As much as the story of Ruth and Boaz sounds like a fairy tale, it is our story too. God’s redemption is for the far-off, the marginalized, and the outsider. He spreads His wings over us, at great cost to Himself purchases us, and gives us a kingdom and an inheritance. Like Ruth, we are given a place in God’s family through the servant Son born in Bethlehem who turns the bitterness of death into the sweetness of new life.

It’s a plot fit for a Hallmark Christmas movie. A young widow follows her mother-in-law to a small town where she is considered an outcast. She catches the eye of a kind and wealthy bachelor, who makes a grand gesture to redeem her as his wife and gives her an inheritance and a son. Yet the well-loved romance of Ruth and Boaz is not just a story of God bringing together two people, it points to an even greater story—one of how the Lord God brings the far off into His family, gives them an inheritance, and builds a kingdom through them.

Death is Mara

The book of Ruth is full of foreshadowing, irony, and typology. The names and settings in Ruth are worth paying attention to fully understand the story.

The scene is set in a lawless land ruled by judges. A man, his wife, and two sons leave the city of Bethlehem (“house of bread”) because, ironically, there is a famine. Elimelech, whose name means “my God is king,” leaves the land in search of provision in Moab. Alongside him are his sweet wife Naomi and their two sons, Mahlon (“man of sickness”) and Chilion (“man of finality”). It’s no surprise that with names like these, Elimelech and his sickly sons die, leaving three widows in a foreign land with no inheritance– a death sentence to women in those early times.

Naomi hears that the Lord has ended the famine in Bethlehem and decides to return home. She urges her daughters-in-law to stay in Moab, as she has nothing for them, no one who can redeem them, but Ruth makes a famous display of loyalty and faith: “Where you go, I will go, and where you lodge, I will lodge. Your people will be my people, and your God my God.”

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