However, the story clearly presents Ruth as a hero, for she exhibits several important qualities, valued in the ancient world and in the Bible overall.
Loyalty
Ruth is loyal to her mother-in-law, Naomi. Though the older woman, after the death of her husband, Elimalech, and their two sons, encourages Ruth and her other daughter-in-law, Orpah, to stay in Moab, where they could meet other men, potential husbands, from their own nation. Naomi feels God has been harsh with her, calling herself "Mara" (meaning bitter). But, while Orpah stays in Moab, Ruth will not be dissuaded from coming with Naomi to Israel. She clings to her mother-in-law, promising to stay with her until death.
Diligence
Once she is in Israel, Ruth works hard to provide for herself and her mother-in-law, gleaning in the fields of one of Naomi's kinsmen, Boaz. In fact, Boaz notices the young foreign woman working with his gleaners and offers her protection, food (to take to her mother-in-law as well), and eventually love and marriage. As a near relative, he is in a position to do that, following the Levirate law, but he has to buy out the closer relative. This is all part of the providential plan that brings Ruth to Israel, but her own personal diligence is part of what draws the couple together.
Kindness
When Boaz gives Ruth grain, she makes sure to take it home to Naomi. Her unwillingness to leave her mother-in-law shows a concern for the older woman's welfare. Certainly, Ruth was a protection to Naomi as the two women travelled back to Israel together. And when Boaz and Ruth eventually have a son, Obed, Ruth lets Naomi become his nurse. The other women say to the happy grandmother that Ruth is better than seven sons.
The story of Ruth shows that these qualities of loyalty, diligence and kindness can be found even among those from other nations. Ruth is drawn to the faith of her mother-in-law, as she says to her, "Your God shall be my God." Her other personal virtues flow from her act of faith, a strong faith seen in her abandoning her home land – in a way similar to Abraham's journey of faith that led to the start of Israel in the first place. "Your people shall be my people," she says.
But the story is not simply showing assimilation, as if Ruth is being subsumed by a triumphant Israel. As she mentions to Boaz, she is "different" from the women of Israel. She keeps her identity throughout the story. She is an individual. What is also interesting about the story is that it focuses on the friendship of two women, with their relationship taking up much of the earlier portion of it. Ruth clings to Naomi in love, and her relationship with Boaz is a direct result of her relationship with Naomi.
The result is that Ruth becomes part of a very important family line. Her son, Obed, is the father of Jesse, the father of King David. And, it is significant for Christians that she is also in the family line of Jesus Christ. (She is one of only a few women named in the genealogy of Jesus in Matthew's Gospel).
In the last few "Inside the Core" postings, I have mentioned how we should treat "the stranger" in connection with immigrants and refugees today, and also in connection with the story of Exodus. The story of Ruth continues the same theme. Just as Ruth and Orpah apparently welcomed and treated kindly the four who came to them from Israel, Naomi (and the three males who passed away), though they were strangers in their land, coming from an "enemy" land, so Ruth is welcomed by Naomi's people when she comes with her to the land of Israel. Boaz makes sure the gleanings that the Jewish law insisted be left for the poor be available to her. In other words, Ruth is allowed to partake of the provision given for those in need of the people of Israel. This story, along with so many others like it in Scripture, show the right way to treat those who come to us from other places, and the many rewards that come to those who do treat strangers with love and kindness.
