Ruth 1: From Moab’s Misery to Bethlehem’s Redeemer

Through Ruth’s faith and Naomi’s return, God reveals His plan to redeem all nations through Christ, bringing fullness from sin’s emptiness.

The book of Ruth opens in the dark days of the Judges, when Israel’s unfaithfulness had brought famine and emptiness. Elimelech’s decision to leave Bethlehem (“house of bread”) for Moab (“wasteland”) pictures man’s attempt to find fullness apart from God. Yet, out of this rebellion and loss, God begins a story of grace that connects the faith of a Moabite woman to His plan of redemption through Christ. Ruth 1 bridges the hopelessness of Israel’s rebellion with the dawn of God’s merciful purpose that will lead to David’s lineage—and ultimately to Jesus Christ, the Redeemer of all nations.

Proposition: Get out of Moab and turn back to your redeemer.

Elimelech’s departure from Bethlehem represents man’s sinful departure from God’s provision, seeking life in the world but finding only death. Naomi’s return shows repentance—coming back empty but willing to rest again in God’s mercy. Ruth’s faith, born in Moab, reveals how God’s saving grace reaches beyond Israel to include the Gentiles, foreshadowing Christ’s redemption of all who come to Him by faith. Her confession, “Your people shall be my people, and your God my God,” prefigures the uniting of believers from every nation into one body through Christ.

The chapter ends not in despair but in hope: “They came to Bethlehem at the beginning of barley harvest.” The harvest signals renewal and points to Christ, the Bread of Life, who gives true fullness to the soul. Ruth’s return with Naomi to Bethlehem anticipates the Redeemer’s arrival in the same town centuries later, where God’s promise would take on flesh.

Invitation 

If you, like Naomi, have wandered far from God or, like Ruth, come from a foreign land of unbelief, turn to the Redeemer who receives all who call upon Him. Jesus Christ died for your sins and rose again to bring you into God’s family. His blood removes your guilt, His resurrection guarantees eternal life. Call on the Lord to save you, and you will find in Him the fullness your heart longs for.