The story of Ruth takes place in the time of the Judges, approximately the last 100 years or so of that period, possibly around the time of Samson. It is a wonderful story and filled with prophetic significance.
Ru 1:1 ¶ Now it came to pass in the days when the judges ruled, that there was a famine in the land. And a certain man of Bethlehemjudah went to sojourn in the country of Moab, he, and his wife, and his two sons.
There is a lot to be determined from these 2 verses. Bethlehem in Judah means the house of God or bread. God gave Israel manna, and Jesus is the bread of life. Elimelech the head of the house means God is king, or king. Elimelech was raised to know God, and trust in Him, obviously because of where he was raised and the meaning of his name. Bethlehem is also the birthplace of our Saviour, Jesus about 1000 years in the future. Naomi Elimelech’s wife means pleasant. Times were very tough and tried the faith and trust of Elimelech in his God, Jehovah. The LORD had promised Joshua that led Israel into the promised land that He would bless them and give them a land of milk and honey.
Joshua taught the people and led them into the land which they prospered and lived under the umbrella of God’s protection and provision. However, after Joshua died, they fell away from God several times during the time of the Judges, and were attacked by hostile neighbors. When Israel would cry before God, He would raise up a Judge that would deliver them. God was always good and would bless His people when they turned to Him and trusted in Him. Elimelech would have known this history and from his name and birthplace, his parents would have taught him of God’s faithfulness.
Hard times can drive one to drastic measures. We can see the times were hard on Elimelech’s family for he named his sons; Mahlon which means sickness and Chilion which means destruction.
Moab may have had what looked like a better life, but they were evil. They worshipped false god’s of Baal and Chemosh which required them to sacrifice their children in fire. God had cursed Moab and no Moabite was allowed to come near to the Tabernacle. They were hated by Israel.
Regardless of all the reasons why, Elimelech decided to take his family to Moab and did not trust in his God to deliver him in his own land.
Elimelech’s decision ended up costing him his life, the Bible does not tell us how. Mahlon married Ruth which means friend, lover, mate. Chilion married Orpha which means back of neck.
The Bible does not tell us how Mahlon and Chilion died leaving the two widows with Naomi. The Holy Spirit does tell us that Jehovah caused rain to come and the famine to end in Israel and Judah.
They both loved Naomi, which says a lot for her and her kindness to her daughters in law.
She wanted them to go home to their parents.
The faith that Ruth shows toward God, whom she was introduced to by Naomi and Mahlon, is great and we see that she has abandoned the gods of Moab, and is steadfast to return to Israel and be part of it the rest of her life…a new beginning for her.
Naomi is bitter over her loss of her husband and sons and in these days (and in OT times), God was often held accountable for all things good and bad. This is not accurate or fair as, there is a devil, who often is not given credit for bad things that happen. Plus the decisions that Elimelech had made had terrible consequences on his family. God is not responsible for our bad decisions. Jesus promised us that He would send us the Holy Ghost to lead and guide us in all truth. If we ignore that guidance and choose to go our own way, we are to blame for the consequences that follow. In these days the guidance of God was still available, however, one was not led from the inside by the Holy Ghost as we are now; one was led by the promises of God and their faith in His benevolence.
The famine was over, and so the barley harvest was a big one and all of Bethlehem was hopping with lots of work to be done.
Ru 2:1 ¶ And Naomi had a kinsman of her husband’s, a mighty man of wealth, of the family of Elimelech; and his name was Boaz.
Boaz means strength is in him. The Holy Spirit shows here that Ruth was going to glean after the one in whose sight she would find grace. As we will see, Boaz here is a type or representation of Jesus, and Ruth is a type or representation of Gentiles. Naomi is a type or representation of Israel.
Now word had spread quickly through Bethlehem about Naomi’s return and the damsel with her from Moab. But, when Boaz saw her, he was captivated by her beauty.
It was a law that the reapers were to leave some barley for the poor to glean. It was an act of charity, kind of like the tithe.
Boaz was attracted to her and their meeting was because of the circumstance that the LORD had caused, for her to want to glean in his field. It did not bother Boaz that Ruth was a Moabite. His own mother was a Gentile from Jericho whose name was Rahab. She had been a harlot that had hidden the spies from Israel from the authorities of Jericho and Israel saved her and her household during the conquering of the city. She had marked her window with a red cord which was a type of the blood of Jesus Christ. She married an Israelite, Salmon. The LORD had accepted her into Israel for her obedience and faith.
You can see the love that Boaz had for Ruth; how he cared for her, fed her, made sure that she would have enough grain for both her and Naomi. He knew her heart was good by her commitment to Naomi and to Jehovah.
The Grace that in the heart of Boaz for Ruth saw to it that her and Naomi’s provision was taken care of. She took home a bushel of grain, enough for several days food. Jesus is our provider as well. Ruth now knows who re redeemer is and with Naomi’s advice will stay in Boaz’s field to the end of the barley harvest.
Ru 3:1 ¶ Then Naomi her mother in law said unto her, My daughter, shall I not seek rest for thee, that it may be well with thee?
So she got all cleaned up and perfumed as Naomi had told her. And after the day of harvest in the field they had a party where they would feast and drink. After Boaz had feasted and well drunk he lay down to sleep. Then she went where he lay and laid herself down at his feet. This is the perspective bride presenting herself before her groom without spot or blemish.
It is so awesome how the Holy Ghost writes so many stories that foreshadow the events of the future in the very things that are happening then, as Solomon wrote in Eccl; there is nothing new under the sun. Our God is all knowing, and all understanding, His will be done.
We can see from this set of scriptures that Boaz was not a young man. He also said that their was a closer kinsman than himself. The symbolism of this man is a type of the law, for he is never named and is unbending, as we shall see. Boaz on the other hand is a symbol of Grace and a type of our Lord Jesus. The Grace of God has always been His will for man.
As our Lord does, Ruth could not leave until he had blessed her with abundant food to take home for her and Naomi. In Jn 10:10 Jesus said; …I have come that they may have life and have it more abundantly. In the Amplified, I came that they may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance, (to the full till it overflows).
Naomi’s wisdom and faith here also is shown; for she tells Ruth to be patient, sit still and to trust, for Boaz will not be in rest till he finishes his work. Our Lord never slumbers or sleeps and will finish the good work that He has begun in us, and has finished the work of our redemption.
Ru 4:1 ¶ Then went Boaz up to the gate, and sat him down there: and, behold, the kinsman of whom Boaz spake came by; unto whom he said, Ho, such a one! turn aside, sit down here. And he turned aside, and sat down.
Boaz has set the scene here with 10 elders (witnesses of proceeding and law) and has laid out the requirements of what the un-named kinsman needed to do by redeeming the land and marrying Ruth to raise up children to her dead husband.
This un-named kinsman represents the law in this story of history, and the law is unbending; perfect, but not with compassion, or understanding. So, he says he cannot redeem it for himself lest he mars his own inheritance. The symbol of the shoe is interesting, because the law walks on us and condemns us, but here the shoe comes off, a symbol of having no more control over Ruth or Naomi or the land. The symbol here for us to see is that when we are under Grace, there is no condemnation of the law, for Jesus bore that condemnation for us.
So now it was all legal and had the blessing of the elders. God had brought a Gentile into the fold of Israel once again because of her faith. Naomi was redeemed from the oppression she was in, sickness (Mahlon) and destruction (Chilion) were lifted off and away from her and Ruth. All of the debt owed under the law was paid by Boaz and he took the responsibility of it all. Jesus has done this same thing for us, who brought us into the fold of God by our faith, not our works. Jesus took all of the condemnation, sins, sickness, poverty, even death so that we could be free in Him before God. In Him is our righteousness, justification, health, provision, and life, even life eternal.
Ga 3:7 Know ye therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham.
Jn 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
Obed means serving. He was the grandfather of David. The Christ line that followed Adam through Seth and Noah through Shem, then Abraham through Isaac, now would now end up through David.
In 2 Sam 7, God promises David that his son would sit on the throne forever. Of course this prophecy is and is being fulfilled in Jesus, who humanly is a descendent of David, but Divinely, the Son of God. Born by Divine conception of the virgin Mary.
Luke records the common side of Jesus through David’s son, Nathan. (Mary).
A study of how this all came together through the times of the Kings, the captivity of Israel and the guiding hand of Jehovah is very rewarding. Truly our God is an awesome God.
All of the scriptures here are from the Authorized KJV unless another version is stated.
The pictures are all from the Internet with credit given where known.