Ruth the Moabitess
A singular story of love and loyalty unfolds in the Bible’s book of Ruth. During a famine in Judah, a man named Elimelech moves his small family to the neighboring country of Moab (within what is now Jordan). Though he and his wife, Naomi, apparently flourish—and their two sons marry women of that land, Ruth and Orpah—over time, all three men die.
When Naomi decides to return to her homeland, Ruth lovingly insists on staying with her, even though that will mean embracing a new nation, a new God, and a new religion (see Ruth 1:16). And after reaching Judah, Ruth supports her mother-in-law by gathering leftover grain in a barley field. Ruth’s kindness is noted by the field’s owner, Boaz, who blesses her: “The Lord recompense thy work, and a full reward be given thee of the Lord God of Israel, under whose wings thou art come to trust” (2:12).
Ruth and Boaz later marry and have a son, Obed—who then becomes grandfather of the nation’s King David (see 4:13). In this way, the bleak opening events of Ruth’s story (famine, displacement, and death) are beautifully resolved with harvest, family, and new life. Ruth’s faithfulness and courage secure the lineage of the promised Messiah as well (see 4:17; Matthew 1:1–16).
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