Jesus: A Greater Ruth

 This article was first published in French at TPSG.

Anyone familiar with biblical typology has probably heard that Jesus is the greater Moses, the Greater David, and the Greater Abraham. All these are true statements. Some may also be familiar with the idea that Boaz (in the story of Ruth) typifies Christ as our kinsman redeemer. I affirm this as well. But some may not have considered that Ruth herself typifies the promised Deliverer in several ways. 

Appalling Darkness Envelops

We find Ruth’s story nestled in the canon of Scripture right after the horrifying conclusion of Judges, in which a mob gang rapes a Levite’s concubine, and the nation retaliates by slaughtering most of the tribe of Benjamin. The darkness that envelops the nation during the period in which the judges ruled is appalling. The final words of that book offer a concluding explanation for the sickening turn of events, “In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes.”

Light Pierces Through

Then, in the next scene of the unfolding drama of redemption, we discover a woman whose story pierces through that dark night in Israel’s history: “Ruth the Moabitess.” Her pedigree is a strike against her: Her people are the fruit of the incestuous relationship between Lot and his daughter. The chronicler highlights the dissonance between her upright character and her origins by referencing her ancestry repeatedly when speaking of her. As the narrative unfolds, Ruth finds herself widowed and childless. In Ancient Near Eastern terms, she’s destitute, and her obvious next step is to return to her father’s household and find shelter and provision there. 

Only Death Will Separate

Instead, Ruth chooses to attach herself to an even more miserably helpless widow, her mother-in-law. She thus demonstrates an unfailing, never-giving up, above-and-beyond love for Naomi that can only be described as supernatural. Despite having every reason to secure a future among her people, she binds herself by a solemn oath to an old woman who has nothing to offer her but her needs: Need for protection, for provision, for companionship. Ruth is prepared to die before she allows herself to be separated from Naomi’s side. 

Stop urging me to abandon you!

For wherever you go, I will go.

Wherever you live, I will live.

Your people will become my people,

and your God will become my God.

17 Wherever you die, I will die - and there I will be buried.

May the LORD punish me severely if I do not keep my promise!

Only death will be able to separate me from you!”

(Ruth 1:16-17)

That this text is quoted during wedding ceremonies serves to highlight just how significant this promise is: That kind of devotion is usually reserved for the covenant of marriage!

A Woman of Valour

Our protagonist, therefore, leaves her home, bound for a country that is not her own. She exchanges the security of the known for the unknown, giving up her family, her culture, and her language out of love for Naomi. She places herself in harm's way by undertaking a perilous journey from Moab to Bethlehem. Once she arrives in her adopted land, this foreigner integrates among the people of Naomi’s hometown, gaining a reputation for her devotion and courage. These are the words her future husband uses to describe her:

I have been given a full report of all that you have done for your mother-in-law following the death of your husband - how you left your father and your mother, as well as your homeland, and came to live among people you did not know previously. (Ruth 2:11)

So now, my daughter, do not fear. I will do for you whatever you say, for all my people in the city know that you are a woman of valour. (Ruth. 3:11)

Boaz calls the Moabitess “a woman of valour,” or eshet chayil in Hebrew. This is the same term King Lemuel employs to describe the famous “Proverbs 31 Woman.” This is noteworthy, given that it only appears in these two places in the Scriptures. 

Ruth protects, provides for, and cherishes Naomi. She also obeys the will of her adopted mother, and in so doing, secures an inheritance and a descendance for her among her people. As Naomi holds her grandchild on her lap, the women of Bethlehem praise the God of Israel for blessing her with a daughter-in-law who is more precious to her than seven sons. From beginning to end, Ruth shines as a model of courage, loyalty, virtue, and strength. But beyond her moral example, her life points us to a greater Ruth in the person of Jesus Christ.

How Ruth Points Us to Christ

1. Death and Separation

Many are the ways in which the famous Moabitess typifies our Saviour. Like Ruth, our Lord attached himself to those who had nothing to offer him but our desperate need. We were powerless and utterly dependent upon him to rescue us from spiritual famine. Jesus bound himself to us in covenant love, vowing that nothing would ever separate us. 

35 Who will separate us from the love of Christ? …38 For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor heavenly rulers, nor things that are present, nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in creation will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Only, unlike Ruth, who was prepared to die before allowing herself to be wrent from Naomi’s side, Jesus did undergo that fate, for death itself was the price Christ paid to seal that promise. 

2. Peril and Obedience

Another bridge between Naomi and the gospel is this: Jesus also left the security of the Father’s side to undertake a perilous journey for our sake. From the moment of his birth until the moment he gave up his spirit, the Son of God also endured danger and uncertainty. And in so doing, our Saviour fully obeyed the will of his Father as well. 

3. Reputation and Wisdom

Jesus, too, integrated into the world of human frailty. From the earliest days of his earthly ministry, the news of his goodness, wisdom, and power spread so far and wide that his reputation preceded him, too. And if we go back to Ruth 3:11 and Proverbs 31:10, eshet chayil is not as much about the ideal wife as it is about lady wisdom whom all believers are called to emulate. And who else but Christ embodies all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge (Col. 2:3)?

Finding Christ in All of Scripture

If the idea of seeing Christ typified in a woman makes you uncomfortable, rest assured that this notion is both orthodox and well-attested. Consider that the God of the Bible chooses animals (like a lion or a lamb) or inanimate objects (like a tent or a lampstand) as types of Christ. Why would he therefore not also choose women made in his image? Once we understand that all of the Psalms, the Law, and the prophets point us to Christ, we are bound to see whispers of Jesus throughout the pages of the Old Testament. What a joy it was for me, and I hope for you, as well, to discover them in the story of Ruth.