PROFILE OF RUTH, A “LOVELY FRIEND” TO AN OLDER WOMAN
Book of Ruth
The Book of Ruth is one of the most beautiful stories in the Bible. It celebrates loyalty: to God, to family, to each other. Family continuity is achieved through and by women. These women are unlikely heroines: an elderly woman and her non-Israelite daughter-in-law. The preservation of the family, central to Ruth’s story, is linked to the future of Israel: Ruth and Naomi ensure the survival of the nation, personified in Ruth's great-grandson David.
- Friendship: Ruth was poor and a foreigner, but she listened to the advice of an older, wiser woman. In turn, Naomi was rewarded by Ruth's unfaltering loyalty. The message? Courage and ingenuity triumph over misfortune.
- Family: The story of Ruth celebrates the family and the way it continues through many generations. Ruth, a childless widow at the beginning of the story, became the great-grandmother of Israel’s great king, David.
- God's plan: The story of Naomi's family and the way it endured is a universal theme. Even Ruth, a foreigner from the despised Moabites, could move God's plan towards fulfillment.