Through the story of Ruth, Jesus shows both His plan and purpose to us. To see it though, requires looking at the meanings of the names of the places and characters. As always, please read it with an attitude of asking God to reveal what He wants you to know about His Son. Enjoy and let the Spirit lead you into all truth as you find that the entire Bible is about only one thing: It’s all about Jesus!
The meanings of Hebrew names can almost tell the whole story by themselves. They reveal the hidden meaning to the allegory. For example: Naomi means “Beautiful Grace of God” and her husband is Elimelech which means “Strength of the King”. This is a description of the relationship we have going on within our being. It shows God’s Grace drawing us to Him. However, as long as we remain apart from God and reliant on our own strength, the only possible outcome is pictured by the offspring: Malion (Sickly) and Kilion (Failing). That pretty well sums up what we can do to please God by way of our own abilities.
The story begins with Naomi –Ruth’s mother-in-law. However, it’s really about how Ruth (our human spirit) connects the down hearted Naomi (the weary and humble soul) with her kinsman redeemer (Jesus our true Redeemer) through God’s grace.