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“Where you go, I will go, and where you stay, I will stay.” When Ruth said these words to her mother-in-law Naomi, after the deaths of both their husbands, little did she realize what effect these words would have on the future of the world? The story of Ruth from the Bible is one of unconditional love, dedicated faith, and steadfast loyalty.

When the judges ruled the land, a man named Elimelech and his wife Naomi and their two sons were forced to move from their land of Bethlehem to the land of Moab. It was here that the two sons found wives, one named Orpah, and the other, Ruth. Eventually, Elimelech and his sons died, leaving all three women widows. Naomi desired to return to Bethlehem but encouraged the girls to stay in Moab. At first, they both refused, but after Naomi’s urging, Orpah gave in. Ruth steadfastly refused in one of the most beautiful displays of loyalty and unconditional love in the history of man:

“Where you go, I will go, and where you stay, I will stay. Your people will be my people, and your God, my God. Where you die, I will die. And there will I be buried. May the Lord deal with me, however so severely, if anything but death separates you and me.” (Ruth 1:16-17)

Ruth was a Moabitess, a race of people that had found severe displeasure with the Lord for several reasons. The Moabites were cursed by the Lord because of their perverse beginnings, (the story of Lot and his daughters after the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah) and also because of their pagan beliefs. The people of Bethlehem, however, were Hebrews and worshipped the God of Israel. To the people of Bethlehem, Ruth was a pagan stranger that had no relations aside from her mother-in-law, and certainly no man to speak for her. She was hard-pressed to find food for Naomi and herself. She went out to the fields to glean wheat and found a field that belonged to a man named Boaz. She worked hard and only stopped to rest once or twice, for fear of trouble from the men in the field. Boaz noticed her and asked after her. When he learned of her history, he told her not to leave his field to glean wheat elsewhere and offered her food and water for her meal. He also told the men to leave her some extra wheat in the field behind them for her to gather. That night she took many homes and told Naomi of what had happened. Naomi told Ruth that Boaz was their kinsman-redeemer.

Before going on with the story, a question arises: What is a kinsman-redeemer? The definition of “kinsman” is “nearest male blood relative. If anyone from poverty was unable to redeem his inheritance, it was the duty of the kinsman to redeem it.” The Hebrew word for “kinsman” is “goel.” “Redeemer” is defined as “one charged with the duty of restoring the rights of another and avenging his wrongs.” The Hebrew word for Redeemer is also “goel.” In Biblical times, these words were interchangeable. If a man was the redeemer of a family, he must have been a kinsman. And if he was a kinsman, then it followed that he was a redeemer for the family. Back in Ruth’s day, the kinsman-redeemer avenged deaths claimed inheritances for poor family members and married the widow of a dead male relative. He played a role very similar to the one that Jesus played for all mankind, but for his family.

So when Naomi told Ruth that Boaz was their kinsman-redeemer, it held great meaning for them both. As time went by, Naomi told Ruth that she would do her best to find a new husband and house for Ruth. She then gave Ruth some very peculiar instructions: “Wash and perfume yourself and put on your best clothes. Then go down to the threshing floor, but don’t let Boaz know you are there until he has finished eating and drinking. When he lies down, note the place where he is lying. Then go and uncover his feet and lie down. He will tell you what to do.” (Ruth 3:3-4) If Ruth thought her mother-in-law was a little crazy, she didn’t let on. She simply replied, “I will do whatever you say.” She did everything she was told. That night, after all the men had prepared the barely, it was kept in a pile on the threshing floor, with all of the men sleeping around it to protect it.

Everything was peaceful. Suddenly, in the middle of the night, Boaz awoke. Maybe he thought that a man was sneaking in to steal the barely. To his astonishment, he found a woman lying at his feet. When he asked her name, she replied, “I am your servant Ruth. Spread the corner of your garment over me, since you are a kinsman-redeemer.” Boaz quickly covered her, praising her, and promising to do what she asked. He warned her, though; there was another man closer to them than he was, who could also redeem them. The next day he went to see the man in front of ten elders and presented the matter before him. However, this man was already married, and couldn’t redeem Naomi and Ruth, so the task was handed to Boaz. He claimed that he was their redeemer before the witnesses, who blessed him and his future. So he and Ruth married, and in due course, she gave birth to a son named Obed. Obed was the father of Jesse, who was the father of David, who was a descendant of Jesus Christ.

Her name means: "Friendship"

Her character: Generous, loyal, and loving, she is strong and serene, able to take unusual risks, dealing actively with life circumstances.
Her sorrow: To have lost her husband, homeland, and family.
Her joy: To discover firsthand the generous, loyal, and loving nature of God, as he provided her with a husband, a son, and a home to call her own.
Key Scriptures: Ruth 2-4; Matthew 1:5

Her Story

It was harvest time in Israel when Boaz first laid eyes on the young woman. The sun had painted the fields a tawny gold as workers swung their sickles in even rhythms through the standing grain. According to Israel's law and custom, the poor had the right to gather whatever the harvesters missed.

Ruth toiled quickly and efficiently, he noticed, stuffing grain into a coarse sack slung across her shoulder. Strands of black hair escaped her head covering, softly framing olive-colored skin, still smooth despite the sun. She rested, but only for a moment, her eyes wary for any sign of trouble from the men working the fields. Gleaning was rough work and dangerous, especially for an attractive young foreigner, alone and unprotected.

Everyone in Bethlehem had been talking about Boaz's relative, Naomi, and her unexpected return. Ruth, he knew, had come with her. He had heard of their shared tragedy and the extraordinary loyalty the young woman had displayed toward her mother-in-law, even promising to renounce Moab's idols for Israel's God. A man could wish for such a friend as Ruth had been to Naomi.

Determined to repay her kindness in some way, Boaz called to her, "My daughter, listen to me. Don't go and glean in another field and don't go away from here. Stay here with my servant girls. Watch the field where the men are harvesting, and follow along after the girls. I have told the men not to touch you." The young woman smiled her agreement.

Later he spoke to Ruth again, this time offering bread and roasted grain for her dinner. When she finished eating, Boaz instructed his men to pull out some stalks of grain and strew them in her path. It was good to see her leaving that night with a bulging harvest sack.

Day after day, he watched her, aware that the wheat and barley harvest would soon be drawing to a close. One evening, Boaz and the other men were winnowing barley on the threshing floor. After he had finished eating and drinking, he lay down under the stars at the far end of the grain pile. With so many men to guard the harvest, robbers wouldn't dare approach. But in the middle of the night, he woke with a start, realizing that someone had dared. To his surprise, he discovered the intruder was neither a robber nor a man, but a woman who lay at his feet.

She, too, was awake. "I am your servant, Ruth," she whispered. "Spread the corner of your garment over me, since you are a kinsman-redeemer."

He could hardly believe her words. The young woman had taken a remarkable risk, appearing at night and lying down so close to him. Quickly, he covered her, saying, "The Lord bless you. This kindness is greater than that which you showed Naomi: You have not run after the younger men, whether rich or poor. And now, my daughter, don't be afraid. I will do for you all you ask." So Ruth lay at his feet until morning, rising before the early light could reveal her presence to others.

But Boaz knew there was one obstacle that could yet spoil things. Naomi had a closer relative than Boaz, a man who could play the role of kinsman-redeemer, marrying Ruth and restoring her dead husband's name. This man was entitled to purchase a field belonging to Naomi. If he purchased the field, by law he had to marry Ruth as well. That would destroy Boaz's hope of making Ruth his wife.

Boaz wasted no time putting the case before the man, who seemed interested enough in the land. But as soon as the man discovered that marriage was part of the bargain, he relinquished his rights to the land to Boaz.

So the two were married and the older man welcomed the young woman into his home. And God blessed them with a son, whom they named Obed.

Pulling Ruth close to him, Boaz watched one day as Naomi held her grandson to her breast. Surrounded by the other women of Bethlehem, she looked young again, more like the woman he remembered when her husband, Elimelech, had been alive. He watched as the women talked with Naomi regarding the child: "Praise be to the Lord, who this day has not left you without a kinsman-redeemer. May he become famous throughout Israel! 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."

Yes, Boaz thought, his Ruth was better to Naomi than seven sons. And he was grateful for the friendship between the two women. Had Ruth and Naomi gone their separate ways, his life would have been so much the poorer.

The good-hearted Boaz felt strong and young again. But even he couldn't have realized how greatly God had blessed him in the person of Ruth. For their son, Obed became the father of Jesse, and Jesse was the father of David. In addition to being King David's great-grandparents, both Boaz and Ruth are mentioned in the genealogy of Jesus of Nazareth, who is, after all, our own great Kinsman-Redeemer, uniting us to himself, healing our sorrows, and giving us, as well, a future full of hope.

Her Promise

All that Ruth did was done for the love of her mother-in-law, and for love of Naomi's God. She made a promise on the road to Bethlehem that she was determined to keep. Though it was a promise made by one woman to another, it is often quoted in wedding ceremonies as an eloquent expression of love and loyalty between spouses.

Ruth had no way of knowing that her way of blessing Naomi would eventually become a blessing in her own life. That's just the divine irony of our God, who delights so much in seeing our love and bless others that he turns that love and blessing back on us in double measure.

“Where you go, I will go...” With these words, Ruth sealed her fate and the rest of humankind. By following her mother-in-law, she met and married her husband, gave birth to a son, and thereby secured the future of our Savoir, Jesus Christ. Her story is a classic example of unconditional love, dedicated faith, and steadfast loyalty.


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