In this passage, Elimelech, who lives in Bethlehem in Judah, takes his wife, Naomi, and their two sons, Mahlon and Kilion, to Moab since there is a famine in Judah. Elimelech later dies, and Mahlon and Kilion marry two Moabite women - Ruth and Orpah, respectively. Mahlon and Kilion later die, and Naomi decides to return to Judah after she hears that the Lord has brought an end to the famine there. Orpah initially decides to go with Naomi, but after Naomi reasons with her, she remains in Moab. As for Ruth, she resolves to go with Naomi, not budging even after Naomi attempts to reason with her. Ruth declares that she will remain with Naomi, and so they travel to Bethlehem.
Verses 16 and 17 constitute an amazing declaration of faith by Ruth. When I read through this book, I searched for verses where God was explicitly glorified, and these verses certainly fit that requirement. Even though Orpah could not overcome her devotion to her people and her gods, Ruth rejected her former way of life and embraced the God of Israel. One must wonder how Ruth came to place her trust in God; perhaps the Holy Spirit worked through Naomi, Mahlon and Kilion to make a positive impact on her?
2. Ruth Meets Boaz
In this passage, Naomi sends Ruth to the barley fields to pick up leftover grain, since the barley harvest has just commenced. Ruth ends up in a field that is owned by Boaz, who belongs to the clan of Elimelech. Boaz sees her, and after learning that she has come from Moab with Naomi, he tells her to join his servant girls while she gleans barley. Ruth is amazed by his kindness, and he tells her that he has heard about her leaving her homeland to be with her mother-in-law; he then wishes God's favor to be on her. After Ruth picks up a large amount of grain and threshes it, she returns to Naomi and shows her all that she has gathered. Naomi is overjoyed and tells Ruth to continuing gleaning barley in that field.
While Ruth is the clear heroine of this story, Boaz also plays a critical role here. His warm reception of Ruth, as recounted in verses 11 and 12, show that his actions toward her are free of ethnic and racial biases. The author wants us to see that devotion to God takes precedence over all ethnic and racial distinctions; thus, if a foreigner puts their faith in the God of Israel, they will be blessed. Now I do wonder if the people of Bethlehem chafed at the fact that Boaz treated Ruth so well.
3. Ruth and Boaz at the Threshing Floor
In this passage, Naomi tells Ruth that it is time for her to re-marry (to attain financial stability). She picks out Boaz as a good match for Ruth; she is to wash and perfume herself, putting on her best clothes. After Boaz lies down for the night, she is to uncover his feet and lie down at his feet. Ruth follows her instructions; thus, when Boaz wakes up in the middle of the night, he finds Ruth at his feet. Although Boaz is startled, Ruth asks him to protect her since he is a kinsman-redeemer. Boaz then praises Ruth, yet he notes that there is a kinsman-redeemer who is a closer relation to Elimelech than he. Ruth then returns to Naomi and updates her on the situation.
This is a rather interesting passage; I do wonder if Ruth and Boaz were engaging in a courtship ritual that was common in Israel at that time. In verse 9, Ruth asks Boaz to "spread the corner of your garment over me," and I wonder if that phrase was common in marriage requests at that time. I also wonder if Ruth and Boaz had experienced any feelings for each other before this point in the story. Did Naomi - besides her explicit advice to Ruth - also speak well of her to Boaz before this point in the story?
4. Boaz Marries Ruth
In this passage, Boaz sits down with the above-mentioned kinsman-redeemer and ten of the elders of Bethlehem at the town gate. Boaz then tells the kinsman-redeemer that Naomi is selling the piece of land that belongs to Elimelech, and he offers him the opportunity to buy it. The kinsman-redeemer agrees; then Boaz notes that the kinsman-redeemer will also be marrying Ruth by purchasing the land. At this point the kinsman-redeemer changes his mind and states that he will not purchase the land; then Boaz steps in and purchases it. He declares this fact to the town elders, and they wish him and his family many blessings; in particular, they cite the names of Rachel, Leah, Perez, Tamar and Judah.
I am curious as to what thoughts raced through the mind of Boaz as he was describing the terms of the land purchase to the other kinsman-redeemer. Was he somewhat devastated when the kinsman-redeemer initially agreed to purchase the land that belonged to Elimelech? Did he know all along that the kinsman-redeemer would never agree to marry Ruth, and so he presented the terms of the agreement in two stages in order to surprise him? Was the kinsman-redeemer unaware of Ruth's existence?
5. The Genealogy of David
In this passage, Boaz marries Ruth, and she gives birth to a son, Obed. The women of Bethlehem praise the Lord and extol His virtues - along with those of Ruth and Obed - to Naomi. It turns out that Obed will be the father of Jesse, who will be the father of David. The passage concludes with a description of the family line of Perez, which stems from Perez to David.
Interestingly, Mahlon's name is not mentioned in this passage. I suppose the author wanted to further highlight the prominent role that Boaz played in the entire story; the sidebar in my NIV Study Bible notes that Mahlon's name was presumably preserved in the town records of his family. In any event, Mahlon played a non-trivial role in this story as he married Ruth in the first place...