The Qualities of Loyalty in the Book of Ruth

The Book of Ruth holds many timeless lessons about loyalty and its qualities. And the relationships between Naomi, Ruth and Boaz reveal significant, meaningful parallels to our lives today.

Ruth was a Gentile, a woman born and raised in Moab. She married into a Jewish family who had relocated to Moab due to a famine surrounding their hometown of Bethlehem. Her mother-in-law was Naomi and after 10 years of living in Moab, she had lost her husband and her 2 sons. By this time, the famine had ended so Naomi decided to return to Bethlehem.

As she began her journey home, her 2 daughters-in-law accompanied her. However, Naomi urged them to turn back and return to their homeland. They both resisted at first, but Orpah heeded the advice and left. Ruth, on the other hand, pleaded with Naomi to not urge her to turn back.

Ruth told her “Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God. 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.”

So they journeyed on together to Bethlehem.

1) Here we see the first quality of loyalty which is unity.

Ruth’s loyalty to Naomi unified them. Ruth was so committed to Naomi that she was willing to leave her family, her country, the gods of her country and her traditions to follow Naomi, to be united with her by adopting Naomi’s God and people as her own.

This loyal quality of unity parallels the unity which we, Gentile Christians, must have with the nation of Israel. As Gentiles, baptized into the name of Jesus, we have been grafted in to the Jews, we are spiritual Israelites. We have a spiritual unity with the Jewish people. As we read in Ephesians 2:11-14

“Therefore, remember that formerly you who are Gentiles by birth and called “uncircumcised” by those who call themselves “the circumcision”- remember that at that time you were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For he himself is our peace, who has made the two groups one and has destroyed the barrier.”

2) The next quality of loyalty is commitment.

Naomi provided Ruth the link to Boaz, who was the family’s Kinsman-Redeemer. As such, Boaz was loyally committed to Ruth and provided for all of her needs.

This parallels Israel providing the Redeemer, Jesus Christ, to the Gentiles and to all Jews who believe he is the true Messiah. Jesus provides for all our needs and we are his bride just as Ruth became the bride of Boaz. Jesus is also loyally committed to us as our Redeemer. Apostle Paul tells us in Romans 8:35-39,

“Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? ... I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord”

3) Another quality of loyalty is obedience.

Ruth's loyalty to Naomi led her to obey Naomi’s instructions to continue to glean in the fields of Boaz and to lay at his feet on the threshing floor. This obedience brought Ruth into a relationship and marriage with her Redeemer, Boaz.. Just as when we glean from the rich word of God and lay at His feet, it brings us into a relationship with our Redeemer, Jesus. And into a future marriage with Him.

We see in the Book of Ruth that loyalty brought numerous blessings and it all began with Ruth’s unwavering loyalty to Naomi. As a result, the needs of both Naomi and Ruth were exceedingly met; Ruth and Boaz gained a life partner in each other; Their union continued the lineage to David and Naomi was blessed that her lineage became unbroken. Not only were Naomi, Ruth and Boaz blessed, but the whole world was blessed as this unbroken lineage led to the birth of Jesus, our Redeemer.

Just as the Book of Ruth illustrates that Loyalty leads to Blessings, our loyalty towards God brings us numerous blessings… especially when we employ its qualities of unity, commitment and obedience. When we are united to God through the Holy Spirit, committed in our relationship with Him and obedient to Him in all we do, we receive more blessings than we could ever ask for or imagine.

As the women of Bethlehem told Naomi in chapter 4:14,

“Praise be to the LORD, who this day has not left you without a guardian-redeemer. May he become famous throughout Israel! He will renew your life and sustain you in your old age.”