Ruth Who Was Great-Grandmother of King David
Did you know that Ruth was a non-Jewish woman and those people worshiped Chemosh, the goddess of Moab?
Ruth was a non-Jewish woman, yet God gave her great status and her name appears in the Bible. Ruth was the woman who was faithful to her mother-in-law and left her religion and began to believe in the God of the Jews.
Introduction
Ruth belonged to Moab, a nation that did not have good relations with Israel. She lived with her husband and mother-in-law, their financial conditions were not good and they migrated from their locality to other places for livelihood. While there, Ruth’s mother-in-law, whose name was Naomi, her husband and sons died. It was a very difficult phase for Naomi and Ruth. Ruth’s mother-in-law became very tolerant. She began to count herself among the dead. She asked her daughters-in-law, one of whom was Ruth, to go to their house. But Ruth supported her mother-in-law in this difficult time. This shows that Ruth was a faithful and loving woman. There were some events in her life that God made Ruth the great-grandmother of King David.
Verse
But Ruth replied, “Don’t urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God. (Ruth 1:16)
Verse
Where you die I will die, and there I will be buried. May the Lord deal with me, be it ever so severely, if even death separates you and me.” (Ruth 1:17)
Loyalty of Ruth With Naomi
Naomi was devastated after losing her husband and her son, but she wanted her daughter-in-law to start a new life. Ruth said that she loved Naomi very much and would stay with her. Ruth said to her mother-in-law that “what will be her homeland will be my homeland, what she wants is what I will want.” This shows that Ruth loved her mother-in-law very much and did not want to leave her during this difficult time. Ruth’s compassion and loyalty gave Naomi courage and a chance to live again. They both went to Bethlehem and spent the rest of their lives there.
Verse
But Ruth replied, “Don’t urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God. (Ruth 1:16)
Verse
Where you die I will die, and there I will be buried. May the Lord deal with me, be it ever so severely, if even death separates you and me.” (Ruth 1:17)
Hard Work of Ruth
Ruth came to Bethlehem with her mother-in-law and they both thought to live there. They did not have the means to live and eat. To support herself, Ruth started working in the fields and supported herself and her mother-in-law by doing hard labor. Because of Ruth’s hard work, she gained popularity in the eyes of Boaz.
Verse
So she went out, entered a field and began to glean behind the harvesters. As it turned out, she was working in a field belonging to Boaz, who was from the clan of Elimelek. (Ruth 2:3)
Verse
Boaz asked the overseer of his harvesters, “Who does that young woman belong to?” (Ruth 2:5)
Marriage of Ruth And Boaz
Ruth’s intentions were very pure. Because of her hard work, loyalty and dedication, Boaz thought of making her his wife. Naomi also explains to Ruth that Boaz is a great guy so you should talk to him and make a connection. Ruth followed Naomi’s advice, which resulted in Boaz marrying Ruth. God made Ruth, who was a non-religious woman, the great-grandmother of David, the great king of Israel. It shows that if a person’s intention is pure and he acts with full honesty, then God blesses him.
Verse
So Boaz took Ruth and she became his wife. When he made love to her, the Lord enabled her to conceive, and she gave birth to a son. (Ruth 4:13)
Verse
The woman living there said, “Naomi has a son!” And they named him Obed. He was the father of Jesse, the father of David. (Ruth 4:17)
Great-Grandmother of King David
God looks at intentions instead of a person’s worldly levels. We can see an example of this in the form of Ruth, a non-religious woman who always acted with honesty, loyalty and love. God made her the great-grandmother of Israel whose name was David. Actually, when Ruth and Boaz got married, as a result of their love, a son was born, whom they named Obed. When Obed grew up, he was also got married, and a son was born to them, named Jesse. When Jesse got married, he had a son named David. Thus Ruth became David’s great-grandmother and God gave this great honor to Ruth because of her faithfulness, honesty and love.
Verse
Salmon the father of Boaz, Boaz the father of Obed, (Ruth 4:21)
Verse
Obed the father of Jesse, and Jesse the father of David. (Ruth 4:22)
Frequently Asked Questions
Conclusion
God is kind not only to religious people but also to non-religious people and Ruth is an example of this. Ruth was a non-religious woman, but God chose her and made her the great-grandmother of David. Ruth’s compassion, love and loyalty brought her to this point because she sympathized with her mother-in-law and promised loyalty. Then she worked hard for livelihood. God rewarded her in the form of Boaz. Boaz married her. This marriage made her financial situation better. God gave her greatness when he made her the great-grandmother of David. It shows that hard work, loyalty, honesty and love are very important to get close to God.
Verse
But Ruth replied, “Don’t urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God. (Ruth 1:16)
Verse
Obed the father of Jesse, and Jesse the father of David. (Ruth 4:22)
