah never stops working for His children as He intercedes for us in heaven: Who then is the one who condemns? No one. Christ Jesus who died – more than that, who is raised to life – is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us (Romans 8:34).⁸⁶

In his book on Ruth, Iain Duguid discusses the fact that the story of Bo’az and Ruth is not a Romeo and Juliet type of love story. It’s not boy meets girl, in which they are physically attracted to each other and the rest is a passionate love affair. We know that Bo’az was relatively old and that Ruth could work all day in the hot sun with hardly a break and then carry eighty pounds of grain home on her back. Doesn’t exactly sound like the usual movie script. No. The book of Ruth is a different kind of love story than we are used to.

The devotion that Bo’az and Ruth had for one another was built on their common character, which is always a much better foundation for a lasting relationship than mere physical attraction. Theirs was a character match, not a sex match; they were both people of substance. That is specifically what King Lemuel’s mother advised him to look for in a wife of noble character (Proverbs 31:10-31). When the young (and not so young) make their mental checklist of what they are looking for in a spouse, physical attributes usually head the list with spiritual attributes recorded as an afterthought. Bo’az and Ruth, however, had a far more biblical agenda than most do today.

The real love story in this book is not about Bo’az and Ruth, but about ADONAI for His sheep that have wandered off the path. It is a love that prevented God from merely ending the world when Adam and Eve first sinned. It is the love that chose and called Abraham and then persisted in pursuit his rebellious offspring Isaac and Jacob. It is the love that would not let the Israelites go, even after centuries of rebellion and idolatry. His love causes the sun to shine and the rain to fall. In the lives of the children of YHVH, this love feeds us and clothes us. In His providence, His love may bring godly friends to encourage us, and a godly family with whom we can share our lives. We should be thankful for all God’s gifts of love.

Yeshua Messiah gives us the clearest picture of God’s love. His love for us took Him much further than a grain pile at midnight. It took Him all the way to the cross. There, in the midst of a darkness far greater than any ordinary midnight, He offered Himself for the sins of His people: God made Him who had no sin to be a sin offering for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God (Second Corinthians 5:21). And because God the Father cannot be in the presence of sin, for the one and only time in all eternity, the Father turned His back on God the Son as Jesus was punished for the sins of all humanity from noon to three o’clock (see the commentary on The Life of Christ Lv – Jesus’ Second Three Hours on the Cross: The Wrath of God). Messiah didn’t just risk His life, He gave it. Was it is because we are such wonderful people and we really deserve it? Hardly! It is because ADONAI was so committed to saving sinners like us, this was the only way it could be done. Bo’az was the only one could redeem Ruth; and Jesus is the only One who could redeem us. For salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we may be saved (Acts 4:12).

Do you know this love of God? Have you responded by giving your heart to Him? Disfigured by sin though it is, your heart is all you have to give. So give it to Him. He will be your Redeemer and receive you into His family. He will cover you with His wings and be your refuge. He will spread His robe of Messiah’s righteousness over your nakedness. No matter how undeserving you are, no matter what you’ve done or where you’ve been, the invitation is open to come and be redeemed.⁸⁷ YHVH will welcome if you believe that Christ died for your sins according to the Scriptures, that He was buried, that He was raised on the third day and that He appeared to Peter and then to the Twelve (First Corinthians 15:3b-5), and you want to make Yeshua your Lord. Messiah loves you so much. Have you put yourself at the feet of the Lord of the harvest, and are you trusting in Him to work?

Ruth and Bo’az on the Threshing Floor
3: 6-13

Ruth and Bo’az on the threshing floor DIG: Was Ruth’s assumption that a go’el also had the duty to marry a widowed relative justified? Why does Bo’az bless Ruth and consider her proposal? How does Bo’az show the kindness of a kinsman-redeemer? For what kindness does Bo’az commend Ruth? How does Ruth foreshadow the Church? How does Bo’az foreshadow Christ?

REFLECT: Not that you have to be perfect, but if you have to make a decision between your feelings and the Word of God, what do you usually follow? Are your feelings the engine that drives your life, or the caboose? What does it mean to have your sins paid in full by Jesus on the cross? Explain this to someone or write it down.

By now both the barley and wheat harvests were over, and it was time for threshing and winnowing. There was no more gleaning and no hired work available for a woman, so Ruth’s opportunity to see Bo’az would be drastically reduced. Even if they saw each other it would be in public and her opportunity to talk to him privately would be minimal. Bo’az knew he was Elimelek’s kinsman, yet he had done nothing to redeem Elimelek’s land. Neither Na’omi nor Ruth knew why. Perhaps he was waiting because technically Na’omi was the widow with first claim on the kinsman-redeemer. Therefore, to bring matters to a head, Na’omi took the initiative of formally waiving her own right to marry the go’el (3:1b).⁷³

The narrator quickly leads us with Ruth to a new location. So she went down to the threshing floor and did everything her mother-in-law told her to (3:6). At this point the rabbis make a comparison between Ruth and Tamar (Genesis 38:1-30). They teach that the merits of the two righteous Gentile proselytes reached their culmination: Ruth and Tamar had clung to the Sh’khinah and bound themselves up in the eternity of Isra’el to become illuminated by the light of the Messiah.

The spotlight now falls on Bo’az. Things apparently went just as Na’omi had anticipated. After Bo’az had finished eating and drinking to his heart’s content, he went over and lay down next to the pile of threshed grain to go to sleep. After years of famine, he now had an abundant harvest. Ruth came in quietly, uncovered his feet, and lay down (3:7 ISV). Bo’az would lie down by one pile of grain and his male servants would be scattered in other areas of his property for protection so there was a measure of privacy between the two of them. The Torah said she was entitled to call upon the next of kin to fulfill the various responsibilities of the kinsman-redeemer. Thus, she was making a legal claim in the approved manner of the time. For Ruth, lying down at the feet of Bo’az was an act of submission. She was placing herself under his authority. Ruth foreshadows the Church in that she submitted to Bo’az. The B’rit Chadashah forcefully tells us to submit to God (James 4:7a), and the TaNaKh reminds us to trust in ADONAI with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to Him and he will make your paths straight (Proverbs 3:5-6).

Despite the lack of explicit clues, it seems like Ruth momentarily delayed in approaching Bo’az. Probably to make sure he was asleep. Then, in accordance with Na’omi’s instructions, Ruth approached quietly, uncovered his feet and lay down (3:7b). Bo’az was so tired that he didn’t notice her at first. But as the air cooled in the middle of the night, while turning and reaching for his blanket, something startled him. There was a woman lying at his feet (3:8). Adam went to sleep and woke up to discover he’d been through surgery and was a married man. Jacob woke up to discover he was married to the wrong woman! Bo’az woke up at midnight to find a woman lying at his feet. Under the circumstances, “Who are you?” was a natural enough question to be asked. “I am your maidservant (Hebrew: amah) Ruth,” she said. Notice that she didn’t call herself a Moabitess. Now she was the maidservant of Bo’az. She was making a new beginning for herself.⁷⁴

At this point, however, Ruth departed from Na’omi’s game plan. At the very moment when we expect Bo’az to instruct Ruth (3:4), she confidently spoke up and said to him, “Spread the corner of your robe (Hebrew: kanaph) over me as a token of marriage, because you are a redeeming kinsman (Hebrew: go’el) of our family” (3:9). The term spread the corner of your robe implies protection (Deuteronomy 22:30, 23:1, 27:20; Ezekiel 16:8). When marriages are formalized among the Jews, the man throws the corner of his tallit over his wife and covers her head with it.75 This gesture would be the modern-day equivalent of giving an engagement ring. This was, in effect, a marriage proposal.

During her secret, nocturnal visit to the threshing floor, Ruth proposed marriage to Bo’az. What was surprising about it, was that she supported the proposal by appealing to his status as her kinsman-redeemer (Hebrew: go’el), a fact she had learned first from Na’omi (2:20). But it is interesting because nowhere in the TaNaKh does it list marriage of any kind, much less to widowed relatives, among the duties of a go’el. In fact, the kinsman-redeemer’s main tasks were to restore ownership of alienated clan property by buying it back in the Year of Jubilee (Leviticus 25:25-30), and to free fellow clansmen and women from poverty-induced slavery (Leviticus 25:47-55). In addition, the go’el was to avenge the killing of a relative (Numbers 35:12, 19-27), and to receive money due a deceased relative (Numbers 5:8). Consequently, was Ruth’s assumption that a go’el also had a duty to marry a widowed relative justified?

The fact that Ruth assumed a marriage duty on the part of the kinsman-redeemer strongly suggests that such a custom in fact existed; otherwise the story would lack credibility. More importantly, however, there is evidence that the duties of a go’el went beyond those mentioned above. The word’s symbolic use suggests that he also may have helped a clan member in a lawsuit (Job 19:25; Psalm 119:154; Proverbs 23:11; Jeremiah 50:34; Lamentations 3:58). Moreover, if one assumes that the picture of YHVH as go’el reflects Israelite customs, then the go’el also was an advocate who stood up for the vulnerable family members and who took responsibility for unfortunate relatives, even dead ones. Therefore, it seems likely that the duty of the kinsman-redeemer was a broad one . . . indeed, far broader than the redemptive acts taught in Leviticus 25 and those typical of the levirate (to see link click Ae – The Duty of Levirate Marriage).

Evidently, the go’el aided clan members, both the living, who were perceived weak and vulnerable, and the dead. Indeed, it may be especially significant for the book of Ruth, in as much as two of the duties concern actions on behalf of the dead. Such actions sought to restore a wholeness that the clan perceived to be lost.⁷⁶ What Ruth was asking Bo’az to do was to according to the spirit of the kinsman-redeemer? She appealed to him to be the go’el who, at his own cost, would restore wholeness to Na’omi and her family’s future that had been shattered. This took more than a little chutzpah on her part. It was entirely unprecedented in the Jewish culture for a woman to propose to a man, or a younger person to an elder, or a field worker to a field owner.⁷⁷

This caught Bo’az off guard. But after the initial shock, he showered Ruth with an overwhelming and unexpected blessing, saying to her, “ADONAI bless you, my daughter.” The mention of God’s name is a recognition in all that had taken place, and when he called her “my daughter,” it did emphasize the age difference between the two, but for Ruth this made no difference at all. This chesed (see Af – The Concept of Chesed) is greater than that which you showed earlier (in her willingness to forsake family, homeland and gods in her devotion to Na’omi). Her present chesed was that she came to an older man, who was probably Na’omi’s age, and her willingness to provide Na’omi an heir by marrying a go’el like Bo’az even exceeded her earlier chesed. Then he complemented her on having chosen him rather than going after someone younger or richer, “You have not run after the younger men, whether rich or poor” (3:10). A younger man would have had a better prospect, humanly speaking, of providing Ruth with children of her own, and thereby with significance.

She did not follow her natural inclinations. Bo’az was certain that if she wanted she could have married a rich young man. Otherwise there would be no point in praising her faithfulness to family obligations otherwise. Not thinking of herself, she was willing pass up the younger men who were not kinsmen-redeemers, acting only out of love for Na’omi. She considered her own happiness to be secondary. She could have married for love or money but chose to marry out of family loyalty. Therefore, her new display of chesed would be greater than the first. The question is, “What is greater than the salvation of a whole family line?” And the answer becomes, “To become the mother of the royal house of Isra’el (see the commentary on The Life of Christ Ai – The Genealogies of Joseph and Mary).⁷⁸

11. Bo’az foreshadows Messiah because he gave Ruth all that she asked. Messiah also said: You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it (see the commentary on The Life of Christ Kq – No One Comes to the Father Except Through Me for a fuller explanation of this verse). Then Bo’az comforted Ruth when he said: And now, my daughter, don’t be afraid (3:11a). This word of assurance has been given to many of ADONAI’s servants: Abraham (Genesis 15:1), Isaac (Genesis 26:24), Jacob (Genesis 46:3), Moses and the nation of Isra’el (Exodus 14:13), Joshua (Joshua 8:1 and 10:8), King Jehoshaphat (Second Chronicles 20:17), the Jewish remnant in the Land (Isaiah 41:10, 13-14, 43:1 and 5, 44:2), Ezeki’el (Ezeki’el 3:9), Dani’el (Dani’el 10:12 and 19), Joseph (Mattityahu 1:20), Zechariah (Luke 1:13), Mary (Luke 1:30), the shepherds in the field (Luke 2:10), Rabbi Sha’ul (Acts 27:24) and the apostle Yochanan (Revelation 1:17). You and I can say with these spiritual giants: ADONAI is my Helper; I will not be afraid – what can any human do to me (Hebrews 13:6 CJB)?

Not only did Bo’az calm Ruth’s immediate fears, but he also made a promise to her concerning her future: I will do for you all that you ask. Whatever God starts, He finishes; and what He does, He does well (Philippians 1:6; Mark 7:37). It was not Ruth’s obligation to do for herself what only Bo’az could do (3:11b), and it is not our obligation to do what only Christ can do. The Torah says: The soul who sins shall die (Ezekiel 18:4), and Ha’Shem didn’t seek any way around this: He who did not spare His own Son, but gave Him up for us all – how will He not also, along with Him, graciously give us all things (Romans 8:32)? Of course, there is no other unknown kinsman who could redeem a lost world. Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we may be saved (Acts 4:12).⁷⁹

It is noteworthy that Proverbs 31 describes a woman of character: her works bring her praise at the city gate (Prov 31:31). Using similar language, Bo’az declared: All the people of my town know that you are a woman of noble character, especially among the city elders (3:11c). Literally, Bo’az says: All the gate of my people knows that you are a woman of worth. The idiom is usually lost in translation, but what we see in Ruth is precisely a Proverbs 31 woman in the flesh. Her deeds had indeed been praised at the city gate.

How did Ruth gain this reputation among the people of Beit-Lechem, when just a couple of months previously she had been ignored and slighted as an insignificant foreigner? She didn’t gain her good reputation by pushing herself on people and blowing her own horn. Instead, she made herself Na’omi’s servant and worked without complaining in the heat of the harvest day to help her mother-in-law survive. People noticed.⁸⁰

At this point in the story a complication arose, Bo’az revealed an unexpected, disturbing fact. There was another kinsman, unnamed to the reader, who was a closer relative to Elimelek than Bo’az, and as such, had the first right to serve as go’el. In Israelite custom this duty fell upon the nearest male relative, or if he waived it, to others in an order of priority unknown to us. As an upright Israelite, Bo’az bowed before that custom rather than scheme to circumvent it. Personal preference gave way to the rights of other relatives.

Such honesty served three purposes for the narrator. First, it injected one last moment of suspense into the story. Having just breathed a sigh of relief, the audience now anxiously wondered, “Will Bo’az lose Ruth after all?” And Secondly, it presented Bo’az as a model of integrity, and, therefore, a worthy ancestor of King David. Indeed, that very integrity may explain why Bo’az did not exercise the duty of go’el earlier; he knew that the right belonged to someone else and that right was not to be violated. Na’omi and Ruth had forced the issue, so Bo’az could approach this unknown kinsman and get him to decide what he wanted to do. His caution would also enhance Ruth’s legal claims: All Isra’el would know that whatever status she might later obtain had come legally, not falsely. Thirdly, by placing an additional obstacle before the couple, it underscored the word of the providence of God.⁸¹

Although it is true that I am a redeeming kinsman of our family, there is a redeemer closer than I (3:12). This must have been a bitter pill for Ruth to swallow. Just when things were going so well! Scripture doesn’t identify the man who was Na’omi’s actual next of kin (he would almost assuredly have been an older brother to Bo’az, whereas Bo’az was only a nephew). But Bo’az knew immediately who he was, and he knew that custom required him to defer to this other relative. He explained the situation to Ruth, swore to her his own willingness to be her go’el if it were possible, and urged her to remain at his feet until dawn.⁸²

But once again, Bo’az comforted Ruth. He would take care of this unexpected and unwanted complication. In the morning, Bo’az would approach the man and question him. If he wanted to redeem her, then well and good. But if he did not want to undertake his duty, then Bo’az would gladly do it himself. Stay here for the night, and in the morning if he wants to do his duty as your redeeming kinsman, good; let him redeem you. But if he is not willing, as surely as ADONAI lives . . . I will do it. Lie down until morning” (3:13a). One way or another, Ruth would certainly be taken care of.

12. Bo’az foreshadows Messiah because a kinsman-redeemer must be willing and able to pay the price of redemption. Bo’az declared: As surely as ADONAI lives . . . I will do it (3:13b). Messiah was also willing and able to pay the price of redemption as reflected in His sixth words from the Cross: When He had received the drink, Jesus said in Aramaic: It is finished (John 19:30a). He said: “It” is finished, not “I” AM finished. The Lord will speak these same words again at the end of the Great Tribulation when He will say: It is done (see the commentary on Revelation Eh – The Seventh Bowl: A Tremendous Earthquake)! Jesus spoke in Aramaic, but the Bible is written in Greek and this is one word in Greek, tetelestai, and it is in the perfect tense, indicating a past, completed action, with continuing, and in this case, permanent results. Tetelestai was a Greek word used in accounting. Archeologists found an enormous amount of invoices at a dig in Egypt. Many Jews had fled Jerusalem before the Roman destruction and settled in Alexandria. There they translated the Hebrew Scriptures into Greek, the international language of the day. In Alexandria, Egypt, archeologists found a large quantity of invoices with tetelestai, written on clay tablets. In accounting terms, it means paid in full. In other words, just as Bo’az was willing and able to pay the price of redemption for Ruth, our sins have been paid in full as a result of Yeshua’s death on the cross.

Dear Great Heavenly Father, How much we love You! You paid the price for our sin and bought us as Your bride. As the bride and groom enjoy spending time together, so we, Your bride who loves You, enjoy spending time with You – praising You, worshiping You, asking You to bring our loved ones to love You also, and thanking You for always being with us and always guiding us. You are the perfect bridegroom! In the name of Your Son and the power of his resurrection. Amen

Na’omi Discloses Her Plan For Ruth and Bo’az
3: 1-5

Na’omi discloses her plan for Ruth and Bo’az DIG: In what three ways does Ruth foreshadow the Church? Why do you think Na’omi approached Ruth with her plan? What instructions does Na’omi give to Ruth? What is her goal? In their male-dominated world, how do you account for such boldness? How did Ruth prepare herself to meet Bo’az? Was Na’omi’s plan a sure thing? What risks were involved?

REFLECT: How do you meet people? How did you meet your spouse? When has human planning and divine will met in your life? Have you had your record washed clean? Are you a pleasing aroma to YHVH? Have you exchanged your filthy rags for a white robe? What are some tangible proofs that you are being conformed into the image of Christ?

A good man is hard to find. It has always been that way. How could a woman of character, especially an outsider like Ruth, go about the task of finding a husband to support her and take care of her? Today she might try to find someone through JDate: “Widowed Moabitess seeks hard working man of character for long walks in the barley fields and quiet evenings by the fire. Must like children.” Na’omi’s plan would be risky (to see link click Af – The Concept of Chesed); however, Na’omi decided that for Ruth’s sake . . . it would be worth it.

Ruth foreshadows the Church in that she prepared to meet Bo’az in three ways. The culture of the day believed that a woman could only find true happiness in the house of her husband. Therefore, one day Ruth’s mother-in-law said to her, “My daughter, I must find security (Hebrew: manoach) for you” (3:1a). In this context security would be obtained through marriage as already implied earlier. This is what Na’omi prayed would happen in 1:8-9, and now she was about to answer her own prayer. Here, again, is an example of the divine will and the human will working together to carry out the purpose of ADONAI.

The purpose is: Where you will be well provided for (3:1b). Na’omi had three issues. First, how could the name Elimelek be maintained among the tribes of Isra’el since both of her sons were dead. Second, what steps should be taken to protect her inheritance that Elimelek had left in Na’omi’s trust. Third, how could she provide rest and security for her faithful daughter-in-law? A marriage to Bo’az would solve all three problems. This also meant that Na’omi would renounce her own claim to Bo’az as the kinsman-redeemer and give it to Ruth the younger widow.

But who in Beit-Lechem could provide the security for an outsider, especially a Moabite (see Ac – Introduction to the Book of Ruth from a Jewish Perspective: The historical background)? At the very least such a marriage would have been socially awkward . . . if not worse. The man might end up as a social outcast. Who would be willing to undertake such a risk? Na’omi thought she had the answer: Now Bo’az, with whose women you have worked, is a relative of ours. Tonight he will be winnowing barley on the threshing floor (3:2). The threshing floor was a flat, hard area, usually the bedrock on a slightly raised hill or platform, but always downwind of the village. The grain was beaten out of the stalks by having an animal like an ox or donkey drag a wooden threshing sledge (with stones inserted into it) over it continually on the threshing floor. Winnowing followed this, which involved throwing the grain into the air with a fork or shovel, allowing the wind to carry the light husks of chaff away. In Isra’el the westerly winds would come in the late afternoon and continue until sunset. The grain was then removed from the threshing floor and either stored in granaries or sold (Song of Sons 7:3; Amos 2:13). The straw became fodder for the animals and the chaff was used for fuel.⁷⁰

Humanly speaking, Ruth’s marriage to Bo’az would solve all three of Na’omi’s issues (see above). But just how would a woman make such a delicate proposal? Ruth could hardly walk up to Bo’az in the middle of the field, drop to one knee and say, “Marry me!” Therefore, Na’omi said to Ruth, “Wash yourself, put perfume on, and put on your best clothes” (3:3). This was an extremely dangerous road along which Na’omi was urging Ruth to travel. However, she knew no other.

First, Ruth washed herself (3:3a): Torah required ceremonial washings, taking a bath and changing clothes usually preceded a special event (Genesis 35:1-3). Actually, Na’omi was telling Ruth to act like a bride preparing for her wedding (Ezeki’el 16:9-12). If we want to enter into a deeper relationship with Yeshua, we must purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God (Second Corinthians 7:1). Because of our sin nature, we must pray: Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin, and I will be whiter than snow (Psalm 51:2 and 7). But sometimes YHVH say to us: Wash and make yourselves clean. Take your evil deeds out of My sight, stop doing wrong (Isaiah 1:16). When we seek forgiveness, ADONAI washes our record clean: If we confess our sins, He is faithful to forgive our sins, and purify us from all unrighteousness (First John 1:9).

Second, Ruth anointed herself (3:3b): People in the Near East used fragrant oils to protect and heal their bodies, and to make themselves smell good. A bride would especially take care to wear fragrant perfume that would make her nice to be near (Song of Songs 1:3, 12-14, 4:11-16). Anointing oil speaks of the presence and working of the Ruach in our lives. All believers have received the baptism of the Spirit at conversion (see the commentary on The Life of Christ Bw – What God Does For Us at the Moment of Faith). Thus, we ought to be a pleasing aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing (Second Corinthians 2:15). The more we are conformed into the image of Messiah (Romans 8:29) in character and conduct, the more we please our heavenly Father, and the more He can bless us and use us for His glory.

Third, Ruth changed her clothes (3:3c): She was asked to put away her widow’s clothes and put on a wedding dress (Isaiah 61:10). As modest as it might have been, Ruth probably had one special dress for festive occasions. Clothing carries a spiritual meaning in the Bible. After they had sinned Adam and Eve tried to cover themselves, but they did it improperly. It was only by the shedding of blood that they could approach YHVH (Genesis 3:1-8 and 21). The Jewish High Priests wore special clothes that no one else could wear (Exodus 28). Salvation is pictured as a change of clothes (Luke 15:22; Isaiah 61:10). Salvation is pictured as taking off the “grave-clothes” of your old self, and putting on the “grace-clothes” of your new self (Colossians 3:1-17; also see John 11:44). Jesus calls those who have exchanged their filthy rags (Isaiah 64:6) for white robes as being victorious (Revelation 3:4). If you want to enter into a deeper fellowship with Jesus, then be clothed in white, and anoint your head with oil (Ecclesiastes 9:8).

Na’omi knew that Bo’az would be sleeping on the threshing floor in order to guard his harvest from thieves. But Ruth was not to rush up to Bo’az and initiate the discussion. Instead, she was neither to be seen nor heard by him. Na’omi instructed her daughter-in-law, “Then go down to the threshing floor, but don’t let him know you are there until he has finished eating and drinking” (3:3d). Then he would fall asleep.

Ruth prepared herself by learning how to present herself to Bo’az: When he lies down, note the place where he is lying. He had covered himself with his robe protect himself against the cool of the night. She was to go and uncover his feet and lie down. This was a legal appeal for Bo’az to fulfill his duty as her kinsman-redeemer and marry her. In the ancient world, a position at the feet signified submission. When Joshua defeated the five kings of the Amorites in his southern campaign he invited the commanders of his army to put their feet on the necks of the kings. Then Joshua charged his men to be courageous because God would give them the victory over their enemies (Josh 10:24-25). Psalm 110:1 uses the same imagery when God says to Messiah, “Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet.” There was nothing improper about this procedure, for it was the only way Ruth could offer herself to her kinsman-redeemer. Lying down at the feet of Bo’az was an act of submission. Ruth was placing herself under his authority.⁷¹

All she had to do was to put herself at the feet of the lord of the harvest, and he would do the rest. Na’omi told her, “He will tell you what to do (3:4). Like the Prodigal Son (Luke 15:11-24), we come to Jesus just as we are, and He will receive us and change us. However, we have a part in the process, for it is God’s will that you be sanctified, be conformed into the image of Christ so that we might be glorified (First Thessalonians 4:3; Romans 8:29a).

In short, Na’omi left nothing to chance. Instead, she calculated as carefully as she could to set up a favorable environment: Bo’az would be in a good mood and the two could talk alone – away from gossipy ears. In doing so, she modeled the proper use of human ingenuity in the pursuit of one goal (or go’el, if you please). Her actions fulfilled YHVH’s plans.

Finally, Ruth promised to obey: She was not only a hearer of the word, but also a doer of it. A willingness to obey the Lord is the secret to having a relationship with Him: Anyone who loves me will obey My teaching (John 14:23a). God’s will isn’t like a cafeteria where we can pick and choose what we want. We have been born with a sin nature and are broken vessels; however, to the best of our ability, ADONAI expects us to obey Him completely.

The simple promise of Ruth, “I will do whatever you say” (3:5), draws the scene to a close and demonstrates her willingness to engage in this risky endeavor. Ruth’s conduct must not be judged by modern standards, but by those of the times in which she lived. She was fulfilling a duty of love and piety towards the dead by approaching Bo’az and reminding him of his obligation as a kinsman. Thus, she took Na’omi’s words to be a command to be obeyed, not a suggestion to be weighed. Her answer pushes the story forward. Once again Ruth showed herself to be devoted to Na’omi. The narrator uses the utmost delicacy, but it is clear that Na’omi’s plan was not without its dangers.⁷² How would Bo’az react? We learn that next.

Dear Father, We love You! Praise You that you are the perfect bridegroom for Your bride the Church. Just as the bride gets herself ready for the wedding by washing and being pure so You want Your bride to be pure (Second Corinthians 11:2). Help us to not take Your love for granted but to live in a way that demonstrates our love for You by our willingness to trust You when it is hard, and to serve You when we are laughed at-for we know that You have an eternal home for Your children with joy forevermore and no tears and no sadness. We desire to thank You by our life that praises You. In the name of Your only Son and the power of His resurrection. Amen

Scene Three:
Na’omi’s Wonderful Plan for Ruth’s Life
3: 1-28

Ruth lived outside the covenant family of YHVH, bankrupt, with no claim to the mercy of God. Therefore, she foreshadowed the Church (to see link click Ah – The Book of Ruth and Shavu’ot) in five ways as the rest of the story is told.

Na’omi saw it as her duty as mother-in-law to seek long-term security for her faithful Moabite daughter-in-law who had so graciously proven her loyalty, generosity, diligence and strength of character throughout the hot and difficult harvest season. In a culture where arranged marriages were the norm, this meant doing what she could to orchestrate a marriage between Ruth and Bo’az.

There were several things involved. Elimelek had possessed a portion of land in Beit-Lechem that Na’omi was being forced to sell due to her poverty (4:3). Now Bo’az, a relative of Elimelek, was her kinsman-redeemer. She hoped that Bo’az would redeem, or restore, her land, and redeem, or marry, Ruth, thus preserving the family name of Elimelek. On the basis of this hope, Na’omi encouraged Ruth to visit Bo’az who had shown himself to be kind.

Because she was a woman, protocol forbade Na’omi from approaching Bo’az to arrange a marriage for Ruth. In fact, there was no suggestion that Na’omi had spoken to Bo’az about anything since her return from Mo’av. Yet from the very beginning, Na’omi clearly had an intuition about Bo’az’s interest in Ruth. Having watched and waited through the long harvest season, Na’omi apparently decided Bo’az needed some subtle help to bet the ball rolling. The way things finally played out suggests that Na’omi’s instincts were right on target.

If Bo’az had ever been married, the Bible doesn’t mention it. According to Jewish tradition, he was a lifelong bachelor. Although he obviously took a keen interest in Ruth from the moment he first saw her, it does not seem to have entered his mind to pursue the kinsman-redeemer role on her behalf. He even said himself that he was surprised that Ruth didn’t deem him unsuitable for marriage (3:10). He obviously needed some prodding.

Na’omi had sized up the situation correctly though, and she instructed Ruth on what to do. Na’omi’s plan was bold and utterly unconventional. It was very dangerous (see Af – The Concept of Chesed), but there was nothing unrighteous or indecent about her plan. Na’omi certainly would not have asked Ruth to compromise her virtue or relinquish godly modesty. Nevertheless, what Na’omi advised Ruth to do was shockingly forward. The essence of Na’omi’s plan was for Ruth to propose marriage to Bo’az!⁶⁹

Na’omi Evaluates the Meeting
2: 18-23

Na’omi evaluates the meeting DIG: What caused the positive change in Na’omi’s attitude? What obstacles to faith did Na’omi have to overcome? What role did Bo’az play as the kinsman-redeemer? What does this reveal about the power of God’s love? About Na’omi, Ruth, and Bo’az? Given the sad state of relations between Isra’el and Mo’av (Genesis 19:30-38; Numbers 25:1-3), what surprising turn of events would the original readers see in this chapter? How does Ruth’s loyalty to Na’omi and Bo’az’s loyalty to Ruth, defy the historical prejudices of the original readers? How does their loyalty reflect God’s values?

REFLECT: When have you shared Na’omi’s experience of God using a “Ruth” in your life to show kindness to you? How did this unmerited act of kindness change you? How was Ruth’s response to Bo’az an example for believers to follow in their response to Yeshua? How is the hope of a believer different from the hope that the world clings to? What reasons do you have to rejoice in hope? What was an important turning point in your life? Describe it. Whom do you know that needs to be reminded that YHVH still loves them? What will you do today to demonstrate such love?

Ruth carried the thirty pounds of barley that she had gleaned in the field back to town, and her mother-in-law saw how much she had gathered. Na’omi saw how much barley Ruth had gleaned she was shocked. She knew it was way more than would have been expected for a foreign woman in her position. And she not only brought home the barley, but a meal. Ruth also brought it out and gave her what she had quietly slipped in her pocket after she had eaten enough with Bo’az earlier. Na’omi asked her, “Where did you glean today? Where did you work? Na’omi seemed to have instinctively understood that Ruth could not possibly have done so well without someone’s help. So she asked where Ruth had gleaned and pronounced a special blessing on the man who took notice of you! Then Ruth told her mother-in-law about the one at whose place she had been working. She said: The name of the man I worked with today is Bo’az (2:18-19).

Na’omi’s response is the crucial turning point at exactly midway through the book. Faced with the mountain of food that Ruth had brought home, the practical evidence of God’s goodness, Na’omi moved from bitterness to blessedness. Slowly her heart began to soften toward God and she cried out: May he be blessed by God, whom has never stopped showing grace, neither to the living (Ruth and Na’omi) or the dead (Elimelek, Mahlon and Kilion), meaning the family as a whole. This change came about because of the new hope she had in her heart, and the one who gave the new hope was Bo’az (2:20a CJB).

The words here have their only real counterpart in Genesis (see the commentary on Genesis, to see link click Fx – Go to My Country and My Own Relatives and Get a Wife for My Son Isaac). Abraham’s chief servant (a picture of the Holy Spirit) traveled from Canaan to Mesopotamia to bring back a wife for Isaac from among his master’s relatives. When he discovered the bride, Rebekah, the servant praises YHVH for His guidance using a variation of the language spoken by Na’omi, in Ruth 2:20, saying: Blessed be the LORD, the God of my master Abraham, who has not forsaken His chesed and His truth toward my master; as for me, the LORD has guided me in the way to the house of my master’s brothers (Genesis 24:27 NASB). The similarity of Ruth 2 and Genesis 24 suggests that Na’omi had marriage in mind with the blessing she pronounced. What is more, the entire conversation between Bo’az and Ruth conforms to a common Jewish literary motif, “the betrothal type-scene.” That is, in the narrative of 2:8-17, the author employed certain literary clues well known to his audience in order to portray the scene as a betrothal, more exactly, the prelude to betrothal. This further confirms that Na’omi’s words implied marriage.⁶⁴

The reference to Bo’az as redeemer, points our eyes beyond him to the figure of the Redeemer, the blessed hope (Titus 2:13). For believers, hope is not a shallow “hope-so-feeling” fueled by optimistic fantasies. Our hope is an inner sense of joyful assurance and confidence as we trust in the promises of ADONAI and face the future with His help. This hope is God’s gift to His children through the Holy Spirit, who reminds us of the LORD’s promises found in His Word. My God, the source of hope, fill you completely with joy and shalom as you continue trusting, so that by the power of the Ruach ha-Kodesh you may overflow with hope (Romans 15:13 CJB).

The exciting new hope that the two widows experienced centered in a person, Bo’az, just as our hope is centered in the Son of God. In fact Christ is our hope (First Timothy 1:1; Fist Thessalonians 1:3; Colossians 1:27). Through faith in Jesus, we have been born again into a living hope (First Peter 1:3), and because it is a living hope, it grows stronger each day and produces fruit. The hopes that the world clings to are dead hopes, but ours is a living hope because it is rooted in the living Messiah.⁶⁵

Na’omi also told her, “That man is one of our closest relatives; he is one of our kinsman-redeemers” (2:20b CJB). The Hebrew word translated one of our closest relatives is go’el. It is a technical term that means much more than kinsman. The word go’el includes the idea of redemption, or deliverance. In fact, in order to express the idea more perfectly in English, the phrase kinsman-redeemer is used. In Scripture, the word is sometimes translated as redeemer (Job 19:25 NKJV) or avenger (Numbers 35:12).

Bo’az became Ruth’s go’el. He would buy her life back from poverty and widowhood. He would be her deliverer – and Na’omi grasped the potential of this wonderful turn of events the very moment she learned it was Bo’az who had taken an interest in Ruth. He was not only a kinsman; he had the means to be a redeemer also. The contrast between Na’omi’s previous bitterness (1:20-21) and her current joy signaled a reversal of her fortunes.

Na’omi strongly encouraged Ruth to follow Bo’az’s instructions and stay exclusively in his fields. Then Ruth the Moabites said, there is one more thing: Bo’az even said to me, “Stay close to my workers until they finish harvesting all my grain” (2:21). The fact that the narrator again mentions that she is a Moabitess to stress that fact of how unusual it was for a foreigner to gain this much favor, and that amazingly, she apparently understood that she “belonged” to Bo’az’s clan. If to cling to (Hebrew: dabaq) Na’omi meant to embrace Judah and the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and if to stay close to Bo’az’s workers (Hebrew: dabaq) meant to belong to them, then Bo’az was indeed her kinsman-redeemer.⁶⁶

There was a hint of repentance when Na’omi strongly urged her daughter-in-law to listen to Bo’az’s advice, saying: It will be good for you, my daughter, to go with the women who work for him, because in someone’s else’s field you might be harmed.” (2:22). This may have seemed like a pretty obvious response to the gracious offer of Bo’az. Who wouldn’t say in Bo’az’s field? Ruth would be crazy to go anywhere else. But that’s exactly the point! Na’omi and Elimelek had demonstrated precisely that kind of foolish blindness a decade ago; they ignored ADONAI’s faithful provision in the past and went to someone else’s field. Instead of staying in Isra’el, they went to the greener fields of Mo’av. Na’omi had realized her mistake and was warning Ruth not do the same thing. It was if she was saying, “Stay in the field of blessing. Don’t go wandering off as I did!”⁶⁷

In the background of Ruth, the clock is ticking. It’s not noticeable at first because our ears are not attuned to the calendar of redemptive history, but it is remarkable when we notice it. Na’omi and Ruth arrived back in Beit-Lechem at the beginning of the barley harvest (1:22); in other words, they came home at the time of Pesach and Unleavened Bread or sometimes called firstfruits, when the grain harvest began (Deuteronomy 16:9). In ancient times, on this day a sheaf of barley (the first grain crop to ripen) was waved before the LORD in a prescribed ceremony (Leviticus 23:9-12) to mark the start of the forty-nine day countdown to the harvest festival of Shavu’ot (see Ah – The Book of Ruth and Shavu’ot). This would cover a period of three months, corresponding to the time that must elapse before a female proselyte is permitted to marry, and Ruth and Bo’az would see each other on an almost daily basis and got better acquainted at that time.

What better time for an exodus from the fields of Mo’av to the Promised Land? It was the beginning of the year in the Jewish calendar, the fitting time for a fresh start by ADONAI’s grace. As in Chapter 1, the storyteller again stepped forward to close the scene: So Ruth stayed close to the women of Bo’az to glean until the barley harvest was completed. And she lived with her mother-in-law (2:23). By this time they had experienced the firstfruits of God’s deliverance in the gift of Bo’az’s grain, but they had not yet seen the fullness of what YHVH had in store for them.

Ruth not only experiences the firstfruits of ADONAI’s grace, but in a profound sense, she is the firstfruits. Shavu’ot, which is one of the three major festivals in Judaism, was the day that YHVH chose to pour out His Spirit on Jews to form a new messianic community (Acts 2:1-39). Ruth’s inclusion by faith into the righteous of the TaNaKh was a fore-shadowing of the much greater harvest that God one day would reap among the Gentiles as His grace extended to the goyim (Acts 15:1-35; Romans 11:11-24). Focused on their personal needs, Na’omi and Ruth didn’t hear the redemptive clock ticking, but the narrator wants us to hear the sound and reflect on the LORD’s perfect timing.

The clock is ticking for us too. We, who have received the firstfruits of our salvation await its fullness: And we believers also groan, even though we have the Holy Spirit within us as a foretaste of future glory, for we long for our bodies to be released from sin and suffering. We, too, wait with eager hope for the day when God will give us our full rights as His adopted children, including the new bodies He has promised us (Romans 8:23 NLT). Often, we are so distracted with the challenge of daily living that we also forget the clock’s persistent beat. And even when we do think about it, our redemption seems to be in slow motion. Yet God is never late and we need to remember that our present groaning will one day give way to shouts of joy, as we are released from sin and receive our glorified bodies. Quieting our hearts and focusing our attention on the reality of the inheritance that is stored up for us in heaven will encourage us to persevere patiently until the sands of God’s time clock runs out.⁶⁸

Dear Father, Sometimes life seems so hard and we cannot see any end to the problem; but when we lift our eyes to the heavens we see Your mighty power and remember that you call each star by its name (Isaiah 40:26). We realize that You know the name of each of our children and You love to care so tenderly for each one. We rejoice in Your love, even when it brings us trials, for we know that You are gently polishing us to bring You glory (First Peter 1:7). We rest confidently in Your care, knowing that all our trials and problems will soon be over and You will gather Your children for eternal joy in heaven. We trust and love You and rejoice in pleasing You. In Your holy Son’s name and power of resurrection. Amen

Bo’az Provides for Ruth
2: 14-17

Bo’az provides for Ruth DIG: What are the three ways in which Bo’az foreshadows Messiah? Specifically, what is the fourth requirement of the kinsman-redeemer? How does this scene reveal the character of Bo’az? What did he do that was surprising? How did he display chesed to Ruth? What would have been unusual about Bo’az personally serving Ruth the roasted grain? How did Bo’az make the rest of her day easier? What was amazing about his instructions? What was shocking about the amount of barley Ruth brought home?

REFLECT: Describe a time when you have been especially kind to someone in need. How important is it to share a meal with other believers? Is there a difference when sharing a meal with non-believers? What’s the difference? How does it make you feel to protect someone who is vulnerable? When was the last time you did so? How are you best filled spiritually? Worship? The Word? Fellowship? Ministry?

After Ruth had said, “My lord, I hope I continue pleasing you. You have comforted and encouraged me, even though I’m not one of your servants” (2:13 CJB), there was a pause of unknown duration because the next scene is at mealtime. This pregnant pause allowed the importance of Ruth’s words to have their full impact on this noontime scene.

8. Bo’az foreshadows Christ because he ate with her and personally handed her the food. The meal begins innocently enough, as Bo’az and his workers pause at noon to refresh themselves after a morning of hard work. The fact that Bo’az ate with his harvesters says something about his character, but his actions at this meal must have caught everyone by surprise. At mealtime Bo’az said to Ruth, “Come over here, have something to eat, and dip your bread in the [olive oil and] vinegar. This is an example of Bo’az’s chesed (to see link click Af – The Concept of Chesed). She was not left to take care of herself as gleaners usually were, but instead, sat by the harvesters.

Then Bo’az personally served Ruth roasted grain. The narrator deliberately highlights this extraordinary action by using a word that occurs only here in the TaNaKh.⁵⁹ Bo’az reached out (Hebrew singular: tsabat) with his hand and personally served her some roasted grain (like bread, roasted grain was a staple of Isra’el’s diet). And emphasizing his special generosity, she ate until she was full, and she had some left over, which she quietly put into her pocket (2:14 CJB). It must have seemed like a feast to her. Messiah also ate personally with His disciples and handed them food. And while they were eating Jesus took a piece of matzah, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to His apostles saying: Take and eat, this is My body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of Me (see the commentary on The Life of Christ Kj – Breaking the Middle Matzah).

After the meal Ruth returned to her task. But her way was made easier by the instruction from Bo’az to his young men. He did not leave the matter to his overseer, but personally took charge to make sure everyone clearly understood. When she got up to glean, Bo’az also got up gave them this order, “Let her glean even among the bundles of gain and do not rebuff her. In fact, he went further: Pull out for her some grain from the bundles on purpose and leave them for her to glean (2:15-16a CJB). They were to intentionally pull some of the stalks of grain from the bundles and leave them lying for Ruth to pick-up without much effort. The handfuls to be pulled were the amount that would be grasped in the left hand while being cut by with a sickle in the right hand.⁶⁰

This was usually not allowed (Deuteronomy 24:19), but Bo’az makes an exception in her case. This went well beyond the usual generosity and compassion for the poor who were normally allowed to glean only after the harvesters had completed their work. This shows Bo’az was developing a special interest in Ruth who begins to win his heart because of her humility, her concern and care for Na’omi, and for her love of the God of Isra’el.⁶¹ Was this a friendship or a courtship? All we know is that their friendship was growing. Whether one or the other realized it was a courtship – we just don’t know. If Bo’az was falling for her, he probably thought he couldn’t compete with the young men of the city.

And a final word of warning: And don’t discourage her” (2:16b CJB). One can well imagine the abuse that people like Ruth, who arrive at the field uninvited, might receive from those who had been properly hired by the landowner to harvest the crops. Therefore Bo’az lets his workers know that they are not to treat Ruth that way. They will not threaten her physically or discourage her psychologically with snide comments about being a Moabitess or the low class she represents just because she was forced to go begging for fields in which she might glean. Bo’az is pictured as a compassionate and kindly kinsman.

9. Bo’az foreshadows Messiah because the fourth requirement of a kinsman-redeemer is that he must be free himself, and throughout the book of Ruth, Bo’az is presented as a free man. Yeshua was Himself free from sin: God made Him who was free from sin to be a sin offering on our behalf, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God. And when the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed (Second Corinthians 5:21 and John 8:36).

The narrator quickly switches our attention to Ruth’s activities for the rest of the day. So Ruth gleaned in the field until evening. All day long, Ruth labored with a happy and hopeful heart. She didn’t have to worry about the men chasing her away, or hindering her in any way. She had food when she was hungry, drink when she was thirsty, and a place to rest when she became weary.⁶²

10. Bo’az foreshadows Messiah because he saw to it that she was satisfied. When she beat out what she had gathered, it came to about a bushel of barley, approximately thirty pounds. To emphasize that Ruth collected that much in one day was truly shocking. It testified to Bo’az’s generosity and Ruth’s tenacity. The harvesters had evidently followed Bo’az’s instructions faithfully. This meant that Ruth had gathered enough to sustain herself and her mother-in-law for at least half a month (2:17 CJB). That was in one day! Over the next several months of the barley and wheat harvests, Ruth would be able to glean enough for almost a year’s supply. The two women could not have imagined in their wildest dreams such a provision when they first returned from Mo’av.⁶³ Messiah makes sure that we are satisfied spiritually. When describing the characteristics of true righteousness on the Sermon on the Mount (see the commentary on The Life of Christ Db – Blessed are the Poor in Spirit for Theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven), where He said: Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled (Mat 5:6; Luke 6:21a).

The narrator leaves us with several questions after the noontime meal. How will Na’omi respond to Ruth’s experience? The last time we saw Na’omi, she was very depressed, sharing her bitterness with the women of Beit-Lechem and being very snippy with Ruth. What does the future now hold for Na’omi? How would her family line escape extinction? Does the attraction of Bo’az give us a hint that he himself might help solve the problem?

Dear Father God, How wonderful to think of eating with You at the wedding supper of the Lamb (Revelation 13:9). Praise Your chesed love and undeserved kindness towards Your children. Your love is too deep for us to grasp. How wonderful that give Your children the righteousness of Messiah, their Savior (Second Corinthians 5:21) so that they can enter heaven to live with You forever! We delight in serving You now, with a heart full of gratitude and great love for You. In the holy name of Your Son and the power of His resurrection. Amen

Bo’az’s Grace and Ruth’s Gratitude
2: 8-13

Bo’az’s grace and Ruth’s gratitude DIG: In what three ways does Bo’az foreshadow Christ? Why did Bo’az address Ruth as, “My daughter?” How did he provide for her? Protect her? What was her reaction? How did her reaction give us a clue as to what kind of person Ruth was? What are some clues we’ve seen in Ruth’s story so far that she was a woman who had drawn close to ADONAI?

REFLECT: If you suddenly had no means of supporting yourself, do you think your reaction would be like Orpah (and do what was expected of you)? Like Ruth (simple, humble action)? Or like Na’omi (with some bitterness creeping in)? Why? When was the last time you exhibited an unmerited act of kindness to display the LORD’s love to others? Whom do you know that needs to be reminded that God still loves them? What will you do today to demonstrate such love? How close to YHVH do you feel right now?

Now came the moment of truth. As it turned out (2:3b) ADONAI had placed Ruth and Bo’az together on the same field, but how would that upright Israelite nobleman treat this foreigner. Would he look down on the Moabitess? Or maybe would her presence make him uncomfortable! Would he respect or condemn her for coming to the field alone? More importantly, how would he view her unusual request?⁵²

5. Bo’az foreshadows Messiah because he took the first step toward Ruth. In spite of the difference between their social standings, Bo’az took the first step toward Ruth. He said to her, “My daughter, listen to me.” Bo’az called Ruth “My daughter” because she was younger than he (3:10), but it was also a term of endearment. Messiah takes the first step toward us because while we were yet sinners he died for us (Romans 5:8). Christ adopts us into His own family (see the commentary on The Life of Christ, to see link click Bw – What God Does For Us at the Moment of Faith), and Bo’az treated Ruth like family.

6. Bo’az foreshadows Messiah because he promised to protect and provide for Ruth. He encouraged her to gather barley only in his field and to stay close to his harvesters. Don’t go to glean in another field, don’t leave this place. His sudden candor may betray some irritation with his overzealous overseer. Bo’az told her, “Stick (Hebrew: dabaq, which means to stick like glue) here with my working girls who were immediately following the harvesters” (2:8 CJB). The rabbis teach that the word dabaq was used by Bo’az to show his awareness of the incident on the road to Beit-Lechem when Ruth cleaved to Na’omi (1:14). If the overseer had already given her permission to glean after the harvesters as she had asked (2:7a) there would be no need for Bo’az to say: Keep your eyes on whichever field the harvesters are working in, and follow the girls (2:9a CJB). Messiah also promised to protect and provide for us, saying: I AM the Good Shepherd. I know My sheep and My sheep follow Me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of My hand (John 10:14, 27-28; also see the commentary on The Life of Christ Ms – The Eternal Security of the Believer).

I’ve ordered the young men not to touch you (2:9b GWT). His words protected Ruth from anything harmful. When she got up to glean, Bo’az continued to warn his young men, saying: Let her glean even among the bundles of gain themselves, without making her feel ashamed. In fact, pull some ears of grain out from the bundles on purpose. Leave them for her to glean, and don’t rebuke her (2:15-16). The meaning of rebuke here probably has the meaning of don’t bother or rough her up. Perhaps a common scene during the harvest time lay behind his command. One can imagine enthusiastic gleaners, desperate for food, who ignored repeated verbal warnings, overstepping the line between “gleaner” and “harvester,” and had to be forcibly restrained by workers. Also recall that Ruth’s request went far beyond what the normal limits of a gleaner would be. Therefore, to head off a potential ugly incident, Bo’az informed his workers of the freedom he had given Ruth and ordered them to suspend their customary protectiveness. She was not to be “shooed away” or mistreated in any way. Like Sarah (Genesis 20:6) and Rebekah (Genesis 26:29), both foreigners living on alien soil, Ruth was to experience special protection in advance.⁵³

He also gave her permission to drink from the water he supplied his servants. Whenever you get thirsty, go and drink from the water jars the young men have filled (2:9c CJB). Normally in the ancient Near East foreigners would draw water for Israelites, and women would draw water for men. Consequently, Bo’az’s provision was extraordinary (see Af – The Concept of Chesed).⁵⁴

Can you imagine the impact these words must have had on Ruth, the outsider? These were the first kind words she had heard since she left Mo’av. More than that, they were a blessing that sought the favor of ADONAI upon her, as if she too were a member of the covenant community. Bo’az recognized the sincerity of Ruth’s words to Na’omi when they left Mo’av. He saw that she was turning her back not only on her homeland, but also her former gods, and looking to YHVH for refuge. Therefore, Bo’az prayed for God to grant her the protection she was seeking. Here was the gracious and warm response to commitment to Na’omi on the road to Beit-Lechem that she deserved but never received.⁵⁵

7. Bo’az foreshadows Messiah because he comforts Ruth. Ruth, moved by his gentle kindness and generosity, knew full well that such extreme generosity was highly unusual, especially toward an impoverished woman from a foreign land. Deeply moved by his warmth, she fell on her face, prostrating herself, and said to him, “Why are you showing me such favor? Why are you paying attention to me? After all, I’m only a foreigner” (2:10 CJB). As foreigners in this world, Messiah comforts us when He says: Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in Me. My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with Me that you also may be where I am. You know the way to the place where I am going (Yochanan 14:1-4).

Bo’az answered her (Hebrew: wayya’anah signifies raising the voice), and speaking so everyone in the field could hear, said: I’ve heard the whole story, everything you’ve done for you mother-in-law since your husband died, including how you left your father and mother and the land you were born in to come to a people about whom you knew nothing beforehand (2:11 CJB).

Then Bo’az gave her an unusual blessing that revealed what a godly man he was: May ADONAI reward (Hebrew: shalem) you for what you’ve done (2:12a CJB). The key verb shalem meaning to make whole, to complete. It refers either to the final completion of an action begun earlier or to the restoration of a wholeness disturbed earlier. It can be an economic term for transactions involving compensation or repayment.

Behind this blessing stood the principle that YHVH has a set up in this world: a steam of blessing and a stream of cursing. A godly lifestyle brings blessing: Blessed are those who reject the advice of the wicked, don’t stand on the way of sinners or sit where the scoffers sit! Their delight is in ADONAI’s Torah; on His Torah they meditate day and night. They are like trees planted by streams – they bear their fruit in season, their leaves never wither, everything they do succeeds (Psalm 1:1-3). And a godless lifestyle brings cursing: Not so the wicked, who are like chaff driven by the wind. For this reason the wicked won’t stand up to the judgment nor will sinners at the gathering of the righteous. For ADONAI watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked is doomed (Psalm 1:4-6). ADONAI was Ruth’s God, she was living that stream of blessing and she was being rewarded.

May you be richly rewarded by ADONAI the God of Isra’el, under whose wings (Hebrew wings plural: kenapim) you have come for refuge” (2:12b). Ruth has sought refuge/asylum. The singular word kanaph can mean wing or corner of a garment. Here, it represents the image of a bird tenderly protecting its young. Like a defenseless bird, Ruth sat securely under YHVH’s mighty wings. But later on the threshing floor, the same word will be used to describe how Ruth essentially proposed marriage, and asked Bo’az to spread the corner his robe over her (3:9) So just as Ruth would take refuge under the wings of God, she would take refuge under the wings of her husband. The audience now wondered how Elohim would guide what Ruth unknowingly began, to its unexpected good ending.⁵⁶

Her reply was equally gracious and beautiful for its humility. She said, “My lord, I hope I continue pleasing you. You have comforted and encouraged me, even though I’m not one of your servants” (2:13 CJB). Unworthy as Ruth felt herself to be of all of the kindness she had experienced, she was deeply stirred by the comforting worlds which “fell on her heart like showers on the mown grass,” and would themselves be sufficient to win her gratitude even if Bo’az did no more. Ruth, the Moabitess, had, for the first time, been made to feel that there might be a place for her among the Israelites. Why should anyone, especially a man of standing in the community like Bo’az, take such kind notice of a foreign woman like herself, who was an nobody in everyone else’s eyes?⁵⁷

His words sounded like a great, joyous sigh of relief after the days of uncertainty since her husband’s death (1:5). One can only imagine what fears crossed her mind the morning as she headed for the field. However, the kindness of Bo’az was a response to her get-up-and-go. She had drawn him into her story, not the other way around. The respect shown to her should not mask her determination and courage. After all, even in submissiveness she still had the last word. Indeed, her impressive remark left Bo’az as speechless as her earlier one on the dusty road to Beit-Lechem had left Na’omi (1:16-18).⁵⁸

Dear Father God, It is wonderful to know and to love You! Just as listening to the words of her redeemer brought peace to Ruth, so when we read Your words in scripture – we are filled with peace. Thank You for being our loving shepherd (Psalms 23), for making an eternal home in heaven for our children (John 14:2-3). Help us to instead of complaining about problems, to read Your Word and to rest in Your eternal love for Your children. It is comforting to spend time worshiping You, for You are so worthy and we love You always! In Your holy Son’s name and power of resurrection. Amen

Bo’az and the Overseer
2: 4-7

Bo’az and the overseer DIG: What was Ruth looking for? What did she find? What does Bo’az’s greeting tell us about him? In what sense did Bo’az inquire about Ruth at first? What did the overseer tell Bo’az about Ruth’s request earlier that day? What had Ruth being doing all morning? Why? What did that tell Bo’az about her? What can we gather about Ruth’s character from this scene?

REFLECT: Who is a boss or leader you have served with whose presence always made you feel special? Who are some leaders you are serving with right now? What are you gleaning (good or bad) from them?

When Ruth set out that morning to glean in the fields, she was looking for someone who would show her grace. She said to Naomi, “Let me go to the fields and pick up the leftover grain behind anyone in whose eyes I find favor” (2:2, also see 2:10 and 13). Grace is given on those who don’t deserve it and can’t earn it. As a woman, a poor widow, and an alien, Ruth wasn’t above anyone. In fact, she was at the lowest rung of the social ladder.

The channel of that grace was Bo’az. How good to know that YHVH has good people living in bad times! The book of Judges makes it seem as if righteousness had vanished from the earth (Psalm 12:1-2; Isaiah 57:1; First Kings 19:10; Micah 7:2). However, there were still godly people like Bo’az who knew ADONAI and sought to obey Him.⁴⁹

Just then Bo’az arrived from Bethlehem and greeted the harvesters. No finer introduction could be given to an unknown person than what was said about her to Bo’az. We know, from the introductory remark to this chapter that he was a man of importance. Now, as he appears on the scene, we learn that he combines with his wealth, a rare nobility of character. Very often in the Bible, a person’s first words tell you something significant. Bo’az’s first words certainly do. He greeted his harvesters by saying, “ADONAI be with you,” and they answered him, “ADONAI bless you” by granting a rich and abundant crop (2:4). The narrator included this exchange so that we can immediately tell that Bo’az honored the LORD in his work and was respected by his workers. The rabbis teach that each overseer was in charge of forty-two workers.

Bo’az visited his field to see the progress of the harvest. Barring discovering something unusual, he would simply check on things, encourage his workers, and be on his way. But no sooner had he greeted his workers than someone caught his eye . . . an unfamiliar figure. Then Bo’az asked the overseer of his harvesters, “Who does that young woman belong to” (2:5)? Bo’az knew all of his young, female workers since he was the one who hired them. Failing to recognize Ruth, he asked who her employer was.⁵⁰

The rabbis teach that the interest of Bo’az was aroused by her extreme modesty. She would only pick up the ears of corn when two of them fell from the hands of the harvesters but not if three, as the law prescribed (Peah 6:5). Moreover, she would never inelegantly stoop to take the gleanings, but would gather them either standing or squatting. All the other women lift up their skirts, but she kept hers down. All the other women jest with the harvesters, but she was reserved.

The overseer replied: She is the Moabite who returned (shuwb) from Mo’av with Na’omi (2:6). Bo’az, as with all Beit-Lechem, knew of Na’omi’s return; therefore, because Elimelek was a [blood] relative from the same clan (2:1a) he was related by marriage to this young woman and instantly took an interest in her and started to treat her differently (to see link click As – Bo’az’s Grace and Ruth’s Gratitude).

Ruth asked the overseer if she would be allowed to glean, piling her gleanings in different parts of the field, then return and gather all the piles together. Then she asked: Please let me gather what falls from the bundles behind the harvesters (2:7a). This was an unusual request because the harvesters cut the barley with their sickles while the female workers followed behind them binding the cut barley into bundles. Ruth asked if she could walk with the female workers. This gave her the first chance at the best barley and was regarded as a special favor (2:15). One suspects it would have increased her chances of gathering enough grain to provide for both Na’omi and herself.

Then the overseer explained to Bo’az what had happened earlier that day before he came to check on the harvest. The overseer said: She came into the field and has remained standing (Hebrew: amad) here from morning till now (before lunch), except for a short rest in the shelter (2:7b). Evidently, Ruth had asked the overseer that morning if she could gather what fell from the bundles behind the harvesters. But because it was such an unusual request, he didn’t feel like he had the authority to give her permission. She stood there in the hot sun all morning waiting for permission for her extraordinary request until someone other than the overseer, who apparently either refused answer her or lacked the authority to give permission, arrived. It seemed like the only break she took was to sit for a short rest in the shelter for the workers on the field. Therefore, 2:3 is not to be understood as the beginning of Ruth’s gleaning, but as a summary statement of the entire account (21-17). When Bo’az arrived, he immediately responded to her request (2:8).

From this scene the narrator develops the character of Ruth . . . indeed, a model of true devotion. She had shown admirable determination and patience. These traits not only made her attractive to Bo’az (not an unimportant point) but also contributed to a major theme. By stressing her worthy character, the narrator offered Ruth a divinely given exception to the strict provisions of Deuteronomy 23:3-6. He implied that the Moabites, who evidenced both providential guidance and the exemplary traits of Israelites, were welcomed into the house of Isra’el. She was, in fact, worthy to be Bo’az’s wife, with all the civil and religious rights that went with marriage.⁵¹

Dear Wonderful Father God. Nothing happens by accident. Sometimes we have to wait to hear Your answer, but You have heard us immediately and reply at the best time. Though often we cannot see Your fingerprints on what happens in our lives, it fills us with hope and peace to know how great is Your tender care for each of Your children. Someday all our trials will be over. He shall wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more. Nor shall there be mourning or crying or pain any longer, for the former things have passed away. (Revelation 21:4).

Help me to keep my eyes on You and not on the problem. As I choose to meditate on the many times you have shown your gracious love and mighty power to Your children, my problem becomes smaller. I choose to place my difficult situations into Your big hands for You are my Mighty Sovereign Father God who is more than able to handle any situation! I love You, Father, and delight in pleasing You. In the name of your holy Son and the power of His resurrection. Amen

Ruth Gleans in the Field of Bo’az
2: 1-3

Ruth gleans in the field of Bo’az DIG: What are four ways that Bo’az foreshadows the coming of Messiah? What is a go’el? What were the three obligations of the kinsman-redeemer? Why would Bo’az be sympathetic to the plight of a foreign woman like Ruth? How were Na’omi’s and Ruth’s roles reversed in these verses? What provision did ADONAI make for the poor of Isra’el? What did Ruth ask Na’omi’s permission to do? What was Na’omi’s reaction? What does this tell us about her? What signs of hope do you see in these verses?

REFLECT: Describe some of the trials you have persisted through. If you are in the midst of a trial, do you see a “field of hope” nearby? Where is it? Who is in it with you? What provision have you made for the poor in your community? What signs of hope has the LORD given to you? How has ADONAI guided your steps? Does YHVH have a plan for your life? Can you say no to God and make it stick? How do you reconcile the sovereignty of God in our lives and our free will to choose?

Before ADONAI changes our circumstances, He wants to change our hearts. If our circumstances change for the better, but we remain the same, then we will become embittered. God’s purpose is not to make us comfortable, but to make us comfortable in being conformed into the image of His Son (Romans 8:29). Christlike character is the divine goal for all of His children.

Na’omi was bitter against God, but Ruth was willing for YHVH to have His way in her life, so God began His gracious work with Ruth. She would influence Na’omi, and then God would bring to pass a wonderful work that would eventually bring Jesus into the world. Ruth and Na’omi had no idea that they were part of an eternal plan that would fulfill God’s promise to Abraham that his seed would bring blessing to the whole world (see the commentary on Genesis, to see link click Dt – I Will Bless Those Who Bless You and Whoever Curses You I Will Curse).

As with Joseph (see the commentary on Genesis Iw – The Written Account of the Generations of Jacob), while not identified as a type of Christ in the B’rit Chadashah, Bo’az prepares us for, or foreshadows, Messiah. There are twelve ways that the life of Bo’az illustrates the coming of our Lord as seen in his actions.

There were three obligations of the kinsman-redeemer (Hebrew: go’el). First, he was to redeem his brother and his brother’s inheritance, according to his ability to do so if it was poverty that compelled his brother to sell himself into slavery or to dispose of his land. Secondly, he was to serve as the avenger of his brother’s blood. And thirdly, he was to rise up a successor to his brother, if his brother had died without leaving a son.

A go’el was usually a prominent male in one’s extended family. He was the official guardian of the family’s honor. If the occasion arose, he would be the one to avenge the blood of a murdered relative (Joshua 20:2-9). He could buy back family lands sold in times of hardship (Leviticus 25:23-28). He could pay the redemption-price for family members sold into slavery (Leviticus 25:47-49). Or if he were a single man or widower and thus eligible to marry, he could revive the family lineage when someone died without an heir by marrying the widow and fathering offspring who would inherit the name and the property of the one who had died. This was known as the duty of levirate marriage, and Deuteronomy 25:5-10 presented it as a duty in cases where one brother (obviously unmarried and presumably younger) was living in the household of a married brother who died. If the surviving brother refused to fulfill of the go’el by marrying his brother’s widow, he was treated with contempt by the entire village or city.

The TaNaKh places a great deal of emphasis on the role of the go’el. There was a significant redemptive aspect to this person’s function. Every kinsman-redeemer was, in effect, a living illustration of the position and work of Messiah with respect to His people. 1. Bo’az foreshadows Messiah as our true Kinsman-Redeemer, and Yeshua becomes our human Brother and buys us back from our bondage to sin. He bought us back from spiritual death with His blood and ultimately returns to us everything we lost because of our sin. In a very real sense, Jesus is the Kinsman-Redeemer of Adam. He will act as the Redeemer who comes to take back the earth that is rightfully His, and to claim His bride (Revelation 19:7, 21:2 and 9, 22:17). And like the Year of Jubilee (Leviticus 25), all debts will be paid in full (John 19:30), and the slaves (of sin) will go free.

2. Bo’az foreshadows Messiah because one requirement of a kinsman-redeemer was to be a blood relative. Now Na’omi had a [blood] relative on her husband’s side (2:1a). The Bible doesn’t spell out the relationship. He might have been Elimelek’s brother, but that seems unlikely, since he wasn’t, technically, Na’omi’s next of kin (3:12). Therefore, he was more likely a cousin or nephew of Elimelek. Jesus was a blood relative of humanity in general (John 1:14; Philippians 2:1-11), but He was particularly a blood relative of the Jewish people (Matthew 1:1-16).

Bo’az was also a direct descendant of Rahab. Matthew 1:5 says: Salmon the father of Bo’az, whose mother was Rahab, and that agrees with Ruth 4:21, but the number of years spanning the time between the fall of Jericho and the start of the Davidic dynasty suggest that there be more generations between Salmon and David than either Matthew 1 or Ruth 4 explicitly name. Hebrew genealogy often used a kind of shorthand, skipping generations between well-known ancestors. Matthew seems to do this deliberately to achieve a kind of numerical symmetry in the genealogical listing (see the commentary on The Life of Christ Ai – The Genealogies of Joseph and Mary) – probably as an aid to memorization. So rather than being an immediate son of Rahab, Bo’az may very well have been a great-grandson. Nevertheless, he was a direct descendent of Rahab. He undoubtedly knew her story well and was proud of his heritage. His connection with Rahab would certainly have softened his heart to be sympathetic to the plight of a foreign woman like Ruth who had embraced YHVH with a faith reminiscent of Rahab’s.⁴²

3. Bo’az foreshadows Messiah because another requirement of a kinsman-redeemer was to be able to pay the price of redemption, and Bo’az was a man of great wealth from the clan of Elimelek (2:1b). He lived an exemplary lifestyle (Hebrew: gabor, meaning familiarity, or a mighty man of valor). Yeshua is more than able to save those who come to God through Him because He always lives to intercede for them at the right hand of the Father (Hebrews 7:25; Acts 7:55-56). He also lived an exemplary lifestyle: Be imitators of God (Ephesians 5:1).

4. Bo’az foreshadows Messiah because another requirement of a kinsman-redeemer is that he must possess the means of redemption, and, once again, Bo’az had the means to take care of Ruth. Messiah possessed the means of redemption, His own, innocent, human blood (Isaiah 53:5; John 1:29; First Peter 1:18-19). This is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins (Mattityahu 26:28).

Ruth was now a believer. She was in the land of Isra’el. How would she act? How would she survive? Since Moabites were excluded from the congregation of Isra’el (Deuteronomy 23:3), she would be sustained by the grace and mercy of the LORD. Ruth, gentle, kind, considerate and hardworking, goes out into the fields of Beit-Lechem to glean for food.

In this short scene the roles of the two women reverse. For the first time Ruth is portrayed as the primary actor, and Na’omi’s role is secondary. And Ruth the Moabite said to Na’omi, “Let me go to the fields and pick up the leftover grain behind anyone in whose eyes I find favor” (2:2). The poor were not simply to depend on handouts from the state (what a concept); rather, they were entitled by the Torah to the ears of corn that fell from the hands of the harvesters (Leviticus 19:9-10, 23:22; Deuteronomy 24:19). But some landowners were more willing to follow the commands of the Torah than others. Nothing was guaranteed. The reader wonders if Ruth will find a gracious harvest host. If so, this would relieve Na’omi of the humiliation she would suffer having to glean among the very poor. But this was a dangerous proposal on Ruth’s account, especially for a foreign woman, a Moabites, who had no clan connections to protect her or call on in times of distress.

Tersely, Na’omi replied: yalak beth, “Go ahead, my daughter.” Still absorbed with her bitterness, Na’omi only managed to mumble two Hebrew words. No words of encouragement or appreciation. No warning of danger. Without explanation, the narrator pushes on to the fields and the meeting with Bo’az. Indeed, the hurried push ahead hinted that this day might be a turning point for Ruth. So Ruth chose to go out, entered a field and began to glean behind the harvesters (2:3a). This is to be understood not as the beginning of Ruth’s gleaning, but as a summary statement of the entire account (2:1-17).⁴³ To live by faith means to take God at His word and then act upon it, for faith without works is dead (James 2:20 NKJV). Since Ruth believed YHVH loved her and would provide for her, she made the decision to find a field in which she could glean.

Whether or not despair and bitterness drove Na’omi’s apathy, it is clearly a problem with us as well. When we stop believing in the goodness of ADONAI and give ourselves over to doubt and worry, we can easily sink into depressing laziness. This can lead to a downward spiral in which our inactivity makes our situation worse and deepens our despair, which in turn makes us feel less inclined than ever to step out into what we believe is a hostile world. The key to breaking the cycle is grasping hold of the LORD’s promise to favor us. If we can look to the cross and grasp the height and depth of God’s love for us in Yeshua, then how can we doubt His desire to give us everything necessary for life and godliness? If we feel the smile of the Father’s favor toward us in Messiah, in spite of our history of sin and failure, then we will be encouraged to step out again in faith. We will still not know what the future holds, yet if we know that the One who holds the future cares for us, that is the first step upward on the long road to obedience becomes possible again.⁴⁴

As it turned out God guided her steps for she was working in a field belonging to Bo’az (2:3b). The Hebrew reads, “Her chance chanced upon the field of Bo’az.” From a human perspective Ruth did not realize the full significance of what she was doing. She did not know the people; she did not know the owner of the field. She came to the field and, apparently by chance, worked in the section of the field belonging to Bo’az. The Hebrew refers to the piece of the field belonging to Bo’az. This probably means that part of the common field that belonged to Bo’az. At that time the grain fields were not divided from on another by a fence or hedge, but the boundary was simply indicated by stones.⁴⁵

But from a divine perspective this was the providence of YHVH. We know from the teaching of Scripture that God Himself providentially orchestrated these events. Proverbs 16:33 says: The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from ADONAI (also see the commentary on Exodus Gb – The Urim and Thummim: The Means of Making Decisions). Nothing happens by “chance,” but God is always behind the scenes, working all things together for the good of His people (Rom 8:28). There is no such thing as “luck” or “fate” for believers.⁴⁶ This was all part of a higher plan. There were no angelic visions to direct her to the right field or voices from heaven to guide her. However, as she trusted in the LORD, He directed her steps unwittingly to exactly the right location. In their hearts humans plan their course, but ADONAI establishes their steps (Proverbs 16:9).⁴⁷

Ruth’s arrival at the field of Bo’az is providential on two accounts. First, Bo’az was a gracious man in whose eyes Ruth would find favor. And second, the author then repeats the fact that Bo’az was from the clan of Elimelek, a near kinsman (2:3c). The hand of ADONAI was over Ruth’s life, and he doesn’t want us to miss the point.

Having thus spoken of God’s providence, however, we must rescue ourselves from the very wooden view of YHVH that some have. A wiser view is that we’re not like pawns in some divine chess game, or puppets on strings worked by some celestial Puppeteer. Exactly the opposite. Both the TaNaKh and the B’rit Chadashah leave us with the paradox that on the one hand, human choices and responsibilities are very much our concern and that we work out our faith with fear and trembling (Philippians 2:12), and on the other hand, it is God who works in us to will and to act in order to fulfill His good purpose (Philippians 2:13).⁴⁸ So which is it? Did God guide Ruth’s steps so she ended up gleaning in the field of her kinsman-redeemer or did Ruth make a decision to go herself? The answer is yes.

ADONAI is sovereign in our lives; but we can say no to God and make it stick. Let’s look at our salvation for example. One the one hand, the Bible teaches that the LORD has chosen us before the foundations of the world (Romans 8:29; Ephesians 1:14; First Peter 1:20; Revelation 13:8). But the other hand, the Scriptures also teach that we have the freedom to choose or reject the salvation that He offers (Mark 8:34; John 1:12-13; Romans 10:9-10; Revelation 3:20). How can these two truths be reconciled? They are antimony, meaning two biblical truths that seem to be mutually exclusive, but both are true. Another example of antimony is the Trinity. We can’t explain it – we just accept it. So yes, YHVH ordained Ruth end up in the field of Bo’az, and Ruth decided to go glean there. Antimony.

Dear Father God, We love and praise You. How wise and caring You are! Just as You guided Ruth to the right field to glean, so as Your children listen to You, You guide every step of their lives. Praise You for redeeming our lives and for walking with us (Hebrews 13:5) on a daily basis – guiding, and caring for each detail of Your children’s lives to mold them to be more like Your holy Son and to bring you glory (First Peter 1:7). How gracious You are to not only pay the penalty for our sin, He made the One who knew no sin to become a sin offering on our behalf, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God (Second Corinthians 5:21); but You also give eternal rewards to your children when they do deeds out of a heart of love for You (First Corinthians 3:14). We love You and rejoice in telling others about You. It is like finding our perfect partner when we find You – even better! In your holy Son’s name and power of resurrection. Amen

Scene Two:
Ruth Meets Bo’az in the Grain Field
2: 1-23

This chapter gives us a glimpse of the life of the poor in ancient Palestine. There were not many ways of making a living open to widows, but one way was provided by the custom of gleaning. It was laid down in the Torah that at harvest-time a man must not reap his land to the very border, not should he pick up what was left after the reapers went through (Leviticus 19:9 and 23:22). Indeed, if he forgot a bundle of harvested grain stalks and left it in the field he was forbidden to go back for it (Deuteronomy 24:19). In this way there was a certain provision was made for the poor. They could go through the fields after the reapers and glean what they could. Similar provision was made concerning the grape harvest (Leviticus 19:10 and Deuteronomy 24:21), and the olive harvest (Deuteronomy 24:20). Ruth and Na’omi were obviously poor and it was the providence of YHVH that allowed them to arrive at the beginning of the barley harvest.

After three months, Ruth proceeds, under the direction of Na’omi, to the field where Bo’az was winnowing grain in the cool refreshing breeze of the Palestine summer evening. And seizing the moment when Bo’az had retired to rest on the threshing floor, Ruth reminds him that he is her nearest kinsman and that there were certain duties he owed to Na’omi and herself. In the stillness of the night Bo’az readily acknowledges his obligations, but reminds Ruth that there is a nearer kinsman than he, whose rights had priority over his own. He expresses his determination, in the event that the unnamed kinsman would fail to accept his responsibilities to the last detail.

Before God changes our circumstances, He wants to change our hearts. If our circumstances change for the better, but we remain the same, then the outcome will be worse. ADONAI’s purpose in providence is not to make us comfortable in this world, but to make us comfortable in conforming to the image of His Son (Romans 8:29). Godly character is the divine goal for all of His children.

Na’omi was bitter against YHVH, but Ruth was willing for God to have His way in her life, so the LORD began His gracious work with her. Ruth would influence Na’omi to align her will to God’s plan that would eventually bring God’s Son into the world. Ruth and Na’omi had no idea that they were part of an eternal plan that would fulfill YHVH’s promise to Abraham that his seed would bring blessing to the whole world (Genesis 12:1-3). Ruth’s story begins with the death of a husband, but will end with the birth of a baby.

Don’t Call Me Na’omi, Call Me Marah
1: 19-22

Don’t call me Na’omi, call me Marah DIG: Why do you think the whole town was stirred by Na’omi’s return? How do you think Ruth felt when she wasn’t introduced to the women who welcomed Na’omi? Both Ruth, in verses 16-17, and Na’omi, in verses 20-21, confess God’s sovereign control of events, each in her own way. What truth does each convey to ADONAI? Of themselves? Of their success in coping with stress? Which confession do you think have startled the original reader most? How could Na’omi have gotten rid of her bitterness?

REFLECT: What happens to believers when they concentrate more on themselves and their problems than on ADONAI? Who do you want beside you when you go through something difficult? What experiences have you had in starting over as Ruth and Na’omi did? How does someone who is bitter treat others? What are some situations (whether present of past) that have left you feeling bitter? How did you deal with it?

So the two women went on until they came to Beit-Lechem, a journey of about seventy-five miles (1:19a CJB). This was not an easy trip. They traveled from the Moabite highlands to the Jordan Valley, a descent of 4,500 feet. Then they would have climbed to Beit-Lechem, an assent of 3,750 feet, walking through the wilderness of Judah.³⁶

While their husbands were out in the fields, the women of Beit-Lechem saw the pair approaching. The whole town was stirred and ran out to greet them. They exclaimed, “Can this be Na’omi” (1:19b CJB)? The fact that so many women remembered her and were so glad to see her suggests that she had once been a gregarious soul, beloved by all who knew her. The word stirred (Hebrew: hwn), is the same form of the verb that expresses the excitement in the Israelite camp when the ark of the Covenant was brought in (First Samuel 4:5), and the rejoicing at Solomon’s anointing that dismayed Adonijah (First Kings 1:45).

Na’omi means pleasant, and in an earlier time it must have been a perfect description of her. The fact that so many women remembered her and were so glad to see her suggests that she had once been a gregarious soul, loved by all who knew her. But now her life was colored with bitterness. “Don’t call me Na’omi [pleasant],” she answered them, “call me Marah [bitter], because Shaddai (to see link click Ag – The Meaning of Shaddai) has made my life very bitter (1:20). This was not the same Na’omi whom they had known a decade before. The years in Mo’av had taken their toll on Na’omi’s appearance and personality. Living in “the world” had made her bitter . . . not better.

Once again, Na’omi does not believe in mere chance, but in divine providence. Her grief and depression that had earlier expressed itself toward God (1:13) continued. I went out full, with a husband and two sons, and ADONAI has brought me back (shuwb) empty-handed (in the emphatic position), as if say, “With absolutely nothing.” Really Na’omi? Nothing? What did that make Ruth? Less than nothing? Was that a nothing standing right beside you? She had given up everything for you, and now she was nothing! The Moabites certainly didn’t rate very high in Na’omi’s estimation at this point.

It is equally striking that when the women of Beit-Lechem welcomed Na’omi home, they didn’t even lower themselves to notice Ruth standing there. The narrator seems to go out of his way to point out their deliberate omission: So the two women went on until they came to Beit-Lechem. And when they came to Beit-Lechem the whole town was stirred because of them. In other words, everyone in Beit-Lechem could see that there were two women standing there. But instead of asking the obvious question, “Who is this with you?” the townspeople could only say: Can this be Na’omi? neatly sidestepping the embarrassing question about who this appendage might be. Awkward! It spoke volumes that Na’omi didn’t mention Ruth at all, either being self-absorbed or embarrassed.

It is also notable that Na’omi wasn’t broken and repentant over her Moabite wilderness experience. She may have been returning physically to the Land, but she wasn’t returning to ADONAI with a broken and contrite heart (Psalm 51:17). No, bitter was the perfect name for her at that time. It was a name with a history, a history of God’s people rebelling at His perceived lack of provision for their needs. It was at Mara in the desert on the way out of Egypt that the children of Isra’el grumbled against YHVH because they couldn’t drink the water because it was very bitter (see the commentary on Exodus Cn – When They Came to Marah the Water was Bitter). This was only a few days after the LORD had parted the Sea of Reeds and delivered them from Pharaoh’s army, but it all meant nothing to them in the face of their very real thirst.

Like her ancestors, Na’omi’s heart was angry with God for the way her life was turning out. She was feeling the pain of life in the wilderness and felt the judgments that had come her way were all God’s fault. YHVH had testified against her (1:21); that is, He had called her to account at the bar of his courtroom. And at this point she wouldn’t even acknowledge her own responsibility to choosing to leave the Promised Land in the first place. The grass seemed greener on the other side of the fence in Mo’av, but when she got there her life had actually turned into a desert experience. The prodigal daughter was back, but it was only because she didn’t see any prospect of survival among the pigs in the far country.³⁷

Why call me Na’omi? Pleasant? Ha! Nothing could be further from the truth. ADONAI has testified against me by the afflictions He has place upon her, Shaddai has afflicted me (1:21 CJB). She is helpless in the face of God’s almighty power, she was sure all her problems were God’s fault. Her return home had only intensified the depth of her grief. She saw nothing ahead but the loneliness, abandonment and helplessness of widowhood.³⁸ Na’omi’s bitter outburst overwhelms the eloquent pledge of commitment by to Na’omi and her God by Ruth. Viewed side-by-side, there is no doubt that the younger foreigner cuts a more impressively noble figure. At this point, the reader is repulsed by Na’omi and drawn to her Moabite daughter-in-law.³⁹

The narrator’s summary: So Na’omi returned (shuwb) from the land of Mo’av accompanied by Ruth the Moabite, her daughter-in-law. Then a ray of hope for Na’omi, as well as Ruth. They arrived in Beit-Lechem as the barley harvest was beginning around the month of April (1:22). Beit-Lechem (Hebrew: house of bread) had finally lived up to her name. This verse provides a transition toward hope for Na’omi, as well as Ruth at the end of a rather tragic chapter. ADONAI was not her enemy but would, through His sovereign will, act with favor toward both widows. Since barley is the first crop to be harvested each year, the timing of their arrival meant that Na’omi and Ruth could get settled at a time when food would be relatively plentiful. This sets the stage for the rest of the book.⁴⁰

As Iain Duguid discusses in his commentary on Ruth, like Na’omi, we naturally tend to lack a fundamental concern for the Moabites all around us. Na’omi, it appears, had little concern for the spiritual condition of her Moabite daughters-in-law. She had a good relationship with them and wished them well in their new lives back in Mo’av. Presumably they had been good wives for her sons, keeping them fed and warm and generally happy. Na’omi’s relationship with them was even warm on a surface level. But underneath she had no deep concern for their souls.

Perhaps Na’omi simply assumed that Orpah and Ruth wouldn’t be interested in Isra’el’s God. They were Moabites, after all; they had their own god and she had hers. They had Chemosh and she had ADONAI. Who was she to impose her own understanding of God on her neighbors? They seemed to be good moral people, and she was living in a pluralistic society where everyone attended the temple of the deity of one’s own choice. The vision of reaching out to her neighbors and incorporating them into the covenant community was lost to her, even when the opportunity presented itself.

She at least had some excuse for her reluctance. Although the mandate to be a blessing to all the Gentile nations had been given to Abraham, in the days of the days of the judges, that mandate was rather fuzzy. Few were looking for opportunities to make converts to the covenant community from those around them. But in the light of Matthew 28:19, where Jesus told us to go and make disciples of all the nations, what is our excuse? Who are the Moabites we see day after day, the people all around us who we so quickly assume are not going to be interested in the gospel? Perhaps if we sought to testify to them of God’s goodness to us in Yeshua Messiah, we might discover more interest in the Good News than we ever imagined. Our problem is that all too often we have as little real care for our friends and neighbors as Na’omi had for hers.

Part of Na’omi’s difficulty, of course, was that she wasn’t a very good member of the covenant community herself. There was no distinctive holiness about her; on the contrary, she herself was sinfully on the run from the Land of obedience. Those who are consciously living a life of disobedience to YHVH are not typically eager to defend and explain their faith to others! Yet isn’t it striking (and encouraging to us all) that even though at that moment she wasn’t looking out for Ruth’s spiritual interests, or even looking for Ha’Shem herself; nevertheless, ADONAI was still able to use her, in spite of her attitude, as a means to draw Ruth to Himself? Fortunately, God’s mission to rescue sinners is not limited by our flaws, failing, and foibles! The LORD will call to Himself those whom He chooses, sometimes through the most bizarre messengers and unlikely combinations of circumstances. It is His work from beginning to end. For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God – not by works, so no one can boast (Ephesians 2:8-9).⁴¹

Dear Great Father God. Praise You that You love us so very much! Thank You that You not only rescue us from the death penalty for our sins, but You also guide and polish us with trials that we may have eternal reward in heaven as we lovingly serve You, even in hard, stressful trials. (First Corinthians 3:14; First Peter 1:7). These trials will soon be over, but the joy of being with You in heaven will last for a lifetime. Please help us keep our eyes on that eternal joy. In your holy Son’s name and power of resurrection. Amen

Your People Will Be My People
and Your God My God
1: 14-18

Your people will be my people and your God my God DIG: Orpah returned to her family, while Ruth remained with Na’omi; both did so out of loyalty. Which action was most surprising? Most expected? Why? What priorities and considerations persuaded Orpah to return to her mother’s house? What does Ruth’s choice tell you about her?

REFLECT: Consider what Ruth was risking to stay with Na’omi. How can you show this kind of selfless love toward someone? What would you be risking by doing this? What has been stressful for you this year? Did you cope like Na’omi, Orpah, or Ruth? How so? Who in your life is loyal like Ruth, who is loyal to you in your emptiness? Who is someone who has helped you feel close to God?

Na’omi’s impassioned soliloquy (to see link click Am – ADONAI’s Hand Has Turned Against Me) had hit home in at least one heart. At this they wept aloud again. Then Orpah kissed her mother-in-law goodbye, but Ruth clung (Hebrew: dabaq, which means to stick like glue) passionately to her mother-in-law (1:14). The very thing that caused Orpah to leave was what caused Ruth to stay. The fact that Na’omi had neither a husband nor sons, meant that she needed someone to take care of her. Orpah chose to become a wife again, and Ruth chose to remain a daughter. Orpah did the normal and expected thing, Ruth practiced chesed (see Af – The Concept of Chesed), took a risk and did the unexpected thing.

Orpah probably didn’t realize exactly what she had chosen. It is likely that she didn’t realize the far-reaching consequences. She returned to her mother’s house. Where would she find rivers of living water to flow from within her (John 4:10-11 and 7:38)? Surely not in the spiritual cesspools of Mo’av. Would she find a husband who worshiped the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob? The children she hoped for, would be brought into the godless worship of Chemosh. She had been called out of pagan darkness into heavenly light but she chose, perhaps unwittingly, the darkness. These are also lessons for us today.

Why did Orpah go back? Was the seed of faith scattered on rocky soil so that when it sprang up it had no root and was scorched by the sun (see the commentary on The Life of Christ Et – The Parable of the Soils)? Were Na’omi’s arguments so convincing? Or was she simply impulsive? We simply don’t know. God didn’t pass judgment and neither can we.³² But the fields of Mo’av looked far greater than the land of Isra’el. With that simple choice she walked off the pages of the Bible, never to be heard of again.

Consequently, Ruth stood in the valley of decision between her beloved, familiar Mo’av and the uncertain, unfamiliar Y’hudah. There was nothing kosher about her. She knew she would be about as welcome in Beit-Lechem as a ham sandwich at a bar mitzvah. Conventional wisdom shouted for Ruth to follow Orpah back to Mo’av, the most likely way of worldly security and significance. But Ruth was not Orpah and there was nothing conventional about her. She would not let Na’omi go on alone into an empty future.³³ One can imagine Ruth loosening her embrace and looking Na’omi directly in the eyes, and with her very first words of the story, saying: Don’t press me to leave you or to turn back (shuwb) 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 (1:16). This was an amazingly mature and meaningful testimony of personal faith, especially in light of the fact that it came from the lips of a young woman raised in a pagan culture. Her trust was real. The writer to the Hebrews could just have easily have written, “By faith Ruth turned her back on the gods of Mo’av and believed in the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.”

Na’omi said: Look, your sister-in-law is returning (shuwb) to her people and her gods. Go back (shuwb) with her (1:15). There will always be a test of faith. The Adversary will always send you his best before YHVH can send you His best. Would Ruth decide to go on worshiping the God of Isra’el or would she go back to her old gods? Ruth was not going to let Na’omi walk out of her life. She had decided to go with Na’omi to Isra’el and she was not going to change her mind. Ruth did not argue with Na’omi. She clung to her. The same verb, cleave (the past tense of clung) is used for the first time in Genesis 2:24. Is says: For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife and they will become one flesh. Ruth clung to Na’omi, leaving everyone, her father and mother, and other family members and friends. She had decided to leave all behind. But now Na’omi gave her a second chance to reconsider. The choice was hers.

Our steps take us either closer to God or away from Him. Affections and decisions that lead us away from ADONAI are affections and decisions that lead us down the wrong path. Sin always takes you farther than you want to go and costs you more than you want to pay. In fact, attachment’s contrary to God’s will, become idolatry. The cord, which bound and would continue to bind Ruth to Na’omi, was their mutual love of YHVH. That same choice is ours.³⁴

Ruth made a decision on that dusty road. It was a life changing decision. Once again she had to decide whether to return to Mo’av and a culture that did not worship the One True God or to continue against Na’omi’s expressed desires that she not accompany her to Isra’el. Where you die I will die, and there I will be buried. And to confirm the deadly seriousness of her intentions, Ruth swore an oath in God’s name: May ADONAI deal with me, be it ever so severely, if even death separates you and me (1:17). The word pattern Ruth uses, is found in this full form only in the books of Samuel and Kings (First Samuel 3:17, 14:44, 20:13, 25:22; Second Samuel 3:9 and 35,19:13; First Kings 2:23,19:2, 20:10; Second Kings 6:31). She refused to listen to her mother-in-law’s pleas or follow her sister-in-law’s bad example. Why? Because she had come to have faith the God of Isra’el (2:12). Her commitment involved a change in direction, she was a sinner that turned from Chemosh to ADONAI.

If I asked you if you were a sinner, what would you say? Romans 3:23 says: For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. That includes you and me, doesn’t it? Most people feel that being good gets you into heaven and being bad keeps you out. That is not true; YHVH says we all have sinned. What would you say sin is? We can agree that we are both sinners; now let’s define sin. Some have said, “I’m not perfect,” or “I have made some mistakes.” But what do you think the Bible means by sin? The Bible says that everyone who sins breaks God’s law; in fact, sin is lawlessness (First John 3:4). Have you ever disobeyed your parents? Have you ever misused the name of God? Have you ever told a lie? This is what sin is. It’s breaking God’s law. And any time you break a law there is a penalty. If you run a stop sign, the penalty is a fine. If you rob a bank, the penalty is jail. What is the penalty for breaking God’s law?

The wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23a). The wages of work is money, but the wages of sin is death. In other words, what I earn – the penalty, the punishment of sin – is death. Death is separation. The Bible speaks of two kinds of death, or two kinds of separation. The first death is separation of the body and the soul. If I were to die right now my body would fall to the floor, but my soul, the real me, would go somewhere else. The Bible speaks of another death, that it calls the second death. This second death is separation of the soul from God. Now, the penalty of sin is death, spiritual death, and separation from the LORD. To put it simply – hell. Though all this is really bad news, there is good news.

But the gift of God is eternal life in Messiah Yeshua our Lord; God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners Christ died for us (Romans 6:23b). Do you have faith that Jesus is the Son of God? Do you trust that He died for your sins on the cross? Do you believe that He rose on the third day and is now seated at the right hand of YHVH in heaven (Hebrews 1:3)? Then through faith you can become God’s child and have eternal life (Ephesians 2:8-9). You are not saved by how you behave, you are saved by what you believe. Ruth believed in the God of Isra’el and was saved.

Would you like to trust in Christ right now? If so, here is a prayer for you to repeat. Before you do, remember that saying a prayer does not save you, it is your faith in Messiah that saves you. Say these words: God, I admit that I have sinned. I believe Jesus Christ died for my sins and rose to life. I choose to trust Him to save me right now. Please come into my life and make me a new person inside. I accept your gift of salvation and will follow You as my Lord (Romans 10:9-11). If you were to die right now, where would you go? That’s right, heaven. Why should God let you into heaven? That’s right, because Jesus died as a sacrifice (John 1:29, Leviticus 1:4) to pay the penalty for your sins. How wonderful to know for sure that you will spend eternity in heaven (First John 5:11)!

Then the narrator steps forward to draw the chapter’s high point to a close. Lengthy, intense dialogue, gives way to quick, quiet reporting. When Na’omi realized that Ruth was determined to go with her, she said no more to her (1:18). The storyteller wants the audience to feel Na’omi’s preoccupation with her painful, uncertain future as the curtain falls on this dramatic scene.³⁵ The two women, weary and worn, guided by the Ruach ha-Kodesh, arrived in Beit-Lechem just in time for the barley harvest and the start of the feast of Shavu’ot (see Ah – The Book of Ruth and Shavu’ot).

Dear Great Father, We praise and worship You. How wonderful that when we choose to follow You when our future is uncertain, you know the future and You are right there beside us (Hebrews 13:5), walking the path with us , going ahead of us to guide and to bless us. Your presence with us is so wonderful and is so much more important than any staying in an old rut. We love You always and rejoice in pleasing You. Thank You for making an eternal home in heaven for those who love You. (John 14:6; Romans 10:9-10). In your holy Son’s name and power of resurrection. Amen  

ADONAI’S Hand Has Turned Against Me
1: 11-13

ADONAI’s hand has turned against me DIG: What arguments did Na’omi make to support her argument that her daughters-in-law return to Mo’ab? What was her motivation? Was she being selfish or selfless? Ruth and Orpah could only find rest in marriage. How was Isra’el’s position similar then? How is Isra’el’s position similar now? How is this position similar to the congregations of God today? How were Job’s and Na’omi’s feelings similar?

REFLECT: Do you know anyone who is hurting with loss like Na’omi was? If so, what can you do to help them? Describe a time when you have been angry with God? What did you do to resolve it? Have you resolved it? How can you help others?

The two daughters-in-law started off with Na’omi, but down the road she stopped and urged them not to continue to Judah. She even prayed for them that the LORD would be kind to them and find them new husbands and give them rest after all their sorrow. But when Na’omi saw them hesitating, she said: Return (shuwb) home, my daughters. Why would you come with me? Na’omi gave her daughters-in-law three reasons why it would be impossible for them to find joy if they returned to Y’hudah.

First, she could not produce any more sons for them to marry: Am I going to have any more sons in my internal organs who could become your husbands (1:11)? Na’omi’s word choice here seems to add a touch of deeply felt emotion to her statement. The usual word for womb (Hebrew: rechem) is not used. Instead the word for internal organs, (Hebrew: me’im) is used which connotes more generally the abdomen or “guts.” The word hints at Na’omi’s sadness at neither having nor hoping for any more sons and facing her last years without her family.²⁷ She couldn’t even say the word womb. It was too painful. So the answer was no, your best chance for marriage lay in Mo’av, not in Beit-Lechem.

But this very impossibility hints at an important possibility . . . a future marriage as the means to provide Na’omi with an heir. More importantly, this depressing scene prepares the reader for the story’s conclusion. Only God can do the impossible. But for the present, that hope is nowhere on the horizon.

Return (shuwb) home, my daughters; second, she was too old to remarry: I am too old to have another husband. If I should say there was still hope for me – even if I had a husband tonight and then gave birth to sons. It is worth noting that she does not use the usual construction for a conditional clause. Normally, the word if I should say (Hebrew: amar) would be expressed in the imperfect tense denoting various possibilities. Na’omi, however, uses the perfect tense, meaning the situation was just as real as if it had actually happened. It was as if she was saying, “Even if I have a husband tonight and give birth to two sons.” By doing so she brings out the absurdity of her proposition.²⁸

Then using over-exaggeration to make her point she says: Would you wait until they grew up? One almost hears the ironic echo of Y’hudah’s request that Tamar wait until Shelah grew up to get married (see the commentary on Genesis, to see link click Jd – Judah said to Tamar: Live as a Widow Until My Son Shelah Grows Up), an idea feasible in her case, but virtually impossible in Na’omi’s. Would you remain unmarried for them? Then Na’omi answered her own question: Absolutely not, my daughters (1:12-13a). But it is interesting that she did not mention finding husbands for them in Y’hudah itself. This was probably because they were Moabites. They needed to remarry, have children and enjoy life. In the ancient Near East a woman without a husband was in serious trouble because she lacked security.

Then Na’omi cried out of her wounded heart. But, her focus shifted from arguments for the women not coming with her, to accusation against the LORD. It is more bitter for me than for you, because ADONAI’s hand has turned against me (1:13)! Job felt the same way when he declared: I swear by the living God, who is denying me justice, and by Shaddai, who has made my life bitter (Job 27:2 CJB). He repeatedly accused Ha’Shem of injustice (Job 6:4, 7:20, 10:2-3, 13:24, 16:12-13, 19:7 and 23:14), and of giving him inner bitterness (Job 3:20, 7:11, 10:1 and 23:2).

Na’omi and her daughters had each lost a husband. Na’omi had lost a husband and two sons as well. Thirdly, she thought she was cursed. Na’omi felt that she was the target of God’s overwhelming power and wrath. Thus, Na’omi made her most crucial point. If even YHVH was after her, to follow her back to Judah was to court personal disaster. Her earlier tragedies – famine, exile, bereavement, and childlessness – might only be the beginning. One ought to shun that person to escape the turmoil of her misfortune. What better argument to make to return to Mo’av attractive? Na’omi had built an airtight cause for not being connected to her.²⁹

Based on this text the rabbis teach that there must be an attempt to talk a would-be Gentile proselyte to Judaism out of it three times because by the fourth time he or she should be converted.

But Na’omi seemed a bit insensitive to the grief of her daughters-in-law. She thought that her case was more bitter than theirs because they still had potential for childbearing. She regarded her plight a result of the hand of God. All that had happened to her was not merely bad luck. Na’omi was apparently in a stage of grief that caused her to speak in anger against YHVH. And yet she was still a woman of faith. She had no doubt that the LORD was actively involved in their lives. She saw ADONAI as sovereign and the ultimate Master of her destiny. Who else could straighten out her dilemma?³⁰

What does faith in YHVH mean in times of suffering? Later we can look back on our pain and sometimes discern good that has come from it. Often, we can believe, suffering confronts us as no other experience can, with the brevity and frailty of our lives. Suffering can open to us deeper dimensions of the spiritual life. The LORD can be a pathway to growth and maturity of character: pain can heal. But at the time it does not feel like that. At the time, as Na’omi’s experience bears witness, the essence of trust, throughout the experience of affliction, is to humbly bow beneath ADONAI’s hand from whom we feel the blow, in the firm belief that despite all outward appearances, it is the hand of a loving Father.³¹

Dear Great and Loving Father, When we look at our trials, they seem so big, but when we lift our eyes to stare at how Mighty You are-then our problems look so much smaller. How true it is – Big problem – small God – Big God, small problem. Please help us to keep our eyes on the eternal joy that You will give Your children in heaven. For I consider the sufferings of this present time not worthy to be compared with the coming glory to be revealed to us (Romans 8:18). In heaven there will be no tears, pain or anything that causes sadness. He shall wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more. Nor shall there be mourning or crying or pain any longer, for the former things have passed away.”(Revelation 21:4).

      We praise You for being able to conquer any road block that stands in our way of serving you. You are in complete control of all that comes across our path. There is no army, no nation, no pandemic that is more powerful that you. At the end of the 7 years of Tribulation when Satan gathers all the nations to fight against You, You will defeat them without even a battle for, From His mouth comes a sharp sword – so that with it He may strike down the nations – and He shall rule them with an iron rod, and He treads the winepress of the furious wrath of Elohei-Tzva’ot.  On His robe and on His thigh He has a name written, “King of kings, and Lord of lords” (Revelation 19:15-16).

 We love and praise You and desire to please You by our living with a trusting heart in you Almighty power and Awesome love! In your holy Son’s name and power of resurrection. Amen

We Will Go Back With You to Your People
1: 6-10

We will go back with you to your people DIG: Without a husband or sons, what crisis is Na’omi facing? In a male-dominated age, how important would male relatives be for widows? Why did Na’omi go back to Beit-Lechem? Why didn’t she want to take her daughters-in-law? What ethnic enmity complicates prospects for her daughters-in-law? Given the social problems facing these widows, why do you think Na’omi told Ruth and Orpah to return to their families?

REFLECT: Na’omi wanted to be alone in her grief. Can you relate? Na’omi didn’t want to be responsible for her two daughters-in-law. Does that sound familiar? What is your motivation in dealing with others? Are you a giver or a taker? What was Orpah? Ruth? Na’omi? When was the last time anyone showed that amount of devotion to you?

After an absence of ten years, Na’omi, widowed and childless, homeless and destitute, prepared to return to Judea where she learns from traveling merchants that the famine had ended. When Na’omi heard in Mo’av that YHVH had visited (Hebrew: paqad) His people by providing food for them, she and her daughters-in-law prepared to return home from there (1:6). Given the setting in the days of the judges, this can only mean that the LORD’s people repented and saw His favor restored to them. She would have to swallow her pride and go back to YHVH’s people in Beit-Lechem where she had heard that there was now food again. God’s blessing had finally returned to Judah. After experiencing the bitter emptiness of the land of compromise, the time was long overdue for the prodigal daughter to go home.¹⁹

This shows that the famine was one of divine judgment. The Hebrew verb paqad is used of divine activity in the TaNaKh, it can either carry the overtones of divine judgment (Jeremiah 25:12) or divine blessing as we see here. Thus, when ADONAI visits, His response depends on the faithfulness or faithlessness that He finds in His people. Faithfulness will result in blessing; faithlessness will result in judgment. The verb paqad is a warning against presuming on the holiness of YHVH and a reminder that God delights to bless.²⁰ In this particular case, ADONAI visits His people and the result was the end of the famine. The Rabbis teach that God gave bread to His people on account of the righteousness of Ibtzan of Beit-Lechem (Judges 12:8-10), and on account of Bo’az the pious.

Whenever we have disobeyed the Lord and departed from His will, we must confess our sin and return to the place of blessing. Abraham had to leave Egypt and go back to the altar he had abandoned (Gen 13:1-4), and Jacob had to go back to Bethel (35:1). The repeated plea of the prophets to God’s people was that they turn (shuwb) from their sins and return (shuwb) to the Lord. The wicked must forsake their ways and the unrighteous their thoughts. The only way they will be able to do that is for them to turn to the LORD, and He will have mercy on them, and to our God, for He will freely pardon (Isaiah 55:7).

Na’omi’s decision was right, but her motive was wrong. She was still interested primarily in food, not in fellowship with YHVH. You don’t hear her confessing her sins to God and asking Him to forgive her. She was returning to her Land . . . but not her LORD.²¹ So she departed from the place where she was, and her two daughters-in-law with her; and they went on the way to return (shuwb) to the land of Judah (1:7 NASB).

What was Na’omi’s motivation? Beit-Lechem had been Na’omi’s home, it was never the home of her daughter-in-laws. Her people were not their people. If Orpah and Ruth came with her, it would mean two more mouths to feed. Na’omi wasn’t even sure she could feed herself. Two more bodies to clothe and house, all the while dependent on charity from family members. Oy vey! Would anyone welcome them into the polite society of Tziyon?

Somewhere along the road, likely some distance from Mo’av, Na’omi finally broke her long, tense silence. These, her first recorded words, launched a lengthy conversation among the three women. It was probably easier on her having this conversation some distance from Mo’av. If she had to say good-bye, the further from their homes the better. Then Na’omi said to her two daughters-in-law, “Return (shuwb), each of you to your mother’s home (1:8a). This was surprising because widows normally returned to their father’s house (Genesis 38:11; Leviticus 22:12; Numbers 30:3-5; Deuteronomy 22:21; Judges 19:2).

On the one hand, these were Moabite women who by their very presence would be a constant reminder to Na’omi and all those around her of her sin in abandoning the Promised Land and marrying her sons outside the covenant people. Every time she saw their foreign faces, she would be confronted with the heavy hand of God’s judgment upon her in the loss of her husband and sons. It was in some ways similar to the situation of a young woman who has lived a rebellious life away from home and has a child outside of marriage. Adoption may be a hard choice, but if she keeps the child when she returns home, she (and everyone around her) may be constantly reminded of her sin by the child’s presence. Unless grace abounds, the child could easily be viewed as an embarrassing intruder.²²

On the other hand, though the deaths severed their social ties with Na’omi, Orpah and Ruth had voluntarily stayed with her, indeed, Ruth had even chosen to leave her own country to care for Na’omi in Na’omi’s country. These acts reflect remarkable self-sacrifice . . . the forfeiture of their own happiness to provide Na’omi with a “mother’s house,” that is, some semblance of social roots in a mother’s role. They willingly endured their own widowhood, childlessness, and displacement for her sake.²³

Na’omi genuinely cared for both of them. She said: May ADONAI show you chesed (to see link click Af – The Concept of Chesed), just as you have shown kindness to your dead husbands and to me beyond the normal expectations (1:8). May YHVH grant that each of you will find rest in the home of another husband (1:9a). The concept of rest in this book refers to marriage and this was exactly the problem for her two Moabite daughters-in-law. It was unlikely that they would find husbands in Judah because they were Moabites. Surely they would only end up sharing in Na’omi’s poverty and therefore would not find rest.

No wonder, then, that Na’omi thought it far better for her daughters-in-laws (and for her) that they should go back to their parent’s houses, to live on the charity of their own people and find new husbands among the Moabite community. Why should they choose a road to nowhere and come along with her to a land that was not their own?²⁴ Then, with very mixed emotions, she kissed them goodbye and they wept aloud (1:9b).

Even so, they still clung to her, saying: We will return (shuwb) with you to your people (1:10). This is a touching scene. The years together had forged a firm, affectionate bond among the women. You can just see the three of them standing in the middle of the road and crying. It demonstrates that after all the grief these two young women had shared with their mother-in-law, they were more attached to her than to their own people.²⁵

At the end of this section, one must not miss that the storyteller has introduced a major theme to be followed in succeeding events, namely, the finding of a husband for a widow (3:1-2 and 18, 4:13). The audience now waits for something to happen. And if it does, God will get the credit. It will be His act, but the answer will be Na’omi’s wish.²⁶

Dear Father God, How much we love You! Praise You for going ahead of Your children and behind them and alongside of each child. We cannot even see tomorrow, but You are omniscient and can see to the end of the world and beyond. Praise You that we do not need to fear the future, even when it looks real scary to us. We can look confidently into Your loving face and place our trial and problems into Your Mighty hands. When you asked Abraham to sacrifice his son, he loved his son so deeply and had no idea how things would turn out, but he obeyed and trusted You.  Abraham said, “God will provide” (Genesis 22:8). You did provide-not a week early or an hour ahead of time but at exactly the right time you provided perfectly. So, also, when we need a solution, You will provide. The provision may not be what we would choose, but we can trust You to provide what is best for us. It must have been very tiring for Ruth to work so hard every day in the hot sun gathering grain from the fields, but You had a wonderful future planned for her and You have the best future planned for us. We praise and love and trust and worship You dear Father. In your holy Son’s name and power of resurrection. Amen

Ruth’s Dedication
1: 6-18

Na’omi had no reason to stay in in Mo’av. The news that the famine that had brought the family there in the first place was over was sufficient to cause her to decide to return home to Isra’el. This led to a problem for her daughters-in-law that they faced in different ways. Orpah returned to her native country of Mo’av, but Ruth did the extraordinary thing and went with Na’omi. It brought from Ruth a magnificent declaration of her dedication.¹⁸

(art by Sarah Beth Baca: see more information on Links and Resources)

Scene One reaches its climax as Ruth makes her declaration in 1:16-17.
These verses form a chiastic A-B-C-B-A literary structure.

A Don’t press me to leave you or to turn back from you.

B Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay.

C Your people will be my people and your God my God.

B Where you die I will die, and there I will be buried.

A May God deal with me, be it ever so severely, if even death separates you and me.

Scene One:
Na’omi’s Return to Beit-Lechem
1: 6-22

As Ian Duguid writes in his commentary on Ruth, in every life there are certain defining moments, key crossroads along the way. On the one hand, there are certain times when a person consciously chooses his or her destination. There are occasions where one has to choose between going down a path everyone else is following or taking another path, a road less traveled, as it were. A life changed forever.

On the other hand, though, there are also times in life when it seems that your destination has chosen you. These are the occasions when life gives us no choice at all, but throws us head-over-heels down a path that, however well or little traveled, we would never have chosen for ourselves. No one chooses to have her husband die, leaving her a widow with young children. No one chooses to have a crippling accident or a life-threatening disease with permanent consequences. These too can be defining moments in a life. But all of us – whether defined by the choices we have made or the choices life has made for us – are on a journey through life, a road that is heading toward some destination or other. Where are you going?

The first chapter of the book of Ruth is the story of choices made and choices seemingly thrust upon people, about roads traveled or left untraveled. It is about the long-term consequences of the decisions we make. Often the consequences are not those we expected or anticipated, but our lives nonetheless bear the mark of the decisions we have made and the defining moments we have faced. The book of Ruth shows us that our actions have consequences. However, our lives are not simply the consequence of the various decisions we have made and events that have occurred, as if the universe were a giant supercomputer into which we feed all of the variables and come out with a predictable answer. There is a mysterious X-factor that is evident in the book of Ruth – a variable that has the power to change everything. It is the grace of ADONAI, which directs the outcomes of those decisions and events according to His sovereignty and good purpose for His people. That grace is not always evident to the players in the game at the time. But it is always there, whether acknowledged or unacknowledged. Ultimately, for believers, the grace of God is always the defining element of our lives.¹⁷

Prologue: Na’omi’s Misery and Emptiness
1: 1-5

Prologue: Na’omi’s misery and emptiness DIG: What is the climate of the times for Na’omi? What personal disasters befall her? What has Na’omi lost during her time in Mo’av?

REFLECT: Can you think of a period in your life when you did “whatever you wanted, whenever you wanted?” What happened to you? Where are you living? In Beit-Lechem or Mo’av? How do you recover from a bad decision? What is an area in your life where you often see nothing but problems? What are some temporary solutions you often toss around in your mind? What “temporary stop” have you made in your life that has become permanent? Explain. What is an area you can see the Adversary trying to create a “permanent stop” in your life? What can you to do to prevent it?

The book begins: Back in the days of the judging of the judges (1:1a CJB). The Rabbis teach this was a lawless generation in which the judges committed more sins than the rest of the people, and a generation that judged its judges. This gives us the chronological period when the story occurred. It was about a century before the time of David, during the period of the judges and is a fitting appendix to the book of Judges. The rabbis teach that this occurred during the period of the judge Ibtzan of Beit-Lechem (Judges 12:8-10). And the reason his name is not mentioned here in verse one is out of respect because another rabbinic tradition says that Ibtzan was a relative of Elimelek.

At a time when there was a famine in the Land (1:1b CJB). This famine may have taken place in connection with the devastation of the Land by the Midianites in the days of Gideon. If that were true, it had to be a very serious one that extended over the whole Land. Otherwise one could just go to another part of the country to survive. Secondly, it had to last for several years to compel them to leave the Land and go to Mo’av. Thirdly, ten years passed until they would hear that the famine had ended. Fourthly, the Midianites oppressed the people for seven years and they ruined the crops and did not spare a living thing for Isra’el, neither sheep nor cattle nor donkeys (Judges 6:3-4). So it seems likely that the story of Ruth took place during the time of Gideon. The cause of the famine is not stated here, but drought and famine were among the judgments YHVH said would come upon the Land as a result of failure to keep the Torah (Leviticus 26:18-20; Deuteronomy 28:23-24). And the book of Judges gives us plenty of evidence of the failure to keep the Torah that brought about the famine during the days of Gideon. Furthermore, in this context the drought did not affect Mo’av, which is very close to Isra’el, separated only by the Dead Sea. So this was a local famine in Isra’el only, pointing to divine judgment.¹²

A certain man from Beit-Lechem in Judah went to live in the fields of Mo’av (1:1c CJB). The ultimate irony had occurred: Beit-Lechem, whose very name means house of bread, was a place with no food. In that situation, Elimelek had a choice to make, a road to choose. He could stay in Beit-Lechem, the empty breadbasket of Y’hudah, mourning the sin that surrounded him and trusting God to provide for him and his wife and two sons, or he could leave the Promised Land behind in search for greener fields, in this case the fields of Mo’av, where food was more abundant.¹³

The Hebrew word for went to live is ger, and is used of a resident alien. This shows that his purpose was to live in Mo’av temporarily, not permanently. The root meaning of the word means to live among people who are not blood relatives. The ger did not have civil rights but was dependent upon the hospitality of the natives. This played an important role in the culture of the ancient near east. In Isra’el the ger had certain guaranteed rights, but this was not true in Mo’av. The fields of Mo’av point to the 4,300 foot plateau of Mo’av, good for growing crops, not the rigorous mountainous region along the eastern shore of the Dead Sea.

He (Elimelek), his, wife and his two sons went to live in Mo’av (1:1d CJB). The Jewish reader of Ruth would therefore be somewhat shocked and appalled by the fact that Elimelek moved his family from Beit-Lechem and sought refuge in Mo’av. But he was a devout Jew, so this showed the severity of the famine. The land of Isra’el was evidently both spiritually and physically parched, and times were desperate.

The relationship between the Hebrews and the Moabites was sometimes friendly, but often the reverse (to see link click Ac – Introduction to the Book of Ruth: The Historical Background). At the time described in the book of Ruth it may be assumed to have been friendly. Yet it is no wonder that tradition looked with disapproval at Elimelek’s going. Mo’av was not a place filled with people who loved God. They worshiped a false god named Chemosh.

The man’s name was Elimelek, which means my God is king. It appears, however, that ADONAI was no more King in Elimelek’s heart than He was in the hearts of his fellow countrymen where there was no king and everyone did whatever seemed right in their own eyes (Judges 21:25 NLT). There was no king in Elimelek’s life, and therefore, like so many others in the days of the judging of the judges, he chose to do what was best in his own eyes. He chose a road to Mo’av.

His wife’s name was Na’omi, which means the pleasant one, and the names of his two sons were Mahlon, which means sickness, and Kilion, meaning wasting. So the names imply that the sons were not healthy from the time that they were born. They were Ephrathites from Beit-Lechem, Y’hudah, who traced their descent from Ephrath, wife of Caleb (First Chronicles 11:19). And they were driven from their home to the fields of Mo’av (1:2a). Now, either they were the only Jewish family to do this, or the only ones mentioned who did so.

But the journey to Mo’av was wrong for three reasons: First, Na’omi herself recognized that the death of her husband and her two sons was a judgment of God (1:13). Second, in Deuteronomy 23:3-6, the Moabites were barred from participating in the life of Isra’el and Isra’el was forbidden to seek a treaty of friendship with them. Third, if YHVH had wanted Elimelek to leave Isra’el He would have declared so as He did with the Assyrian and Babylonian exiles.

And they lived there (1:2b). It was to be a temporary solution to a problem they had, but Elimelek couldn’t have imagined the permanent effect his decision would bring. That reality wasn’t immediately apparent, of course. It rarely is. It seemed like Elimelek had made a good choice. While his kinsmen back home were suffering and hungry, there was food in Mo’av. Like the story of the prodigal son that Yeshua told (see the commentary on The Life of Christ Hu – The Parable of the Lost Son and His Jealous Brother), Elimelek’s stay in a far country went well at the beginning. He was able to support his wife and two sons. Having arrived in Mo’av, they initially were only going to stay there temporarily, but unfortunately they continued to live there permanently. Perhaps there never was a conscious decision to settle there permanently, but after a while Mo’av became home, and like Lot (see the commentary on Genesis Dx – Abram Lived in the Land of Canaan, While Lot Pitched His Tents Near Sodom) they got comfortable in a land where they shouldn’t have been. They just existed there, drifting through life without a plan.

Husbands and fathers certainly want to provide for their wives and family, but they must not do it at the expense of losing the blessing of YHVH. When the Adversary met Yeshua in the wilderness, his first temptation was to suggest that Messiah satisfy His hunger rather than please His Father (Matthew 4:1-4; John 4:34). One of the devil’s favorite lies is, “Well, you do have to live.” But it is in God that we live and move and have our being (Acts 17:28), and He is willing and able to take care of us.

David’s witness is worth considering: I have been young and now I am old, yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken, or his descendants begging for bread (Psalm 37:25). As Rabbi Sha’ul faced a threatening future, he testified: But I consider my own life of no importance to me whatsoever (Acts 20:24a). In difficult times, if we can die to self and put the will of ADONAI first (Mattityahu 6:33), we can be sure that He will either take us out of trouble, or bring us through it.¹⁴

By going fifty miles to the neighboring land of Mo’av, Elimelek and his family abandoned God’s Land and God’s people for the land and people of the enemy. Tragedy quickly mounted. Then Elimelek, Na’omi’s husband died, not from old age or infirmity, but as the result of divine punishment and the sovereignty of YHVH. How long this happened after entering Mo’av we simply don’t know. But however long it was, she was left with her two sons (1:3). But that too will soon change.

The Torah did not specifically forbid the marriage to Moabites as it did forbid marriage to Canaanite women lest they worship other gods (Deuteronomy 7:1-3). However, common sense suggests that for similar reasons, marriage to a Moabite was just as sinful. So the sons sinned even more grievously than their father because they married Moabite women, one named Orpah, meaning stubborn, and the other Ruth, meaning friendship. No doubt Na’omi and her sons must have felt trapped by their desperate circumstances, and Na’omi seems to have graciously accepted her daughters-in-law. Ruth married Mahlon (4:10), who was apparently the elder of the two sons. Orpah, then, would have been the wife of Kilion.

Na’omi and her sons lived there about ten years. This fits the situation of Gideon (Judges 6:2-5). That is probably the total time they spent in Mo’av rather than the amount of time that passed after the young men were married, because neither of the couples had any children. That would have been very unusual, even in a time of famine, and barrenness was considered a punishment of YHVH (Deuteronomy 28:18).

Meanwhile, circumstances did not appear to be improving for Na’omi. In fact, matters took a turn for the worse. Both Mahlon and Kilion also died, and Na’omi was left without her two sons and her husband (1:4-5). Wow, five verses, two weddings and three funerals! Elimelek and his family fled Judah to escape death, but the three men met death just the same.¹⁵ In that culture, this was a nearly impossible situation. Three widows, with no children and no responsible relatives, in a time of famine, could not hope to survive for long, even if they pooled their meager resources. We’re not told what caused any of the husbands to die, but the fact that all three perished is a measure of how hard life was in the adversity of those days. Both Mahlon and Kilion seem to have died in quick succession, suggesting they perhaps fell victim to disease, very likely related to the famine.¹⁶

We can’t run away from our problems. We can’t avoid taking with us the basic cause of most of our problems, which is an unbelieving and disobedient heart. But this story will show us that YHVH is a God who restores, rebuilds, and renews . . . all things.

The Book of Ruth and Shavu’ot

The Jewish traditions on Shavu’ot include the reading of the scroll of Ruth. This small, four-chapter book is one of the most remarkable jewels in the TaNaKh. It is a love story that is venerated among literature buffs for its sheer elegance. Ruth, a Moabitess, in her loyal dedication to Na’omi (her widowed mother-in-law), after her own husband dies returns with Na’omi to Beit-Lechem where she ultimately marries Bo’az, a wealthy landowner, who is the hero of the story. The book is also treasured among Bible students because it gives us an unparalleled glimpse into the life and customs of ancient Isra’el. The laws concerning gleaning, the redemption of property, and the laws concerning the levirate marriage are all beautifully illustrated by the narrative.

But it may come as a surprise to believers that it is also a key book of prophecy, without which one has little chance of really understanding the book of Revelation. The story illustrates the role of a go’el, the kinsman-redeemer, who returns the land lost to Na’omi by performing the requirements of redemption. He also takes for himself a Gentile bride who is destined to appear in the family tree of David and of Jesus Christ.

The exquisite parallels have been well recognized by many biblical scholars: Na’omi (foreshadowing Isra’el) returning to the land, and Ruth (foreshadowing the Bride of Christ), each established by the act of redemption by the kinsman-redeemer, Bo’az. What is remarkable is how even the subtle details of the scroll of Ruth seem to support this foreshadowing. Ruth learns of the pattern (God’s design) of redemption through Na’omi. The Church learns of God’s redemptive design through Isra’el. An unnamed servant introduces Ruth to Bo’az. The Ruach ha-Kodesh is always modeled in the TaNaKh types as the “unnamed servant.” Jesus told us that the Holy Spirit would never testify of Himself. Na’omi learns of Bo’az through Ruth. Is there a witness burden here for the Church?

And where is Ruth during the threshing floor scene? At Bo’az’s feet! The threshing floor is one of the idioms that can allude to the tribulation. One cannot build doctrine from foreshadowing, but it can be instructive. The list goes on and on. Every time we study this book it seems there are additional “discoveries.”

It is interesting that Ruth can be viewed as prophetic of the Church (to see link click Av – Scene Three: Na’omi’s Wonderful Plan for Ruth’s Life), which was a mystery in the TaNaKh (Ephesians 5:32). And it is interesting that, even among the Jewish community, this book is associated with Shavu’ot. Many assume that the Festival of Shavu’ot was completely fulfilled in Acts 2:15. But surely there’s still more to come.

The Meaning of El Shaddai

As described by Nathan Stone in his book Names of God, El Shaddai was the first great revelation of the significance of the divine name given to Isra’el in Egypt. They were a covenant people, a separated people through whom a righteous and holy God would work out His purpose of redemption for mankind. In Exodus 3:14-14, He thus revealed Himself: I am that I am . . . say to the Israelites, “ADONAI, the God of your fathers – the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob – has sent me to you.” This is My name forever, the name by which I Am to be remembered from generation to generation,” or eternity (3:14-15). Then in Exodus 6:2-3 God spoke to Moshe and said to him, “I am ADONAI. I appeared to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob as El Shaddai, although I did not make myself known to them by my name, YHVH. It is suggested that by this it was meant that the Patriarchs had not understood the full significance of that name. The full significance of a name that means the ever-existent One, the eternal, the ever-becoming One – that is, the One continually revealing Himself and His ways and purposes could not be understood except after centuries and centuries of unfolding of events and experiences. The point is, however, that the Patriarchs knew Him as God Almighty, or in Hebrew, El Shaddai.

The name appears first in connection with Abram: When Abram was ninety-nine years old ADONAI appeared to him and said: I am El Shaddai. Walk before Me and be perfect (Hebrew: tam). I will confirm My covenant between Me and you and I will greatly increase your numbers (Genesis 17:1-2). The occasion was the confirmation of a promise already made to Abram to make him a great nation (Genesis 12:2), to make his seed as the dust of the earth innumerable (Genesis 13:16), and like the innumerable stars of heaven (Genesis 15:5). But thirteen years passed and still Abraham and Sarah had no child. When, humanly speaking, it was no longer possible for her to conceive, Sarah took things into her own hands and suggested that her husband have a child with her handmaiden (which technically in their culture would have been hers). The result was Ishmael, but still no son of promise. Seemingly a dead-end again. But is anything too hard for YHVH? Nothing is impossible for Him! And it was precisely at this point and in this connection that the promise of a seed was confirmed, and the name of Abram was changed to Abraham with the revelation of YHVH as El Shaddai, or God Almighty.

The word El is translated God over 200 times in the Bible with that general significance: You are the God who does wonders, You reveal Your strength to the peoples. With Your mighty arm You redeemed Your people, the descendants of Jacob and Joseph (Psalm 77:14). He is the El of Isra’el, who gives strength and power to the people (Psalm 68:35b). And Moshe says of Him, “What other god is there in heaven or on earth that can do the works and mighty deeds that You do by Your strong hand” (Deuteronomy 3:24)? It’s the word Hezekiah used when he spread Sennacherib’s blasphemous letter before Him in the Temple (Isaiah 37:15). It is the word often used to denote God’s power to interpose or intervene. So Nehemiah called upon the great, the mighty, and the terrible El to intervene on behalf of His people (Nehemiah 9:32). El reveals Himself with special deeds of power as He sees fit.

In addition, El Shaddai is the One who fills and makes fruitful. As we experience God’s sufficiency, we must realize our insufficiency. To experience God’s fullness, we must experience our emptiness. It is not an easy thing to empty ourselves. But the less empty we are, the less blessing El can pour into us; the more pride and self-sufficiency, the less fruit we can bear. Sometimes only divine discipline can make us realize this. Therefore, it is that the name El Shaddai is used in connection with judging, chastening or purging. It is not insignificant when Na’omi loses her home, her husband and her two sons, that she declares: Don’t call me Na’omi [pleasant], call me Marah [bitter], because Shaddai has made my life very bitter. I went out full, and ADONAI has brought me back empty. Why call me Na’omi? ADONAI has testified against me, Shaddai has afflicted me (1:20-21 CJB).

The same El Shaddai of the TaNaKh is the One who chastens those whom He loves in the B’rit Chadashah. He is the same One who has chosen us to bring forth fruit, much fruit – fruit that will last (John 15:16). As the all-sufficient One says: Without Me you can do nothing (John 15:5). Sometimes He finds it necessary to purge us so that we may produce more spiritual fruit (John 15:2). But even in discipline, His ultimate purpose is love and mercy. Even though millions will be judged during the Great Tribulation, that time will witness the greatest revival in the history of the world. Many will be martyred, but ADONAI will see them standing on the sea of glass singing the song of the Lamb (see the commentary on Revelation, to see link click Dz – The Seven Angels with the Seven Last Plagues).

So we see that the name El Shaddai, Almighty God, speaks to us of the riches and fullness of His grace in self-sacrificing love pouring itself out for others. It tells us that from YHVH comes every good and perfect gift, that El never gets tired of pouring out His mercies and blessings upon His people. But we must not forget that His strength is made perfect in our weakness (Second Corinthians 12:9); His sufficiency is most clearly seen in our insufficiency; and His fullness in our emptiness, that we being filled, may flow rivers of living water to a thirsty and needy world.¹¹

The Concept of Chesed

The book of Ruth holds out the practice of chesed as the ideal lifestyle for Isra’el. Every blessing enjoyed by Ruth and Bo’az at the story’s end derives from their firm loyalty. The storyteller holds them up as role models of living by chesed. Through them, the reader learns the heavy demands of chesed.⁸

Used some 248 times in the TaNaKh, the Hebrew word chesed has no English equivalent. Being an expression of relationship, the term means faithfulness, kindness, goodness, mercy, love and compassion, but primarily loyalty to a covenant. YHVH is the One who models chesed. It is a characteristic of Ha’Shem rather than human beings; it is rooted in the divine nature. Chesed precedes the covenant (b’rit), which provides additional assurance that YHVH’s promise will not fail. While the righteous may call for help based on a relationship with El, there can also be an appeal for help based not on any human merit, but rather on the faithfulness of ADONAI to help the undeserving to bring forgiveness and restoration. Again, God models “doing chesed” for us. The chesed of the LORD that is experienced and known by His children comes to define what human chesed can be, ought to be, and sometimes actually is.⁹

And as Robert Hubbard describes in his commentary on Ruth, the author stresses the idea of chesed through two sets of contrasting characters. First, he contrasted the two daughters-in-law, Orpah and Ruth (1:8-17). Without criticism, he reported Orpah’s return to Moab in obedience to Na’omi’s commands. She represents one who does the ordinary . . . except that it is not chesed. By contrast, Ruth represents one who does the extraordinary – the unexpected. She was not content to rejoin her Moabite family, remarry, and live, as her contemporaries would have. Her commitment was to Na’omi’s people and God – even in the afterlife (1:17). Further, even in Beit-Lechem, she refused to seek a husband for her own advantage (3:10). Instead, she sought a marriage for Na’omi’s benefit. In such compassionate devotion she stands out from her peers as one who does chesed.

Second, the writer contrasted Bo’az over the unnamed kinsman (to see link click Ba – Bo’az Obtains the Right of Redemption). Again, the kinsman turns out to be average in character, one who gladly passed on his duty to someone else when he gained no economic advantage. One may not fault him for this action, for Israelite custom permitted it . . . but it is not chesed. By contrast, willing to sacrifice his own means, his own life for two impoverished widows, Bo’az far exceeded him and modeled the extraordinary demands of chesed.

Such commitment requires taking unusual risks. Again, both Ruth and Bo’az illustrate this aspect of chesed. Ruth demonstrated great courage in going out to glean in Beit-Lechem’s fields! She risked ostracism – perhaps even physical abuse – because of her gender, social status, or race. She also faced possible rejection when she asked for special gleaning privileges (2:7). But the ultimate risk foreshadowed her nighttime visit to the threshing floor. She could not foresee Bo’az’s reaction to such feminine forwardness – anger, embarrassment, awkwardness, acceptance? Nor could she calculate the lost reputation and new accusations to result, were she and Bo’az discovered. On the other hand, much was to be gained – the survival of Na’omi’s family – so she took the risk. Along similar lines Bo’az took some risks in bringing her case before the ten elders of the town (4:1-8). He could not anticipate how the proceedings at the gate would go. Nor could he determine how the town would interpret his taking a Moabite wife, or the initiative in the matter. Again, the gain was worth the risk. Both did what chesed demanded.

Though rare, risky and restrictive, the practice of loyal, compassionate devotion – in a word, chesed – pleases YHVH so much that one may reasonably expect repayment in kind from Him (1:8 and 3:10). Such reward is the generous gift of a sovereign LORD who graciously chooses to honor human chesed. Only those who do it may receive it.¹⁰