He has restored your life (Ruth 4:15)

4 min readDec 13, 2024

Commentary on Ruth chapter 4:

By reading the narrative, we understand better why the individual who refused to get married with Ruth so as not to “ruin his own inheritance”, was named “So-and-so”. The excuse of this man was dismal. Besides, for Jehovah God, such an attitude was shameful enough to allow the widow who was rejected by a repurchaser, to remove his sandal from his foot and spit in his face: “Now if the man does not want to marry his brother’s widow, his brother’s widow should then go to the elders at the city gate and say, ‘My husband’s brother has refused to preserve his brother’s name in Israel. He has not consented to perform brother-in-law marriage with me.’ The elders of his city must call him and speak to him. Should he insist and say, ‘I do not want to marry her,’ then his brother’s widow should approach him before the elders, remove his sandal from his foot, spit in his face, and say, ‘That is what should be done to the man who will not build up his brother’s household.’ After that his family name in Israel will be known as ‘The house of the one who had his sandal removed’” (Deuteronomy 25:7–10). Nevertheless, this is not what Ruth did, for the simple reason, that she fortunately had a second repurchaser, the man Boaz.

It is at the very end of this biblical book that we understand that this historical narrative has not only also an anecdotal value. Thus, the Book of Ruth explains the important role of the levirate marriage regarding to the line leading to king David and later, to the man Jesus Christ (Matthew 1:1–16; Luke 3:23–38). In Matthew 1:5, it is written that the mother of Boaz was Rahab, the courageous woman who saved the two spies in Jericho (Joshua chapter 2). Logically, the story of the Book of Ruth took place after the death of Joshua, that is to be under the governance of Judge Othniel, the nephew of Caleb (judges 1:13). Admittedly, these courageous and faithful women, Rahab and Ruth, do not know that Jehovah God allowed their names to cross the centuries in memory of their loyalty toward God and men, appearing in the line leading to Christ. In addition, the name of a biblical book of Ruth appears in the canon of the Holy Scriptures. It is after their resurrection that they will know how Jehovah acted with goodness toward their names and memory by virtue of their courage and their faithful love (Acts 24:15).

The happy end of the narrative of the Book of Ruth is an encouragement for those who go through trials as was the case for Naomi and Ruth. To use what the disciple James wrote, about the happy outcome concerning the faithful Job, this can just as well apply to Naomi and Ruth: “Do not grumble against one another, brothers, so that you do not get judged. Look! The Judge is standing before the doors. Brothers, take as a pattern of the suffering of evil and the exercising of patience the prophets who spoke in the name of Jehovah. Look! We consider happy those who have endured. You have heard of the endurance of Job and have seen the outcome Jehovah gave, that Jehovah is very tender in affection and merciful” (James 5:9–11).

Why did God allow suffering and wickedness?

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