The Book of Ruth is
a four-chapter narrative of redemption, following Naomi and her Gentile daughter-in-law Ruth, who return widowed and destitute to Bethlehem. Ruth’s loyalty leads her to Boaz, a kinsman-redeemer who marries her, restoring Naomi’s family line and placing Ruth in the lineage of King David and Jesus Christ. 5 women are listed in the Matthew geneaology. One of those was Ruth.
Messianic Perspective
The Kinsman-Redeemer (Goel): Boaz serves as a “kinsman-redeemer” (goel), which directly foreshadows Jesus as the ultimate Redeemer who buys back humanity from sin and poverty.
Inclusion of Gentiles: Ruth, a Moabite woman (a Gentile), is adopted into the family of God, symbolizing that the Messiah’s redemptive love extends beyond Israel to all nations.
The Genealogy of Christ: The book ends by connecting Boaz and Ruth to Obed, Jesse, and eventually King David, ensuring the messianic line remains intact through God’s providence.
Connection to the Rapture
Gentile Bride & Redeemer: Many interpret Ruth as a picture of the church (the Gentile bride) being joined to the kinsman-redeemer (Christ), leaving her old life to be taken into his home.
Redemption from the Field: Ruth gleans in the fields during the harvest before she is redeemed by Boaz. This is seen as a prophetic picture of the church being “harvested” or taken (raptured) from the world before the time of tribulation or judgment.
Leaving Moab: Naomi and Ruth leaving the foreign land of Moab to return to Bethlehem mirrors the church being called out of the world.
