Ruth 1:4Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

Observe the profound significance of bringing comfort to a bereaved woman: as a reward for her loyalty, Ruth would become an ancestor of Christ (See Ruth 1:5). Reflect on the immense trials that Job faced, and consider—though you are sensitive—the gaze directed towards heaven amidst the ruins of his home, the painful sores, the immense losses, and the cunning words of his wife. Through all of this, his perseverance remained steadfast.

Ruth, being a Moabitess, faced a legal prohibition against marrying an Israelite, as the Scriptures declare, “An Ammonite and a Moabitess shall not enter into the congregation of the Lord; even to their tenth generation shall they not enter into the congregation of the Lord for ever.” How could she possibly enter into the congregation of the Lord if she was not regarded as holy and morally pure outside the law? If the law is meant for the wicked, then Ruth, by transcending the law and entering the Church, becoming part of Israel, and securing her distinguished position in the lineage of the Lord due to the purity of her soul rather than her nationality, serves as an exemplary figure for all of us who come from the Gentiles to the Church of the Lord. Let us honor her, who through her actions merited the privilege of being counted among His people, teaching us that through our own deeds and virtues, we too may be chosen to enter into the Church. When Naomi urged her to return to her own people and gods, Ruth responded, “Do not urge me to leave you or 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.” Thus, they journeyed together to Bethlehem. Upon discovering Ruth's exceptional deeds, her commitment to her mother-in-law, her reverence for the deceased, and her fear of God, Boaz, the great-grandfather of David, chose her as his wife.

Tamar’s actions were not motivated by lust, but rather by her desire for offspring when it became apparent that her father-in-law would not provide her with a child. She sought to establish a lineage to bring forth a blessing. Following this lineage, she chose not to have additional children, instead embracing a life of celibacy.