Ruth Chapter 1

A Day’s Journey with Ruth Chapter 1

A devotional for thoughtful believers


1. Opening Window – “In the Days When the Judges Ruled”

The book of Ruth begins with the soft voice of a family story, yet it is framed by the dark backdrop of Judges, “when everyone did what was right in his own eyes.” (Judges 21 : 25, New International Version). A famine drives Elimelek, his wife Naomi, and their two sons from Bethlehem—ironically, “House of Bread”—to Moab, Israel’s long-standing rival east of the Dead Sea.

Historical Glimpse

• Moab’s high tableland still shows terraced fields and cisterns from the Late Bronze Age.
• Stelae of Mesha (9th century BC) speaks of Moabite-Israelite conflict and names the god Chemosh, hinting at why Israel viewed Moab with caution (see Numbers 21 : 29).
• Deuteronomy 23 : 3 forbids Moabites from Israel’s assembly “to the tenth generation,” a tension that makes Ruth’s later welcome startling grace.


2. The Emptying (verses 1-5)

Death comes three times: Elimelek, Mahlon, Kilion. Naomi is left with two Moabite daughters-in-law, Orpah and Ruth. The Hebrew author piles short clauses to mimic blow after blow.

Word Note

The verb shakhol (“to be bereaved”) appears twice, stressing Naomi’s deep loss. Hebrew often repeats sound and sense to let us feel pain rise like waves.

Cross-Lights

• Job 1 : 13-19 – another string of sudden losses.
• Psalm 34 : 18 – “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted.”


3. Turning Toward Home (verses 6-14)

Naomi “heard…that the Lord had come to the aid of his people by providing food.” The little phrase “had come” is the Hebrew paqad—a verb of visitation that can be blessing or judgment. God “visited” Sarah (Genesis 21 : 1) with a child; He now visits Bethlehem with bread.

Naomi urges Orpah and Ruth to return, invoking the covenant word ḥesed—steadfast love (v. 8). Orpah kisses and leaves. Ruth clings. The narrator uses davaq, the same verb of covenant bonding in Genesis 2 : 24 (“cleave”). Loss has carved space for new covenant.


4. Ruth’s Vow (verses 15-18)

Ruth’s pledge is Hebrew poetry, six swelling lines moving from journey to death to burial to oath. She calls on the personal name YHWH—rare on Moabite lips.

“Where you go I will go…Your people will be my people and your God my God.” (Ruth 1 : 16, New International Version)

Theological Threads

  1. Conversion: Ruth leaves family gods, mirroring Abraham leaving Ur (Genesis 12 : 1-3).
  2. Covenant Echo: Her words sound like God’s own promise, “I will be their God” (Leviticus 26 : 12).

Patristic and Reformation Voices

• Augustine saw Ruth as a figure of the Church, a Gentile bride clinging to Israel’s Messiah.
• Martin Luther highlighted Ruth’s faith that “takes God at His bare word though all else is against her.”


5. Bitter Waters, Hidden Seed (verses 19-22)

Back in Bethlehem, women whisper, “Can this be Naomi?” She answers, “Call me Mara, because the Almighty has made my life very bitter.”

Word Play

Naomi (“pleasant”) becomes Mara (“bitter”). The Hebrew sounds clash—Na‛ómi vs. Mára—marking identity crisis. Yet the author slips hope into the closing line: “So Naomi returned…arriving as the barley harvest was beginning.” Harvest signals new seed, new life.

Cross-Reference

• Exodus 15 : 22-25 – bitter waters of Marah turned sweet.
• Psalm 126 : 5 – “Those who sow with tears will reap with songs of joy.”


6. Echoes of Redemption in the Larger Story

  1. From Famine to Fullness – anticipates the gospel pattern: death, burial, resurrection.
  2. A Foreign Woman in the Line of Messiah – Matthew 1 : 5 names Ruth in Jesus’ genealogy, hinting God’s plan to bless all nations.
  3. Kinsman-Redeemer (go’el) – the term will surface in chapter 2, but the theme is already moving: God will raise a redeemer from within the family, just as He later raises Christ from within humanity (Hebrews 2 : 14-15).

7. What We Often Miss in the West

• Women in Ancient Near Eastern culture had no legal standing without a male. Naomi’s emptiness is economic, social, and spiritual. Ruth’s pledge risks lifelong poverty.
• Travel from Moab to Bethlehem is roughly 50 rugged miles through the Judean Wilderness—two widows alone, constant danger.
• Barley harvest (April) is Passover season; Jewish tradition reads Ruth at Shavuot (Pentecost) linking harvest and covenant giving.


8. Reflection Questions for Today

  1. Where do you see God “visiting” you in famine or fullness?
  2. How might loyalty (hesed) look in your relationships this week?
  3. Can you name a place where bitterness threatens to rename you? Invite Christ into that space.

9. Suggested Hymn

“God Moves in a Mysterious Way” – William Cowper, 1774.
Its melody of hidden providence matches Naomi’s journey from empty to full.


10. Closing Prayer

Lord of Bethlehem and Moab,
You walk with us through famine and harvest.
Teach our hearts the faith of Ruth,
the courage to cling when all seems lost,
and the trust to wait for Your hidden harvest.
Rename our bitterness with Your joy,
until Jesus, our Redeemer, is seen in all we do.
Amen.

Narrated version of this devotional on Ruth Chapter 1