Characters

Ruth

Heroes in BibleForce

Known As

The Faithful and Grandmother of King David

Lessons in the BibleFroce Bible

Where in the Bible?

The Book of Ruth

Stories in the BibleFroce Bible

Did You Know

Ruth was also willing to work in the fields to bring back food for Naomi.

Bio – Ruth

c. 12th–11th century BC

Ruth lived during the time of the judges. She came from the land of Moab, where Naomi and her husband Elimelech had brought their two sons during a time of great famine. There, the sons had married Moabite women, and so Ruth became Naomi’s daughter-in-law.

Sadly, both Elimelech and his sons died, and penniless Naomi decided to return home to her people in Bethlehem. She urged both her daughters-in-law to return to their own families, but Ruth insisted on staying with Naomi wherever she might go, abandoning her pagan gods and choosing to worship Israel’s God.

When they returned to Bethlehem, the two women were very poor. Although Elimelech had an inheritance of land, it could only be recovered for Naomi by a relative acting in Elimelech’s place. It was harvest time, and Ruth insisted on going out into the fields to see if she could gather any spare grain left behind by the harvesters. The field she chose happened to belong to Boaz, a relative of Naomi.

Boaz had learnt of Ruth’s kindness and loyalty to his kinswoman, and so he showed her kindness in turn, telling her to follow behind his workers, to go to no other field, and to take water when she needed it.

When Naomi heard of this, she told Ruth to go to Boaz and ask for his protection. Boaz took Ruth as his wife, and together they became the parents of a baby boy whom they named Obed, bringing joy to Naomi in her old age.

Ruth showed great kindness, humility and loyalty. She refused to leave Naomi, even though her mother-in-law warned that their life in Bethlehem would be hard. She was also willing to work in the fields to bring back food for Naomi. Because of this kindness, Ruth—although she originally came from a pagan nation—was blessed by the Lord and given great honor, for her son Obed became the father of Jesse, the father of David, who would go on to be King of Israel and an ancestor of Jesus Christ.

Copyright ©2020 International Publishing Services (IPS) Sydney Australia

Ruth - The Faithful and Grandmother of King David

Bible Verses About Ruth

Ruth 1:16

But Ruth said:
“Entreat me not to leave you,
Or to turn back from following after you;
For wherever you go, I will go;
And wherever you lodge, I will lodge;
Your people shall be my people,
And your God, my God.

Ruth 4:15

“And may he be to you a restorer of life and a nourisher of your old age; for your daughter-in-law, who loves you, who is better to you than seven sons, has borne him.”

Ruth 2:11-12

“It has been fully reported to me, all that you have done for your mother-in-law since the death of your husband, and how you have left your father and your mother and the land of your birth, and have come to a people whom you did not know before. The Lord repay your work, and a full reward be given you by the Lord God of Israel, under whose wings you have come for refuge.”

Ruth 3:10

Then he said, “Blessed are you of the Lord, my daughter! For you have shown more kindness at the end than at the beginning, in that you did not go after young men, whether poor or rich.”

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