In the Bible, the book of Ruth is one that’s often overlooked by many people. If you have read it, you know it’s not very long – having only four chapters and less than 90 verses. Yet it’s a story that is very significant for us today. Ruth was a woman of love, faithfulness, and obedience. Let’s take a closer look at her story and how we can still learn from it today.
Who Was Ruth?
When you think of Ruth, what comes to mind? For myself, I think of her faithfulness to her mother-in-law, Naomi. She left her own home and people to follow the mother of her late husband. Although Naomi encouraged her to return to her home, Ruth refused to be separated from her. We see her express this in Ruth 1:16-18.
But Ruth said, “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 will I be buried. May the Lord deal with me, be it ever so severely, if anything but death separates you and me.”
Ruth left everything – her family, her hometown, her culture – to be with Naomi. She loved her mother-in-law that much. Although Ruth was a Gentile, a non-Jewish person who didn’t belong to God’s chosen people, her heart and actions towards Naomi did not go unnoticed by God.
The events of her life seemingly came from the perfect love story. After following Naomi back to Bethlehem in Judah, Ruth ended up winning the favor of Boaz, a kind and generous relative of Naomi. Boaz looked out for Ruth and made sure she had everything she needed. He helped redeem and restore Naomi’s family when he married Ruth.
Not only that, but Ruth also became a part of a royal lineage. The great grandmother of King David, and ultimately an ancestor of Joseph, the husband of Mary, who bore Jesus Christ. (Matthew 1:5)
The Qualities of Ruth
How is it that a gentile woman, who was not a part of God’s chosen and blessed people, was able to receive such great blessings? Let’s take another look at the heart and actions of Ruth.
She abandoned everything she knew to devote herself to the one she loved. How many of us could do the same? To give up your own family and your old life. To convert to a new religion and move to a new place where you will be an outsider. But this heart that Ruth showed for Naomi was a heart that God rewarded.
So Ruth’s story gives us a picture of what pleases God. The kind of heart and devotion that He takes notice of.
Other Gentiles Who Were Blessed by God
Ruth wasn’t the only Gentile whose actions pleased God. We see several examples throughout the Old and New Testament of key people who also didn’t belong to God’s chosen people, but were acknowledged because of their actions.
Rahab, the Prostitute from Jericho
Rahab, a prostitute in Jericho, hid the spies sent by Joshua, the leader of God’s people. Why would she have done that if she didn’t understand that these people were somehow significant? The Israelites and their God were well known throughout the land of Canaan. So Rahab’s understanding of who God and His people were influenced what she did. Her actions led to her and her family being spared when the city fell to the Israelites.
The Roman Centurion
In Matthew 8, we read about a Roman centurion who asked Jesus to heal his servant. This demonstrated his understanding of who Jesus was, and the faith he had in Jesus.
But the centurion replied, “Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof, but only say the word, and my servant will be healed. For I too am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. And I say to one, ‘Go,’ and he goes, and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes, and to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.”
When Jesus heard this, he marveled and said to those who followed him, “Truly, I tell you, with no one in Israel have I found such faith.”
Matthew 8:8-10
Although he was a Gentile, Jesus acknowledged the centurion’s faith as being greater than the Jews – the ones who had been waiting for the Messiah for hundreds of years. The centurion’s faith in Jesus and the action he took to seek Jesus out according to that faith led to his servant being healed. A blessing and miracle that was only being given to Jews at that time.
The Canaanite Woman
In Matthew 15, a Canaanite woman asked Jesus to help her as well. She begged Jesus to heal her daughter who was suffering. And her faith and persistence led to her daughter being healed.
As we can see from these examples, Rahab had learned about the power of God and believed in what she had heard about it. The centurion and Canaanite woman had heard about the power that Jesus had and believed in what they heard. Their faith led to action, and they were blessed by God because of that. It all began with them hearing of and learning about God.
Because they believed in what they heard, their actions led to them receiving the blessing of life – for Rahab’s family, for the centurion’s servant, and the Canaanite woman’s daughter.
What Do Ruth’s and the Other Gentiles’ Stories Have to Do with Us?
What kinds of qualities have we seen from these Gentiles who were blessed? Ruth showed qualities such as devotion, faithfulness, and obedience. Rahab protected God’s people instead of working against them. The centurion displayed a deep faith in the power that Jesus held. The Canaanite woman showed faith and persistence in asking for her daughter to be healed. None of them belonged to the “chosen people” but all were blessed by God.
We should work to develop these qualities as well. By studying God’s word and learning to understand it, it can help us change inwardly and outwardly. Let’s use these examples, especially that of Ruth, to have actions that please God. Ruth left everything she knew and didn’t look back to her old life – and in the end, it led to a life of blessings she never could have expected.
For us as well, as we determine to live our lives for God, let’s show that same devotion, that faithfulness, that obedience to the One we love.
God looks for people with those qualities because they are people whom God can use to do His work here on earth. Great people in the Bible such as Abraham, Moses, David, the prophets, and most importantly, Jesus, all showed qualities God desired. He used these people to fulfill the promises He made.
Let’s Learn from Ruth’s Example
What should we do today as Christians? We should seek to understand God’s Word truly as He intended, and become those who God can work through in order to save others. While it will be challenging, God will help and guide us as we learn more, dig deeper, and try to become children in His image.
As we understand Ruth a little better, I hope we can follow her lead and live a life of deep devotion and love for God.
Written by Kenny
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