The book of Ruth seems like a tragic tale of woe in the beginning, but as the story unfolds it reveals much more. God orchestrates famine, widowhood, childlessness, and poverty into an amazing story of provision through the unconventional family relationship of two women. 

Perhaps the most amazing part of the story occurs in Ruth 1:16-17 when Ruth, a Moabite and a foreigner, confesses her loyalty to Naomi, and to her God, the God of Israel. Tom Constable describes the weight of her confession this way, “There is no more radical decision in all the memories of Israel.”⁷¹² 

Carolyn Custis James, in her book The Gospel of Ruth says, “— something takes hold of Ruth that is bigger than both of them. It is as though, in an instant, the floodlights go on in the darkened stadium of Ruth’s soul, bringing the issues into razor-sharp focus. Despite Naomi’s urgings, at its core, this choice is not about geography, family loyalty, or the future. This decision is about God.”³ 

It is about God, but Ruth’s decision plays out in the context of family. In her vow of obedience to the God of Israel, she covenants herself to the care of her mother-in-law. Obedience to God and care for Naomi become one. Ruth’s actions drive the story, becoming a catalyst God uses to bring about redemption of all kinds – including in Naomi herself. 

Their loyal love (hesed) for one another and God’s hesed love for them result in the continuance of the Davidic genealogical line from which our savior is born. Mother-in-law and daughter-in-law become Grandmother and Mother, a blending of Gentile and Israelite bloodlines fulfilling the Abrahamic Covenant. 

Ruth wasn’t seeking to change the world. She was just trying to fulfill her vow to care for her family. Her story is a beautiful reminder that God gives us family to live out our life of faith. They are our inner circle of the ‘one another’s’. We can trust what God will do through our loyal love for our families, knowing He is working all things out according to His will.  

Constable, T. (2003). Tom Constable’s Expository Notes on the Bible (Ru 1:15). Galaxie Software. 

James, Carolyn Custis. The Gospel of Ruth (p. 48). Zondervan Academic. Kindle Edition.