Elimelech’s selfish decision
Because of a famine in the country of Israel, Naomi and Elimelech move to Moab, as the account of their journey begins in the book of Ruth. As the leader of the household, Elimelech decides to leave Israel and put his family outside the boundaries of [God’s covenant]. Seeing Moab’s prosperity, he decides to handle things himself out of concern for his family. His choice results in disaster rather than wealth. Elimelech dies first, and then his two sons pass away after that. Naomi and her two daughters-in-law are left on their own. A foreign-born widow without children. Elimelech’s self-centered choice to remove his family from God’s covenant, which provided them with safety, had terrible repercussions.
Ten years later, having learned that God had provided food for the Israelites and that the famine in Israel had ended, Naomi makes the decision to return to Judah, and Ruth chooses to accompany her. When she returns to Bethlehem, her home town, the populace is roused. The people had watched Naomi depart the country, and her current state as a bitter and lost widow was a sad contrast. She left full, in a prosperous, blissful state, and returned empty.
Ruth’s selfless decision
But neither Naomi nor Elimelech are discussed in the book of Ruth. Surprisingly, it is about Ruth, the Moabitess, Naomi’s daughter-in-law. Staying by Naomi’s side is a brave decision. She uproots herself from her familiar surroundings, including her family, culture, and gods. She does not have to, but she does follow her mother-in-law. She makes the decision to tend to Naomi and seek safety beneath Israel’s God. She chooses in an entirely altruistic manner.
When Ruth decides to ask Boaz to marry her, her selflessness is even more apparent. She descends to the threshing floor, where she lies at Boaz’s feet until he awakens and she begs him to save Elimelech’s land. At first, it doesn’t seem all that unselfish. However… Boaz is in his midsixties. Ruth’s actions are not motivated by love for Boaz. She takes action to restore Naomi’s inheritance and family line out of love for her.
It would have been shocking to the Israelites living under David’s rule, the initial readers of the book of Ruth, to learn that a Moabitess could so eloquently represent God’s love. She is demonstrating her unwavering devotion to her late mother-in-law and her whole allegiance to the Israelite family. This designates her as [David, their king’s] legitimate daughter of Israel and a deserving ancestress. She is a living example of the biblical principle that obedience derived from faith, rather than birth and blood, determines one’s position in God’s kingdom (Ruth 1:16–18). Her position in David’s lineage, which was significant at the time, demonstrates how Jesus, the son of Davidson of David, brings all people into God’s kingdom (Matthew 1:1).
The outcome of Ruth’s decision
Naomi finds optimism and stability in Ruth’s choice to marry Boaz and accompany Naomi to the land of Israel. After Boaz and Ruth get married, their son Obed is born, reestablishing Elimelech’s family lineage. Their social standing is restored and their land is redeemed. Neither the living nor the dead have been abandoned by God’s mercy (Ruth 2:20). God heals a damaged and bereaved family via the unexpected acts of selflessness performed by a foreign woman.
What does this mean for us today?
Ruth devotes her life to a selfless cause. And her selfless decisions lead to restoration. What if we decide to live selflessly? Can we even imagine this? Putting others first doesn’t come naturally. In all of our choices, we think about ourselves first. We want the biggest piece of meat during dinner, wake up in the morning with the thought of how to make this day the best for ourselves, we are prideful, and for the most part, focused on our own success. What would happen if we radically change this? We can take care of ourselves, we can “glean among the ears of grain” like Ruth. We can provide for ourselves. But what is the root of our decisions? The world would look totally different if we would live selflessly.
