"1And Naomi had a kinsman of her husband's, a mighty man of wealth, of the family of Elimelech; and his name was Boaz. 2And Ruth the Moabitess said unto Naomi, Let me now go to the field, and glean ears of corn after him in whose sight I shall find grace. And she said unto her, Go, my daughter." (Ruth 2: 1-2)
Naomi could not see past her own circumstances, but that did not stop Ruth from looking for something better. "Let me now go to the field. . in whose sight I shall find grace." Ruth could not hope to earn anything in Bethlehem, since as a Moabite, she was part of cursed race of people. She would have to rely on the favor of someone else if she hoped to make it.
"An Ammonite or Moabite shall not enter into the congregation of the LORD; even to their tenth generation shall they not enter into the congregation of the LORD for ever:" (Deuteronomy 23: 3)
Yet Ruth was not conscious of the law, to begin with, so that God's grace could flow without hindrance in her life.
Ruth "wandered" into the field of Naomi's near kinsman, Boaz! Boaz more than blessed Ruth, and by extension Naomi:
"So she gleaned in the field until even, and beat out that she had gleaned: and it was about an ephah of barley. 18And she took it up, and went into the city: and her mother in law saw what she had gleaned: and she brought forth, and gave to her that she had reserved after she was sufficed. 19And her mother in law said unto her, Where hast thou gleaned to day? and where wroughtest thou? blessed be he that did take knowledge of thee. And she shewed her mother in law with whom she had wrought, and said, The man's name with whom I wrought to day is Boaz. 20And Naomi said unto her daughter in law, Blessed be he of the LORD, who hath not left off his kindness to the living and to the dead. And Naomi said unto her, The man is near of kin unto us, one of our next kinsmen." (Ruth 2: 17-20)
God did not seem showing kindness to Naomi, which He showered on her through Ruth. Just as "the goodness of God leads to repentence" (Romans 2: 4), so too this sudden showing of favor changed Naomi's attitude about God.
Yet God was not finisshed, and now Naomi was quickened with what to instruct Ruth to do next:
"1Then Naomi her mother in law said unto her, My daughter, shall I not seek rest for thee, that it may be well with thee? 2And now is not Boaz of our kindred, with whose maidens thou wast? Behold, he winnoweth barley to night in the threshingfloor. 3Wash thyself therefore, and anoint thee, and put thy raiment upon thee, and get thee down to the floor: but make not thyself known unto the man, until he shall have done eating and drinking. 4And it shall be, when he lieth down, that thou shalt mark the place where he shall lie, and thou shalt go in, and uncover his feet, and lay thee down; and he will tell thee what thou shalt do. 5And she said unto her, All that thou sayest unto me I will do." (Ruth 3: 1-5)
With the goodness showed to Ruth, Naomi then moved for her daughter-in-law to propose herself to Boaz, that he would become her kinsman-redeemer. He gladly accepted, and they were married, and with her child Obed, the line of Elimelech and Naomi continued.
Read what happened:
"13So Boaz took Ruth, and she was his wife: and when he went in unto her, the LORD gave her conception, and she bare a son. 14And the women said unto Naomi, Blessed be the LORD, which hath not left thee this day without a kinsman, that his name may be famous in Israel. 15And he shall be unto thee a restorer of thy life, and a nourisher of thine old age: for thy daughter in law, which loveth thee, which is better to thee than seven sons, hath born him.
"16And Naomi took the child, and laid it in her bosom, and became nurse unto it. 17And the women her neighbours gave it a name, saying, There is a son born to Naomi; and they called his name Obed: he is the father of Jesse, the father of David." (Ruth 4: 13-17)
While the accounts is called "The Book of Ruth", the account also shows how God took Naomi from "bitter to better". She lost her husband and her two sons, yet through Ruth, who was better to her than seven sons, she receive an heir through the wealthy kinsman-redeemer Boaz, a type of our Lord Jesus Christ. Not only that, but Naomi's youth and vitality were restored, such that she started to nurse the child.
For the record, old women do not usually nurse children. Nothing short of a miracle took place, so that Naomi could nurse another child, more than making up for the two sons whom she had lost.
Above all, the LORD God was blessed in blessing everyone. The child Obed born to Ruth and Boaz would become a descendent of David the Great King, and from that Great King came the King of Kings, who is the restorer of life to all of us, and a nourisher even in our old age, even in our deepest bitterness.
In fact, God takes our bitterness and makes it "betternes", as long as we look to our Kinsman-Redeemer, Jesus, and keep receiving His grace.
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