|
The
Story of Ruth & Boaz*
"The story of Naomi, Ruth, & Boaz is one of the gems
of sacred literature - so beautiful that it is not surpassed in any
writings of fiction or fact. The incidents of the story are among the
most fascinating of the entire Bible, marked with poetic beauty and
simplicity. The climax is reached in the romance and marriage between
Ruth and Boaz. But the events of some years prior must be read for one
to fully appreciate this beautiful and happy climax.
Ruth the heroine of the story, was a lovely maiden of Moab, while Boaz
was a nobleman and wealthy citizen of Israel. The Moabites were aliens
to the Israelites, idolaters, and intermixture of the two races was
forbidden by Jewish law. Mutual enmities existed between the two
races.
For economic reasons Naomi, her husband Elimelech, and their two sons
had migrated to the land of Moab from the little Hebrew town of
Bethlehem. Some of the Moabite people were wholesomely influenced by
the piety, devoutness and religious strictness of this family. Ruth
became the wife of one of the sons, and quite evidently a proselyte to
the Hebrew religion. Tragedy came to this Hebrew family in a strange
land. Elimelech and the two sons died , and three lonely widows were
left desolate. When Naomi decided to return to Israel and to her
native town of Bethlehem, Ruth refused to sever her attachment to
Naomi and accompanied her. The depth of her love for her mother-in-
law and her devotion to the Hebrew religion were given expression in
these immortal words:
'Entreat me not to leave thee,
Or to return from following after thee:
For whither thou goest, I will go;
And where thou lodgest, I will lodge;
Thy people shall be my people,
And thy God my God:
Where thou diest, I will die,
And there will I be buried:
The Lord do so to me, and more also,
If ought but death part thee and me.'
In providing for the material needs of herself and her mother-in-law
Ruth followed a law and well established custom in Israel which
provided the privilege of gathering fragments of grain behind the
reapers at harvest time. This was a humiliating and arduous form of
employment followed only by the very poor and needy. The nobility,
industrious disposition, and frugality of Ruth were impressively
manifest in this menial engagement.
Through the strange workings of divine providence it happened that
Ruth was gleaning scattered grain in the wheat fields of the nobleman
Boaz, a distant relative of her deceased husband. While making his
usual rounds of observation among his reapers, Boaz was attracted to
this young woman, and inquired about her identity and sought other
information about her. He made himself known to her as the owner of
the farm and extended unusual courtesies and favors to her. He invited
her to have lunch with him, and the acquaintance soon blossomed into
an enchanting romance. Genuine love for each other throbbed in the
hearts of both. According to the customs in Israel under the
circumstances in which both Ruth and Boaz related, Ruth must take the
lead in presenting her claims for marriage, This she did with timidity
and modesty under the guidance of her mother-in-law Naomi and in
accordance with the customs of Israel. The love and esteem which Ruth
manifested for Boaz were fully reciprocated, and the nobility of his
character shined in superb brilliance and glory. He took the necessary
legal steps to remove all the barriers to marriage between himself and
Ruth, and she soon became his bride. There was born to them a son whom
they named Obed who was later the father of Jesse who was the father
of David. Boaz and Ruth became the ancestors of a long line of kings
who ruled over Israel and Judah, and of the Messiah-Savior."
* As printed in the Heirloom Bible, DeVore & Sons, Inc. Wichita,
Ks.
|
|
!
RUTH
WAS A NATIVE OF MOAB, A PAGAN COUNTRY WHICH WORSHIPPED THE IDOL NAMED
CHAMOS.
!
BOAZ
WAS A VERY WEALTHY KINSMAN OF ELIMELICH, HER LATE FATHER IN LAW, AND
ACCORDING TO MASONIC TRADITION, A FREEMASON. HIS PROMINENCE WAS SO
GREAT THAT KING SOLOMON WAS LATER TO NAME ONE OF THE TWO PILLARS AT
THE ENTRANCE TO THE GREAT TEMPLE FOR HIM. |
