Ruth

Ruth was a Moabite woman who married one of the sons of Elimelech and Naomi, Israelites who had fled to Moab during a famine. After about ten years, Elimelech and both sons died, leaving three widows. Naomi decided to return to Bethlehem and urged her daughters-in-law to stay in Moab and remarry.

Orpah returned to her people, but Ruth refused to leave Naomi. Her words of commitment are among the most beautiful in Scripture: "Intreat me not to leave thee, or to return from following after thee: for whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge: thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God." Ruth chose covenant loyalty over security.

In Bethlehem, Ruth worked in the fields gleaning grain behind the harvesters to provide for herself and Naomi. Providentially, she gleaned in fields belonging to Boaz, a wealthy relative of Naomi's deceased husband. Boaz noticed Ruth's character and showed her unusual kindness. Naomi recognized an opportunity for redemption through the custom of levirate marriage.

Following Naomi's instructions, Ruth approached Boaz at the threshing floor, and he promised to act as her kinsman-redeemer if the closer relative refused. The next day, Boaz redeemed Naomi's land and took Ruth as his wife. Their son Obed became the grandfather of King David, placing Ruth, the Moabite foreigner, in the lineage of Jesus Christ.