Naomi and Ruth’s Family Redeemer

BY Jen Yokel

When I first learned about the Bible when I was younger, I thought of Ruth as the Scripture’s equivalent of a sweet love story. I suppose, read simply, it is. Ruth’s story isn’t about kings and conquerors, and you won’t find a supernatural miracle or prophetic vision in these pages. It’s a simple story about ordinary people surviving through pain and finding life and love again. But Ruth’s story is a small-scale version of a greater redemptive arc we see all through Scripture. It’s a small picture of the unfolding love story between humanity and a God who says, “you are precious in my sight and honored, and I love you” (Isaiah 43:4).

We see this redemption when the women of Bethlehem bless Naomi’s newfound joy. A woman who came to her hometown destitute and brokenhearted has not been forgotten. So they proclaim, “Blessed be the LORD, who has not left you without a family redeemer today” (Ruth 4:14). Remember, she intended to go back to Bethlehem alone, believing herself too old and broken ever to have a family again. But through Ruth’s stubborn loyalty and Boaz’s kindness, God has restored what life has stolen from her.

And it doesn’t end there. Ruth’s son Obed will grow up to become a father himself—and the grandfather of the legendary King David. And many generations later, a priest named Zechariah, no stranger to feeling destitute and forgotten, will sing over his miracle baby. He will see his son John’s role in heralding the coming Messiah, and he will bless the Lord, “because he has visited and provided redemption for his people. He has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David” (Luke 1:68–69).

Why does Ruth’s story matter? Because it’s more than a romantic fairy tale. Ruth shows us how God uses ordinary people to redeem and restore in the darkest of times. It’s a story of a foreigner finding a home among God’s people and the role of two widows in the lineage of David and, ultimately, Jesus Christ. 

Most of all, it’s a reminder of who God is, the One who is always in the business of redemption.