Why is it so important for us that we have a book of the Bible named Ruth? Why are the last verses of the book of Ruth almost the first ones opening the New Testament?
The first three chapters of Ruth start to answer these questions, but chapter 4 gives us clarity on the reasons why. The Book of Ruth begins by introducing us to Elimelech from Bethlehem. His name means the Lord is my king. The story takes place during the time of the Judges when there is a famine in Bethlehem.
Elimelech and his wife Naomi go to Moab because there is no food for them in Bethlehem. Naomi has bitter experiences in Moab. Her husband dies. Her two sons marry Moabite women and then both of her sons die. Naomi says, "The Almighty has dealt bitterly with me." (Ruth 1:20)
Naomi has experienced bitter tragedy with the death of her husband and two sons, but there is a bright spot in her daughter-in-law, Ruth. She is an unlikely person to be the heroine of this story. She is a Moabite woman. The Moabite women and their Moabite idols have been a stumbling block for Israel in the past. Because of this Ruth and her people are cursed to the tenth generation.
Ruth remains faithful to Naomi. Ruth puts her faith in the God of Israel and returns to Bethlehem with Naomi. Her vow of faithfulness has become a proverbial saying for faithfulness several thousand years later to this day.
But Ruth replied, “Don’t urge me to leave you or to turn back 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. 17 Where you die I will die, and there I will be buried. May the LORD deal with me, be it ever so severely, if even death separates you and me.” (Ruth 1:16-17)
We also find out at the very end of chapter 1 that Ruth and Naomi arrive to Bethlehem at the time of Barley harvest. This is going to change their lives. This is the story of Ruth’s redemption unfolding. The Lord is directing the steps of Ruth and Naomi.
We by now have already seen just how unlikely Ruth is to become the hero. But God uses the unlikely. We see grace and kindness from Ruth, Boaz and most of all from God. It says that Ruth “happened” to come to the part of the field belonging to Boaz. By “happened” we understand that God is orchestrating everything.
Boaz made arrangements that Ruth get exceedingly more grain that would ordinarily come from gleaning. He fed her and provided water for her. Naomi was overwhelmed by what was unfolding. Now Naomi is asking God to bless Boaz who has shown them such kindness. (Ruth 2:20).
Naomi has a plan to bring even more blessing, to all of them, from the kindness of Boaz. She sees a way for Boaz and Ruth to get married. Naomi knows that Boaz is the kinsman redeemer for their family. He has a right and even a responsibility to redeem the property of Naomi. In this case it means he would need to marry Ruth also. Boaz is all in, but there is another man who is first in line to be the kinsman redeemer.
Meanwhile Boaz went up to the town gate and sat down there just as the guardian-redeemer he had mentioned came along. Boaz said, “Come over here, my friend, and sit down.” So he went over and sat down. 2 Boaz took ten of the elders of the town and said, “Sit here,” and they did so. 3 Then he said to the guardian-redeemer, “Naomi, who has come back from Moab, is selling the piece of land that belonged to our relative Elimelek. 4 I thought I should bring the matter to your attention and suggest that you buy it in the presence of these seated here and in the presence of the elders of my people. If you will redeem it, do so. But if you will not, tell me, so I will know. For no one has the right to do it except you, and I am next in line.” “I will redeem it,” he said. (Ruth 4:1-4)
It all went according to how Naomi told Ruth this would go. Boaz has gone right away to the Bethlehem town gate to settle this matter. He had the first in line kinsman redeemer and the ten Bethlehem elders all gathered together to settle this matter of Naomi’s property. The first in line is ready to redeem the property.
But wait. There is more to this kinsman redeemer transaction than just property. You are also needing to marry Ruth the Moabite woman, the widow of the man who would have legally owned this property, but he is dead now.
Then Boaz said, “On the day you buy the land from Naomi, you also acquire Ruth the Moabite, the dead man’s widow, in order to maintain the name of the dead with his property.” 6 At this, the guardian-redeemer said, “Then I cannot redeem it because I might endanger my own estate. You redeem it yourself. I cannot do it.” (Ruth 4:5-6)
Once this man hears what all is involved to be the kinsman redeemer for this property, he is not willing to do this. This might bring some harm to his own estate if he brought Ruth into his family line. He tells Boaz he should be the kinsman redeemer.
The last domino falls here. Boaz will be the kinsman redeemer for Ruth.
7 (Now in earlier times in Israel, for the redemption and transfer of property to become final, one party took off his sandal and gave it to the other. This was the method of legalizing transactions in Israel.) 8 So the guardian-redeemer said to Boaz, “Buy it yourself.” And he removed his sandal. (Ruth 4:7-8)
This was the official seal to the arrangement. Boaz had done everything to be completely legal to go forward with his kinsman redeemer duties. Ruth and Boaz are going to the chapel. They are going to get married.
9 Then Boaz announced to the elders and all the people, “Today you are witnesses that I have bought from Naomi all the property of Elimelek, Kilion and Mahlon. 10 I have also acquired Ruth the Moabite, Mahlon’s widow, as my wife, in order to maintain the name of the dead with his property, so that his name will not disappear from among his family or from his hometown. Today you are witnesses!” (Ruth 4:9-10)
It was all done properly and in order. The townspeople of Bethlehem is giving them some powerful blessings.
Then the elders and all the people at the gate said, “We are witnesses. May the LORD make the woman who is coming into your home like Rachel and Leah, who together built up the family of Israel. May you have standing in Ephrathah and be famous in Bethlehem. 12 Through the offspring the LORD gives you by this young woman, may your family be like that of Perez, whom Tamar bore to Judah.” (Ruth 4:11-12)
Let Ruth be like Rachel. She was. Jacob loved Rachel so much that seven years were like days because of the love that he loved her. Rachel became the mother of Joseph and Benjamin and she was buried in Bethlehem.
Let Ruth be like Leah. She was. Leah was not overlooked by God. She was loved by God and became the mother of Judah of whom the awaited Messiah would come. Judah became the father of Perez.
Let your family be like that of Perez. The family was. Both Perez and Obed are listed by name in the genealogy of Jesus. The mother of Perez who is Tamar and the mother of Obed, Ruth are in the genealogy of King David and listed by name in the genealogy of Jesus opening the new testament.
So Boaz took Ruth and she became his wife. When he made love to her, the Lord enabled her to conceive, and she gave birth to a son. 14 The women said to Naomi: “Praise be to the Lord, who this day has not left you without a guardian-redeemer. May he become famous throughout Israel! 15 He will renew your life and sustain you in your old age. For your daughter-in-law, who loves you and who is better to you than seven sons, has given him birth.”
Naomi has been blessed. She told the women of Bethlehem to call her Mara, the bitter one. It is back to pleasant. How the faith of Ruth has blessed her life. Ruth’s faith in God touched everyone’s life.
16 Then Naomi took the child in her arms and cared for him. 17 The women living there said, “Naomi has a son!” And they named him Obed. He was the father of Jesse, the father of David.
Obed was born. His name means servant of God. He became the grandfather of King David.
The next verses of Ruth become the basis of Matthew 1:3-6.
This, then, is the family line of Perez:
Perez was the father of Hezron,
19 Hezron the father of Ram,
Ram the father of Amminadab,
20 Amminadab the father of Nahshon,
Nahshon the father of Salmon,
21 Salmon the father of Boaz,
Boaz the father of Obed,
22 Obed the father of Jesse,
and Jesse the father of David. (Ruth 4:18-22)
So why is it so important that we have a book of the Bible named Ruth? Because of the redemption story. It parallels our own redemption story. Ruth was cursed as a Moabite. We are cursed as children of Adam. Ruth was redeemed by her kinsman redeemer. We are redeemed in Christ by his death on the cross. Ruth put her faith in God. By grace we are saved by faith.
In Matthews gospel, the most read gospel, he mentions the Moabite woman Ruth by name. It could be because Matthew himself had a redemption story that paralleled Ruth. Do you remember that the Pharisees asked why Jesus ate with publicans and sinners? Well, they were referring to Matthew and his friends when Jesus came over to Matthew’s house for dinner.
Why were the last four verses of Ruth the opening verses of the New Testament. It shows the hand of God throughout our redemption story. It is all to the glory of God.
