WHERE’S THE GOSPEL IN RUTH? by Rachel Green Miller for Core Christianity
He has brought me to his banquet hall, and his banner over me is love.” (Song of Sol. 2:4)
“And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband.” (Rev. 21:2)
The story of Ruth is often told like a biblical fairytale. A poor, young widow from a strange country follows her widowed mother-in-law to a new land. While working hard in the fields to provide food for the two of them, she catches the eye of the unmarried, wealthy landowner. After a meet-cute in the field, her mother-in-law (fairy godmother) concocts a plan to secure the handsome landowner (prince). The daring plot works! The story ends with a (royal) wedding and a baby. And they lived happily ever after.
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It’s a compelling story, but is that what we’re supposed to take away from the book of Ruth? Aside from the royal genealogy that connects Ruth to King David and eventually to Jesus, how does the biblical account point us to Christ and the gospel? Ruth is filled with rich gospel themes of salvation and redemption.
A Parable of Israel
In a recent Sunday School lesson, my pastor pointed out that the book of Ruth is actually Naomi’s story.1 The book begins with Naomi and her family leaving Israel and moving to Moab because of the famine. Naomi loses her husband and children and returns to Israel “bitter,” empty, and afflicted:
Do not call me Naomi; call me Mara, for the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me. I went away full, but the LORD has brought me back empty. Why do you call me Naomi, since the LORD has testified against me and the Almighty has afflicted me?
Ruth ends with a complete reversal of Naomi’s situation. Naomi is blessed, restored, and honored:
Then the women said to Naomi, “Blessed is the LORD who has not left you without a redeemer today, and may his name become famous in Israel. May he also be to you one who restores life and sustains your old age; for your daughter-in-law, who loves you and is better to you than seven sons, has given birth to him.” Then Naomi took the child and laid him in her lap, and became his nurse.
Ruth is Naomi’s story from beginning to end, and Naomi’s story is a real-life parable of Israel’s history. When the Israelites entered the promised land, God told them that if they obeyed His commands, they would live in the land, and the land would be blessed. If they disobeyed, the land would be desolate and barren, and they would be carried off by their enemies (Deut. 28). God also promised that when they disobeyed and all these terrible things had taken place, He would restore them and bless them (Deut. 30:1-7).
