Ruth: A Biblical Role Model For Women

The teachings in the Book of Ruth do not feature much in Christian Theology or the Jewish Canon but the history of Ruth is illustrious. It narrates the story of a mother-in-law and daughter-in-law who persevered through numerous challenges together;  their perseverance eventually gives rise to the birth of one of the greatest kings in the Bible, King David.

May he be blessed by the Lord whose kindness has not forsaken the living or the dead (Ruth 2:20).

Judges 21:25 unequivocally explains the background of the “Book of Ruth”. It paints a clear picture of the tough times in Israel when the hearts of people were despondent. Ruth revealed that amid the spiritual commotion, God would continue to weave the scarlet cord of prudence for His people.

Key Verses

But Ruth replied, “Don’t urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go, I will go, and where you stay, I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God. Where you die I will die, and there I will be buried. May the LORD deal with me, be it ever so severely, if even death separates you and me (Ruth 1:16-17).

Boaz replied, “I’ve been told all about what you have done for your mother-in-law since the death of your husband–how you left your father and mother and your homeland and came to live with a people you did not know before. May the LORD repay you for what you have done. May you be richly rewarded by the LORD, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge (Ruth 2:11-12).

Then Boaz announced to the elders and all the people, “Today you are witnesses that I have bought from Naomi all the property of Elimelek, Kilion, and Mahlon. I have also acquired Ruth the Moabite, Mahlon’s widow, as my wife, in order to maintain the name of the dead with his property, so that his name will not disappear from among his family or from his hometown. Today you are witnesses! (Ruth 4:9-10).

Then Naomi took the child in her arms and cared for him. The women living there said, “Naomi has a son!” And they named him Obed. He was the father of Jesse, the father of David (Ruth 4:16-17).

Outline: Book of Ruth

Ruth 1:1-5 offers a prudent overview of Naomi’s circumstances.  Verses 6-22 describe the return of Ruth and Naomi to Bethlehem.  In chapter 2:1-23,  Ruth garners Boaz`s fields, afterward in Ruth 3:1-18, she listens to her mother-in-law and she, at midnight lays on the floor at the feet of Boaz and she basically asks him to take her hand in marriage.  In Ruth 4:1-12, Boaz rescues her. When the book is nearing the end in Ruth 4:13-17, Ruth and Boaz get married and she falls pregnant and Naomi, the mother of Ruth`s late husband becomes part of the novel family.

In the end, the lineage in Ruth 4:18-22 brings to light God`s blessing through the birth of Obed. Several themes percolate in the Book of Ruth – the two most important themes are (i) the prudence of God and (ii) hesed. Both of these themes have a theological meaning in the Bible, and both themes come to fruition in Christ`s Gospel.

The Prudence of God

The whole book gives evidence of God`s prudence – from the first to the last verse. As previously mentioned, the story of Ruth plays out during the era of Israel`s judges (Ruth 1:1) – this was during a quintessential era when Israel was marred with disharmony and upheaval. Over and above the spiritual turmoil, famine befell the nation (Ruth 1:1). Ruth 1:2 presents Naomi and narrates her family`s trip into Moab, a land of the pagans who worshiped false gods (1:15).

In Ruth 1:3, Elimelek, Naomi’s spouse passed away. In Ruth 1:4, Kilion and Mahlon, sons of Naomi and Elimelek married Moabite women, and in Ruth 1:5, the two brothers passed away. After the passing away of Naomi`s sons and their father, Naomi took the decision to go back to Judah because she heard that the nation had food and water (1:7).  When Orpah and Ruth, Naomi`s daughters-in-law, told their mother-in-law that they wanted to go with her to Judah, she refused (1:13).

Naomi suffered one tragedy after the other and all throughout Ruth was beside her, supporting her. When Naomi arrived in Bethlehem, she changed her name to Mara, for she believed that God had brought misfortune upon her (1:20). Naomi held on to her steadfast theology, she believed in the existence of God, she believed in His sovereignty, and she believed that He brought the misfortune over her.

The remaining part of the book shows God`s prudence in everything. Ruth found favor with her relative (Boaz), even though she was just an impoverished mourner and a meek outsider (2:10). Boaz already had knowledge of Ruth’s circumstances (2:11) and as a symbol of inordinate mercy and kindness, he prayed over her (2:12). Boaz offered his prayer to God and with that prayer, he started the course of fulfillment – this is also seen in verse twenty, where Naomi understands the actions of Boaz as a display of celestial hesed, the most important message of the Book.

Ruth told Naomi about what happened on the day she met Boaz for the first time, and she (Naomi) recalled that she was closely related to Boaz. She (Naomi) ultimately sees God`s colossal grace manifesting in her life, and with excitement, she shouts, “May he be blessed by the Lord, whose kindness has not forsaken the living or the dead” – in reference to Boaz.

In Ruth 3, Naomi sends Ruth on a mission – this mission had the potential to be salacious and risky, and it could have tarnished Ruth`s reputation; but because God had predestined the situation to not end in despair or sin, the mission rather redeemed her. In Ruth 4, Boaz and Ruth got married and they had a son, whom they named Obed (4:16). Obed would become Jesse`s father and Jesse would become David`s father, the forefather of Jesus, the Messiah (4:17-21).

Hesed

The other important theme in the Book of Ruth is hesed. Hesed is the Hebrew word meaning “steadfast love” or “kindness.” The steadfast love was evident in all three relationships mentioned in the book. The first relationship was that of Naomi and Ruth. Right in the opening verses, Ruth expressed such love by leaving her homeland and leaving behind her family to care for her mother-in-law (2:11, 18 & 23). Naomi insisted that Ruth should not come with her but in turn, she insisted to be by Naomi`s side (1:16-17). This kind of faithfulness originated from the celestial love in Ruth`s heart (4:15).

The second of these relationships is of the celestial love between Ruth and Boaz. “Naomi’s blessing anticipated kindness shown [by Boaz] to the living in marriage (4:10 – 13) and to the dead by perpetuating their name in their inheritance (4:5).” Hesed was again evident between the people and God. God was forever faithful, He never forgot about the living and He delivered Naomi and Ruth from all their emotional pains. He did not forsake the dead either, He continued Elimelek`s bloodline through the birth of Obed, the forefather of Jesus Christ, who is the definitive personification of celestial hesed.

Even when Naomi and Ruth`s hearts were despondent and fearful, they both held on to God, they held on to His sovereignty and they believed in His existence. Moreover, even though Ruth and Naomi had gone through much pain, they embodied hesed in them and they were able to love each other and to love Boaz as well.

Role Model

The story narrated in the Book of Ruth teaches the religious that altruistic concern for the next person is an essential element of communal life. Orpah`s and Ruth’s love for their mother-in-law is equivalent to the love that religious Sisters should express towards their superiors and each other. Orpah and Ruth give their mother-in-law unwavering support, they place her (Naomi) at the center of their lives, and are prepared to cling to her forever without giving a thought to the after-effects of such a self-sacrificing choice.

Likewise, the religious should be mindful of the fact that the future of their communities is solely dependent on their efforts as a collective; they cannot be dependent on individuals living outside of their communities, including their local bishop. Therefore, they are to support each other in their community and concern themselves with the welfare of their community as a single united body. They are not to serve their own personal desires at the expense of the Church and the community. Even though each religious Sister has been blessed with her own spiritual aptitude, she has to use it to take care of the collective rather than to use it for her own individual attainments.

As a role model, Ruth teaches the religious that they must hold on to each other and live their communal life in one spirit, for they are bound to each other as a community. If the religious do not live as one, their lives as religious Sisters will lack meaning and the purpose of bearing witness to the communion of the Holy Trinity`s mystery will be relinquished.

It is Ruth‘s expression of her admiration for and a deep-seated commitment to Naomi that reminds religious Sisters of their religious promise to love God and the Church and to participate in the mission of their chosen religious Order.