one of the most emotional narratives in the bible is the one with naomi ruth and boaz the events occurred during the period of the judges about a century before david became king of israel set in the midst of great hardship and tragic laws the story focuses on loyalty and faithfulness that starkly contrasts the pagan mole by culture from which ruth originated the story is also a clear example of god's faithfulness in bringing about his plan of redemption using unexpected partners in amazing ways and during a time of frequent unfaithfulness of god's people the book of ruth begins with an israelite family elimelech naomi his wife and the two sons milan and kilian living in moab originally from bethlehem of judah the family left the land of its inheritance because of a famine boaz was a wealthy man from bethlehem who was mentioned in christ's genealogy he is the son of salma great great-grandfather of king david boaz was descended from nashon the son of a minidab first chronicles chapter 2 verses 10 to 15. ram was the father of a minidab and a minidab the father of nashon the leader of the people of judah nashan was the father of salmon salmon the father of boaz boaz the father of obed and obed the father of jesse jesse was the father of a liab his firstborn the second son was abinadab the third shema the fourth nathaniel the fifth rabbi the sixth ozim and the seventh david he was also a prince of the tribe of judah in the generation of the wilderness he lived in bethlehem in the time of the judges and is described as a man of substance that is a wealthy landowner employing many young men and women on his estate matthew chapter 1 verse 5. salmon was the father of boaz by rahab boaz was the father of obed by ruth and obed the father of jesse he is one of the central characters in the bible book of ruth a sometimes neglected scripture brimming with life lessons and prophetic impact oped king david's grandfather was the son of boaz and ruth everything we read about boaz in the bible is positive he demonstrates that he is a kind charitable and honorable man the book of ruth begins with a sad story about a judean family his wife naomi and their two sons milan and killian flee to the pagan territory of moab because of a famine in their hometown of bethlehem soon after elimelech died leaving naomi with her two sons both of whom had married moabite women unfortunately after 10 years elimelech's sons died as well ruth chapter 1 verses to 5.
in the days when the judges ruled there was a famine in the land so a man from bethlehem and judah together with his wife and two sons went to live for a while in the country of moab the man's name was elimelech his wife's name was naomi and the names of his two sons were milan and kilian they were ephrathites from bethlehem judah and they went to moab and lived there now elimelech naomi's husband died and she was left with her two sons they married moabite women one named orpah and the other ruth after they had lived there about 10 years both milan and kylian also died and naomi was left without her two sons and her husband naomi later learned that the lord had come to his people's aid by providing food for them ruth chapter 1 verse 6 then she set out with her daughters-in-law to return from the country of moab for she had heard in moab how the lord had taken care of his people of judah in giving them food she decides to return to judah and one of her daughters-in-law ruth joins her remarkably naomi and ruth appear in bethlehem at the start of the barley harvest ruth chapter 1 verses 6 to 22 when naomi heard in moab that the lord had come to the aid of his people by providing food for them she and her daughters-in-law prepared to return home from there with her two daughters-in-law she left the place where she had been living and set out on the road that would take them back to the land of judah then naomi said to her two daughters-in-law go back each of you to your mother's home may the lord show you kindness as you have shown kindness to your dead husbands and to me may the lord grant that each of you will find rest in the home of another husband then she kissed them goodbye and they wept aloud and said to her we will go back with you to your people but naomi said return home my daughters why would you come with me am i going to have any more sons who could become your husbands return home my daughters i am too old to have another husband even if i thought there was still hope for me even if i had a husband tonight and then gave birth to sons would you wait until they grew up would you remain unmarried for them no my daughters it is more bitter for me than for you because the lord's hand has turned against me at this they wept aloud again then orpah kissed her mother-in-law goodbye but ruth clung to her look said naomi your sister-in-law is going back to her people and her gods go back with her but ruth replied don't urge me to leave you or to turn back from you where you go i will go and where you stay i will stay your people will be my people and your god my god where you die i will die and there i will be buried may the lord deal with me be it ever so severely if even death separates you and me when naomi realized that the ruth was determined to go with her she stopped urging her so the two women went on until they came to bethlehem when they arrived in bethlehem the whole town was stirred because of them and the women exclaimed can this be naomi don't call me naomi she told him call me mara because the almighty has made my life very bitter i went away full but the lord has brought me back empty why call me naomi the lord has afflicted me the almighty has brought misfortune upon me so naomi returned from moab accompanied by ruth the moabite her daughter-in-law arriving in bethlehem as the barley harvest was beginning ruth worked in the fields as a gleaner picking up leftover grain after the harvesters had passed she was working in a field owned by boaz a member of the elimelech clan ruth chapter 2 verses 1 to 3. now naomi had a relative on her husband's side a man of standing from the clan of elimelech whose name was boaz and ruth the moabite said to naomi let me go to the fields and pick up the leftover grain behind anyone whose eyes i find favor naomi said to her go ahead my daughter so she went out entered a field and began to glean behind the harvesters as it turned out she was working in a field belonging to boaz who was from the clan of elimelech boaz who had already heard about ruth's concern for naomi approaches her and guarantees that she will be taken care of in his field boaz then discreetly instructs his harvesters to leave some grain stocks behind so that ruth will have more to glean ruth is showing compassion and gentleness by boaz in ruth chapter 2 verses 8 to 9. then boaz said to ruth listen carefully my daughter do not go to glean in another field or leave this one but stay here close by my maids watch which field they reap and follow behind them i have commanded the servants not to touch you and when you are thirsty go to the water jars and drink from what the servants draw ruth chapter 2 verses 8 to 9.
