Who was Ruth in the Bible?
For Ruth’s full story, read the book of Ruth in the Old Testament.
Ruth is a great example of obedience and faithfulness."But Ruth replied...'Where you go I’ll go. Where you stay I’ll stay. Your people will be my people. Your God will be my God'" (Ruth 1:16).Ruth is a woman who is talked about in the book of the Bible that’s named after her—the Old Testament book of Ruth. We read that her husband and father-in-law both died, so Ruth had to make a decision. She could stay in Moab or travel with her mother-in-law Naomi to a place she didn’t know. That unknown place was called Bethlehem. Since Ruth loved Naomi very much, she decided to go with her to Bethlehem.
Once they arrived in Bethlehem, Ruth went out to the fields to collect grain. While in the field, she became friends with a man named Boaz. Since Boaz owned the land, he made sure she was safe while working in the field and that she had time to rest.
Naomi instructed Ruth to follow the custom of the day to get to know Boaz better. Ruth was obedient to her mother-in-law and did what she asked. Later, Boaz and Ruth were married and God gave them a son (Obed), a grandson (Jesse), and a great-grandson (David). You may remember that Jesus was born from the line of David, so Ruth was blessed to be an ancestor of Jesus!
What can we learn from Ruth? God calls us to honor and obey our parents. How do we do this? By following Ruth’s example:
•Ruth honored Naomi by taking care of her and helping with daily chores.
•Ruth obeyed Naomi by listening to her instructions and following her advice.
