Ruth

I listened to the book of Ruth today and have been thinking about why the book was included in the Bible.  It was placed between the books of Judges and 1 Samuel.  The Bible Dictionary suggests, “The book appears to be intended to connect the history of David with the earlier times, and also to form a contrast, in its peaceful and pastoral simplicity, to the disorders of which we read so continually in the Book of Judges.”  It certainly has a very peaceful feel to it when compared with the wars of the book of Judges, and it ends abruptly with the genealogy that connects its characters with the line of Jesus: “And Salmon begat Boaz, and Boaz begat Obed, And Obed begat Jesse, and Jesse begat David” (Ruth 4:21-22).  Matthew in the New Testament likewise included the same family list when giving Christ’s genealogy: “And Salmon begat Booz of Rachab; and Booz begat Obed of Ruth; and Obed begat Jesse; And Jesse begat David the king” (Matthew 1:5-6).  So clearly at least part of the purpose of the book of Ruth is to show the ancestral line of the Savior, but I think that is only a part of the message this short book has for us. 

                One of the things we learn from the book of Ruth is that God is no respecter of persons.  Ruth was a Moabitess and therefore was not a part of Israel or the covenant people.  And yet the writers portrayed her as a faithful woman who was able to be brought into the people of God.  The fact that she was from another nation that didn’t have the gospel didn’t really matter, at least according to the writers of the book.  It was not her lineage that made her great but her faith and devotion.  The Savior did not have any problem being a descendant of a non-Israelite.  The second thing that I think we learn from the book of Ruth is the importance of devotion to family.  Her classic statement has not lost any meaning as it has traveled through the ages: “Entreat 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” (Ruth 1:16).  After her husband died she did not have to stay with her mother-in-law, and yet knowing that Naomi would be all alone and Ruth wouldn’t let that happen.  Surely Ruth was tempted to take the easy way out and return to the place where she was raised, but her devotion to her former husband was so great that she would not leave her mother-in-law.  And that of course had implications for the rest of her life, for she left Moab for Israel forever after that.  That’s the kind of loyalty to family that we all need, not asking “what’s in it for me” but rather seeking to serve others, even if at great sacrifice.  Surely in our own lives as we seek to serve our families, it will also take sacrifice and the giving up of worldly things we might want more.  Ruth left her family but then gained a new one with the great blessing the Lord granted her in being able to marry Boaz and ultimately become a direct ancestor to the Savior.  Like Ruth I think the Lord wants to see our faithfulness to principles, and then he will bless us more than we can imagine.  Surely Ruth did not think that in going to Israel she was going to have the chance to be married or have children, but in being faithful to Naomi no matter what the reward was what brought Ruth blessings even when it may have appeared that she had little to live for.