"Orpah … went back home, but Ruth held on to her. So Naomi said to her, 'Ruth … go back home with her'. But Ruth answered, 'Don't ask me to leave you! Let me go with you. Wherever you go, I will go; wherever you live, I will live. Your people will be my people, and your God will be my God. Wherever you die, I will die, and that is where I will be buried. May the Lord's [Yahweh's] worst punishment come upon me if I let anything but death separate me from you!' When Naomi saw that Ruth was determined to go with her, she said nothing more … When they arrived in Bethlehem, the whole town became excited … and the barley harvest was just beginning."

By following through on this, she would be cutting herself off from her own people of Moab and renouncing Chemosh the Moabite god, and she would be fully embracing the Israelites as her new family. Jesus said: "Any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple". What it cost Ruth is similar to what it costs a Muslim to become a Christian.

Ruth was clearly in earnest concerning the decision she had taken, so Naomi accepted the situation and stopped arguing. She had been giving her the opportunity to count the cost, but Ruth had already accepted Yahweh (the personal name of the God of Israel) as her own Lord and wanted nothing more than to spend the rest of her life with his people. And it is truly noteworthy that the people of Bethlehem themselves accepted her and gave her a warm welcome. The Law says: "No Moabite may be included among the Lord's people" (Dt. 23:3), so, in this story, grace and mercy triumph over legalism. The Jews of Bethlehem were free from the man-made exclusive Judaism of the Pharisees we see in the Gospels.

Immediately, we are introduced to their kinsman redeemer. "Naomi had a relative named Boaz, a rich and influential man who belonged to the family of her [late] husband Elimelech. One day Ruth said to Naomi, 'Let me go to the fields to gather the grain that the harvest workers leave. I am sure to find someone who will let me work with him.' Naomi answered, 'Go ahead, daughter.' So Ruth went out to the fields and … it so happened that she was in a field that belonged to Boaz. Some time later Boaz himself arrived … and greeted the workers. 'The Lord be with you!' he said."

Ruth took the initiative in providing for her own needs and those of Naomi. She was not afraid of hard work. Gleaning was something the poor were allowed to do and Ruth was very happy to do it and confident that the Lord would lead her to the right place and the right person. God would look after her. But He had something far better for her than barley. Believing in Yahweh would not be enough. She was in need of a redeemer and God led her directly to him. Belief in God is not enough. We are all in need of redemption and only Jesus can provide that for us.