STUDY 3: RUTH

© Rosemary Bardsley 2025

As a Moabite Ruth was excluded from the people of God and the worship of God. By marrying her, Mahlon had broken God’s commands. But in the time of the judges, in which this story is set, the Israelites had very little concern for what God had said they could and could not do. The book of Judges refers to this blatant disregard of God’s commands two times: ‘...everyone did as he saw fit’ (and that included idolatry) – Judges 17:6; 21:25, and seven times says that people of Israel ‘did evil in the eyes of the LORD’ – 2:11; 3:7, 12; 4:1; 6:1; 10:6; 13:1. This ‘evil in the eyes of the LORD’ is defined as worshipping/serving other Gods – ‘the Baals and the Ashtoreths, and the gods of Aram, the gods of Sidon, the gods of Moab, the gods of the Ammonites and the gods of the Philistines ... they forsook the LORD and no longer served him’ – Judges 10:6

So at the beginning of this story we find Ruth, through no fault of her own, but as a result of her race and of the disregard in which her husband held the commands of God, in a situation outside of what we might call ‘the will of God’, and more than that, in a situation that was cursed by God.
Ruth was, most likely, unaware of the real hopelessness embedded in her situation. But even in that undesirable situation the living God was at work, drawing this young Moabite into his eternal plan and purpose.

A. RUTH AND ORPAH'S LOVE FOR NAOMI

It is obvious in the text that both Ruth and Orpah had come to love Naomi. Somehow, even in the midst of her own troubles, Naomi had loved these two girls, with a love that was so obvious and so warm that they loved her in return.

Read Ruth 1:6 – 10. What do you learn about:
Verses 6b & 7: Ruth and Orpah’s submission to Naomi’s plans?

Verse 8: Ruth and Orpah’s kindness?

Verses 8, 9: Naomi’s prayer for her two daughters-in-law?

Verse 9b & 10: Their love for Naomi?

Verse 11 – 13: Why Naomi encouraged them to stay in Moab?

B. NAOMI'S PRACTICAL PERSPECTIVE

Naomi’s love for her daughters-in-law moved her to mention the practical advantages of their remaining in Moab. She pointed out the impossibility of her remarrying and having sons for them to marry. [See the note on the Levirate law in Study 1.] They would have to wait far too long for any sons she might have to grow up. Given that impossibility, she encouraged them to go back to their parents’ homes, and find husbands – 1:11 – 13.

C. RUTH'S RESPONSE

Read Ruth 1:14 – 18.
How did Ruth respond when Orpah said good-bye to Naomi?

How did she respond when Naomi encouraged her to follow her sister-in-law back to her people and her gods?

What were the five commitments Ruth made to impress Naomi with her determination to accompany her back to Moab?

What did Ruth say to reinforce her commitments?

Compare verse 16 and 18. Suggest why Ruth’s commitments made Naomi change her mind and stop urging Ruth to return to her people and her gods.

Which of Ruth’s commitments do you consider the most important? Explain why.

D. RUTH IN BETHLEHEM, JUDAH

When the two women arrived in Bethlehem there is no mention of how the women of Bethlehem reacted to Ruth. She appears to be practically ignored. All the focus is on Naomi, who is overwhelmed by the bitterness of her life. But Ruth’s manner of life and her choices began to speak more loudly than her race and former religion, and more loudly than her low estate of widowhood.

Having obtained Naomi’s permission, Ruth went out to glean in the fields behind the harvesters; by the sovereign hand of God she ended up in the field of Boaz, who, all unknown to her, was a kinsman-redeemer – a relative of Elimelech, who could fulfil the expectations of a Levirate marriage with her.

By this time, and as the seven week period of harvest gradually passed, the community’s perception of Ruth changed. No longer the ignored foreigner, no longer the unwanted intruder, her actions and attitude earned for her a high reputation.

What do these verses say about Ruth’s reputation?
2:7

2:10 – 12

3:10

3:11

4:15

Reflection:
What does it take to establish a good reputation?

To what extent does our personal reputation dishonour or honour God?

What do these verses say about this?
Matthew 5:16

1Corinthians 10:31

1Peter 2:12

E. RUTH'S FAITH

The first reference to Ruth’s faith is in her plea to Naomi not to make her leave her and go back to her own people and gods. She said ‘your people will be my people and your God my God’. We might ask: ‘Is she just wanting to be with Naomi, rather than her own people? Was it just that Naomi was a nicer person to be with than her own mother?’ She certainly wanted to be with Naomi – 1:16 & 17 make that quite clear.

But the very thing that stressed Ruth’s determination to stay with Naomi, also expressed something of her understanding of God and her faith in God: ‘May the LORD deal with me, be it ever so severely, if anything but death separates you and me’ – 1:17. She called on God to punish her if she let anything separate her from Naomi. She is not thinking here of the Moabite gods she had formerly worshipped ... gods that cannot see, that cannot hear, that cannot act. She is speaking here of the all-powerful, living God – ‘the LORD’ – YHWH – the ‘I AM WHO I AM’ of Exodus 3:14: self-existent, ever-present, all-knowing, unlimited by time and space, who can do whatever he wishes to do in whatever situation men call upon him.

In committing herself to go with Naomi she committed herself to Naomi’s God – the God of Israel, who had demonstrated his sovereign authority in redeeming Israel from slavery in Egypt, in bringing them safe through the wilderness for forty years, in going before them to give them victory over the peoples east of Canaan and throughout Canaan. The God of Israel had proved himself to be more powerful than the gods of all people, and those people, including the people of Moab, had seen his victorious, sovereign power at work.

This is the God of whom Ruth said ‘your God my God’. [See these studies if you want to learn more about this all-powerful God who alone is really God.]

Boaz provides another insight into Ruth’s faith in 2:12, where he refers to the ‘God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge’. That is exactly where God wants us to be, and where we should desire to be.

What do these verses say about that?
Psalm 17:8

Psalm 57:1

Psalm 61:4

Psalm 91:4

Matthew 23:37

F. RUTH'S OBEDIENCE TO NAOMI'S INSTRUCTIONS - RUTH 3

Naomi’s instructions to Ruth in 3:1 – 4 seem strange, even immoral, to us. But seen in their setting that strangeness and wrongness dissolve. They arose out of Naomi’s concern for Ruth’s long-term well-being, and are given in the context to the Levirate marriage law mentioned in Study 1.

Read for yourselves the progress of Naomi’s concern reported in the book of Ruth:

1:9 – The reason that Naomi urged her daughters-in-law to go back to their mothers was that they would ‘find rest in the home of another husband.’

2:1 – The narrator of the story mentions the existence of ‘a relative on her husband’s side ... Boaz’, preparing us for what was about to happen.

2:8 – 20 – Naomi recognized the exceptional kindness Boaz showed to Ruth, and told Ruth that Boaz was ‘one of our kinsman-redeemers’. She encouraged Ruth to keep gleaning in his fields with his workers.

3:1 Naomi felt the responsibility of arranging for her daughter-in-law’s future security – ‘should I not try to find rest for you, where you will be well provided for?’ Compare 1:9.

3:1 – 4 – The instructions Naomi gave Ruth were Naomi’s way of prompting Boaz to act as Ruth’s kinsman-redeemer. What she told Ruth to do meant that Ruth was, by her action, asking Boaz to fulfil his duty as kinsman-redeemer, that is, to marry her.

3.4 – Naomi was confident that Boaz would understand what Ruth was doing/asking, and would instruct Ruth about what she should do next.

It seems that Naomi had full confidence in the moral integrity of both Ruth and Boaz, and that Ruth had full confidence in Naomi and Boaz. Naomi did not expect that anything immoral would happen. She expected that Boaz would recognize Ruth’s action for what it was, and would proceed within the requirements of the kinsman-redeemer law of Deuteronomy 25:5 – 10 – ‘he will tell you what to do’ – Ruth 3:4.

Answer these questions about these verses in Ruth 3:
How fully did Ruth obey Naomi’s instructions – verses 5, 6:

How did Ruth explain her actions to Boaz – verse 9:

Suggest why Boaz was impressed by Ruth’s action that night – verse 10:

What tells us that Boaz was significantly older than Ruth – verse 10:

How did Boaz calm Ruth’s anxiety – verses 11 – 13:

How did Naomi express her confidence in Boaz – verse 18:

Reflection:
What is your personal reaction to this part of Ruth’s story?

How do you feel when you have to do something that you have never done before?

How difficult is it to ‘wait...until you find out what happens’ (verse 18)?

How difficult is it to be in a situation where your future is dependent on the actions and decisions of another person?

Boaz said ‘The LORD bless you, my daughter’ – verse 10. How did God use Boaz himself to bring blessing to Ruth? (You might like to read the rest of Ruth before you answer this.)