A Chapter-by-Chapter Thematic Study of the Book of Ruth

Rev. Kim Seong-hun (Grace Gospel Church, Daejeon)

Ruth 1: Faith Born Out of Despair

Ruth may mean “friendship” or “pasture.” The book of Ruth lays the foundation of David’s dynasty at the close of the era of the Judges. The woman Ruth was a Gentile widow. Ruth is a story of faith that changes the world. Ruth opened the way for the lineage of Christ. The unfortunate Ruth meets the influential Boaz — just as a sinner meets Christ. The two become one in marriage and become glory. In the days of the Judges, everyone did what was right in their own eyes, and so they were under a curse. A famine came.

The family of Elimelech left the promised land and went to Moab. All the men died. The mind set on the flesh is death. Ruth begins with death and ends with life. Only after losing everything does God’s voice become audible. Faith has death as its backdrop. Death drives us to seek God. Hope for life hints at the possibility of experiencing eternal life.

Only by leaving the “place where one had been,” where the flesh dwells, can one meet Boaz. The world is a projection of human desire. A human-centered god is merely a projection of desire. Humanity cannot, by itself, arrive at true faith. Like Cain’s offering, God does not accept what comes from the earth. “In the course of time Cain brought to the LORD an offering of the fruit of the ground” (Genesis 4:3) — yet Jesus came from heaven, and God accepts only Jesus. True faith is found in Jesus. We enjoy that faith by grace.

God sometimes rejects even a well-meaning heart, wishing to leave only faith standing. At Naomi’s refusal, Orpah departed; only Ruth remained. To hope for an unseen hope is true faith. God is unseen. One with no hope does not fear rejection. There is no way but Jesus. When this way is obtained, God Himself is received as the reward. “Dabaq” (cling) describes Ruth’s heart — to follow even if forsaken.

Ruth received Naomi’s God. A household of faith begins with the parents’ faith. The greatest blessing is for God to be established in a household. Once Ruth’s heart turned to God, God took responsibility for her. Naomi guides Ruth with wisdom.

A life apart from God is bitter. “Marah” means bitter. The bitterness of life is a grace that brings us back to God. Just as bitter water was made sweet by the cross, a cursed life is transformed into a blessed one. Only after being emptied do we meet our inner self. When one becomes utterly ruined, God alone remains. To place hope in people is a curse. When we are humbled and emptied, God fills us with Christ.

God prepares a “barley harvest” for the one who returns. To let someone lose everything is to prepare to give something better. God prepared Boaz for Ruth. God emptied Ruth so that she might meet Boaz.

Ruth 2: Providence Meeting a Heart That Seeks Grace

A hope to receive grace arose in Ruth’s heart. A heart that seeks grace is the place where God’s love abides. The Law permitted widows and orphans to glean, yet Ruth, a foreign woman, could not enter the assembly of the LORD. Even gleaning required great grace. Ruth came to live in a land where she could not survive without God’s guidance.

With Naomi’s permission, Ruth went out to gather food. She happened — “as it turned out” — to come to the field of Boaz. That “happening” reveals God’s providence. When one is sent by Christ with a heart that seeks grace, one enjoys providence. Hosea sang that God’s love and faithfulness are constant.

Ruth’s heart was poor in spirit, reflected in her tireless labor. As a Moabite woman she was ashamed of herself and sought only to stay among the sheaves. She was one without hope — a discarded, powerless woman — yet she found favor in Boaz’s eyes.

Boaz called Ruth “my daughter.” He urged her to stay in his field and opened a way for her to glean plentifully. Ruth sought grace from Boaz — grace that is the other party’s deep and pure love. Boaz already knew about Ruth; the Lord loves us and knows every circumstance we face. Ruth asked Boaz to take responsibility, and Boaz accepted. God does not abandon one who comes to Him seeking refuge. God is an everlasting refuge.

Boaz and Ruth ate together, picturing the table of the saints who share the Lord’s table. Naomi wished for Ruth to remain with Boaz and in his field. Like the Holy Spirit, Naomi leads the saint to remain in Christ and in His heart. Through Boaz’s people, Ruth was protected; through the angels God commands, the saints are protected.

Ruth 3: Guidance Toward Rest, and Obedience

Naomi wanted to find a resting place for her daughter-in-law Ruth. Through Naomi’s wisdom, Boaz met Ruth, and a blessed household was formed. To Naomi, Ruth had become “my daughter.” Naomi’s heart was set on Ruth’s behalf. Just as the ark went ahead of the people, God works ahead of us to prepare our rest.

Ruth did not seek a resting place on her own; she found rest through Naomi. We, too, find rest under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, who testifies that we are children of God.

Naomi instructed Ruth to uncover Boaz’s feet. “Feet” is sometimes used as a euphemism for a man’s private area, and some interpret this as Ruth exposing Boaz’s body. Naomi laid out a careful plan for Ruth’s future, and Ruth acted according to that plan.

Just as one’s thoughts toward a single person can be this detailed, God’s thoughts toward us are likewise beyond measuring. The psalmist confessed how precious God’s thoughts are, and how vast their number: “How precious to me are your thoughts, God! How vast is the sum of them! Were I to count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand — when I awake, I am still with you.” (Psalm 139:17-18)

Boaz saw “hesed” (loving devotion) in Ruth. Hesed is a loyal love toward family, filled with God’s own love. In Ruth, Boaz discovered God’s love directed toward himself. Boaz called Ruth a “woman of noble character.” For a woman of noble character, there is only one husband; she cares for her family and honors her husband. She is her husband’s companion, fears God, and serves her husband. Ruth is a model of such a woman.

The worth of Ruth’s noble character is revealed through Boaz, who fulfills his duty as kinsman-redeemer. Noble character without a husband may go unused. Naomi told Ruth to wait until “today,” when this matter would be settled. “Today” is the very day God is at work. On that day, we find rest.

Ruth 4: Redemption and Life Fulfilled through Hesed

Boaz disclosed the matter of redemption to the kinsman. He first informed him of the right to the profitable land, handling everything openly before God and man. He also disclosed the burden of having to take the foreign woman Ruth as wife. The “kinsman-redeemer” (go’el) also carries the meaning of “redeemer.”

The closest kinsman showed interest in the land, but once he learned he would have to take Ruth as his wife, he avoided the responsibility — because of the financial loss and the burden of a foreign wife. His refusal made Boaz’s righteous decision stand out all the more. One who relinquished the right of redemption had his sandal removed and was spat upon.

Boaz was “a man of standing,” and his mother was Rahab. Having partly inherited a Gentile lineage himself, Boaz may have identified with Ruth all the more. His decision shows a hesed and obedience that goes beyond the letter of the Law. Both Rahab and Ruth were of Gentile origin, yet both showed genuine faith. Their faith transcends bloodline and shows that God’s plan of salvation is open to every nation.

Ruth emphasizes the grace and love within the Law rather than its bare letter. The near kinsman chose practical gain. Boaz, practicing hesed, lived out not the outward form of the Law but its very spirit. A faith that relies only on what can be seen finds it hard to experience true grace.

There were witnesses to Boaz’s taking of Ruth. We too have the Holy Spirit and the apostles as witnesses. Our faith comes through Christ, and there are many witnesses in heaven. The people blessed Boaz and Ruth, foreshadowing that Gentile and Hebrew would unite to build up God’s people. The widow Ruth boldly approached Boaz, and God blessed her heart.

Naomi, who had lost everything, gained Ruth alone — and for us, the gospel alone is enough. Through Ruth, Naomi gained everything back again. Restoration is valid and eternal only through the gospel. The gospel alone is the “restorer of life” and the “sustainer of old age.” Ruth, which began with death, closes with the “birth” of life — the birth of David.