| International Bible Studies |
LESSON FOR AUGUST 7, 1983
Naomi and Ruth:
Shared Loyalty
KEY VERSE: “Entreat me not to leave thee, or to return from following after thee: for whither thou goest, I will go; and whither thou lodgest, I will lodge: thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God.” —Ruth 1:16
SELECTED SCRIPTURE: Ruth 1:16-20; 3:1-5; 4:13-17
THIS beautiful story tells of a Hebrew woman, Naomi, who with her husband moved to Moab to live. In time, her husband and two married sons died, leaving Naomi and two daughters-in-law, Ruth and Orpha, who were Moabites. Naomi became discouraged and decided to return to her native country. She discussed her decision with Ruth and Orpha, advising them to remain in Moab since that was their homeland. Orpha chose to stay, but Ruth loved Naomi so much that she was willing to renounce all her connections and prospects in the land of Moab, and embrace hardship and penury in a strange country. She was determined to cling to Naomi, however destitute and afflicted, until death separated them. To show sincerity in her vow, she called upon the Lord as a witness. By taking this stand she renounced idolatry, and became a worshiper and servant of the living God, and counted everything in the past as loss for God’s favor and salvation. Her subsequent conduct proved that her faith was genuine and her profession sincere.
When Naomi and Ruth were settled in Bethlehem, Ruth immediately went into the field of Boaz, a relative of the husband of Naomi, to glean barley. The conduct of Ruth came to the attention of Boaz, and he showed her much kindness. When Ruth asked concerning this kindness, Boaz replied, “It hath fully been showed me, all that thou hast done unto thy mother-in-law since the death of thine husband; and how thou hast left thy father and thy mother, and the land of thy nativity, and art come unto a people which thou knewest not heretofore. The Lord recompense thy work, and a full reward be given thee of the Lord God of Israel, under whose wings thou art come to trust.”—Ruth 2:11,12
The Law of Israel required that a brother must marry the widow of his brother, if there were no children. This law was by custom extended to other near relations when there were no brothers, and it will be remembered that Boaz was a distant relative of Naomi’s husband. By the design of Naomi and surely with the Lord’s overruling providence, Boaz eventually married Ruth who, by an extension of the Law, was considered to be a daughter of Naomi.
After the marriage, Boaz said, “Ruth … have I purchased to be my wife, to raise up the name of the dead upon his inheritance, that the name of the dead be not cut off from among his brethren, and from the gate of his place: ye are witnesses this day. And all the people that were in the gate, and the elders, said, We are witnesses. The Lord make the woman that is come into thine house like Rachel and like Leah, which two did build the house of Israel, and do thou worthily in Ephratah, and be famous in Bethlehem. (Mic. 5:2) And let thy house be like the house of Pharez, whom Tamar bare unto Judah, of the seed which the Lord shall give thee of this young woman.”—Ruth 4:10-12
In due time Ruth bore Boaz a son, and the women said to Naomi, “Blessed be the Lord, which hath not left thee this day without a kinsman, that his name may be famous in Israel. And he shall be to thee a restorer of thy life, … for thy daughter-in-law, which loveth thee, which is better to thee than seven sons, hath born him. And Naomi took the child and laid it in her bosom, and became nurse unto it. And the women, her neighbors, gave it a name, saying, There is a son born to Naomi; and they called his name Obed.”—Ruth 4:14-17
By the Lord’s overruling providence, Obed became a link in the line that produced David. The genealogy as recorded in Ruth 4:20-22 is as follows: “Amminadab begat Nahshon, and Nahshon begat Salmon, and Salmon begat Boaz, and Boaz begat Obed, and Obed begat Jesse, and Jesse begat David.”