7 Great Bible Verses From The Book Of Ruth

Here are 7 of the most powerful Bible verses from the Book of Ruth.

A Survey of the Book of Ruth

The Book of Ruth may have been written about 1010 B.C. and likely was written by Samuel the Prophet just prior to his death but there is no mention of the author and ultimately, all Scripture is inspired by the Spirit of God (2nd Tim 3:16-17; 2nd Pet 1:21). This book speaks of God’s kindness toward aliens and sojourners of other nations and of His acceptance of those who are humble in spirit, like Ruth most definitely was. This also has great symbolic meaning and points toward the coming Redeemer of those who trust in Him. Ruth could be pictured as the unworthy sinner, cut off from the God of Israel and Boaz as the kinsmen redeemer, prefiguring Christ as the Redeemer.

Ruth 1:16 “Do not urge me to leave you or to return from following you. For where you go I will go, and where you lodge I will lodge. Your people shall be my people, and your God my God.”

I have heard this verse read at weddings before as the couple vow to one another that they will go wherever their beloved spouse goes and their people (family, friends) will be his/her people, and their God will be their God too. This could also apply to someone who came to saving faith and they could now say your people, the people of God, are now my people and your God will be my God too.

Ruth 1:17-18 “Where you die I will die, and there will I be buried. May the Lord do so to me and more also if anything but death parts me from you.” And when Naomi saw that she was determined to go with her, she said no more.”

What a precious loyalty Ruth shows here to her mother-in-law, Naomi. Naomi tried to dissuade her from going with her but Ruth was determined to go wherever Naomi went. This was somewhat surprising for a Moabite woman to leave her own people and go to a nation (Israel) that considered them a natural enemy.

Ruth 2:10 “Then she fell on her face, bowing to the ground, and said to him, “Why have I found favor in your eyes, that you should take notice of me, since I am a foreigner?”

Ruth, in all her humility, must have pleased God greatly, not to mention, Boaz, who would be her future husband. Here was a Moabite woman, a foreigner, who wanted to live in and become part of the nation of Israel, falling down before Boaz in complete and total submission which is what the sinner must do before the Redeemer, Jesus Christ.

Ruth 2:15-16 “When she rose to glean, Boaz instructed his young men, saying, “Let her glean even among the sheaves, and do not reproach her. And also pull out some from the bundles for her and leave it for her to glean, and do not rebuke her.”

Here is the provision of God as we know that God is the provider of the orphans, the widows, the strangers (aliens), and all the poor as Deuteronomy says “He executes justice for the orphan and the widow, and shows His love for the alien by giving him food and clothing” (Duet 10:18) and He “protects the strangers; He supports the fatherless and the widow” (Psalm 146:9).

Ruth 3:1 “Then Naomi her mother-in-law said to her, “My daughter, should I not seek rest for you, that it may be well with you?”

Naomi might have been bitter at the loss of her husband and sons but she still cared enough about Ruth to seek rest for her and find a home for her among the Israelites. Her goal was “that it may be well with you.”

Ruth 3:16-17 “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, saying, “These six measures of barley he gave to me, for he said to me, ‘You must not go back empty-handed to your mother-in-law.”

Once again, God’s abundant blessing was poured out for these women who couldn’t have possibly provided for themselves. God often uses other people to bless those in need and in this case, God used Boaz and his workers to ensure that Naomi and Ruth would not starve, and even be well provided for with more than enough.

Ruth 4:13-14 “So Boaz took Ruth, and she became his wife. And he went in to her, and the Lord gave her conception, and she bore a son. Then the women said to Naomi, “Blessed be the Lord, who has not left you this day without a redeemer, and may his name be renowned in Israel!”

Just as Christ will wed His betrothed bride, the church, Boaz as the kinsmen redeemer, married Ruth and entered into the lineage of Jesus Christ. This is all about the mercy and grace of God; giving to us what we don’t deserve and abundantly and richly blessing us.

Conclusion

The Book of Ruth might be one of the shortest books in the Bible but it has some of the most powerful verses in the Bible. The analogies between Ruth and the church and between Boaz the kinsmen redeemer and Jesus Christ, our Redeemer, can’t be lost. This is likely the purpose for which this book was written, so that we could read examples of God’s great love for us and see it expressed in the tangible, living history of the nation of Israel.

Article by Jack Wellman

Jack Wellman is Pastor of the Mulvane Brethren church in Mulvane Kansas. Jack is also the Senior Writer at What Christians Want To Know whose mission is to equip, encourage, and energize Christians and to address questions about the believer’s daily walk with God and the Bible. You can follow Jack on Google Plus or check out his book Blind Chance or Intelligent Design available on Amazon.