God used ordinary individuals to fulfil His grand purpose.
Jesus grandmother Ruth and Bathsheba’s story is a powerful example of someone prepared by God to fulfil His purpose. God could match her with a more suitable partner for a happy marriage. However, He must consider her honour. Ruth 2:1 presents Boaz as a “worthy man” at the beginning. Gibber hail is a Hebrew phrase that signifies wealth, strength, power, and virtue—qualities attributable to Boaz.
It is no coincidence that the book of Ruth, which best illustrates the values of Proverbs 31, comes just after Proverbs. Ruth embodies the traits described in Proverbs 31: devoted, conscientious, hardworking, clever, and generous. Indeed, anyone fortunate enough to be her husband will look good in her eyes.
Ruth’s story is a powerful example of someone prepared by God to fulfil His purpose. God could match her with a more suitable partner for a happy marriage. However, He must consider her honour. Ruth 2:1 presents Boaz as a “worthy man” at the beginning. Gibber hail is a Hebrew phrase that signifies wealth, strength, power, and virtue—qualities attributable to Boaz.
Boaz has likely served as a military commander, given that this is the era of the judges. He now refers to Ruth as his equal and a “worthy woman.” Proverbs 31 leads the portion that describes a noblewoman as “Ezeth hail.” Therefore, a worthy woman finds a worthy man. Jesus grandmother Ruth and Bathsheba were actual examples.
The story of Ruth began when a famine in the land forced a wounded woman, Naomi, her husband, and their two sons to leave Bethlehem and relocate to Moab. Now that the famine is over, she returns alone because her husband and sons have perished in a foreign country.
Elimelech’s decision marked his life with tragedy.
We must recognise God’s use of famine, and the relationship between Israel and Moab is toxic. Moab’s origin stems from the son of Lot, Abraham’s nephew, and Lot’s daughter, who had an incestuous relationship while intoxicated (Genesis 19:30-38).
However, when they ran out of food in Bethlehem, Judah, an Israelite named Elimelech (Ruth 1:2) fled to Moab with his wife Naomi and their sons, Mahlon and Chilion. The sons married Moabite women and eventually met their demise for unknown reasons.
More clarity is needed regarding Elimelech’s dying conditions. Biblical scholars propose various theories that suggest divine judgment. Elimelech may have disobeyed God by fleeing to Moab, the Israelites’ enemy, instead of remaining in the Promised Land.
To be more precise, he sold the family’s divinely granted inheritance to dwell among pagan idolaters. Another comparable view is that although God approved the family’s decision to relocate to Moab, they should have returned sooner. However, they remained in Moab for ten years.
This Bible hints at an underlying cultural motif of that period: the strength and safety of the family depend on the children and grandchildren. Naomi is acutely aware of this, preferring that the boys marry in Moab rather than wait for the family to return to Israel and find spouses among their people.
Naomi rushed back to the place of blessing to set up Jesus grandmother Ruth and Bathsheba.
Deuteronomy 7:1-4 forbade the Israelites from marrying women from the lands driven out of the Promised Land. However, it remains unclear whether it was illegal for an Israelite man to marry a Moabite woman during this time, particularly if she began to worship Yahweh like Rahab. Like Jesus grandmother Ruth and Bathsheba became.
Naomi has been striving to survive for ten years. Initially, she fled to Moab with her husband and two sons during a famine in their hometown of Bethlehem. After her husband passed away, she sought to continue the family line by finding spouses for her sons. Since her boys passed away without having children, Naomi is now rushing once more (Ruth 1:1-5).
In that society and era, widowed and childless women were especially vulnerable due to their lack of support. Naomi does not make her decision to return to Bethlehem lightly. No wonder Jesus grandmother Ruth and Bathsheba were God’s making.
Naomi starts to have second thoughts after they embark on their quest. Returning to Israel has different consequences for younger women compared to older ones. For an elderly Israeli widow, returning to Israel will be challenging enough. More than just starvation will threaten the two young Moabite widows.
Ruth 1:1-7 describes the harrowing journey of Naomi and her daughters-in-law to Bethlehem from Moab, which is located on the east side of the Dead Sea. It remains unclear what occurred and why the women acted as they did.
Even in the face of uncertainty, loyalty was a trait of Jesus grandmother Ruth and Bathsheba.
Most likely, the Moabite women, who may have lived with Naomi for many years before and after their spouses’ deaths, found her to be a friendly, gentle, and compassionate mother-in-law with whom to share their lives, even after their husbands’ passing. Generosity was a hallmark in the lives of Jesus grandmother Ruth and Bathsheba.
The Moabites are Ruth and Orpah. Naomi’s sons have since passed away. They can return to their biological families and seek other spouses to provide stability and a family. Why did they begin to follow Naomi, and why did she attempt to change their ways?
In this tale, a young Moabite widow married to Mahlon becomes a devoted caregiver for her mother-in-law, an Israelite widow. She is so affectionate that she dedicates her entire life to ensuring her mother-in-law receives compensation for her loss.
The more important lesson here is God’s mercy, which extends to widows. In addition to meeting their needs, God integrates Ruth into the royal lineage of King David and the Messiah, Jesus, consistently applying this practice to deserving women of faith, as demonstrated in some posts on this website.
Ruth 4:13 says, “And the LORD gave her conception, and she bore a son.” After providing food for the Israelites, God blessed Ruth with a son who played a crucial role in the reign of King David and the birth of the world’s saviour (Matthew 1:5-16). This demonstrates that God is the driving force behind the events in these books.
The Hittite Bathsheba is the fourth woman listed in Jesus’ genealogy.
Naomi acknowledges that God has shown generosity (Ruth 2:20), and Boaz expresses gratitude to Ruth for her kindness toward Naomi (Ruth 3:10).
God demonstrates His love and covenant faithfulness through the goodness of those who fear Him. Psalm 25:14 says, “The Lord confides in those who fear Him. He reveals to them the intent of his promise.”
The Good News Translation puts it rightly: “The LORD is the friend of those who obey him, and he affirms his covenant with them. “Ruth fulfils these qualities, so she merits God’s promise. Thus, the Lord gave her to Naomi and included her in the lineage of the Messiah.
We know Jacob’s prophecy: “Genesis 49:8-10: Judah, the father of this tribe, will rule over his brothers.” Therefore, Jesus grandmother Ruth and Bathsheba must come through him.
The ten-person list demonstrates the transition from the Patriarchs to David’s legitimate monarchy. In other words, Samuel bolstered support for David against Saul, who was descended from Benjamin rather than Judah.
The Hittite Bathsheba, whom David exploits, will be covered in the last chapter. Solomon, the monarch, was born to her (2 Samuel 11:1-12:25). All four likely started as non-Israelites and entered Israelite culture in questionable ways. Furthermore, according to Matthew 1:3-6, they are the only women mentioned in Jesus’ genealogy, except for Mary, his mother.
The stories of these great women of faith—Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, and Bathsheba—demonstrate that there is no sin God cannot pardon, no loss He cannot redeem, and no adversity He cannot help us endure. He invites us to participate in His plan to assist others, and He will bless us in return. We must emulate these worthy women, Jesus grandmother Ruth and Bathsheba.
