The surprising hesed (lovingkindness) of God brings the story of Ruth to a close.

A widow whose life has been so horrible she wants to be identified as Mara (bitter) instead of her given name Naomi (pleasant). But God will not allow her to live into her felt experience. The narrator continues to call her Naomi. There is a grander story of hesed love that she is a part of even if she doesn’t feel it or believe it herself. Eventually she does see it; bitterness is not her true identity, goodness and joy are.

And the person farthest from the covenant community of Israel–Ruth (a foreign woman from despised Maob) becomes the mother through whom God’s blessing comes to her family, the community, and eventually all Israel and the human race. Boaz, the faithful blesser, agrees to redeem Naomi’s lands, marry Ruth and have children. The son born to Ruth is Obed, the grandfather of King David, and great great great….grandfather of Jesus. Ruth is story of God’s surprising love in-grafting a foreign widow into His redemptive plan for all of creation.

Nearly every character in the Old Testament had flaws and failures–except Ruth and Boaz–two of the central characters in the book of Ruth. They demonstrate “hesed” (loyal lovingkindness) to those around them. In Ruth chapter 3 their stories come together in an evening filled with dramatic tension in which both walk in courageous sacrificial loving faithfulness.

Ruth and Naomi are in Bethlehem during the barley harvest. In need of food, Ruth, the young widow goes to “glean” in the fields–collecting what the harvesters do not gather. This is a dangerous endeavor, but Ruth demonstrates loyal lovingkindness to her mother-in-law Naomi, sacrificing her wellbeing for their survival. But, by God’s lovingkindness, she ends up in the field of Boaz, a faithful man who offers her protection, extra provision and the LORD’s Blessing. The God who blesses his people invites her into the blessing.

A drama in 4-acts, Ruth tells the story of tragedy and loss, of bitterness and grief and the faithfulness of God to an unlikely outsider of the people of God. Ruth chapter 1 constantly calls from the Lord to his people–return, return, return to me. But God chooses takes a foreign-born widow and daughter-in-law who demonstrates faithfulness and sacrificial love to reveal his own lovingkindness and plan of redemption to the chosen people.