The opening verse of the book of Ruth gives us the time and setting of this brief narrative, both historically and morally. “Now it came to pass in the days when the judges ruled, that there was a famine in the land” (Ruth 1:11Now it came to pass in the days when the judges ruled, that there was a famine in the land. And a certain man of Bethlehem-judah went to sojourn in the country of Moab, he, and his wife, and his two sons. (Ruth 1:1)). Ruin and failure characterized the book of Judges; grace and life are characteristic of Ruth. We also see faith; a faith that lays hold of that grace and appropriates it.
The meaning of the names used throughout the book, of both individuals and places, is very instructive. The book takes up the family of Elimelech (“my God is King”), who with his wife Naomi (“my pleasantness”) and two sons, Mahlon (“sickness”) and Chilion (“consumption”), live in Bethlehem (“house of bread”). Leaving the chosen land because of the famine, the family seeks refuge in the country of Moab. Contrary to God’s instruction, the two sons marry daughters of the land (Deut. 23:33An Ammonite or Moabite shall not enter into the congregation of the Lord; even to their tenth generation shall they not enter into the congregation of the Lord for ever: (Deuteronomy 23:3)).
Elimelech, Mahlon, and Chilion all die in that strange country, leaving three widows, Naomi, and her Moabite daughters-in-law, Ruth and Orpah. Ruth, cleaving not only to Naomi, but also to her God and His people, returns with her to Bethlehem. How the words of Ruth, a Gentile stranger, contrast with those of Naomi (Ruth 1:15-1715And she said, Behold, thy sister in law is gone back unto her people, and unto her gods: return thou after thy sister in law. 16And Ruth said, Entreat me not to leave thee, or to return from following after thee: for whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge: thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God: 17Where thou diest, will I die, and there will I be buried: the Lord do so to me, and more also, if ought but death part thee and me. (Ruth 1:15‑17)). Acknowledging the hand of God in her life, Naomi requests that she be called Mara (bitterness), “for the Almighty hath dealt very bitterly with me” (Ruth 1:2020And she said unto them, Call me not Naomi, call me Mara: for the Almighty hath dealt very bitterly with me. (Ruth 1:20)).
Having returned to Bethlehem (“house of bread”), we find a wonderful story of grace and redemption. Boaz (“strength”) pays the price of redemption, and Ruth becomes his wife. Grace alone could accomplish this task, for Ruth the Moabite was a stranger to the covenants of promise. This beautiful book, which began with famine, death, and bitterness, now ends with life.
Ruth’s child Obed is seen as Naomi’s son (Ruth 4:1717And the women her neighbors gave it a name, saying, There is a son born to Naomi; and they called his name Obed: he is the father of Jesse, the father of David. (Ruth 4:17)). Obed is the father of Jesse, and the grandfather of King David. Ruth, along with Tamar, Rahab (the mother of Boaz), and Bathsheba, are the only women mentioned in the genealogy of the Lord Jesus (Matt. 1). Who can fathom the grace of God?
Prophetically, Ruth represents the future Jewish remnant. Portrayed as a Gentile destitute of right or title, she identifies herself with the desolate condition of the afflicted people (Mara). Boaz, a figure of Christ, undertakes the cause of Ruth, marries her, redeems the inheritance (the land of Palestine), and raises up the lost memorial of Israel.