A respectful and kind-hearted woman whose generosity knows no bounds is a well-known characteristics of Ruth in the Bible. She is a fighter who displays great loyalty in her relationships and believes in treating people with the respect they are due. Her story is that of love and of steadfastness in the face of adversity which still resonates with people to date.
Ruth was a woman who married Boaz and lived during the Judges period in the Old Testament. In the Bible, she is mentioned in 1 Samuel and 2 Samuel, as well as 1 and 2 Kings. She was faced with many challenges as she went through her daily living.
Ruth was a wonderful biblical role model with remarkable qualities. This article is aimed at discussing her character, including her loyalty, kindness, fidelity, and obedience, all of which created a strong foundation of biblical values.
How would you describe Ruth in the Bible?
Ruth could be described as a strong woman with a lot of faith, courage, and loyalty. Ruth was a lovely young widow in the Bible who sought company and safety in a strange nation. She was a Moabite who married into Israelite royalty and became Jesus Christ’s ancestor. Her generosity for her mother-in-law resulted in her and her children inheriting riches and security.
Ruth is described as a “virtuous woman” (Ruth 1:21), which means she was recognized for being faithful to her husband and being pure until marriage. She also shows her dedication by following Naomi back to Bethlehem, even though she might have stayed with her relatives in Moab. She is rewarded for her loyalty when she joins Naomi’s household and has a son named Obed through Boaz.
Characteristics of Ruth in The Bible
Ruth was well noted for her loyalty to her mother-in-law and her hometown daughter-in-law’s effects on Judah. Ruth’s name means “loyalty” or “loving friend.” Her actions made her a model of kindness and generosity, particularly within the Jewish community.
See some of the characteristics of Ruth according to the Bible:
Compassion – (Ruth 1:16-17)
But Ruth replied, “Don’t urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. 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.”
Ruth 1:16-17
You can always depend on your friends to be there for you, especially in times of need. This is true for Ruth and Naomi in The Bible. Ruth’s compassion toward Naomi illustrates what we should be like toward others during times of hardship.
Ruth was compassionate to Naomi’s plight and did everything she could to assist her, even if it meant abandoning her own family in Moab. She only returned home when Naomi requested because she knew Naomi would be miserable for the rest of her life if she remained alone.
Ruth was not a ruthless woman. She is instead a lovely example of sensitivity, care, and biblical compassion.
Unfailing devotion – (Ruth 1:16)
“Whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge: thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God.”
Ruth 1:16
Ruth shows forth a character of unfailing devotion, faith, and loyalty to her mother-in-law. She is willing to go to any length to be with Naomi, including following her into exile. This kind of devotion is uncommon in modern society, but it was extremely rarer in biblical times.
Ruth also demonstrates her devotion to God by following him first when she leaves Moab with Naomi and then again after her marriage to Boaz. She is devout not just because she believes in God, but also because she desires to please him by obeying his commands.
Respect – (Ruth 2:10)
Then she fell on her face, and bowed herself to the ground, and said unto him, Why have I found grace in thine eyes, that thou shouldest take knowledge of me, seeing I am a stranger?
Ruth 2:10
Respect is another characteristic of Ruth in the Bible. She was God-fearing, humble, and respectful. She had a wonderful relationship with Naomi, her mother-in-law; other women in her situation might have blamed their mother-in-law for her son’s death. Ruth did not regard her mother-in-law as the witch who murdered her two sons but as a mother.
Ruth was from Moab and married Boaz who was from Bethlehem. Ruth and Naomi were both widows in their old age but they were allowed to go back to Bethlehem with their husbands’ family members. Ruth showed great respect for her mother-in-law by not going out with any other man except Boaz before he took her as his wife (Ruth 2:10).
Grace – Ruth 2:10-12
Grace is the unmerited and benevolent love of God bestowed upon people.
At this, she bowed down with her face to the ground. She asked him, “Why have I found such favor in your eyes that you notice me—a foreigner?” Boaz replied, “I’ve been told all about what you have done for your mother-in-law since the death of your husband- how you left your father and mother and your homeland and came to live with a people you did not know before. May the Lord repay you for what you have done. May you be richly rewarded by the Lord, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge.”
Ruth 2:10-12
This is another character that Ruth possessed, Grace. God saw how good Ruth was, through his love, Ruth found favor in God’s sight and the eyes of Boaz.
Honesty – Ruth 2:7 NIV
Honesty was a part of Ruth’s life. She told Naomi about Boaz when they were at the field. Nothing was hidden from her mother-in-law. Ruth’s honesty is portrayed in chapter 2 This is what happened during harvest season…
”Please let me glean and collect among the sheaves behind the harvesters,’ Ruth requested to Boaz.”
Ruth 2:7 NIV
She did not take advantage of her position as a close relative by asking him for something that would have been unfair. It would have been simple for Ruth to request more than she required to benefit from part of it.
She was honest about how she felt about Boaz (Ruth 2:10). She also didn’t keep anything from him even when Naomi requested Ruth not to reveal her true identity to Boaz, but Ruth refused since she didn’t want to fool Boaz.
Integrity
Integrity is another character of Ruth. Ruth’s conduct or work ethic organically reflected her character because integrity was ingrained in the depths of who she was.
“One day Ruth the Moabite said to Naomi, “Let me go out into the harvest fields to pick up the stalks of grain left behind by anyone kind enough to let me do it.” Naomi replied, “All right, my daughter, go ahead.”
Ruth 2:2 (NLT)
It begins in our hearts to conduct ourselves in a way that glorifies God. Ruth had to have that character within her before she could conduct herself in a way that represented integrity.
Generosity
Ruth’s generosity is the key to understanding this story. She was willing to leave everything she knew behind to help her mother-in-law and join a new family. Ruth’s willingness to go to any length for Naomi demonstrates how generous she is in two ways throughout the book:
(1) By marrying Boaz, she gives herself up.
(2) By sharing meals with Naomi, she reveals herself. She put others’ needs ahead of her own.
Wholesomeness
Ruth demonstrates wholesomeness and purity by delving into the heart of God’s restoration plan for His people and accepting the duty that God had given her.
Boaz is interested in Ruth because he recognizes the wholesomeness of her commitment to the Lord. For their purity, Ruth and Boaz were rewarded.
Ruth was a widow, but God blessed her with a good husband because of her purity. Consider the family: Naomi would now be able to hear her grandchildren’s laughter. Ruth, who had been barren, will be able to have a child as a result of her obedience and purity, as well as God’s grace.
Virtue – Ruth 3:11
And now, my daughter, fear not; I will do to thee all that thou requirest: for all the city of my people doth know that thou art a virtuous woman. Ruth 3:11
Ruth was a well-known woman. She was a virtuous woman who deserved respect. Ruth’s reputation and integrity are well-known in her
Honor
Ruth was a woman of honor who was concerned about her image. We know this since she was known in Boaz’s field for never running around with the men. She kept to herself and interacted with people sensibly and humbly.
Ruth teaches us the importance of treating others with respect and being aware of how we interact with them.
Kindness
Ruth radiated loving-kindness, or “hesed” in Hebrew, which refers to a selfless and faithful affection.
Ruth was generous in her caring for Naomi, as we have already seen. Her love for her mother-in-law pushed her to give up everything for her. Working in the fields from dawn to night to gather grain. Even when she took a short break during her long day to recharge, she did not hesitate to share a portion of her food with Naomi so that she could also eat and be satisfied (Ruth 2:14,18).
Strengths and weaknesses of Ruth in the Bible
Ruth’s story does not focus much on her human weaknesses, but rather on her faithful love for not only her mother-in-law Naomi, but also for God, whom she met through her marriage with Boaz.
Strengths:
- Ruth was willing to leave her homeland, her family, and her gods in order to follow Naomi.
- She was faithful to Naomi and took care of her in times of need.
- She was loyal and submissive to Naomi, who had taken her in as a daughter.
Weaknesses:
Ruth was a strong woman, but she had her moments of weakness. She made some mistakes that were not in keeping with God’s plan for her life.
- Ruth made a vow to God without consulting Naomi first. This was an act of disobedience on her part (Ruth 1:15).
- Ruth was tempted to abandon Naomi and return to Moab (Ruth 1:16).
- Ruth made a vow to God without consulting Naomi first.
Moral of the story of Ruth in the Bible
Ruth is a role model for several reasons. First, her story highlights the value of friendship. She became an important part of Naomi’s life and this is not only because of her good deeds but also because she was a caring friend.
Moral 1: We’ve learned that God works through unlikely people to accomplish His goals.
Ruth was a poor widow. She was raised in a hostile country to Israel. She had no children. She relocated to a different country where she only knew her mother-in-law. They had to fight poverty.
She had to go gather barley behind the harvesters in the fields in order for them to survive. Anyone looking at this foreign widow would never imagine that God chose her lineage for the anticipated redeemer – Jesus.
Moral 2: We Must strive to have Integrity
Ruth had no clue that her narrative would be read by millions of people. She had a quiet life in the shadows. Despite this, she had exceptional character. Even Boaz acknowledges her as a woman of integrity and Virtue
Ruth went above and beyond in honoring and respecting her mother-in-law, earning the title of “virtuous woman” throughout the community. She toiled away to feed herself and her mother-in-law. She was valued by God because of her character, which was evident in everything she did. We, like Ruth, must strive to have integrity.
Moral 3: Be Humble and Keep working hard as God blesses you.
It would have been logical for Ruth to become lazy when Boaz recognized her and began to bless her. After all, she was being favored by a relative who had the authority to redeem her and the property that had once belonged to Naomi’s husband. Ruth, on the other hand, stayed faithful and worked tirelessly.
She worked hard before Boaz invited her to eat with him, according to the Bible. She immediately returned to work and gleaned in the field until evening. Before returning home, she threshed everything she had gathered each day until the barley and wheat harvest was over.
Conclusion
Ruth is an excellent example for women today. She was a strong person who was willing to work hard to achieve her goals. She cherished friendship and went out of her way to demonstrate loyalty to others.
Ruth accepted the privileges that came along with wealth and power, but she also served and carried out acts of kindness for those less fortunate than herself. Even if you are not religious, this is still a great book choice
