WHY WAS THE STORY OF RUTH COMPOSED? First, on account of the Lord Christ, who drew his bodily descent from Ruth. Hence, when he was composing the genealogy, St. Matthew passed over women such as Sarah, Rebekah, and the others, who were celebrated for their virtue, but mentioned Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, and even the wife of Uriah, to teach us that God’s only-begotten became man for the sake of all human beings: both Jews and gentiles, sinners and saints. Ruth was a Moabite; Bathsheba was unlawfully joined to the king; Rahab was a prostitute, but gained salvation through faith; and Tamar also distinguished herself by her faith. After all, she did not engage in intercourse with her father-in-law to satisfy her lust, but, as she realized he would not marry his son to her, she filched the planting, so it might blossom into a blessing. Indeed, after that sowing, she received no other, but accepted her widowhood. Anyone could see that Ruth was also motivated by right religion when she left her parents and followed her mother-in-law. According to Scripture, Ruth declared, “May I never leave you behind or turn back from following you! Wherever you go, I shall go, and wherever you lodge, I shall lodge, because your people are my people, and your God my God, and wherever you die, I shall die and be buried. May the Lord do this and more to me, for only death will come between me and you.” Moreover, she made this declaration after her mother-in-law had repeatedly urged her to return to her parents: “Go back, my daughters. Why go with me? Are there any more sons in my womb to be your husbands? Go back, my daughters, because I am too old to be married, and as I said, I have no intention to marry a husband. Even if I should bear sons, surely you would not wait for them to grow up or refrain from marrying a husband for their sakes? No, my daughters, I am sad for you, for the Lord has stretched out his hand against me.” What she means to say is “I am not pregnant, so that you should wait to marry any sons I might bear, and, given my age, I cannot be married off to a husband so that you should wait for me to be married, have children, and raise them. I am the victim of a heaven-sent punishment.” Though the story of Ruth had to be recorded for its Christological significance, this narrative is sufficient of itself to offer great benefit to those who know how to profit by it. Indeed, it teaches us Naomi’s severe misfortunes and commendable patience, the continence of the young wives, and their affection for their mother-in-law, especially Ruth’s, who, moved by a pious heart and the remembrance of her partner, honored even more than her parents an elderly woman, and a pauper at that. It also teaches us about the virtue of Boaz, who not only generously shared his crops with Ruth but also encouraged her: “Do not, daughter, go gleaning in another field; instead, attach yourself to my girls here.” And after bidding her eat and drink with the reapers, he continued, “A report has reached me of all you did for your mother-in-law after the death of your husband and how you left your father and your mother and the land of your birth and travelled to a people you did not know before. May the Lord repay you for your actions, and may you have a full reward from the Lord, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to shelter.” This blessing was fulfilled. She received a full reward from the Lord, when she became ancestress of the blessing of the nations. Boaz not only shared his food with her, but himself waited on her. Without ordering someone else to serve her, he personally provided the barley meal and very generously brought her loaves of bread. Then, when she had eaten her fill, she took the leftovers to her mother-in-law. In return the mother-in-law gratefully blessed her absent benefactor with the words, “May he who took notice of you be blessed, for he has satisfied an empty soul through his dealings with you. He had regard, not for your poverty, but for the Lawgiver, who enjoined the especial care of widows.”

THERE ARE THOSE WHO FIND FAULT WITH NAOMI AND RUTH: WITH THE FORMER, FOR SUGGESTING THAT RUTH SLEEP AT THE FEET OF BOAZ AND WITH THE LATTER, FOR HEEDING AND DOING WHAT NAOMI SUGGESTED.  Since Ruth had heard her mother-in-law say, “That man is related to us; he is one of our next-of-kin,” she recalled his close attention and became convinced that, as her husband’s kith and kin, Boaz wanted to be united with her to preserve the memory of the deceased, as the Law required. This is borne out by what happened next. According to the Scripture, “Ruth said to her mother-in-law, ‘He said, “Attach yourself to my girls until they have finished all the harvest belonging to me.”’” Hearing these words, Naomi suggested that she sleep at the feet of Boaz, but not to sell her beauty, since the words in which she couched her proposal indicate the opposite. As she said, “You will go and uncover the place at his feet and lie down, and for his part he will tell you what you are to do.” This is how confident she was in the man’s continence and righteousness. His actions confirmed these words. In keeping with her mother in-law’s suggestion, when everyone was fast asleep, Ruth lay down at Boaz’s feet. When he asked her who she was, and she reminded him of his relationship to the deceased, he commended her actions, but, without forgetting his continence, in observance of the Law, deferred the marital union. “May you be blessed by the Lord God, daughter,” he declared, “for this act of kindness surpasses your first, as you have not pursued young men, whether poor or rich.” He means to say, “Through your actions you have shown that you did not take this step in thrall to lust; otherwise you would have sought out young men, with no thought for their wealth or poverty, but only for the enjoyment of pleasure. Instead, you have come to a man who plays the part of your father.” Indeed, this is the implication of the word “daughter,” a title with which he addressed her a second time: “As it is, daughter, have no fear. I shall do all you ask. All the tribe of my people knows that you are a woman of strength and that I am, in fact, a close relative.” What he means to say is “No one will blame me, as you enjoy everyone’s good opinion, and I shall undertake this marriage because of kinship rather than lust. Nonetheless, since there is another closer relative, I must first speak with him so that, should he wish, he may marry you as the Law provides. But if he exercises his legal right of refusal, I shall place the yoke of marriage upon you myself.” Such was the man’s virtue that though a lovely young lady visited him at night, he maintained his continence and conducted the matter according to the Law. He did not even rush into marriage in defiance of the Law, but addressed the closer relative on the topic of the marriage. When the latter declined the marriage, then, and only then, did he unite himself to that excellent woman. How admirable his negotiations with that man! He did not begin by raising the question of marriage but first discussed the ownership of the property. Next, when the other gladly accepted the contract, he went on to raise the question of marriage and pointed out that it was only fair for the purchaser of the deceased man’s property to marry his wife as well and preserve the memory of the departed by raising children. When, to avoid the marriage, the other man rejected the contract for the property, he undid his sandal and gave it to Boaz as enjoined by the Law. Then Boaz married Ruth. Moreover, we deduce from his praiseworthy speech that when he agreed to the marriage it was not because he was in thrall to pleasure. As Scripture says, “Boaz declared to the elders and all the people, ‘You are witnesses today that I have acquired from the hand of Naomi all the property of Elimelech and everything belonging to Mahlon and Chilion. In addition, I have acquired Ruth the Moabite, the wife of Mahlon, to be my wife so as to raise up the deceased man’s name over his inheritance to prevent the deceased man’s name from perishing from among his brethren and his tribe.’” The piety and precision of those words deserve admiration. What he means to say is, “In marrying a Moabite woman, I am not breaking, but fulfilling, the divine Law, for it is my goal to rescue from oblivion the memory of the deceased.” The elders endorsed the marriage with the following blessing: “May the Lord make the woman who is coming into your house like Rachel and Leah, who together built the house of Israel, and may he perform mighty deeds in Ephrathah so that there will be in Bethlehem a name famous among all people. May your house be like the house of Perez, whom Tamar bore to Judah, and, through this girl, may the Lord give you offspring from your seed.” The words of the blessing imply that he had had another wife; hence, they mention Rachel and Leah at the same time and then continue, “who together built the house of Israel.” The subsequent “may he perform mighty deeds in Ephrathah so that there will be in Bethlehem a name famous among all people,” foretells the saving birth by which Bethlehem became famous among all people. They mentioned Tamar because, though she was also a foreigner, she gave birth to Perez, from whom King David drew his descent as also David’s descendant, master, son, and Lord. Ruth bore Obed, the father of Jesse, who begat David. Presenting this infant to Naomi, the women declared, “Blessed be the Lord, who today has not allowed you to lack a kinsman so as to proclaim your name in Israel. He will be the one to restore your life.” Now, in its superficial meaning, this refers to the consolation of that ancient woman, but in its deeper and true meaning, to the conversion of the world, since the salvation of the world was to blossom from that stock.