Olakunle’s Summary of Ruth 1-4

Bible Summary Ruth 1-4

Ruth Chapter 1: Elimelech, his wife Naomi, and their sons Mahlon and Chilion find themselves in a season of judgment. The territory of Judah around Bethlehem is in such a severe famine the family flees to Moab. Elimelech and Naomi's time in Moab is no kinder; within ten years, Elimelech, Mahlon, and Chilion are dead, and Naomi is left with two Moabite daughters-in-law. Meanwhile, God has blessed Bethlehem again. Naomi hears the famine is over. She would rather live out her heartbroken and destitute days among her own people than in Moab, so she plans to return home. Her daughters-in-law, Orpah and Ruth, insist on coming with her, showing a level of love and faithfulness uncommon even in Israel. Naomi cannot bear it. She can give the two women nothing in Israel. In Moab, at least they have a chance to find new husbands and new lives. Orpah reluctantly agrees and returns home. Ruth refuses to leave Naomi's side, Naomi tries to persuade her stubborn daughter-in-law, but Ruth will have none of it. Naomi is her family, so the Israelites must be her people and the Israelite God must be her God. Despite Naomi's inconsolable bitterness, Ruth sees something in her that makes leaving everything behind an easy decision. Only their deaths will separate them.

Ruth Chapter 2: Ruth requests Naomi's permission to glean barley behind the harvesters. As Ruth seeks an owner who will show her favor in her work, she happens upon a field owned by Boaz, He sees Ruth and asks his foreman who she is. Word has gotten around the small town, and when the servant mentions that Ruth came with Naomi, Boaz realizes she is the Moabite woman who abandoned her country, people, and gods for an Israelite widow.

Ruth Chapter 3: As the harvest ends, Naomi decides that Boaz would make a good husband for Ruth. She gives bold instructions to her daughter-in-law: Ruth is to go to the threshing floor and wait until Boaz has celebrated the harvest and fallen asleep. When he awakens, he will be in a good mood, and they will have chaste privacy amidst the other threshers who sleep nearby to protect the grain. Ruth will then challenge Boaz to act. Ruth agrees to the plan. Boaz recognizes that Ruth is willing to marry him for Naomi's sake, not her own. That doesn't just mean buying Naomi's husband's land, it also means providing her with an heir to re-inherit the land when the boy comes of age. Boaz is overwhelmed by Ruth's selflessness and agrees to her plan. There's only one problem: Naomi's husband has a closer relative with a stronger claim

Ruth Chapter 4: The elders and the people gathered to watch the proceedings swear their witness. They then bless Boaz, Ruth, and their future children. They are impressed with Ruth's kind heart and Boaz's honorable behavior. The crowd compares them to the women and men of the past who made the nation of Israel and the tribe of Judah great. God blesses the honorable Boaz and Ruth. He allows Ruth to present Naomi with a son. The women of the city give praise to God and to Ruth. Naomi is content.

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