Book of Ruth (Ch. 1)

 

Book of Ruth (Ch. 1)

Chapter 1 introduces the story of Naomi, a Bethlehemite woman, who, with her husband Elimelech and their two sons, flees to Moab due to a famine in Judah. 

In Moab, Elimelech dies, and their sons marry Moabite women, Orpah and Ruth. Tragically, both sons also die, leaving Naomi, Orpah, and Ruth widowed. 

Hearing that the Lord has provided for His people in Judah, Naomi decides to return home. She urges her daughters-in-law to stay in Moab, as she has no more sons to offer them in marriage. 

Orpah returns to her family, but Ruth clings to Naomi, declaring her unwavering loyalty: “Where you go, I will go… your people will be my people, and your God my God” (Ruth 1:16). 

Naomi and Ruth arrive in Bethlehem at the beginning of the barley harvest, setting the stage for God’s providential care.

Ruth Chapter 1 subtly foreshadows the redemptive work of Jesus Christ. Naomi’s return to Bethlehem, the future birthplace of Jesus (Micah 5:2), signals God’s unfolding plan of salvation. 

Ruth, a Moabite outsider, is grafted into God’s covenant people through her faith and loyalty, prefiguring the inclusion of Gentiles in the gospel (Romans 11:17). Her commitment to Naomi reflects the sacrificial love and faithfulness of Christ, who binds Himself to His people despite their unworthiness. 

The chapter’s backdrop of famine and death, contrasted with the hope of the harvest, points to Jesus as the Bread of Life (John 6:35), who brings spiritual abundance in the face of human desperation. 

God’s providence, evident in guiding Naomi and Ruth back to Bethlehem, foreshadows His sovereign plan to bring forth the Messiah through their lineage (Ruth 4:18-22; Matthew 1:5).

Devotional:

Ruth 1:16-17 – “But Ruth said, ‘Do not urge me to leave you or to return from following you. For where you go I will go, and where you lodge I will lodge. Your people shall be my people, and your God my God. Where you die I will die, and there will I be buried. May the Lord do so to me and more also if anything but death parts me from you.’”

Reflection: 

In Ruth’s steadfast commitment to Naomi, we see a glimpse of God’s electing grace. Ruth, a Moabite, had no natural claim to the covenant promises of Israel, yet she was drawn by faith to embrace Naomi’s God and people. 

This mirrors the truth of God’s sovereign choice to call sinners—undeserving outsiders like us—into His family (Ephesians 2:12-13). 

Ruth’s resolve reflects the perseverance of the saints, enabled by God’s sustaining grace, as she trusts Him in uncertainty. Her journey to Bethlehem, though marked by loss, was under God’s providential hand, leading to her place in the lineage of Christ. 

So too, God orchestrates our lives, weaving our trials into His redemptive story.

Application:

Trust that God’s providence is at work in your hardships, just as it.was for Naomi and Ruth. Rest in His sovereign grace, which has called you to Himself, and let Ruth’s faithfulness inspire you to cling to Christ, your true Redeemer, who never leaves nor forsakes you.

Prayer: 

Sovereign Lord, we thank You for Your electing grace that calls us, like Ruth, from darkness into Your covenant family. Guide us by Your providence through life’s famines and losses, and strengthen us to trust in Your redemptive plan, fulfilled in Jesus Christ. May we, by Your Spirit, remain faithful to You and Your people. 

Amen.