MY PERSPECTIVE, Gary Damron

There's a story of two brothers who came to this country years ago. One married, and asked for help in finding him a wife as well. An aunt in their home country arranged the correspondence, and eventually a proposal for marriage was offered. As the young lady prepared to travel to the US, the older brother asked, "What if she turns out to be the ugliest woman in the world?" The prospective groom answered, "That won't make any difference, because the one who chose her for me feels she is worthy."

More than 16 years ago, I wrote an article titled "Romance meets reality", which referenced the account of Ruth. There's a practical word here for single people. Boaz was a man of standing who was willing to wait for the person God would send. Ruth was a woman of character who placed herself under God's wings. The most important qualities in a marriage are faithfulness to God and loyalty that keeps a covenant over a lifetime. "'...Where two or three have gathered together in My name, I am there in their midst'” (Matthew 18:20).

The Book of Ruth in the Old Testament shows Ruth and Boaz in the earliest days of their relationship, but it is not primarily a romance. It opens with hardship, as famine drove Naomi and Elimelech to move from Bethlehem to Moab. In the foreign land, Naomi's husband and both sons died, leaving Naomi and two Moabite daughters-in-law as widows. Naomi told her neighbors when she arrived back in Bethlehem, "'The Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me… the Lord has brought me back empty… the Almighty has afflicted me” (Ruth 1:20-21).

Naomi's pain was real and her honesty understandable, but the conclusion that God caused her sorrow was incomplete. We find as the story unfolds that God was already at work, rather, for her good. When Naomi kindly urged Ruth and Orpah to return to their homes, Ruth refused. Her touching words are sometimes used even today in marriage ceremonies. "'Your people shall be my people, and your God my God'" (Ruth 1:16). We can look ahead, where Boaz clearly recognized all that entailed. "'You have come to take refuge under the wings of the Lord, the God of Israel'" (Ruth 2:12).

After the two women reached Naomi's homeland, Ruth's steadfastness, quiet integrity, and hard work soon became known throughout the village of Bethlehem. As Boaz and Ruth talked, he pointed to her loyalty to Naomi, and her willingness to leave her homeland and trust in the God of Israel (Ruth 2:11-12). He was drawn, not by her appearance or anything he would gain, but by her virtue. Boaz treated Ruth with dignity and generosity, protecting, providing for her, and speaking words of blessing.

In chapter 3, Ruth approached Boaz at the threshing floor in the culturally understood act of requesting redemption. She placed herself at his feet and asked him to spread his covering over her, as a kinsman-redeemer. Though willing to honor her request, Boaz did not take a shortcut. There was a relative who had first right to the property and to Ruth, and Boaz determined to deal with the matter openly and honorably. You can read all this in the four-chapter Book of Ruth in the Bible.

When the closer relative declined the responsibility, Boaz stepped forward, redeemed Naomi's family property, and took Ruth as his wife. A child born to them in Bethlehem was named Obed, and he became the grandfather of King David. The Old Testament story ends with the neighbors telling Naomi, "'Blessed be the Lord, who has not left you this day without a redeemer… He shall be to you a restorer of life and a nourisher of your old age” (Ruth 4:14-15).

The point of the Book is that God has not left His people without a Redeemer. What looked empty and bitter to Naomi was the very path God used to restore life and advance His plan of salvation. The quiet redemption that began in a barley field in Bethlehem led generation by generation to the true Redeemer, who later entered the world in that same town (Micah 5:2; Luke, chapter 2). God’s faithfulness and dedication make our thoughts doable, the impossible attainable, and the desires of our heart a reality.

As God lives through two people united by marriage, He allows our children to see modeled loyalty to Him first, and then steadfast commitment to spouse and family. The Book of Ruth began with famine, death, and bitterness. It ended with redemption, restoration, and a lineage that led to Christ. Along the way, we see a God who visits His people, provides nourishment, notices the faithful, and who weaves even painful circumstances into His larger purpose of grace. Naomi thought the Almighty had dealt bitterly with her, but she found that her Lord had not left her without a redeemer.

When Ruth set her heart to follow Naomi, the decision led her away from a pagan god into refuge under the wings of the one true God. And she found Boaz, a man of integrity, who was ready to play a part in God's work of redemption. Her monumental choice led to love with a new husband, an heir for her mother-in-law Naomi, and redemption for us.