May the Lord make the woman who is coming into your home like Rachel and Leah, who together built up the family of Israel. 12 May the Lord repay you for what you have done. I have told the men not to lay a hand on you. After they had lived there about ten years, Loyal love​—the kind of love that holds on to its object and simply refuses to let go—​is a powerful force for good in this darkening world. “The name of the man I worked with today is Boaz,” she said. She learned that the Law that Jehovah had given to his people in Israel included a loving provision for the poor. It’s just as well they do, because they are vital for the future of Israel (see Ruth’s story). Read about more fascinating women of the Bible, Ruth – Bible Woman – Women of the Old Testament; Bible Study Resource She loved Naomi dearly and would do all she could to care for her. 3:1) The quality we find in Ruth has thus become more important than ever. 12 As the miles stretched out behind the three widows, another concern began weighing on Naomi. We see Ruth’s growing love and commitment to Naomi and to the God of Israel, whose amazing love was drawing Ruth into His beth ab, “the father’s house.” A plan of redemption for everyone. 5 Then Boaz said, “On the day you buy the land from Naomi, you also acquire Ruth the Moabite, the dead man’s widow, in order to maintain the name of the dead with his property.” a. Orpah went back to her people. You may fac… The three widows set off for Judah together. And she kept on working until evening fell.​—Ruth 2:13, 17. As it turned out, she was working in a field belonging to Boaz, who was from the clan of Elimelek. Ruth and Naomi came to Bethlehem as poor widows, but they soon became prosperous through Ruth’s marriage to Boaz. (b) How can you, like Ruth, take refuge in Jehovah? Ruth's son, Obed, would become King David's grandfather and Ruth would be forever remembered in the genealogy of Jesus (Matthew 1:5). 3 Wash, put on perfume, and get dressed in your best clothes. Love: Nehemiah for Israelites. Imitate Their Faith. May Jehovah do so to me and add to it if anything but death should make a separation between me and you.”​—Ruth 1:16, 17. “Your people will be my people, and your God my God”, 17 Ruth’s words are remarkable​—so much so that they have long outlived her, echoing down through some 30 centuries. Have some bread and dip it in the wine vinegar.” When she sat down with the harvesters, he offered her some roasted grain. A remarkable man of faith, Boaz greeted his workers​—some of whom may have been day laborers or even foreigners—​with the words: “Jehovah be with you.” And they responded in kind. Copyright © 2020 Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania. The relationship between Ruth and Naomi is a reflection of the faithful love of God offered to Israel and to us in the gift of covenant. 21 The two women finally reached Bethlehem, a village about six miles (10 km) south of Jerusalem. Jehovah ruled through love, not terror. That good relationship helped them when tragedy struck. Looking Out For One Another. It swelled with love for Naomi —and for the God whom Naomi served. 6 Naomi might well have suffered again later when her sons married Moabite women. Map showing the positions of Bethlehem and Moab, 6 When Naomi heard in Moab that the Lord had come to the aid of his people by providing food for them, she and her daughters-in-law prepared to return home from there. (Ruth 1:4) She knew that her nation’s forefather, Abraham, went to great lengths to procure a wife for his son, Isaac, from among his own people, who worshipped Jehovah. Most important, she never lost sight of where her true refuge lay​—with her protective Father, Jehovah God. So Ruth spoke: “Do not plead with me to abandon you, to turn back from accompanying you; for where you go I … Verses 16-17 record Ruth's loyal love: … TERMS OF USE It is a story about a family that lived during the time when Israel had judges. Then go down to the threshing floor, but don’t let him know you are there until he has finished eating and drinking. 3 Then he said to the guardian-redeemer, “Naomi, who has come back from Moab, is selling the piece of land that belonged to our relative Elimelek. Ruth is a young woman from the land of Moʹab; she does not belong to God’s nation of Israel. Surely, though, each found in the company of the other some measure of comfort in the face of grief. 13 Finally, Naomi spoke up: “Go, return each one to the house of her mother. The book of Ruth is a love story in more ways than one. 15 He will renew your life and sustain you in your old age. 9-11. “Where you go I will go,” Ruth said to Naomi. Would you remain unmarried for them? 15 He also said, “Bring me the shawl you are wearing and hold it out.” When she did so, he poured into it six measures of barley and placed the bundle on her. She could not bear the thought of adding to their burdens now. It really did seem more practical to remain in Moab. Ruth too was grieving. 20-22. Deuteronomy 25:5. Years after that son died, along with Naomi’s husband and other son, Naomi encouraged her daughters-in-law to go back to their families in Moab. The women there would peer at her and say, “Is this Naomi?” Evidently, her sojourn in Moab had left her much changed; her countenance and bearing showed the mark of years of hardship and grief.​—Ruth 1:19. 9 Watch the field where the men are harvesting, and follow along after the women. (a) To what did Orpah return? There is no indication, whatsoever, in the bible account that they were lesbians. She had family there in Moab, a mother, and a home that was waiting for her. What appears to be happenstance—Ruth gleaning in his field—is actually divine providence. 10 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. 26 Ruth probably neither hoped nor expected to be noticed, but she was. 14 The women said to Naomi: “Praise be to the Lord, who this day has not left you without a guardian-redeemer. The Love of Christ is the Ground of his Saints Love to Him. Naomi was ecstatic; she recognized that someone had shown Ruth special favor. She had shared loneliness, anxiety and grief with Naomi, and now that the older woman was completely alone, Ruth would not abandon her. 6, 7. 12 Although it is true that I am a guardian-redeemer of our family, there is another who is more closely related than I. The Story of Ruth (second panel) Thomas Rooke, 1876, 1 Now Naomi had a relative on her husband’s side, a man of standing from the clan of Elimelek, whose name was Boaz. That, in fact, was why Ruth first came into contact with Mahlon and his family.​—Ruth 1:1. Am I going to have any more sons, who could become your husbands? Leviticus 25:25. Boaz said, “Come over here, my friend, and sit down.” So he went over and sat down. (Num. The book of Ruth is such a touching love story and such a charming tale of emptiness to abundance that we can easily think there is nothing more to it. In what ways would you like to imitate the faith of Ruth? 23. After reading of the wars, raids, and counterraids recorded in the book of Judges, you come to this little book that reminds us that Jehovah never loses sight of peaceable people struggling with everyday problems. 29 How those words must have encouraged Ruth! She did not think that others owed her anything, so she appreciated everything that was offered her. Loyalty. Naomi had been a widow for years now, but she was mourning more recent losses​—the deaths of her two sons, Chilion and Mahlon. As they cut through the barley with their flint sickles, she stooped to pick up what they dropped or left behind, bundled the stalks into sheaves, and carried them off to a spot where she could beat out the grain later. If Naomi was concerned or disappointed, she evidently made sure that she showed her daughters-in-law, Ruth and Orpah, genuine kindness and love. Before either of the young women had borne children, both became widows.​—Ruth 1:5.
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