What a beautiful story today’s reading is, and all the more so because of the ugliness of what we have been reading. How fitting it is that we read about the redemption of these two worthy women, on the heels of reading about the downward spiral of wickedness and hopelessness that forsaking God brought to Israel. For the book is not primarily a romantic story about Ruth and Boaz placed here for our enjoyment, but a story about redemption, to teach us about the realities of what our Savior has done for us.
Did you catch the details about Naomi’s and Boaz’s characters that indicate they were people who still sought to serve God in the godless culture of Israel during the judges? Boaz’s greeting the harvesters in the name of the Lord, his kindnesses to one who was nobody in that society despite the fact that he was a man of standing, Naomi’s trust in him, and her confidence that he would promptly do as he said, are all clues. Not everyone was doing only what was right in their own eyes in Israel in that day! But just as in our culture, no one seemed to want to admit that, because the exceptions to that rule raised the standard for everyone else.
Naomi was apparently a pleasant woman as her name indicates. That the deaths of her husband and sons turned her bitter attest to the difficult situation left to her. Women in that day were necessarily under the protection of a man; they had no means of providing for their own needs or protecting themselves in the relatively lawless society we’ve been reading about in Judges. We saw in yesterday’s reading that women were not valued in a society like Israel during the time of the Judges, where might made right. That seems to be upheld by Boaz’s commanding his servants not to touch Ruth, and Naomi’s warning that in someone else’s field she might be harmed. Can you appreciate the desperate situation Naomi and Ruth were in?
The Mosaic Law provided for women in Naomi’s and Ruth’s vulnerable situation, so that they wouldn’t be left helpless (ref. Deuteronomy 25:5-6). The family member who was closest in relationship to Naomi’s late husband seemed to know that he was the redeemer, but didn’t wish to fulfill that obligation, so his actions left Naomi and Ruth hopelessly destitute.
Boaz went beyond what was required of him. He charged his workers to look after Ruth’s safety, he had them pull out grain for her to pick up, and he went to the family redeemer rather than sending her. None of these would have been significant costs to him, but they meant all the difference to Ruth and Naomi. We all have strengths which God can use to minister to others in ways that cost us little because of the way God has gifted us, but that mean so much to others who are not gifted in that area. We need to allow Him to use us as He has gifted us with strength.
So think about the change in Ruth’s and Naomi’s conditions and learn the lesson about redemption. We are in a hopeless state of degradation from the curse of sin, and helpless to get out of it. As you understand the desperate situation that Naomi and Ruth were in, hopefully you can better appreciate your own wretched state without Jesus. Like the hero Boaz, our Redeemer has changed that condition completely. Hopefully these characters’ lives speak powerfully to us, to help us understand how much our Savior has done for us, and how wonderful He is. Can you spend some time meditating on that today, and offer praise and thanks to your Savior?