The book of Ruth is a delightful story of romance, simplicity and purity. It conversationally tells of a mother bereft of husband and sons, yet still faithful to God. Also described is a daughter-in-law widowed of her husband (and childless) who demonstrates outstanding devotion to her mother-in-law and God. Further included in the narration is an upright and generous farmer blessed both by employees and God alike. The historical setting is Bethlehem in Judah in the days of the Judges around 1100 B.C.

A study of the book of Ruth is worthwhile for gleaning great principles and truths.

Although a specific purpose is not clearly stated, there is considerable connection with the meaning of the biblical festival known as the “Feast of Weeks,” the “Feast of Firstfruits” or “Pentecost” (Exodus 23:16; 34:22; Acts 2:1). A study of the book of Ruth is worthwhile for gleaning great principles and truths.

Ethnically, Ruth was a Moabitess, only distantly related to the Israelites through Lot, Abraham’s nephew (Genesis 11:27; 19:37). She didn’t grow up worshipping the God of Israel. However, the book of Ruth shows that, in God’s sight, conversion to God’s true religion is incomparably more important than one’s ethnicity.

Royal lineage

Ruth’s marriage into the royal Davidic line foreshadowed the eventual composition of the larger Church to come. The book foreshadows how gentiles would be called to join with “spiritual Israel” upon repentance and faith. In Ruth’s life we also discover how God at times circumvents the norm.

The book foreshadows how gentiles would be called to join with “spiritual Israel” upon repentance and faith.

The author takes care to trace David’s ancestry all the way back to Perez to encompass Abraham’s blessing (Genesis 49:10). Interestingly, Perez is the illegitimate, yet chosen, son of Judah and Tamar. This “unexpected” type repeats again with Boaz. He was the son of Salmon by Rahab (Matthew 1:5). Then later, still contrary to convention, we have David, who wasn’t the eldest son but the youngest. Finally, David’s heir, Solomon, is not the eldest either and was born through inauspicious circumstances of Bathsheba.

Ruth herself was a Moabitess who by marriage to Boaz now symbolically reunites the wayward clan of Lot’s son (Moab) back into Abraham’s family. Ruth thus becomes a vital link to David as his great-grandmother.

God’s generous providence is exhibited by the inclusion of a gentile into the royal lineage of the Messiah. When Ruth says, “Your people shall be my people, and your God, my God” and “The LORD do so to me, and more also, if…’ (Ruth 1:16-17), her words imply that Ruth, who once lived by the gods of Moab, now lives by the standards of Israel’s God.

The setting of Bethlehem, too, is interesting. It is here later that Jesse and David will live. And it is also here, in Bethlehem, that Christ our “Redeemer” is born.

A near kinsman

Boaz acted as the Old Testament “kinsman redeemer,” which also serves as a Messianic type. His actions were based on the “levirate law” given in Deuteronomy 25:5-10. The Hebrew word gaal describes the one who fulfills this function. The book makes it clear that the gaal alone possessed the right to redeem, yet was under no obligation to do so. The graciousness of God towards sinful humans is a type of the love and generosity exhibited by Boaz towards Ruth.

We are told that Boaz was a righteous man who kept the law (Ruth 2:20, 9, 11-12; 3:9, 12). But there were others who did not. Boaz encourages Ruth to continue gleaning (according to the law in Leviticus 19:9) but acknowledges the dangers for a young woman to do so on her own in some fields (Ruth 2:8). Bethlehem appears to have been an exceptional town, considering the chaotic period of the Judges—generally characterized by idolatry, syncretism (mixing of paganism with true faith), social injustice, intertribal rivalries and sexual immorality. However, the way the people of Bethlehem greeted one another (verse 4) shows a degree of conscious allegiance to God.

God is often portrayed in the role of Israel’s near kinsman, because He is the Creator, Redeemer and Savior of His people.

God is often portrayed in the role of Israel’s near kinsman, because He is the Creator, Redeemer and Savior of His people. Redemption from Egypt was not only an act of purchase but also the action of a kinsman moved by love. God told the Israelites, “I have remembered My covenant [with Abraham]… I am the LORD; I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, I will rescue you from their bondage, and I will redeem [gaal] you with an outstretched arm and with great judgments. I will take you as My people, and I will be your God” (Exodus 6:5-7).

When Israel became God’s by redemption as well as by creation, they could trust Him to deliver them in the future. Believers today can also count on God. As our Redeemer, He has made us His own and will act to deliver us.

The near kinsman had to be a blood relative, and Christ became our Brother by the virgin birth to become a human being. The kinsman had to have the money to purchase the forfeited inheritance (Ruth 4:9). Christ alone has the worth to pay the price for sinners. The kinsman had to be willing to buy back the forfeited inheritance (verse 6), even as Christ laid down His life of His own free will. The kinsman also had to be willing to marry the wife of his deceased relative (verse 10), a type of the bride-and-groom relationship between Christ and the Church.

The Day of Pentecost

From this standpoint, the four brief chapters of Ruth are most instructive concerning the redemptive and saving work of Jesus.

God’s Spirit has been available from that first Pentecost after Christ’s resurrection to all who truly repent and are baptized (Acts 21:1, 38-39). The Day of Pentecost is an annual reminder that God poured out His Spirit to establish His Church, the group of believers redeemed by Christ’s sacrifice and led by His Spirit. With these marvelous truths in mind, a study of the small book of Ruth can be uplift and strengthen us as we think about our “near Kinsman” who acts on our behalf.