The Gospel in the Old TestamentSample

The book of Ruth is a fascinating book of the Bible. It tells the story of a woman named Naomi, an Israelite living in Moab. Her husband and her two sons die, leaving her with her two daughters-in-law. She decides to come back to Israel, and she tells her daughters-in-law to stay in Moab and remarry. One daughter-in-law, however, insists on following Naomi to Israel. Her name was Ruth.

In Israel, God provides for Ruth and Naomi. Ruth ends up in the field of a man named Boaz, gathering grain left behind by the harvesters. Boaz notices Ruth and loves her immediately.
He goes out of his way to make sure that she is taken care of (see chapter 2). It is soon brought to Ruth’s attention that Boaz is a family redeemer. That means that, as a family member of Naomi’s late husband, Boaz had the right to buy all of the late husband's property and also marry Ruth, to ensure that the family line did not end.

In chapter 4, Boaz does exactly that. He marries Ruth, and they have children. Naomi’s family line continues, and she is able to become a grandmother, something she had long since given up on. Not only that, but the Bible says that Ruth and Boaz had a son named Obed, who had a son named Jesse, who had a son named David. Yes that David! Ruth was the great-grandmother of King David of Israel. And because Jesus was of the House of David, Ruth and Boaz are in the family line of Jesus Himself!

Anyone can see that this is a romantic story. But it is also a picture of the Gospel. Ruth and Naomi were in an awful position. They were widows, trying to survive in a world that did not give them many opportunities. They had both experienced so much death throughout their lives that Naomi began to refer to herself as “Mara,” meaning bitter. They were in a hopeless situation until God brought Boaz into the picture. When he chose to perform the duties of a family redeemer, he brought hope to the hopeless. He brought salvation to a family that had nowhere to turn.

Just like Ruth and Naomi, we also were in a hopeless situation. Our sin had separated us from God, and we had no way back to Him. But then, in walked our Family Redeemer, Jesus Christ. By paying the full price of our sin, Jesus brought Hope to the hopeless. And now all those who trust in Him for Salvation become a part of the Church, the Bride of Christ. He has redeemed us, and now we have hope for the future! Now it can be said of us, as it was of Naomi, “Praise the Lord, who has not left you without a family redeemer.”