In the Book of Ruth God uses three widows to explain how His people “experience his sovereignty, wisdom, and covenant kindness.” according to my ESV introduction. Also, the Book of Ruth takes place during the time of the Book of Judges.
Naomi is the mother-in-law, Ruth and Orpah are her daughters-in-law. Naomi went back to her hometown of Bethlehem and her daughter-in-law Ruth went with her, while her other daughter-in-law Orpah turned back and stayed in Moab.
Once in Bethlehem, Ruth got a job gleaning barley in a field owned by Naomi’s relative Boaz.
Chapter 3 deals with Boaz waking up one morning and finding himself lying feet to feet with Ruth on the threshing floor. Today’s verse is about Naomi asking Ruth about what happened.
16 And when she came to her mother-in-law, she said, “How did you fare, my daughter?” Then she told her all that the man had done for her,
Ruth 3:16 (ESV)
Boaz then marries Ruth after checking with another relative who was technically before Boaz. He redeemed the life of Ruth and Naomi. He was their redeemer just as Jesus is our redeemer.
As always, may God nudge you to dig deeper and read the entire Book of Ruth. It’s only 4 chapters.
God bless you.
FYI – I will have more to say about Naomi, Ruth, and Orpah on Tuesday, I hope.
Bio: Michele Kearns is the founder and HUG© (Hope Unites Globally) Award-Winner of JoyReturns. She shares her widowhood adventures hoping to inspire widows to move through grief and rebuild their lives. A graduate of Kent State University with a Bachelor’s degree in communications, she’s currently using those skills as a virtual contact center representative for a Fortune 100 company. She’s also managed call center teams, co-facilitated a grief support group, and helped small businesses with various writing assignments. Michele loves Jesus, books, history, music, chocolate, red roses, and golden retrievers. She is also the amateur photographer behind the blog OgleOhio.com.
JoyReturns 