Ruth and Boaz
You can read this story in the Book of Ruth
The book of Ruth is a small one, only 4 chapters long. But packed into this small book is a wonderful story of love, loss, romance, and God's amazing providence through it all.
The story begins with a famine, or severe lack of food, in Israel. A man named Elimelech, his wife Naomi, and their two sons, Mahlon and Chilion, fled from Bethlehem to the land of Moab to find food. While there, Elimelech died, and his two sons married pagan women from Moab, named Ruth and Orpah.
Tragically, Mahlon and Chilion both died in Moab as well, leaving the three women alone and destitute. Back in Bible times, women had no way to provide a living for themselves, and when they were widowed, they were often doomed to a life of poverty.
Naomi received word that God has blessed her homeland with food again, and decided to return home to Bethlehem. She urged her two daughters-in-law, Ruth and Orpah, to remain in Moab. Orpah listened, but Ruth was loyal and could not be convinced to abandon Naomi.
When the two women arrived back in Bethlehem, the city was excited to see Naomi again. Naomi shared her bitterness about what had happened to her in Moab. She had no idea what blessings God had planned to shower on her!
Ruth asked permission to go and gather barley grains that the reapers have dropped on the ground, a process called gleaning, so that they might have food. While Ruth was working hard gathering this food, a man named Boaz noticed her and asked his servants who she was. He learned that she was a woman with strong character, for she remained loyal to her mother-in-law, and she had been working diligently in the fields. He showed great kindness to her and ensured that she was well-taken care of while she worked in his fields.
When Ruth arrived home that evening, Naomi learned that Ruth had met Boaz. Naomi praised the Lord for His goodness, for Boaz was a wealthy relative of Naomi's! Naomi gave Ruth specific instructions as to what she must do, and Ruth followed them. Afterwards, Ruth and Boaz were engaged!
There was one thing to attend to first, though. According to the custom of redemption, the closest living relative was entitled to marry Ruth, and there was a relative closer than Boaz. Boaz went to meet him, and informed him about Ruth. The two came to an agreement that Boaz would be the one to marry Ruth.
God blessed their marriage, and Ruth gave birth to a son named Obed. Obed had a son named Jesse, who had a son named David. This David became King David, the greatest king of Israel, and ancestor of Jesus Christ. King David was Ruth's great-grandson. What a remarkable privilege for a woman who was of pagan birth to be placed in the ancestral line of King David and Jesus Christ!
While this is a brief outline of the major events in the book of Ruth, there is so much more to this rich story of God's divine guidance in the affairs of men. As you read through this short book in the Old Testament, take the time to notice all of the circumstances that God arranged in this beautiful true story. We can be grateful to know that He still works this way in our lives, "for it is God who works in you both to will and to do of His good pleasure." Philippians 2:13
