Praying All of Scripture: Ruth
Author: Daniel Owens, PhD
May 28, 2026
Eighth in a series.
Ruth 1:1–6
1In the days when the judges ruled there was a famine in the land, and a man of Bethlehem in Judah went to sojourn in the country of Moab, he and his wife and his two sons. 2The name of the man was Elimelech and the name of his wife Naomi, and the names of his two sons were Mahlon and Chilion. They were Ephrathites from Bethlehem in Judah. They went into the country of Moab and remained there. 3But Elimelech, the husband of Naomi, died, and she was left with her two sons. 4These took Moabite wives; the name of the one was Orpah and the name of the other Ruth. They lived there about ten years, 5and both Mahlon and Chilion died, so that the woman was left without her two sons and her husband. 6Then she arose with her daughters-in-law to return from the country of Moab, for she had heard in the fields of Moab that the Lord had visited his people and given them food.
Ruth 1:16–18
16But Ruth said, “Do not urge me to leave you or to return from following you. For where you go I will go, and where you lodge I will lodge. Your people shall be my people, and your God my God. 17Where you die I will die, and there will I be buried. May the Lord do so to me and more also if anything but death parts me from you.” 18And when Naomi saw that she was determined to go with her, she said no more.
Ruth 1:20–21
20She said to them, “Do not call me Naomi; call me Mara, for the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me. 21I went away full, and the Lord has brought me back empty. Why call me Naomi, when the Lord has testified against me and the Almighty has brought calamity upon me?”
Ruth 2:1–3
1Now Naomi had a relative of her husband’s, a worthy man of the clan of Elimelech, whose name was Boaz. 2And Ruth the Moabite said to Naomi, “Let me go to the field and glean among the ears of grain after him in whose sight I shall find favor.” And she said to her, “Go, my daughter.” 3So she set out and went and gleaned in the field after the reapers, and she happened to come to the part of the field belonging to Boaz, who was of the clan of Elimelech.
Ruth 2:11–12
11But Boaz answered her, “All that you have done for your mother-in-law since the death of your husband has been fully told to me, and how you left your father and mother and your native land and came to a people that you did not know before. 12The Lord repay you for what you have done, and a full reward be given you by the Lord, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge!”
Ruth 3:8–9
8At midnight the man was startled and turned over, and behold, a woman lay at his feet! 9He said, “Who are you?” And she answered, “I am Ruth, your servant. Spread your wings over your servant, for you are a redeemer.”
Ruth 4:9–10
9Then Boaz said to the elders and all the people, “You are witnesses this day that I have bought from the hand of Naomi all that belonged to Elimelech and all that belonged to Chilion and to Mahlon. 10Also Ruth the Moabite, the widow of Mahlon, I have bought to be my wife, to perpetuate the name of the dead in his inheritance, that the name of the dead may not be cut off from among his brothers and from the gate of his native place. You are witnesses this day.”
Ruth 4:13–17
13So Boaz took Ruth, and she became his wife. And he went in to her, and the Lord gave her conception, and she bore a son. 14Then the women said to Naomi, “Blessed be the Lord, who has not left you this day without a redeemer, and may his name be renowned in Israel! 15He shall be to you a restorer of life and a nourisher of your old age, for your daughter-in-law who loves you, who is more to you than seven sons, has given birth to him.” 16Then Naomi took the child and laid him on her lap and became his nurse. 17And the women of the neighborhood gave him a name, saying, “A son has been born to Naomi.” They named him Obed. He was the father of Jesse, the father of David.
***
After the horror show of Judges, the Book of Ruth comes to us as a romantic comedy, not in the “ha ha!” but in the literary sense—a narrative that moves from disorder to order, from tension to resolution, and ends in restoration or renewal. The story in Ruth begins with hardship and ends with a happy wedding. What happens in Ruth is a microcosm of the larger divine comedy of Scripture.
The story begins with the falling fortunes of our heroine, Naomi. She crosses over to Moab from Judah during a famine with her husband and her two sons. Her husband dies, and her sons take Moabite wives. Then her sons die (1:1–5). Some years later, the return of grain to Bethlehem (meaning “house of bread”) is a welcome opportunity for Naomi to return to Judah (1:6).
However, upon her return, Naomi (meaning “pleasant”) prefers to be called Mara (meaning “bitter”) because she left Bethlehem full but returned empty (1:20–21). Naomi blames God for this outcome, but she has no idea that the gift she needs is already with her. Her daughter-in-law Ruth clings to her and to her God, in spite of Naomi’s misfortune and anger. Naomi is truly a human character, the kind of person with whom we can relate. She is often more honest with God and with others than we are.
Naomi’s dark bitterness gives us an opportunity to see the light of God’s grace. Indeed, from the first verses of chapter 2, we see God’s grace at work. Ruth takes initiative to glean grain, and she “happened to come to the part of the field belonging to Boaz,” the relative of Naomi’s husband who is a noble man and can redeem Elimelech’s property (2:1–3).
Boaz recognizes the covenant commitment of Ruth to her mother-in-law and her faith in God, “under whose wings you have come to take refuge” (2:11–12). Seeing the possibility for a brighter future, Naomi sends Ruth by night to the threshing floor to seek Boaz’s help (3:1–4). Ruth follows through and asks Boaz to extend his wings over Ruth, to be her refuge (3:8–9). The sprouting romance between Ruth and Boaz is God’s means to provide refuge for Ruth and Naomi. It shows how God works through ordinary people of faith to carry out his plans.
The story reaches its climax as Boaz secures the right of redemption of Elimelech’s property as well as the hand of Ruth in marriage (4:9–10). They come together, and Ruth bears a son to fill Naomi’s once empty lap with the human sign of God’s faithfulness (4:13–16).
But this is no mere sign of God’s love for one woman—the son Obed becomes the father of Jesse, the father of David, Israel’s beloved king and ancestor to Jesus according to the flesh. God uses faithful people, who trust him and follow his ways, to carry out his plans. Through this quiet and beautiful comedy, we see God moving his plans forward to bless the world with a true redeemer, who will one day rescue us from all hardship and loss.
And so we can pray,
Our Father, the God of all mercies, who meets us in our emptiness and bitterness with your tender care through the faithful and quiet service of your people, help us to seek refuge under your wings, to recognize the events you quietly guide for your glory and our good, so that we can praise you and place our hope in the Lord Jesus, who will one day return to bring us to yourself. In his name, amen.
Daniel Owens is NCC’s Pastor of Discipleship. Earlier chapters in this series will be found in the NCC Blog.
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